The result of the Victorian election has been analysed to within an inch of its life. Federal factors, state factors, good leadership, leadership in a vacuum. One thing we can conclude with certainty is that Dan Andrews is the most successful political leader in Australia at present.
He is a formidable politician. We know this because his opponents now acknowledge it.
Andrews has gone from socialist ne’er-do-well, painted as a cartoon villain in so many op-eds last week to being extolled by John Howard during an interview with Leigh Sales on 7.30 on Tuesday night.
“Can I give credit where it is due, I think Daniel Andrews was a very good campaigner. I think he is an extremely good communicator. He explains things clearly, simply and well …” Howard said.
High praise.
The previous titleholder was Annastacia Palaszczuk who went from minority government in Queensland in 2015 on the back of a 12 per cent swing, to forming majority government in Queensland in 2017 with a four-seat net gain.
Dan Andrews’ triumph in Victoria with votes still being counted points to a nine-seat net gain and swing towards Labor on primary vote of 4.6 per cent with the Liberals (-5.9 per cent), Greens (-1.6 per cent) and Nationals (-0.2) all down.
Elsewhere in the states there are new governments in power who are yet to return to the people to have their appeal and their records tested. In New South Wales, the thumping majority won by Barry O’Farrell in 2011 was cut back in 2015 under Mike Baird by 15 seats. Gladys Berejiklian faces a tough fight to hang on in the 2019 state election on March 23 next year and will almost certainly lose seats.
Federally, no government has been returned with an increased majority since the Coalition under John Howard in 2004.
This makes Dan Andrews the undisputed king of electoral politics in Australia. While there have been calumnies (notably the ‘Red Shirts’ scandal with allegations of electoral fraud) and missteps along the way, his first-term agenda has been substantially carried out. The plan for a second term, how to get there and why was effectively communicated.
In the campaign, Andrews assiduously avoided attack politics. He chose to rise above it for the practical reason that the majority of voters are turned off by the schoolyard name calling and petty derision commonplace in politics elsewhere.
Basic stuff, really, for any political party seeking to find its way into government and stay there.
Maybe we need not look much further at the reasons for Andrews’ success. But I want to tell a story that I thought was best left until after the Victorian election lest it be thought I was trying to sway voters. We are beyond that now and the dust has settled.
I’ve had dealings with the Andrews government, not as a journalist but as an advocate on behalf of Denis Ryan. Many will know the story. Denis was a detective with Victoria Police based in Mildura who sought to prosecute an outrageously prolific paedophile priest only to find corrupt forces within VicPol turn against him. That was in 1972. He lost the job he loved and was left battered and bruised by the encounter.
Denis Ryan’s story was told by me in 2013 in the book Unholy Trinity. The assertions of police corruption and wilful ignorance within the Catholic Church were proven in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse in 2015.
The Andrews government had no legal liability to compensate Ryan. The statute of limitations had long since lapsed. I could only appeal to their sense of decency. I had meetings with ministers and almost endless streams of correspondence with various apparatchiks, chiefs of staff, media advisers. Former ministers in Labor governments were recruited to lobby current ministers.
Denis waited.
It was only when Premier Andrews stepped in that the wheels started turning. His intervention accelerated the matter to the point where the 87-year-old hero to so many in Victoria and across the nation received his compensation within a matter of days. After 46 years of waiting for justice, it was all done and dusted in less than two weeks.
The undisclosed amount was not a lotto win for Ryan. It was enough to buy him digs in a retirement home in Mildura and see his needs taken care of for the remainder of his life. He can enjoy a holiday now. That’s the strength of it and despite being owed millions, that is all Denis wanted.
I often said to Labor ministers, “If you want to have a good day in politics go and stand next to Denis Ryan. Shake his hand and see him right.”
I thought they might be swayed by the thought of a good news story. An election was looming. A government could always do with a good news day.
Remarkably, Andrews did not seek to make a virtue out of it. Neither Andrews nor any of his ministers went up to Mildura to stand on a flat bed truck and hand Denis an oversized presentation cheque in front of a gaggle of media, in an attempt to squeeze a vote out of it here and there. Instead it was done quietly. Without a fuss.
The payment did not have to be made and without the intervention of Andrews, the request for compensation may well be gathering dust on someone’s desk deep in the bowels of a minister’s office in Spring Street. Dan Andrews chose to compensate Ryan without any hullabaloo, any rough politicking. He just did it.
From someone who has been an observer of government for a long time, seen them come and go — some good, some less so — it was impressive.
Some might say the Andrews government did what any government should do and they’d be right, but the fact remains there were eight state governments in Victoria from both sides of the divide that should have acted but did not.
Ryan was made a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day this year for his services to “child protection investigations”. He was named Mildura’s Citizen of the Year, the award bestowed upon him on the same day.
After he received his compensation, another award came his way. Denis was to be made a Freeman of the City of Mildura.
He personally invited Premier Andrews to attend the ceremony. Andrews replied in writing days later.
Dear Mr Ryan,
I am sorry I cannot be there in person to see the conferment of your latest title, ‘Freeman of the Rural City of Mildura’.
But I cannot think of a more deserving recipient.
While others chose to hide the truth or avert their gaze, you instead shone a bright light on one of our darkest chapters.
Your courage of conviction, and your relentless pursuit of justice, have changed our nation for good.
On behalf of the Victorian government and the Victorian people, thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Andrews
Politicians come and go. And Dan Andrews one day will certainly go. The how and the why is a long way from being determined. As Paul Keating said of a life in politics, “Everyone goes out feet first, the only difference is whether the pall bearers are crying or not.”
There is perhaps another truism. In politics as in life, decency goes a long way.
This article was first published in The Australian on 28 November 2018.
Bivalve says:
DECEMBER 6, 2018 AT 1:20 PM….re Looter ‘surplus’
There is no guarantee Fraudenberg will deliver a budget surplus: The final budget outcome for 2018-19 will not be known until late September 2019, some 4 months AFTER the election. Wouldn’t it be nasty if Labor did what Hockey did in 2014……extend the debt ceiling to make the deficit look much worse than it really is. Any surplus will be nothing to do with this mob’s fiscal skill….but more to do with:-
1. Surging coal and iron ore prices
2. China trade up
3. Spending less on NDIS
4. Higher taxation because of bracket creep…up 8.7%
5. Pension payments are lower
6. More people are travelling-Customs and Excise payments are up
7. Soaring company profits-up 32% therefore more taxes!!
Just shows what 3 months of good Government will do Bassy – the place is BOOMING 🙂
But there again, ScoMo was Treasurer for a good part of the lat 5 years so he can take a lot of the credit.
I
JS this is from the Business section of The Australian. It clearly shows you have some sort of selective comprehension going on.
“The private domestic economy — business investment and consumption — has collapsed, and is in recession.”
“Annual growth was reported to be 2.8 per cent, which sounds OK, just, but if we reported annualised quarterly growth like most other countries, the US and China for example, the 0.3 per cent for the September would have been announced as 1.2 per cent — not OK at all.”
“What’s more, of that meagre 0.3 per cent lift in GDP in the quarter, 0.35 percentage points came from “public demand” and another 0.35 percentage points from net exports. And a lot of that increase in public demand is simply a shift of activity from the non-measured work of helping disabled family members to the NDIS, which is in the GDP”
Geez, I have actually found one susceptible turkey who believes the statistics that come out of China.
Get a renewal for those pills real quick Dismal.
Who knows what else was coming there JS but I would have to say that Morrison was the least visible treasurer in my memory. Just what did he do?
Cleaned up Labor’s mess TV
er Jack my good mate do some reading GROWTH has just dropped nearly one whole percentage point- since Morrison has been PM the value of Australian stocks has fallen 7% taking $140 billion or so from the value of Australia companies. Also under Scum the value of your home has dropped 6.5% in Sydney, 4.5% in Melbourne, 12% in Perth and 20% in Darwin (which I think is a good thing) . Gross debt is $530 billion, household debt is the 2nd highest in the world. When we can get sub 4.0% unemployment (pref 3.75-4%), wages growth at 3.5% & Consumer Price Index at 2.25 – 2.75% as it was under Labor during the Global Financial Crisis mind you, then and only then can the Liberals start crowing. The economy is NOT an under 8 egg and spoon race! Oh and since Labor was last in, private new capital expenditure – business investment in other words – has fallen 31.4%I still do enjoy the chatter by the Liberals that a 5.0% / 8.3% underemployment dynamic is “good” when our unemployment is one of the highest in the developed world! Sorry-could not resist the bait Jack.
But but Bassy – you have to admit that keeping immigration at record levels kept us going into a recession, increased the GDP but strangely enough the share of the GDP ( a totally useless measurement) kept the worker’s share of said idiotic figure flat.
Now of course we have the Reserve saying that they might has to reduce interest rates again and go into quantitative easing if necessary. ( If you always do what you always did …)
What are the three major causes of housing prices rising beyond the locals capacity to pay?
1. Low interest rates and throwing money at anybody who could raise the deposit.
2. Immigration – which increase the demand
3. Overseas purchases what reduce the stock as many are left vacant – that has “supposedly” been fixed.
I think the lunacy cannot be attributed to one party – it is a world wide epidemic.
Which party can fix it – I suspect neither because both of them are infested with people who are focused on re-election and those with single subject agendas. ( Like people off of Nauru)
I see the Blog is being infected by the Liberal parties Cambridge Analytica friends. Expect to see a lot more between now and the election on all forums. No Surprises. They need to project their Fake news and views.
Yes indeed Dismayed, the blog is at absolute saturation point with infection and cannot handle anymore ………..because you’re here.
I see you had another crack at Boadicea about her Brexit comment, you really are a pain in the backside, make that a boil, or maybe a carbuncle on the backside of Jack’s otherwise robust and healthy blog. All she did was report her mate’s opinion that Brexit looked like falling apart, nothing in the comment referred to her personal position on Brexit at all.
You might consider getting off whatever performance-diminishing, backyard gutter drugs you are on before you start your daily dose of speed-reading-then-speed-typing-blogging, which is mostly just lashing out at all and sundry anyway, whether they are here on the blog or not.
When there were 368 comments the other night I counted your posts and they were at about 12% of the total. I’m not going to count through 504 comments to see what your % is now, but it must be close to 15 or 16% going by your recent efforts to add to the tally.
That is just TFM sport, give us a break, or stick to cricket observations, or, here’s a thought. How about changing your policy of quantity, to one of quality…Hmmm? That would mean about 95% less comments……sheer bliss. Also, if someone wants to read the Gruniard, bless their demented little souls, let them do it at their leisure, not on your suggestion.
If the bipartisan effort of the Coalition & the ALP can ram legislation through parliament to spy on people’s encrypted messages, surely someone can ram through a private members bill with legislation to protect bloggers from the likes of Dismayed “creating a blog nuisance or disturbance”, like there is for someone creating a public one. I know, it cost me $10 back in 1982, so let’s suggest say, a $250 fine & 3 demerit points, cumulative for each offence upon conviction. Problem is we’ll have to wait until May, have to research that one. Legal feedback please Razor, you know about these things.
BASSMAN
Caught a bit of the cricket today, bowlers good, commentary was lousy. Bring back Channel 9 & the lads please. Besides, Tubby will be divorced if his wife has to have him home for the whole summer. For Mrs Tubby’s sake please CA.
MTK wrong as usual. You really are an angry delusional old dinosaur., you should perhaps take your own advice and find something to do other than obsess over the number of excellent comments supported by facts that I make. Something about you cons you just dont understand your own hypocrisy or how ironic your comments are. As usual if you were not so toxic you would be a sad case indeed. Next.
Haha, MtK.
You know what, I really couldn’t give a flying fuck what he thinks of my opinion on Brexit 🤣 😂😁
But agree the blog is becoming seriously unpleasant with his constant ravings.
But what the heck, it’s an interesting case for our Aunty Kathy.
Talking of Brexit, the poor old Brits seem to be panicked. Stocking up on food and medical supplies. God knows what they are expecting will happen. But it’s a right royal mess now. It really would have helped if they had understood what it was all about before the vote.
Boadicea! Your language young lady!
Here is wonderful take on BREXIT!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwPPWdjZDjw
Garn ya big girls blouse. Don’t read Dismayed’s posts if you don’t like them. Personally I really enjoy his posts and the reactions from his detractors. Mate, some of the sites I brawl on make this look like a Sunday School. But! I can put you in touch with blogs that are “blissfully” polite and genteel if tis your hearts desire.
Kind regards.
Yes, it appears as though the seemingly punch-drunk Guardian disciple on here has carte blanche to lash out at our Prime Minister (and his colleagues) as variously being “delusional”, “lying”, “blackmailing”, “ideological”, “religious cult” folk, exercising the persona of the “Fuhrer” (read Hitler) undertaking “Beer hall putsches” and thereby casting a “putrid stain” across our nation.
Sad really.
Facts are a facts cotc. You are backing the wrong team. Your side have been a disaster and are a toxic coalition. You are some sort of whinging old so and so and aren’t you.
Given that you’re obviously quite proud of the acrimonious sentiment you inject into the majority of your posts on here Dismayed, its self evident you’ll be offering no Yuletide affection at any festive season gathering around your backyard gym this year.
For the sake of your neighbors, just try to keep your sieg heiling down to a minimum.
Whatever reaction or response you have to comments is Your own issue to deal with. Stop trying to blame me because you have chosen the wrong path and dont like being reminded. Move along cotc you are wasting the blogs time. with your constant whingeing and misrepresenting of other peoples comments.
“… Stop trying to blame me…” cries Dismayed.
No lad, you haven’t really done anything wrong. We’re only reminding you that your lack of intellectual insight sticks out like the proverbials.
Get it seen to ASAP, if only for own sake.
What are you saying? He shouldn’t be able to express opinions contrary to your own? I will admit there seems o be some fairly likely anticipation in some of his observations.
“our Prime Minister ” you say Toaster…he maybe YOUR PM but if you look at Newspoll 45/55 you are more or less on your own Bald. He is definitely not MY PM and many others would say the same.
I concur, Emma Husar is not Sharon Stone. But Turnbull may well be Rudd.
Good one, Milt!
Never seen her in a car park Milt.
One can never tell
Nobody, just nobody, could emulate Rudd
Turnbull is a world of his own – literally and mentally
Mind you, he would have been great as UN Secretary General, JS. Our gift to the world!
Louise Clegg, the barrister wife of federal energy minister Angus Taylor – suggesting that she, too, thinks that the best way to get the lefties to see the light about the error of their ways is to, well, have the lights go out.
“Recession, rolling blackouts, youth unemployment all necessary for people to realise left populism/culture, unrestrained spending, outlawing offensive speech, etc. not the answer,” Clegg wrote on a Facebook post,”
This is the hysterical toxic right showing their true colors. the Minister Energy’s wife no less. No surprises.
She’s right and you’re both hysterical and toxic. See your aunt Kathy’s advice below.
you are projecting as usual little milton. Kathy may be someone’s auntie or uncle but it is definitely my anti.
dismayed is right again, that really is the ranting desperation of the conservatives. It will be just muzak by the time the election comes around. But to be fair, what else have they got? A false flag attack on Australia by a small Pacific nation? I’m open to consultation.
Put on your seatbelts “Electricity” Bill Shorten and Labor, I do predict the Election Campaign next May will be the “Mother of All Scare Campaigns” where the Lib/Nats unleash a torrent of claims and information designed to destroy Labors chance of winning.
There will be nowhere to hide Bill.
How can U call him Electricity Bill when wholesale electricity prices have DOUBLED under the Liberals?
Ok, sorry “Batteries” Bill. You have set your “bar” way too low BASSMAN. Cheers
Your latest e offering is a depressing read, Jack and you have been like a dog with a bone on this matter in recent months. I hope it bears fruit. Theses people should be processed sensitively, one on one, expediently and with a case officer doing the hard yards. 3 day max. I’m reasonably educated and find any govt form frustrating,, annoying, confusing, time-consuming etc etc.; and that is with matters that are simple details.
It’s a disgrace.
handscomb just dropped a sitter of Lyon’s first ball. The big quicks doing well. Wouldn’t a 4th seamer be handy right about now. C’mon Aussie. We do not want out big boys in the field for 2 days at the start of the series.
A very important toss in Adelaide with 40c expected. We’ll bat, thank-you. C’mon Aussies!!!!
Going well enough at 4-56.
Or bowl. Great start by the Aussies.
This will be the PM’s lasting legacy. Cuts and shifting of funding from the NDIS leaving the NDIA Agency to cut funding to the most vulnerable and needy in the Nation. This is the true conservative legacy. shame on the coalition and its supporters.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/dec/06/ndia-under-pressure-after-funding-for-life-threatening-condition-axed
Please see a psychiatrist as soon as you can sweetie you are off in a far off galaxy and there is no more your Aunty Kathy or anyone can do for you pet, delusional to the point of paranoia.
I hope the Liberal party is paying you Cambridge Analytica infectors and not the taxpayer. You are a disease.
Cambridge Analytica? Fake news Cambridge Analytica?
Another taxpayer rip-off! Man, this government offends me every single day.
You’re beginning to worry me Bella. It pains me to think you appear to be allowing yourself to be influenced by a warped chap on here who would stoop to the level of seriously implying that some of his fellow Australians are akin to Nazis simply on the basis that they have a contrary political belief than his own.
Only thinking of you.
Carl
Believe me Carl I come to my own conclusions re the on-going corruption of this government & I’ll call it as I see it.
Activism is sewn into the fabric of my life because of my work for nearly a decade with the Sea Shepherd Organisation & my presence today at Brisbane’s Stop Adani march wasn’t my first.
These issues are vitally important to me & the level of my involvement has zero connection to anyone on our blog.
So please stop worrying about me, I choose this path & very proudly.
My best to you mate.
Regards, Bella
Bella, the Liberals were in discussions with them some time ago earlier this year about their upcoming election plans.
If scaremongering is their only option it’s too late, the voters are onto them. It’s laughable how predictable they are.