Walsh shining light on dark day for Coalition

A fist-pumping Dan Andrews led his Labor Government to a crushing win and third term in office at a state poll which had left the state coalition in tatters — senior political commentators suggesting the result could lead to a split between the Nationals and the Liberals.

An almost unrecognisable Premier awkwardly raised both fists — maybe a hangover from his back surgery after a fall in March last year at his holiday home on the Morington Peninsula — as he followed his wife, Catherine, onto the stage at almost 11pm on Saturday to claim victory in the state election.

It was she who introduced the successful Member for Mulgrave to the sea of red at the victory party, followed by Mr Andrews’ reminder to his critics that the result was proof that Victorians understood the difficult decisions that had to be made.

“Hope always beats hate’’ were Mr Andrews’ prophetic words as the state premier quoted former Prime Minister Paul Keating in his victory speech — explaining how the former Hawke government treasurer told him ”leadership was about doing the right thing, not the popular thing’’.

Mr Andews spoke with unusual passion — in comparison to the daily press conferences that became a staple in every Victorians lives during lockdown — and an obvious disdain for those who had been so critical of the state government’s handling of the COVID pandemic.

It was, however, obvious that voters disagreed with widespread opinions in media circles that Mr Andrews would pay for his “lockdown-happy’’ handling of the past two years by being voted out of office.

It was, in fact, the opposite as Labor will form a majority government with 52 seats — despite a swing away from the party of more than six per cent.

The swing was spread among Mr Walsh’s Nationals, the Greens and a conglomerate of minor parties whose percentage of the vote increased at the 2022 count.

Mr Walsh finished with 74 per cent of the vote, on a two-party preferred basis, in the Murray Plains electorate and will sit for a sixth term in the state parliament.

He introduced Opposition leader Matthew Guy on Saturday night, not long after Mr Guy had phoned the Premier to congratulate him on the victory.

Labor went into the election with a 56-seat majority in the state's 88-district lower house, compared to the Coalition's 27 — made up of 21 Liberals and six Nationals.

The Coalition now has just 25 seats, but the state Nationals have increased their stake from six seats to nine after Saturday night’s count, leaving the Liberals with just 16.