Victoria Cancels Daniel Andrews Statue and Ends Automatic Commemoration Policy

Victorian premier Ben Carroll has cancelled the planned statue of former Labor premier Daniel Andrews and ended a 1999 policy that automatically granted commemorative statues to long-serving premiers on Treasury Place.

Carroll directed that all work on the Andrews statue cease and appointed an independent, bipartisan panel to review how Victoria commemorates officials through statues, state funerals, and memorial services. The panel will also select an alternative subject and location for the already-commissioned work, rather than cancelling the sculpture contract outright (The Guardian).

"We are grateful to former premiers for their service," Carroll said. "But gratitude does not require a taxpayer-funded statue."

The statue policy dates to 1999, when then-premier Jeff Kennett introduced it ahead of that year's state election. It automatically recognised premiers who served more than 3,000 days in office with a bronze sculpture on Treasury Place. Kennett himself fell short of the 3,000-day threshold under the policy he created. Four Victorian premiers have reached the milestone and received statues, all produced by Meridian Sculpture, the company selected for the Andrews commission through a standard procurement process confirmed in May.

Daniel Andrews served as premier from 4 December 2014 to 27 September 2023, exceeding 3,000 days and triggering the automatic commemoration. Work on his statue began in May, and the Victorian government confirmed the commission would cost more than $134,000 (ABC News).

The cost drew immediate opposition. Liberal opposition leader Jess Wilson pledged on 30 July 2026: "If we come to government we will not allow that statue to proceed." A poll published in early August found nearly three-quarters of Victorians wanted Carroll to cancel the taxpayer-funded statue (Herald Sun). Moira Deeming had earlier tabled a notice of motion in the Victorian Legislative Council titled "Cancel plans to commission a statue of former premier Daniel Andrews" (Parliament of Victoria).

The broader context here is a question that extends well beyond a single statue or a single premier. The Kennett-era policy created an automatic entitlement: cross 3,000 days in office and the state commissions a bronze likeness at public expense, with no mechanism for public consultation or political review. That automatism is what Carroll has now dismantled. The independent panel he appointed will consider not only future statues but the entire framework of state funerals and memorial services. The scope suggests the government is treating this not as a one-off reversal but as a systemic rethink of how Victoria marks public service.

The decision to redirect the existing sculpture contract rather than cancel it outright is also worth noting. The panel will choose a new subject and location, which means the $134,000 commission to Meridian Sculpture will proceed in some form. That framing allows the government to avoid a contractual cancellation while still addressing the political and public pressure that built around the Andrews-specific commission.

Andrews remains a polarising figure in Victorian politics, and the statue controversy has served as a proxy for broader debates about his legacy, public spending priorities, and the appropriateness of honouring a recent premier while political passions remain high. By ending the automatic statue policy and handing commemoration decisions to an independent panel, Carroll has effectively depoliticised the mechanism, removing the question of who gets a statue from the direct discretion of sitting governments. Whether that model satisfies critics or simply relocates the debate to the panel's future recommendations is an open question that the panel's terms of reference and eventual output will begin to answer.