Football legend Sam Newman has unleashed a scathing tirade after former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews was included in the King’s Birthday honour.
Andrews was awarded the nation’s highest honor and on Monday was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) alongside six other eminent Australians.
As the longest-serving Labor premier in the state’s history, Mr Andrews was recognized for his “eminent service to the people and Parliament of Victoria, to public health, to political and regulatory reform and to infrastructure development.”
The award has sparked outrage after Andrews became increasingly unpopular for enforcing the toughest restrictions in the country during the Covid pandemic, with a hardline approach earning him the nickname ‘Dictator Dan’.
Newman continued the offensive against Andrews on Thursday when it emerged that it will be impossible to strip Andrews of the honor despite growing calls from across the country.
Former Prime Minister Danial Andrews (pictured with his wife Catherine) was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his “eminent service to the people and Parliament of Victoria, to public health, to political and regulatory reform, and to infrastructure development”.
Newman filmed himself aboard his ship Angst and shared the incendiary clip on Instagram with the caption: “Why give an award to someone who is obviously not worthy?”
He pointed to the appointment of a Companion of the Order of Australia and declared that AC stood for “absolute rubbish”.
“If you want to know what AC (Dan Andrews gets one) means, what it means is absolute bullshit,” Newman said.
‘Here we have a government that tried to woo the electorate by opting for the Commonwealth Games. He won the election and then canceled the games.
‘Do not say more. How would you give someone an award for that? You can’t be serious!’
Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh launched a petition on Wednesday urging Governor-General David Hurley to strip Andrews of that honour.
Walsh claimed the award was “inappropriate and unjustified” and that the former premier, who earned the nickname “Dictator Dan”, had failed Victorians with the way he handled the pandemic.
Former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett also weighed in on the furor when he asked Council of the Order of Australia president Shelly Reys to explain why Andrews was awarded the honour.
“To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Andrews has not only failed to perform any eminent community service, but has also failed miserably on any objective test in the matters for which he received recognition,” Mr. Kennett wrote this week.
Kennett also claimed that Victorians would pay “a lot, for decades” because of Andrews’ “failures”.
Football legend Sam Newman targeted Andrews being made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) and declared that AC stood for “absolute rubbish”.
Former United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly shared his views on X alongside several of Mr Andrews’ critics.
“At first I thought it was a bad joke, but both Dan Andrews and former WA Premier Mark McGowan received an AC for ‘Covid Leadership’ in the King’s Birthday Honours. They should both be in prison serving time “, he claimed.
Commentator Neil Mitchell explained on Thursday that the only way Andrews could be stripped of the award would be if he were found guilty of a crime or “brings shame to the crown”.
“I don’t think I should have received it, but (the award being taken away) won’t happen,” he told Sunrise.
“You can only lose that honor if you are found guilty of a crime or if you are found to have brought that honor into disrepute, in other words, embarrassing the crown.”
Mitchell added that the award has only been taken away from one person half a dozen times in history.
Former Melbourne mayor Robert Doyle was stripped of his Order of Australia honor in 2023.
Doyle received the award in 2017 for his work in local government and his contribution to community organizations.
Governor General Hurley revoked that appointment following a recommendation from the Council of the Order of Australia.
In 2018, Doyle resigned as mayor amid sexual harassment allegations, but there were no criminal convictions.
The reasons for the withdrawal of Doyle’s award remain unknown; However, the legislation states that “the Governor General may terminate an appointment or cancel an award if, in the opinion of the Governor General, the holder of the appointment or award has behaved or acted in a manner that has brought the Order into disrepute.”
Commentator Neil Mitchell (pictured) explained that the only way Andrews could be stripped of the award would be if he were found guilty of a crime or “brings shame to the crown”.