Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews made a quiet return to Spring Street in June for a meeting with Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt, the latest ministerial diaries reveal, as part of his role as chairman of youth mental health organisation Orygen.
While state MPs were debating changes to donation laws and the powers of Victoria's corruption watchdog, Andrews slipped back into the parliament building over winter. The former premier, who resigned in September 2023, has mostly kept a low profile since leaving office, though he did attend a Chinese military parade where he posed for a group photo with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Andrews was accompanied to the June 2 meeting by Professor Patrick McGorry. The visit was in his capacity as chairman of Orygen, a youth mental health organisation.
The former premier's brief return is just one example of a broader trend highlighted by the diary releases. Over the past 12 years of Labor rule in Victoria, several former frontbenchers have retained access to the top offices after leaving parliament.
Former police minister Wade Noonan, a close friend of Premier Ben Carroll, took a role with Victoria University as its deputy vice chancellor of external relations and partnerships after leaving parliament. In April, Noonan met with Carroll, then deputy premier, and returned weeks later for meetings with frontbenchers Steve Dimopoulos and Jaclyn Symes.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The diary disclosures offer rare public visibility into the access former high-ranking politicians maintain to current decision-makers, raising questions about post-government influence.
- Andrews' return comes amid ongoing political debate about donation laws and the role of the state's corruption watchdog, framing the former premier's ongoing ties to government.
- The pattern of former ministers retaining access could fuel public concern about revolving-door politics in Victoria.
Background
Since the resignation of Daniel Andrews in September 2023, the Victorian Labor government has been led by Premier Ben Carroll. The release of ministerial diaries has become a routine transparency measure, offering journalists and the public a window into who meets with ministers and why. Over more than a decade of Labor government, a number of frontbenchers have left office, and several have taken up roles in academia, business or advocacy while maintaining relationships with serving ministers.
Key Perspectives
Transparency advocates: The diaries show the continued access of former politicians to current ministers, which may warrant closer scrutiny of whether such access influences policy or decisions.
Former ministers and their supporters: Meetings with serving ministers reflect legitimate professional activities in new roles, such as Noonan's work at Victoria University, and are part of normal post-political career transitions.
Critics: The pattern of former Labor ministers returning to Spring Street could be seen as evidence of a political insiders' culture, where past connections deliver privileged access to power.
What to Watch
- Whether opposition parties raise questions about specific meetings disclosed in the diaries.
- Any further diary releases that show additional meetings by former ministers.
- Potential public or media reactions to the revelation of the former premier's visit.