ProtégéDan’s Gotta Go

Like many Australians, I have witnessed the continuing slow-moving train wreck that is the Victorian Labor Government run by Premier Daniel Andrews.

After recent revelations of a fourth IBAC investigation into his personal office, any Victorian of sound mind must question whether or not it is a good idea to reward that behaviour with another four years in office.

And it is not just the IBAC investigations that should concern Victorians, but the systemic failures of his Government and the lies and gaslighting that Dan employs to protect himself.

Dan Andrews has presided over a health and ambulance crisis:

Daniel Andrews has been Victoria’s Health Minister or Premier for 11 of the last 15 years (Health Minister 2008-2010; Premier 2014-2022).

The number of people on the waiting list for vital surgery is almost 90,000.

In March 2020 the Premier promised an extra 4,000 Intensive Care Unit beds and a surge capacity of staff but failed to deliver them.

In the most recent budget Daniel Andrews and Labor cut more than $2 billion in funding for health in his May 2022 State Budget (from $27.055 billion in 2021-21 to $25.018 billion in 2022-23

Dan Andrews gave us world-record lockdowns:

Through 2020 and 2021 Daniel Andrews subjected Victorians to a world-record total of 262 days of lockdowns.

While the whole of Victoria suffered, Melbourne had the dubious distinction of becoming the most locked down city in the world.

Yet despite the six lockdowns, the curfew, the failures in contact tracing, the hotel quarantine debacle, eight consecutive interrupted school terms, the playground bans, travel bans, initial ban on seeing intimate partners, refusal to release health advice, authorised worker permits, vaccine mandates, public housing tower lockdowns, social isolation, contradictory approach to different public protests, and sudden border closures that prevented people from returning to their own homes – amongst many other government decisions – more Victorian lives have been lost than any other state in Australia.

Daniel Andrews’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was the worst public policy failure by a government in not just Victorian, but Australian history.

Dan Andrews broke his promises of taxes:

On the eve of the 2014 State Election, in an interview with Peter Mitchell on Channel 7, Daniel Andrews promised to not increase or introduce any new taxes:

Peter Mitchell: “Do you promise Victorians here tonight that you will not increase taxes or introduce any new taxes?”

Daniel Andrews: “I make that promise, Peter, to every single Victorian.”

However, since its election, the Andrews Labor Government has increased, introduced or announced taxes 43 times:

1. A new stamp duty on property transfers between spouses (2017-18)
2. An increased stamp duty on new cars (2017-18)
3. A new stamp duty on off-the-plan purchasers (2017-18)
4. A new so-called ‘vacant home’ tax (2017-18)
5. Widening of vacant residential land tax to uninhabitable properties (2019-20)
6. Retrospective increase in insurance duty for overseas-based insurers (2019-20)
7. A new annual property valuation to increase land tax
8. Cladding rectification tax (2019/20)
9. Environment Mitigation Levy
10. Increased luxury car tax (2019-20)
11. Increased land tax for homes with contiguous blocks on a separate title (2019-20)
12. Increased Fire Services Property Levy (2015-16)
13. Increased Fire Services Property Levy (2019-20)
14. A new point of consumption gambling tax
15. A tripling of brown coal royalties (2016-17)
16. Gold mining royalties (2019-20)
17. A new tax on Uber and taxi fares. (2016-17 Update)
18. A new corporate restructure duty (2019-20)
19. Increased foreign stamp duty (2019-20)
20. Increased foreign stamp duty (2016-17)
21. Introduced foreign stamp duty 2015-16)
22. Increased absentee landowner surcharge for foreigner property (2019-20)
23. Increased absentee landowner surcharge for foreigner property (2016-17)
24. Increased absentee landowner surcharge for foreigner property (2015-16)
25. A new city access tax for West Gate Tunnel
26. A new ‘on-dock rail’ charge on imported shipping containers
27. Increase to the Municipal and Industrial Landfill Levy (‘bin tax’)
28. Road Occupation Charge on construction companies
29. Number plate tax
30. Electric Vehicle tax
31. A new affordable housing tax (windfall gain tax on rezoned land)
32. Increased land tax on taxable landholdings above $1.8 million
33. Increased stamp duty on property transactions
34. Expanded point of consumption tax on gambling to keno
35. 10 per cent increase to Victorian Government penalty units
36. Expanded land tax on gender-exclusive clubs
37. Mental health payroll tax surcharge
38. Increased wagering and betting tax
39. Increased Fire Services Property Levy (2021-22)
40. 50 per cent increase to Births, Deaths and Marriages fees
41. A new family homes tax (social and affordable housing tax) – temporarily withdrawn but will be reintroduced should Labor win the 2022 State Election
42. Proposed levy on employers to fund 5 days sick leave for casual employees – initially a government-funded trial to be followed up with a new tax after 2 years
43. A tax on charities

Dan Andrews has created a debt crisis for Victoria:

Not even eight years after coming to government, Daniel Andrews and Labor are increasing Victorian Government net debt to be more than NSW, QLD and Tasmania combined.

This is up from only $22.3 billion in net debt in 2014-15, when the Liberals and Nationals were last in office.

Bad economic management and cost blowouts leave less money to spend on hospitals, schools, country roads, emergency services and mental health.

Bad economic management also means that government becomes more reliant on increased taxes and fines which puts even more pressure on household budgets.

Debt eventually has to be repaid, and over coming years and decades, this burden will increasingly fall on younger Victorians.

Saddling young people with debt is in Labor’s DNA.

Dan Andrews has made Victoria more divided than ever:

Under Daniel Andrews and Labor, Victorians have been divided as never before.

The jabbed vs the non-jabbed.

Essential workers vs so-called non-essential workers.

Locked down suburbs and regions vs non-locked down areas.

Public sector projects vs private sector projects.

Different rules for protesters, depending on whether Daniel Andrews and Labor agree with that they are protesting about

Dan lovers vs Dan haters

Special deals for Labor mates.

Big business vs small business.

Whenever Daniel Andrews and Labor have faced trouble, they have lied, denied, shifted blame, pointed the finger or put Victorian against Victorian.

For the sake of Victoria and to put an end to a rotten, tired Government:

PUT LABOR LAST!