Taxpayers to cough up $134,000 to immortalise Dan Andrews in bronze - as Victorian government selects the artist to be responsible for the controversial statue

By LLOYD JONES FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 08:15, 15 May 2026 | Updated: 08:15, 15 May 2026 A bronze statue of divisive former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is to be erected in central Melbourne at a cost of $134,000, sparking outrage from opponents. Bronze statues of premiers who spent more than 3000 days in office are immortalised outside government offices near Treasury Gardens, under a rule introduced by former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett. Andrews led Victoria through some of its toughest moments and never stopped fighting for working people, a Victorian government spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. Meridian Sculpture has been selected to carry out the project, having erected statues of four long-serving Victorian premiers, and others including music industry figure Michael Gudinski. The selection process followed standard Victorian government procurement rules and the total cost of the statue will be $134,304, the government said. Work is already underway, with installation details to be finalised closer to completion. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson accused the Labor government of 'taking out the trash' with a Friday afternoon announcement as they knew it would not pass the 'pub test' during a cost-of-living crisis. 'This is a premier... who has basically bankrupted the state and I don't think we should be spending any more money on a statue,' she said.  A bronze statue of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) is to be erected in central Melbourne at a cost of $134,000 Bronze statues of Victorian premiers who spent more than 3000 days in office are immortalised outside government offices (pictured, a statue of Henry Bolte) Wilson added: 'We simply cannot afford it.' Andrews, who resigned in September 2024 and was replaced by his deputy Jacinta Allan, garnered unwavering loyalty and admiration from some and derision from others over his nine years in the role. He won three consecutive state elections and came to national prominence when he oversaw one of the world's longest lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Late in his term, Andrews cancelled the 2026 Commonwealth Games before they were due to be held in regional Victoria, claiming costs had almost doubled to at least $6 billion. He was acknowledged in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours List, in part for championing Victoria's ambitious infrastructure development, including the Metro Tunnel, North East Link and dozens of level crossing removals. Andrews has been contacted by AAP for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.