Statement From Danny Pearson

I have advised the Premier that it is my intention to step down from my ministerial responsibilities and that I will not contest the seat of Essendon at the forthcoming 2026 State Election.

As I end my political career, I feel an immense sense of gratitude.

I am thankful that the people of Essendon trusted in me being their state representative. I am grateful to Dan and JA for giving me the opportunity to serve this State in a variety roles since 2020, and I am deeply appreciative of the unconditional love and support that my wife Nicole and my five children have provided in allowing me to pursue a career in public life.

Politics is a team sport and I am grateful to have been a Member of an incredibly strong Labor team. From serving with my PAEC colleagues in my first term, to working with my Parliamentary Secretary colleagues and subsequently with my Ministerial colleagues.

I have been incredibly lucky to have worked with so many Members of the State Parliamentary Labor Party whose values I share and who have brought a sharp focus on the development of good public policy.

I could not have done any of this without my hardworking staff. To my Chiefs of Staff, Kieran, Naomi, David and Drew, my Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Jo, Claudia, Ben, Matt and Joe as well as my Executive Assistant, Jackie, my driver Michael and the many advisers, Departmental Liaison Officers and Administrative Assistants who have worked with me. Thank you for your drive, your energy and your commitment over the journey.

Government is a gift and I will leave Parliament having spent every single day as a Member of the Government.

For me, I have always passionately believed in the power of the State to help deliver practical and progressive policies to make the lives of working people better. Nothing in the last 12 years has changed my views on this and my time in Government has been a profoundly rich, rewarding and humbling experience.

In my time as a Cabinet Minister, I have served in a number of different portfolios and while others will draw their own conclusions on my tenure, I am so proud of the digital initiatives I have pursued in government.

From ensuring that the Service Victoria app became the digital front door for Government, to the release of the AI Mission Statement and the attraction of data centres to Victoria. I am confident that these initiatives will lay the foundation for the State’s future prosperity in the years ahead and for the delivery of enhanced digital government.

I am also proud to have delivered reforms to WorkCover. An expensive scheme for business, that made injured workers sicker and needed $1.3 billion in taxpayer support, was not in any way sustainable. The changes that went through the Parliament will ensure injured workers in the years to come will have access to a scheme that can pay for their treatment and hopefully get them back to work.

I am pleased to have also led the nation, with Queensland, in banning engineered stone. It brings me a great deal of satisfaction and comfort to know that countless lives will be saved not just from death but from the debilitating impact of silicosis.

In the months ahead, I look forward to working with the new ALP Candidate for Essendon as well as my colleagues to deliver a fourth term Labor Government.

I am so pleased that since 2014, we have delivered record investment to the State District of Essendon and we have been able to transform the lives of the most needy in our community. New housing, new employment opportunities for people living in the towers, every public school receiving significant infrastructure upgrades and the development of an outstanding secondary college in Mount Alexander College have transformed the community for the better.

I look forward to building on this legacy as we go from strength to strength in the months to come.

In public life, there are only two questions that matter. What do we have to do to win? What do we have to govern well?

I am incredibly grateful and fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in the service of answering those two questions.