Daniel Andrews has lashed “absolute pretenders” in the media, derided Sky News Australia’s “after dark bullshit” and says he doesn’t care if people call him a “dictator”, in his first interview after his resignation.
In the long-ranging interview on the Socially Democratic podcast, hosted by former Labor campaigner Stephen Donnelly, the former Victorian premier also hit back at suggestions he was a “control freak” and that the public service had been politicised.
“‘Dictator’ and all this sort of stuff – that’s all fine if that makes people feel better by describing me in those terms, good luck,” Andrews said.
The “Dictator Dan” moniker was coined by critics in response to the then premier’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which Melbourne become one of the world’s most locked-down cities.
“In Victoria, the haters hate and the rest vote Labor and that’s fine by me. Call me what you want,” Andrews said.
“What really matters is not that nonsense, that noise, that vitriol, that [Sky News] After Dark bullshit. That’s all that it is – the worst of American politics imported into ours.”
In the interview with Donnelly, whose partner was the former premier’s deputy chief of staff, Andrews said while he respected journalists who worked to hold the government to account, some media “have inserted themselves so obviously, so hamfistedley, that people don’t listen to them any more”.
“What concerns me is when you’ve got people who are just absolute pretenders. You’re not a reporter. You’re not a journalist. You’re a partisan,” he said.
Andrews said he was not a “frequent Sky News watcher” but recalled tuning in early during an election night and heard the commentators forecasting the result would be “very close” and praising the then opposition leader, Matthew Guy, for running a great campaign.
By 8.30pm, Andrews said the same commentators were describing the Coalition’s campaign as “shambolic”, “awful” and “terrible”.
Andrews also denied he had sought membership of the Portsea Golf Club – referring to a Herald Sun report that suggested power brokers at the exclusive club were likely to reject an application – but conceded the coverage of his post-politics golf plans “must help to sell newspapers”.
“You just have to laugh. If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry,” he said.
“I don’t have any difficulty in finding places to play golf – here and in other parts of the world.”
Guardian Australia understands the interview, published on Friday, was recorded before the release of the ombudsman’s report into the politicisation of the public service.
But during the interview, Andrews denied there was any problem with people from the Labor party joining the public service, noting he had also appointed “plenty of people” from the Liberal party to positions.
“Is it such a bolt from the blue that people who are involved in politics might also be involved in public policy?” he said.
“Public service takes many different forms and the notion that someone who’s got political beliefs or used to work for a politician at some point in time, means that they’re forever prohibited from working for all of us – doesn’t make any sense.”
Ombudsman Deborah Glass’s report, released this week, did not find evidence that the public service had been “stacked” with Labor operatives, as had been alleged in the referral that prompted her investigation but she warned public funds could be at risk due to the “creeping politicisation”.
It was not dissimilar to warnings by the state’s anti-corruption watchdog of the risk of “grey corruption” caused by the concentration of power in the leader’s office and growing politicisation in the public service.
Andrews said integrity agencies were entitled to “opinions and views” but they were not the elected government.
“They’re not entitled to pretend that everyone voted for them, they’re not entitled to pretend that they’ve somehow got a mandate that is equal to, let alone superior to, the duly elected government,” he said.
Andrews said it was “nonsense” power had been centralised in his private office.
“Centralisation of power and control freak-ness and all these sorts of things – the premier’s office has got to be across everything, and it’s going to work really hard and it’s got to help the whole team function as well as they possibly can,” he said.
Andrews resigned in September after nearly nine years in office and three election victories. He said he would have the summer off and read “many books” before deciding what to do next.
