Premier Daniel Andrews defends relationship with billionaire Fox family

“I have behaved appropriately at all times,” the Premier said. “If someone wants to make a claim or allegation, go right ahead and do it.”

“All deliberations by all ministers are done in accordance with the highest standards.”

Mr Andrews said he met “many, many people about many different issues” and said the opposition did not have as many meetings with business people because “nobody wants to meet with them”.

Asked by shadow treasurer Louise Staley whether he would recuse himself from cabinet decisions related to Linfox, Mr Andrews did not answer and instead referenced a report in The Age last month detailing a plan by rebel Liberals to topple Mr O’Brien by May.

“The leader of the opposition didn’t ask this question, because [opposition MPs] are all about to recuse him from everything,” said Mr Andrews, backed by Deputy Premier James Merlino who referred to Mr O’Brien as the “temporary” leader.

“There seems to be plenty of meetings going on at the moment about your leadership.

“We’ll see if you’re laughing in May, shall we? That’s the timeline you’re on apparently.”

The Premier attacked the opposition for focusing on his relationship with the Fox family on the same day as a “profoundly important” royal commission into the state’s mental health system was handed down.

“[Instead], we get a rerun of what was in The Age on Saturday,” Mr Andrews said.

“I will not be lectured to by this lot about probity … You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

Victorian government sources, The Age reported on Saturday, said the Premier had advocated for proposals pitched by the Fox family even when their value to the government was questionable. This including a bid to win a lucrative contract to manage logistics for Victoria Police that was ultimately rejected by Treasury. Mr Andrews also pushed to subsidise a Billy Joel concert in Melbourne, an idea supported by Lindsay Fox.

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Ms Staley said small businesses including the popular Hardware Societe cafe in the CBD, which closed its doors in February, were earning $10,000 less in revenue than normal during the pandemic. “Why shouldn’t Victorians be outraged the Premier is cracking $10,000 bottles of wine with the Fox family?” she asked.

The questioning over Mr Andrews’ dealings with the trucking family sparked raucous shouting on both sides of the chamber. The intensity heightened as politicians from both parties accused the other of politicising the issue of mental health.

“You’ve done nothing for seven years,” shadow mental health minister Emma Kealy said of the government’s track record on mental health since its election in 2014.