The Victorian government has halted the development of a statue intended to honor former Labor Premier Daniel Andrews. The project, which had been underway since May, was initially commissioned under a 1999 policy that mandates statues for premiers who serve for extended periods. Daniel Andrews served as premier for over 3,000 days, qualifying him for the tribute under existing guidelines.

Premier Ben Carroll announced the cancellation on Saturday, stating that the government will move away from the automatic commissioning of statues for long-serving leaders. Instead, the government has appointed an independent panel tasked with reviewing and modernizing the state’s approach to how it commemorates public officials. While the government expressed gratitude for the service of former premiers, the decision marks a definitive end to the specific project honoring Andrews. Work on the sculpture has been ordered to cease immediately as the new review process begins.