Plans for a $134,000 statue of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews have been abandoned by his successor, Ben Carroll, in a decision that also ends the state’s automatic monument policy for long-serving premiers.
The bronze sculpture was commissioned by the former Allan government after Mr Andrews passed the 3,000-day milestone in office. Work on it has now been halted, although the existing contract will remain in place to avoid further costs to taxpayers.
An independent and bipartisan panel will instead recommend a different subject and location for the commissioned work, while reviewing how Victoria commemorates former public officials through statues, state funerals and memorial services.
Mr Carroll said the decision reflected a need to exercise greater care over public spending.
“We are grateful to former premiers for their service. But gratitude does not require a taxpayer-funded statue,” he said in a statement issued on 29 August.
The policy was introduced in 1999 by then premier Jeff Kennett, who commissioned bronze statues at Melbourne’s Treasury Place for premiers who had served more than 3,000 days. The existing monuments include Sir Albert Dunstan, Sir Henry Bolte, Sir Rupert Hamer and John Cain junior.
Mr Andrews, who served as premier from 2014 until his resignation in 2023, would have become the latest eligible premier to be commemorated under the arrangement. He said in 2023 that he had not sought a permanent bronze likeness and that the 3,000-day threshold held no special significance for him.
The proposed statue had already become a source of political disagreement. A petition presented to Victoria’s Legislative Council in July 2025 attracted 12,644 signatures and called for the plan to be cancelled, arguing that public monuments should be reserved for figures whose legacies had been tested over time.
The Liberal opposition had also pledged to scrap the statue if it won the Victorian election, which is due to be held on 28 November.
Mr Carroll’s decision has intensified scrutiny of the Labor government’s attempt to distance itself from the Andrews era. He became premier in July after Jacinta Allan stepped down as Labor leader, with the party seeking to reset its political direction before polling day.
Mr Andrews has not publicly responded to the cancellation. His political record, however, remains central to Victoria’s recent history, having included nine years in government and a period of intense public focus during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision means there will be no Daniel Andrews statue at Treasury Place, but it is unlikely to remove his influence from the state’s political debate as Labor prepares for the November election and confronts the legacy of its longest-serving modern premier.
