Victoria scraps planned statue of former premier Daniel Andrews, launches review of commemorations

A statue tribute to former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has been jettisoned, with his successor Ben Carroll commissioning an independent panel to review how Victoria commemorates former leaders.

Bronze statues of four former premiers were erected in the late 1990s in Melbourne's Treasury Place as part of a Kennett government initiative to recognise state leaders who served more than 3,000 days in office.

However, Mr Carroll confirmed today that "an independent and bipartisan panel" would review how Victoria commemorated officials with state services and statues, essentially scrapping the planned statue of Mr Andrews who served as Victoria's premier from 2014 to 2023.

Mr Carroll did not mention Mr Andrews by name in the statement, only referring to the long-serving state Labor leader as "Victoria's 48th premier".

"I respect your money. That means being careful and deliberate about how government spends it," he said.

"State funerals are special and moving tributes. Part of what makes them special is their rarity."

The statue project has been a source of political debate since Mr Andrews passed the 3,000-day milestone three years ago. The $134,000 effigy was commissioned by the Allan government in March.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson had previously pledge to scrap the proposed statue of Mr Andrews if the Coalition won government at the November state election.

Mr Carroll confirmed the existing Andrews statue contract would not be cancelled, "avoiding unnecessary costs to taxpayers".

Instead, the soon-to-be-operational independent panel has been asked to recommend an alternative subject and location for the commissioned work.

Former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett commissioned a series of bronze statues for Treasury Place in the late 1990s.

Posthumous statues of Sir Albert Dunstan (Country Party: 1935–43; 1943–45) and Sir Henry Bolte (Liberal Party: 1955–72) were created by one of Australia's leading figurative sculptors, Peter Corlett, in 1999 for the project.

A further two statues of Sir Rupert Hamer (Liberal Party: 1972–81) and John Cain junior (Labor Party: 1982–90), who were both alive at the time of the unveiling, were also created by Corlett for the 1999 commission.

Non-party aligned Sir James McCulloch also served more than 3,000 days as Victorian premier over four non-consecutive terms in the 1860s and 1870s, but is not recognised with a bronze effigy with the four other statesmen.

Mr Kennett and Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece have both previously called for a statue to commemorate Joan Kirner, who served less than two years in office but has the historical distinction of being Victoria's first female premier.

Mr Andrews is yet to publicly comment on the statue decommissioning, but said at the time of the 3,000-day milestone that he did not seek to have a permanent bronze likeness erected in Treasury Gardens.

"It will just be another day where we get on and deliver on all the things we said we'd do."

Meanwhile, the new independent panel commissioned by the Carroll government will also examine the frequency, scale and costs of state funerals and memorial services.

Veteran broadcaster Derryn Hinch, football legend and motor neurone disease campaigner Neale Daniher, motor racing legend Allan Moffat and tennis champion Neale Fraser have all been recognised with state funerals or memorial services in recent years.