Nobody wants a statue of Dan Andrews, including Dan himself

An impression of what a statue of Dan Andrews might look like / Midjourney

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• By Avi Yemini

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Woke activists call on Daniel Andrews to decline statue for his long service and redirect resources to closing the gender gap in commemorative justice in Victoria.

Radio host Neil Mitchell joked about training pigeons in case Mr. Andrews was offered a statue, as the premier is set to qualify for the honour after 3000 days in office.

Despite winning his third term in November, the premier has been called the worst in Victoria's history by many including Mitchell, who he hasn't spoken to in five years.

When asked about the statue, Mr. Andrews played down the potential honour, stating, "Monuments are not important to me." He also mentioned that he did not consider it a priority while still in office.

However, La Trobe University historian and activist, Professor Clare Wright, is urging Mr. Andrews to refuse the statue and redirect resources to recognising the contributions of women in the political history and civic culture of Victoria.

She called on the premier to check his “white male privilege” and put forward the names of women who have gone unrecognised.

"Whether we need another statue of a white male public figure is open to debate and certainly a point at which Daniel Andrews might stop to consider whether the resources could be redirected to closing the gender gap when it comes to commemorative justice in this state," she said.

"He would be well within his progressive rights to be able to put forward other names of women who have contributed a great deal to the political history and civic culture of Victoria who have gone unrecognised thus far."

Prof Wright acknowledged that Mr. Andrews deserved his electoral success, but he had been aided by "other levels of privilege and advantage that he’s had on account of his gender." She believes that women’s rights pioneer Vida Goldstein, who was among the first women to stand for federal Parliament, is deserving of a statue.

If Mr. Andrews accepts the statue, he will join around 570 men with statues across Melbourne, while only nine women have monuments, including Queen Victoria, Olympians Betty Cuthbert and Shirley Strickland, opera star Dame Nellie Melba, AFLW player Tayla Harris, and French military heroine Joan of Arc.