By Marcus Uhe and Cam Lucadou-Wells
Premier Daniel Andrews has played a straight bat when asked about his new electoral rival and I Cook Foods owner Ian Cook.
Mr Cook recently announced he was standing as an independent candidate on an ‘anti-corruption’ platform in Mr Andrews’s seat.
Spurred by his destroyed business in what’s been labelled ‘slug gate’, Mr Cook said he aimed to hold Mr Andrews to “account” by ousting him from his seat.
Mr Andrews told Star News on 8 September that “the people of Mulgrave will make their own judgements”.
“I’m not here to make commentary about other candidates, I’d much rather talk about our positive plan, and there’s a lot happening in the Mulgrave electorate and I’m very proud of that.
“But we’ve got a lot more that we have to do.”
Mr Andrews said “my constituents are my neighbours”.
“I’ve lived there for all of my time in the Victorian parliament, 20 years, and I’ve worked very hard for my local community and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to achieve.”
Mr Cook is suing Greater Dandenong Council and the state’s Department of Health, accusing them of wrongly shutting down and destroying his business as part of a fatal food-poisoning investigation in early 2019.
As a result, 41 workers lost their livelihoods.
All 96 charges against him and ICF were later withdrawn by Greater Dandenong Council.
The ‘slug gate’ scandal – including allegations of a health inspector planting a slug on the ICF factory floor – has been examined by two Parliamentary inquiries and several Victoria Police investigations.
No charges have been laid against public officials.
