Labor’s longest reigning Premier in Victoria, Dan Andrews, is resigning effective at 5pm Wednesday (27th September).
Andrews made the shock announcement yesterday afternoon, (Tuesday September 26) calling a snap press conference with just 40 minutes notice.
Andrews was first elected to parliament in 2002. He became leader of the Labor party in 2010 before becoming Premier of Victoria in 2014. At the time, politics was swinging to the right with Tony Abbott coming to power but in the midst of that, Andrews managed to make progressive politics popular.
On today’s episode of The Briefing, Tom Tilley is joined by Kos Samaras, Director of polling and research company RedBridge group and former Labor campaign director to explore how Andrews held onto power for so long.
I’ve known him since we were in our 20’s and his politics have not really changed. In particular the conviction part, so what you all saw on TV with regard to his politics I feel is a genuine trait he has had most of his life.
He wasn’t animated by what an editor of a newspaper would write about, you know, that didn’t really animate him. He was not steered towards significant decisions with regards to his government by traditional media or the usual banter you see politicians get sucked into. So conviction politics is the way forward.
The next premier of Victoria is expected to be chosen by around 70 Labor state MPs during a caucus meeting on Wednesday (27th September).
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