A high-profile Liberal senator has slammed Daniel Andrews’ victory speech as ‘really rude’ and accused him of making his critics out to be anti-vaxxers after the Victorian Premier celebrated his third term by declaring ‘vaccines work’.
Mr Andrews kissed his wife, pumped his fists and trumpeted his controversial Covid policies – which included a 263-day lockdown of Melbourne, the world’s longest – as a tough decision that ultimately succeeded and united Victoria.
However, his comments were criticised by a furious Jane Hume, with the Liberal senator describing his victory speech as ‘not gracious’.
‘I always believe that the electorate gets it right and they made their voice very clear tonight,’ she said on Sky News. ‘However, that was not a gracious speech.
‘He didn’t mention Matthew Guy and it essentially said that the only reason that people disliked him was if they were anti-vaxxers. I thought that was really rude and totally disrespectful to his opponents.’
Her stinging intervention came after Mr Andrews, whose party had an easy majority of 54 seats as of 3am Sunday morning, took to the stage with his wife Cath and children Grace, Noah and Joseph at a victory party in his seat of Mulgrave in Melbourne’s south-east.
He told his jubilant supporters: ‘Friends, these last few years have been incredibly challenging. We have had to make some very difficult decisions, some very tough decisions, and Victorian families and businesses right across our state have had a very difficult time.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews celebrates during his victory speech at the Labor election party surrounded by his wife and children
Liberal senator Jane Hume has slammed Dan Andrews, describing his election victory speech as ‘not gracious’ and ‘really rude and disrespectful’
‘This was a one-in-100 year event. And because of the tough decisions that we made, and… the fact that Victorians stuck together… we went out and got vaccinated. Because vaccines work.
‘As a community we were not, as some would say, divided. We were instead united in our faith in science. That sense of kindness, that sense of connection… has been confirmed today. Friends, hope always defeats hate.’
The Labor leader was greeted with hugs from his mother and sister – as well as chants of ‘four more years’ from the adoring party faithful
He also shared leadership advice given to him by former prime minister Paul Keating to back up his argument.
‘Reforming giant and Labor icon Paul Keating once said to me, ‘son, leadership is not about doing what is popular, leadership is about doing what is right,” he said.
‘Essentially, he was telling me that leadership is about doing what matters and that’s exactly what the people of this great state have endorsed today.’
A jubilant Mr Andrews with his wife and children ahead of his victory speech after he won a third term as Victoria’s Premier
Daniel Andrews kisses his wife Catherine during his victory speech at the Labor election party – where he called her his ‘best friend’
About 10.50pm on Saturday, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy conceded in a call to Mr Andrews – the second one that he has made, and almost certainly the last.
Mr Guy, flanked by his wife Renae, told supporters in Doncaster: ‘Post this election that we come together as Victorians know that the best of our state should be ahead of us, not behind us.
‘There have been some truly tremendous swings to our side of politics in Melbourne’s north and west, swings above 15 per cent approaching 20 per cent in Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs.
‘We’ve got a lot of work to do, we know that. But we also know that our time in the sun will come again.’
Major networks – the ABC, Sky, Seven and Nine – all called the race in favour of Mr Andrews shortly after 8pm.
ABC election analyst Antony Green projected the ALP will win at least 50 seats in the lower house, a simple majority.
Daniel Andrews hugs his mother Jan as he arrives to make his victory speech after his win on Saturday night – with Labor keeping a majority government
Mr Andrews’ party campaigned on a platform of free kindergarten, mega infrastructure projects and a state-run renewable energy company.
The Greens also look set to make significant gains at Saturday’s poll. They retained the seats of Brunswick, Melbourne, Prahran and were projected to pick up Northcote and Richmond.
Despite losing skin in the inner city to the Greens, Labor campaign chair and former deputy premier James Merlino said it was a magnificent victory.
‘There’s tight contests in those seats in Footscray and Albert Park and Pascoe Vale. I’m hopeful we’ll get over the line in those contests,’ he told reporters.
‘Overall this is quite an extraordinary victory for the Labor Party, for Dan as the premier of our state.
Labor supporters react at the Labor Party reception in Melbourne as Dan Andrews wins a third term
Jubilant Labor supporters react at the party’s reception in Melbourne on Saturday after Mr Andrews’ win
‘(It’s) only the third time in the history of the Victorian parliamentary Labor party that we’ve secured three (straight) terms.’
The ALP victory was celebrated by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. ‘Congratulations @DanielAndrewsMP, what a great win,’ he tweeted soon after the result became clear.
The divisive Premier’s victory comes despite his hardline Covid policies that saw Melbourne forced into a 263-day lockdown, the longest in the world.
The response to Covid was draconian with rubber bullets last year fired at anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne while a pregnant woman was arrested in her Ballarat home in 2020 for posting a protest message on social media.
Major networks – the ABC, Sky, Seven and Nine – all called the race in favour of Mr Andrews shortly after 8pm
The divisive Premier’s victory comes despite his hardline Covid policies that saw Melbourne forced into a 263-day lockdown, the longest in the world
Mr Andrews’ political opponents claim the lockdowns are set to leave a costly legacy with the conservative Institute of Public Affairs think tank calculating they cost the state $218billion – or $33,000 for every Victorian.
Daniel Wild, the IPA’s deputy executive director, said this week that the economic damage was set to linger for many years.
‘Victoria’s botched Covid response, including the world’s longest lockdown, has left us all with a massive economic hangover,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘By implementing the world’s longest lockdown, Victoria’s most productive industries, tradies and small businesses were forced to sit on their hands and, not surprisingly, our economy suffered greatly.’
The lockdowns were costly on the state’s finances with affected businesses last year entitled to up to $8,400 each as compensation.
Anthony Albanese sent Daniel Andrews a congratulatory message on Instagram after his election win
Labor party supporters cheer as they hear about the Labor party’s win in Victoria on Saturday night
Victoria’s gross government debt levels are also more than double revenue, with a 189.2 per cent debt-to-revenue ratio forecast for 2022-23.
Budget papers showed public service debt, which includes superannuation liabilities, climbing from $119.4billion in June 2022 to $196.8billion by June 2026.
Net debt – or what a government owes minus its assets – was expected to climb from $101.9billion in June 2022 to $167.5billion by June 2026.
Mr Andrews sent out a optimistic message as polls closed at 6pm on Saturday, telling voters ‘we’ll see you soon’ alongside a grinning photo.
His confidence was called into question earlier in the night, with Peta Credlin, the former chief of staff to Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott, declaring early that there is ‘no doubt the swing is on’.
However, that swing – of about three per cent – was nowhere near significant enough to sweep his government from office.
Major networks – the ABC, Sky, Seven and Nine – all called the race in favour of Mr Andrews shortly after 8pm
The divisive Premier’s victory comes despite his hardline Covid policies that saw Melbourne forced into a 263-day lockdown, the longest in the world
Steve Bracks, former Victoria Premier for Labor, told Seven about 8pm: ‘I can call it, I think it’s impossible for the Liberals to win. I think it’s almost certainly a majority Labor government.’
And ex state Liberal president Michael Kroger told Sky News about the same time: ‘On balance they’re going to hold government by a majority. The early figures are uniform across the place, and that’s what’s disappointing.’
‘Now, we are yet to determine whether that’s the majority or minority government. But what we can’t see is a pathway for the Coalition to win enough seats to get into government and Labor will end up with more seats than the Coalition.’
Earlier in the evening, former Strictly Ballroom star Paul Mercurio clinched the seat of Hastings for Labor from the Liberals.
The mood was somber at the Liberal Party reception as the results came in just after 8pm
Ex state Liberal president Michael Kroger told Sky News: ‘On balance they’re going to hold government by a majority
But it was not the only seat to change hands into a celebrity’s, as former professional tennis player Sam Groth declared victory in the seat of Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula, prying it from Labor early in the count.
‘I certainly wasn’t expecting them to call it this this early in the night, I’m very happy,’ Mr Groth said. ‘I haven’t had the chance to have a beer yet.’
Reacting to the result, a disappointed Georgie Crozier, shadow health minister for the Liberals, described the night as ‘incredibly disappointing’.
‘Judging from these early votes that are coming in, obviously it is not a good result for us. It is incredibly disappointing. That is evident from what we’re seeing.
Labor party supporters watching the election count telecast in Daniel Andrews seat of Mulgrave
Mr Andrews’ vaccine mandates infuriated some workers, but were accepted by most of the population
Labor supporters react at the Labor Party reception in Melbourne on a successful night
‘As others have said, we have to take on board this and learn from it and, you know, get back on that horse and show we are a viable alternative.
‘We’ve worked hard. We had what I felt was a very strong message but, clearly, the Victorian public haven’t taken that.’
And discussing the Greens surge, former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett said the higher Greens vote in non-Melbourne seats is ‘surprising’ and could cause ‘a very strong result for the government, sadly’.
‘What is surprising, even in these early numbers, is the high Greens vote,’ Kennett added.
‘For them to be getting 15 per cent in seats away from their own area if these figures hold up … those preferences will go to the Labor Party and you might find a very strong result for the government, sadly.’
Party faithful watch on a broadcast of election results at the Liberal Party reception in Melbourne
Peta Credlin rips into the Liberal Party for ‘losing SO well’ as Daniel Andrews wins a third term
BY BRETT LACKEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
Conservative Sky News commentator Peta Credlin has unleashed a furious spray at the Victorian Liberal Party as they suffer a convincing loss to Daniel Andrews’ Labor in the state election.
Credlin – who was once touted as a potential challenger to Andrews at the polls – fumed that the party was getting ‘very comfortable’ with the fact it was in Opposition and lost the election despite having ‘lots’ to work with against the Premier.
Credlin, the former chief of staff to Liberal PM Tony Abbott, said the party was being destroyed by ‘factional warlordism’ and slammed senior MPs for telling Federal Liberals to butt out, as they ‘don’t understand Victoria’.
‘Really?! Because you lose so well at a state level in areas where we don’t lose at a federal level.’
Ms Credlin said the Victorian Liberals need to be brave enough to clear out the ‘dead-wood’ that has been around for 20 years and ‘achieved sweet bugger all’.
‘You can see in seats like Hastings and Nepean if you put in fresh blood into the ballot people will support it’.
‘The Liberal Party isn’t sure in Victoria what it stands for and I have to say it’s become very, very comfortable in Opposition,’ Credlin said.
‘It’s lost the belief in itself that it can take on Labor and win.’
‘You’re up against Dan Andrews and you can see in the swings (against Labor) that there’s cranky people.’
‘There’s plenty to work with.’
Sky News host Peta Credlin (pictured left) blamed ‘factional warlordism’ and the Liberals ‘being comfortable in Opposition’ for their defeat in the Victorian election on Saturday
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