Daniel Andrews will step down as Victorian premier effective tomorrow afternoon, resigning from parliament after nearly a decade in power.

In a surprise press conference on Tuesday, flanked by his ministerial colleagues, Andrews said that his decision to leave parliament had crystallised only recently, explaining that the demanding nature of his job had taken a toll on his wellbeing.

"I am worse than a workaholic. Every waking moment is about the work. And there’s only so long you can do that," he said.

"You've either got to push on, and ultimately, I think, potentially resent the job, and you just never want to do that."

Tributes to Victoria’s longest serving Labor premier poured in from party colleagues across the country. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, writing on X (formerly known as Twitter), said it was “a pleasure to work alongside [Andrews],” and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wished him “all the very best” after his announcement

Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam also joined in to thank the outgoing  premier, saying “while we have had ideological differences at times, there have been some big steps forward for Victoria that we have been glad to support and work together on.”

Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto criticised Andrews’ departure, accusing him of resigning “because things have fallen apart” and leaving behind “a state that is broke.”

“Whether it’s debt, whether it’s interest, whether it’s taxes going through the roof to plug the budget blackhole… whether it’s the Commonwealth Games debacle… whether it’s corruption report after corruption report into the government… I think it is clear… he is leaving because things have become so bad.”

Daniel Andrews first assumed the role of party leader in 2010 after Labor's narrow loss to the Coalition in that year's state election. At 38 years old and relatively unknown to the public, Andrews was tasked with revitalising a party that had not seen the opposition benches in a decade.

He led Labor back to power in 2014 after one term in opposition, campaigning on public transport, education, and the cancellation of the controversial East-West Link project. In 2018, he secured a landslide re-election victory.

Daniel Andrews in 2021. Credit: Getty Images

Andrews’ second term was marred by crises in the health system, allegations of branch stacking and “grey corruption,” and polarising public health policies and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nevertheless, he led Labor to a historic third term in 2022, where the party increased its seat share despite a swing against them in the party’s traditional voting heartland of the northern and western suburbs.

Before his resignation, Andrews made the controversial decision earlier this year to withdraw Victoria from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games citing cost blowouts, prompting a federal parliamentary inquiry.

The immediate focus now turns to Andrews’ successor, with the Labor caucus set to meet tomorrow afternoon to elect the next party leader and, subsequently, the new premier.

"That'll be determined by the colleagues… and I am deeply respectful of that process," Andrews said.

Jacinta Allan, the current deputy premier and transport minister, announced her nomination for the role shortly after Andrews’ announcement and is considered the likely frontrunner.

Image credit: Nickm57, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons