Steve Dimopoulos is Victoria’s new minister for tourism, sport, major events, and creative industries. His elevation to cabinet in the Dan Andrews’ Labor government came after the exodus of five senior ministers on Friday June 24.
He takes his front bench seat along with Lizzie Blandthorn, Harriet Shing, and Colin Brook, and the new deputy premier, and long serving Labor member, Jacinta Allan.
Mr Dimopoulos emerged from last Saturday’s Labor caucus where he was elected saying was “incredibly honoured that his colleagues selected him to join the Victorian Government Cabinet.”
“The Andrews Labor Government has achieved so much over the last seven and a half years, in transport, hospitals, schools and just as importantly on mental health and reducing family violence.
“I cannot recall a more active government. A government that still has at its core a goal to get things done,” Mr Dimopoulos said to Neos Kosmos.
He took the time to pay tribute to the other Greek Australian politicians who paved the way in Victoria.
“People with names like Pandazopoulos, Mikakos, Dalidakis, Theophanous, Kotsiras and Andrianopoulos,” the minister said.
Brandishing his Hellenism he said that he was the “proud son of Greek migrants.”
Mr Dimopoulos added that Greek Australians should “always be reminded of where we come from, our history, and Australia’s significant and ongoing connection with Greece – a connection forged in two world wars and built upon even more with migration.”
He said that Melbourne could not boast it has the largest Greek population outside of Greece, “unless we were a place that was inclusive. This is the diversity that is Victoria.”
Cabinet reshuffle became necessary after the former deputy premier James Merlino, health minister Martin Foley, industry minister Martin Pakula and police minister Lisa Neville stepped down. Planning minister Richard Wynne was scheduled to retire.
Their exodus was due to “fatigue” according to a senior Labor source. The source who wanted their name withheld said there was no internal factionalism.
“Daniel is dominant, and he’s kept a lid on divisions, and those hostile to him have all moved on.
“Martin [Foley] is tired, he’s had health portfolio and that was huge, he is a solid performer, but he’s just had enough,” the Labor source told Neos Kosmos.
Health, education, and policing were frontline services in during the height of the COVID pandemic over the last two years.
Mr Dimopoulos paid tribute to his retiring parliamentary colleagues.
“Together and individually they were some of the hardest working and inspiring people I have ever seen in public life, they lived their values every single day and made change happen,” said Mr Dimopoulos.
He also thanked his family for being “steadfast in their support.”
“My parents, Nick and Helen are migrants from Greece who came to this country with little and created a future for myself and my sister Mary, and now their grandchildren.
“Like hundreds of thousands of other Greek migrants, they left a homeland they love to seek a better future and never forgot where they came from,” Mr Dimopoulos said to Neos Kosmos.
The new minister will need to revitalise tourism, sports, and culture as major economic drivers in Victoria, as all three sectors have endured two years of years of restrictions, lockdowns, and border closures.
Victorians are going out again, as music venues, and restaurants fill up, and sports fans move through the turnstiles. However, much work has to be done by the new minister before we can again employ the epithets of ‘cultural centre’ and ‘sports capital’ in relation to Melbourne.
