A motion of no confidence introduced against Premier Daniel Andrews has failed in Victoria’s State Legislature on Tuesday evening.
The Liberal-National coalition sought to introduce the motion in response to the state Labor government’s handling of the failed hotel quarantine program amid the
CCP virus pandemic.
The motion failed with 23 votes for and 44 votes against on Tuesday evening.
When introducing the motion, Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said Victoria deserved a “fresh start” under a new leader.
“Today we face a Premier of this state who has subverted the democratic principles of this state, restricting the Parliament, sidelining the cabinet, ignoring the fundamental rights of Victorians and concentrating power in his own hands,” O'Brien
told the Legislative Assembly.
He said the premier bungled the hotel quarantine program, ignored offers of Australian Defence Force support and imposed tough coronavirus restrictions that “make no sense.”
“This government is hostage to a premier who is pursuing an elimination strategy that is only going to eliminate jobs, that is only going to eliminate hope, that is only going to eliminate the bright future this state deserve,” O'Brien said.
Earlier, O'Brien had urged Labor MPs to cross the floor and support the motion.
Greens MP Ellen Sandell told Parliament she didn’t “begrudge” Victorians who “just want someone to blame.” But she said the Greens would not support the motion by the Liberal-National parties “because right now we think that we actually should be working together to get us through this crisis, not playing political games.”
“Many people want to know who was responsible for the mess and why things went so badly wrong in Victoria when every other state seems to have been able to head off or significantly suppress the virus. Why weren’t we able to do the same?” she said.
Fellow Greens leader Samantha Ratnam accused the opposition of “Trump-style politics.”
The motion of no confidence came after both Jenny Mikakos resigned last month as health minister and Chris Eccles resigned on Monday as secretary to the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the wake of the hotel quarantine inquiry.
The flaws in the hotel quarantine system are believed to be responsible for the state’s second wave outbreak of the
CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.
The outbreak has killed 791 Victorians and left thousands of people being out of work.
“How did Labor take Melbourne from being the world’s most livable city to the world’s most locked-down city?” O'Brien said.
