Dan Andrews sported a shock retirement look in a grinning selfie as his successor was under the blowtorch over her role in the Commonwealth Games cancellation.
An unkempt Andrews looked as though he may not have seen a razor since the day he resigned from Victorian politics two weeks ago after nine years as the state’s premier.
The 51-year-old currently unemployed politician posted a photo of himself, complete with grey stubble, casting an early vote ahead of Saturday’s Voice referendum.
Andrews voted Yes, explaining ‘For me, it’s really, really simple.’
An unkempt Dan Andrews looked as though he may not have seen a razor since the day he resigned from all politics two weeks ago in a new selfie
Andrews sported a clean-shaven face as he resigned from Victorian politics on September 26
‘You don’t get different results by trying the same thing over and over again.’
Meanwhile the honeymoon period for his successor premier Jacinta Allan is well and truly over as the heat was turned up over the axing of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The premier defended not publicly flagging potential cost pressures in the lead-up to the event being canned.
Ms Allan denied she misled Victorian parliament despite admitting she was aware of Commonwealth Games budget pressures months before the event was canned.
Victoria signed up to host the 2026 Games across regional centres in April 2022 and confirmed $2.6billion would be spent on delivering the event the next month.
But former premier Daniel Andrews pulled the pin on July 18 this year, citing estimated costs rising to as much as $7billion.
A parliamentary inquiry into the doomed event was told Ms Allan, Mr Andrews’ successor and then Games delivery minister, was briefed in March on revised budget estimates by the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.
Former premier Daniel Andrews blamed rising costs when he cancelled the Commonwealth Games in July.
An updated budget submission of $4.5billion – almost $2billion more than initially projected – was formally shot down in April as the department was told to explore cutting costs.
On June 13, Ms Allan told a budget estimates hearing Victoria was making ‘tremendous progress’ on delivering the Games and gave no indication of budgetary concerns.
Later that same day, Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Jeremi Moule first flagged cost blowouts with Mr Andrews.
Law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler was hired on June 14 as the Victorian government sought legal advice.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Ms Allan said it was proper government decision-making process to ask officials to go back to the drawing board.
‘Clearly these numbers were becoming unacceptable to government, which is why we sent officials back to do more work to further explore the options,’ she said.
‘And at that point, through that March/April period, it was considering the options about how to best deliver the Games in line with the agreement that was signed.’
Ms Allan said she stood by the evidence she gave to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee when asked if she had been less than forthcoming.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto says the premier needs to front the Games inquiry.
She said she didn’t reveal the Games were in jeopardy because advice was still being updated.
‘The progress at that point in time was about working out how to best deliver the Games,’ she said.
‘We were asking officials to provide us with advice but no final decisions had been made about the budget at that point in time.’
Opposition Leader John Pesutto suggested evidence was mounting Ms Allan knew more than she was letting on at the time.
The honeymoon period for Andrews’ successor premier Jacinta Allan is well and truly over as the heat was turned up over the axing of the 2026 Commonwealth Games
‘She needs to appear before that select committee because if she doesn’t, the only inference Victorians can draw is that she deliberately misled the parliament and deliberately misled all of us as Victorians,’ he said.
Ms Allan has doubled down on her refusal to front the inquiry after it agreed to send her a formal invitation.
Lower house MPs cannot be compelled to face an upper house committee.
The inquiry will hold further public hearings on Friday, with more government department and agency officials scheduled to give evidence.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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