Transport and safety key issues in VIC Elections
The Victorian Liberal Party launched its election campaign on November 14 with promises of more support for police and a commitment to ‘rebuild’ Melbourne’s public transport system. The launch, attended by federal opposition leader Tony Abbott, attracted supporters from across Victoria, keen to hear the party’s guarantees of smaller government, lower taxes and greater freedom under a coalition-led Victoria.
State Liberal leader Ted Baillieu is running against current Premier John Brumby in Victoria’s state election on November 27. Public transport is widely seen as the key issue for voters, after a new ticketing system plagued with problems increased congestion and crime on the network.
Relating that he had personally spoken with victims of crime, Baillieu said that what was needed was a proactive approach to the issues facing the state today. He spoke of the first European settlers to Victoria who “just got on with it”, and said that such an attitude was necessary to maintain Victoria’s tradition as the commercial, intellectual and community capital of Australia.
In the wake of rising crime in the state, Baillieu promised police on every Melbourne metropolitan train station and 1700 extra police on the beat, although this is still short of Labor’s commitment of 1966 additional police over the next five years. He blamed the current government for forcing Victorians to “accept rising levels of violence”, and promised harsher penalties for serious offenders. A zero tolerance approach would be taken toward violent and alcohol-fuelled crime, although no mention was made on the need for a cultural shift in Victoria or Australia’s binge-drinking culture.
Also on the cards was a promise to re-evaluate the sustainability of Victoria’s water supply, with harsh words aimed at the Brumby government’s desalination plant which has faced a budget blowout. Describing Brumby as desperate to justify the decision to build the controversial plant, Baillieu quipped that Brumby may be the first Victorian Premier who prayed for no rain. Baillieu also spoke of the alleged ‘culture of intimidation and corruption’ under Brumby’s government, and promised to establish an independent anti-corruption commission, despite a similar body being announced by Brumby earlier this year.
However the centrepiece of Ted Baillieu’s election campaign was the near $1billion plan to renew Melbourne’s public transport network. Large south Asian communities in Melbourne’s southeast would be linked by a new rail link to Rowville, and a new railway station at Southland would provide direct access to one of Melbourne’s biggest shopping centres. A single public transport body would be established to coordinate public transport planning, and new, faster trains would be purchased to augment the current strained network.
For Indians living in Victoria, Labor’s John Brumby has led the state through the very public Indian student attacks of 2008 – 2010. While many claim Brumby’s government has not done enough to protect students against racially-motivated crime, it is unclear what other political pundits offer in response. The issue of racially-motivated violence was notably absent from both Baillieu and Brumby’s campaigns.
