If Daniel Andrews learnt anything from the Abbott, Napthine and Baillieu governments, it is that voters want results, not navel gazing; they want a mature discussion, not ideology. Above all, they want competence, not chaos.

One year in, Andrews is on a mission to deliver. In an interview marking 12 months since his historic election win, the premier is "on message" almost to the point of frustration.

"We've really wasted no time at all," he tells The Age. "We got stuck right in from the first day and I think we've got a fair bit to show in terms of progress ... Just get on with outcomes, that's what matters … So we are setting a cracking pace there."

You get the drift. There will be no dilly-dallying. The premier wants to build stuff, pass laws and boost services – without the dross.

The interview takes place in the state's west, on the road between Massey and the Teddywaddy CFA station. The premier is half way into a three-day tour of regional Victoria, visiting communities stricken by a devastating drought.

It isn't exactly Labor heartland, but the premier seems in good form, engaged, if not a little tired looking.

Asked about highlights of the past year, he insists he is all about the future so he will not be reeling off a shopping list of achievements. Then for the next 10 minutes or so he reels off the aforementioned list.

And fair enough too. Whether you agree with Labor's agenda or not, the government cannot be accused of sitting on its hands for 52 weeks.

As Andrews points out, there are now 19 planned level crossings upgrades that are either underway or "out to market, with the target of 20 this term likely to be exceeded".

Planning work on the Melbourne Metro project is well underway, with a business case to be handed to the Commonwealth early next year. New trains and trams are being ordered. Detailed plans for a new tollway connecting the Westgate Freeway to CityLink will be unveiled within weeks.

The Parliament has been kept busy with legislation to allow gay couples to adopt and to create exclusion zones keeping protesters away from abortion clinics. A royal commission into family violence is well underway, with a final report due in February next year.

Victoria's tough baseline sentencing laws, criticised by Victoria's highest court as unworkable, are being reviewed. Extra money has been set aside to tackle the scourge of terrorism. Among other things.

Andrews is easily ahead in the polls, although as his Liberal detractors point out so too was Ted Baillieu at this early point in the political cycle. He is off to a solid start, despite some problems, including bullying allegation against former small business minister Adem Somyurek, several disruptive industrial disputes and festering factional tensions.

The great challenge for Labor over the next couple of years will be dealing with what economists call "exogenous" factors that may hamper Andrews on his mission, not least among them headwinds facing the state economy.

Andrews says he recognises that Labor isn't perfect, but he refuses to get distracted. Once again, talking about delivering results without the bluster of recent years.

"No one elected us to be focused on ourselves, no one elected us to be consumed by a lot of these beltway issues," he says. "You've got to deal with issues on their merits, you've got to deal with them properly, but you've also got to understand … we are there for the people of the state who have elected us, given us a job to do.

The Andrews government has made a solid but not-quite-dazzling start to its first term. Here is how it ranked in key areas.

Jobs: B
Delivering on a promised 100,000 full-time positions within two years will be hard. Victoria has created an estimated 73,300 new positions since November 2014. But according to ABS estimates, only one in five have been full time. To meet the target, the state economy would need to create almost 85,000 full-time positions in the next year.

Education: B+
Schools and TAFEs have received extra funding and disadvantaged families are benefiting from a new camps, sports and excursion fund. The state has cracked down on dodgy training colleges. But the government has failed to commit to the final two years of the Gonski funding agreement. The Education Department has been rocked by serious allegations of corruption.

Health: B
Minister Jill Hennessy has delivered on many promises. Paramedics received their pay rises and the Ambulance Victoria board has been overhauled in the hope it will reduce delays. Hospital bypass has also been axed to speed up ambulances but there are no signs of great gains yet.

Public transport: A-
The government's agenda cannot be faulted for ambition. It has made a good start, but it's a high-wire act. Labor desperately needs Canberra to co-fund the $11-billion Melbourne Metro, and the Port of Melbourne privatisation must proceed to pay for the removal of 50 level crossings. The only misstep is a politically motivated deferral of train timetable changes.

Roads: C
Began by killing East West Link, horrifying investors and dividing Victorians. Since then Labor has failed to develop a roads agenda of its own, piggybacking instead on whatever Transurban proposes. To that end, the CityLink/Tullamarine Freeway widening project has begun and the $5.5-billion Western Distributor toll road appears certain to proceed.

Law and order: C
Minister Wade Noonan has inherited a poisoned chalice, with a soaring prison population, budgetary pressures and recidivism rates hitting 40 per cent. Tensions erupted in June, when 300 inmates seized control of the Melbourne Remand Centre. A report on the riot is due in weeks and Noonan's faith in Corrections Commissioner Jan Shuard will be tested. An investigation by the Human Rights Commission and the state's Equal Opportunity Commission, which is expected to reveal toxic levels of sexism within Victoria Police, will also test him.

Planning: B-
The government has worked hard to calm the frenzy created by former planning minister Matthew Guy. Apartment tower applications have all but stopped since new density laws were introduced in September; the opposition says this is a disaster but the government says it has still approved $4 billion in potential development in the CBD in its first year – similar to what Guy approved in his last year.

Social Justice: B
Andrews has delivered on the promise of a socially progressive government. Same-sex couples should soon have the right to adopt. Buffer zones will be introduced around abortion clinics. Some new community housing properties have been added but the government faces a massive waiting list for public housing. The government is also expected to take major action after the domestic violence royal commission.

Environment: C
There have been some advances in freeing up development of wind energy, getting cows out of the Alpine National Park and refreshing energy-saving incentives. But promised targets for renewable energy and emissions reductions are still to emerge. A taskforce convened to sort out the dispute over native forest logging and endangered species protection has started slowly, but the government is testing the patience of the environment movement.

Rural: B-
The rural highlight of Andrews' first year has been the commitment to the Murray Basin rail project, which was warmly welcomed by farmers and industry. But Labor's first budget was not considered particularly effective for the bush, and some commitments that would have rural benefits have been tied to the sale of the Port of Melbourne lease.