Victorian government officially scraps controversial Daniel Andrews statue plan

The Victorian government, led by Premier Ben Carroll, has officially cancelled a contentious plan to erect a statue of former Labor premier Daniel Andrews. Work on the sculpture, meant to mark Andrews' more than 3,000 days in office, had begun in May under a policy dating back to 1999.

On Saturday, Carroll announced he was ending the policy, originally introduced by then-premier Jeff Kennett ahead of the 1999 election, and directed that work on the Andrews statue stop immediately. In its place, he appointed an independent, bipartisan panel to review how the state commemorates former officials through statues and other services.

Cost concerns

Carroll said gratitude toward former premiers did not require spending public money on a statue, stressing the need to be careful and deliberate with taxpayer funds.

Under Kennett's original policy, premiers who served more than 3,000 days automatically received a statue along Treasury Place in Melbourne. Kennett himself never reached that milestone. The new panel will also make recommendations on how future state funerals and memorial services should be conducted.

The contract with Meridian Sculpture, the firm selected in May through a standard procurement process and previously responsible for statues of Victoria's four other qualifying premiers, will not be cancelled. Instead, the panel will choose an alternative subject and location for the commissioned work.

The statue's $134,000 price tag drew heavy criticism from the opposition Liberal party. Opposition leader Jess Wilson said in July that her party would block the statue if it won government, describing it as an example of Labor waste and arguing that Victorians deserved a government that respected their money.

Andrews served as Victoria's premier from 4 December 2014 to 27 September 2023.