Ah Christ, another of these? Already? Later this month, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and Liberal Leader Matthew Guy take their quaking clown car parties to face an exhausted public in the state election. Here’s our primer on what to watch.
Foregone conclusion?
Back in September polling was putting Andrews’ Labor government on track for another “crushing election victory” — polling conducted for The Age by research company Resolve Strategic put Labor’s primary vote at 42% Andrews v 28% for the Liberals, and Andrews led Guy as preferred premier by an even greater margin — 46% to 28%.
Labor’s projected primary vote has slipped over October to 38%t in the most recent Resolve polling, with 31% of voters indicating that they will vote Green, minor party or independent. Indeed, the Greens are hoping to follow their best federal election results with similar success at state level, calling in new federal MP Max Chandler-Mather for advice.
Further, there is a far higher proportion of voters yet to make a firm decision than in previous years. Still, very few insiders on either side of the aisle are giving the Liberals a chance.
Scandals and fleeing MPs
Perhaps its unfair to refer Andrews’ Labor government as a clown car — that’s not quite the tone it strikes. As we wrote when Andrews was thrust into the national spotlight, the government has for large parts of its time in power been competent. Not that this has been all for the good — but whether it’s the removal of level crossings or bulldozing sacred Indigenous trees, introducing no-fee TAFE or criminalising protest, it gets stuff done.
But whatever its good qualities, any government subject to an excoriating Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) and Victorian ombudsman report revealing nepotism, rampant branch stacking and egregious misuse of public resources over many years, mere months out from an election, surely ought to not be so nigh-on guaranteed reelection?
What possible explanation for this eight-year-old administration continuing to haemorrhage a slew of ministers and finishing up a term that also featured one of the harshest and longest COVID lockdowns in the world still looking in no danger of losing government?
Introducing the Victorian Liberal Party. Headed by Guy, the Grover Cleveland of failed opposition leaders, it has been the greatest gift Andrews and co could have asked for. How can the public focus on any Labor Party scandal for long given the sheer volume coming out of the Liberal HQ?
We don’t have time to go into all of it, but this year alone has seen the resignation of Guy’s chief of staff for soliciting money for his marketing business from a Liberal donor, the replacement of anti-abortion obsessive MLC Bernie Finn with … another obsessive, and of course the one-man scandal generation industry Tim Smith.
Amid talk that Guy might be knifed for a second time in August, an anonymous member of his shadow cabinet gave The Australian the following glowing endorsement: “The consensus is we will limp along with a damaged leader as our banner carrier unless something else comes out that makes his position untenable.”
Teal a change coming on?
November’s poll will be the first test of the staying power of the teal phenomenon, with fiscally conservative and socially progressive (particularly when it comes to climate action) independents running against the Liberals in seats where Labor doesn’t have a chance.
In Victoria, this resulted in high-profile Libs Josh Frydenberg and Tim Wilson being ousted from the blue ribbon seats of Kooyong and Goldstein respectively. It’s no surprise then that Kew and Hawthorn, the state seats that collectively cover the same area as Kooyong, both have strong teal candidates. Sandringham, which covers some of the same territory as Goldstein, also has a teal candidate in former Bayside mayor Clarke Martin, possibly the first bloke to explicitly adopt the teal designation.
Big issues
Health and education, as ever, dominate. The biggest bidding war between the parties has been on Victoria’s creaking health system — so far, the Liberals have promised spending of $4.5 billion for hospital infrastructure alone, and Labor is promising more than $6 billion. Labor has committed $1.6 billion to upgrading and building public schools, and the opposition has offered $300 million for free school lunches.
Apart from that, there’s the skyrocketing cost of living. There have been various responses — from Labor planning to set up a state-owned energy company to drive down energy prices, to the Coalition promising to cap public transport costs at $2 a day.
We need more independents in Australia. The parties are full of great, warm, compassionate, listening people who are all concerned about gambling harm – and who time after time after time make decisions in favour of the gambling industry. But each one will say, “It wasn’t me!” But if it wasn’t any of them, who was it? How did the laws get passed?
Big Ishoos, Chuckles? What about corruption in Aussie Rules footy??? Why, I’ll gladly vote for any polly in Victoria who can jolly well get to the bottom of the Hawthorn Footy Club’s vicious cover-up! Truly shocking, the AFL’s vicious tactic of silencing a brave victim-survivor by…erm…setting up an entire investigation, which…erm… forced her to flee for ‘safety’ even further into the Marque Lawyers courageous cone of silence…why, shorely t’is all a festering patriarchal/racist sore on the entire Melbourne body politic and, why, yes, a standing affront to the life’s work of St Grace, St [The Other One Whose Name Shall Not Be Uttered Again Until March ’23] and the entire mighty
trial-by-hysterical-lynch moberm…#MeToo movement, and geez yeah, umpy, I protest yah mug, in the strongest possible te-…Oops. Gosh, soz, Crikey. Finger trouble! Oh dear me. The above comment was obviously meant for one of your many Hawthorn Scandal!!!! updates of today, especially that superb Michael Bradley
conflict-of-interestcross-meeja companion piece to Marque Lawyers latesttrial-by-Crikey ambulance chasecourageous justice crusade on behalf of vulnerable-victim-political axe-grinders-survivor-golddiggers-suffragette-saints, who’ll all have been traumatised all over ag-…huh?Wait…what?! No Hawthorn updates at all, Crikkety? No Bradders/Marque multi-meeja cross-promotion? Good grief, soft pappers, surely you’re all slipping!
PS: Ever had that sinking feeling you’ve been played for meeja real estate by a grifting legal con-artist, Beech & Pete?
PPS: G’warn, censor away, mods. Down the memory hole with Jack, whoosh. Nothing to see here, move along.
PPPS: Chortle. Chortle, chortle, chortle. ‘Independent journalism’. Yeah. Right.
Mad, but funny.
Along the lines of ‘all men are guilty so why not proceed direct to sentencing’……..right ?
Scandal prone ?
Were the taxpayers taken down somehow or is the trendy idea of balance in media…….the false equivalent style ?
Balance? In Crikey (or any other media)?
“Were the taxpayers taken down somehow…?” Err yes. Hotel Quarantine – Abuse of human rights of Housing Commission residents. Sacking Emergency services minister Jane Garrett because she would not go along with the Fire Union pay deal and thuggish behaviour of the union. Misuse of printing allowances, – paid by tax payers. Country Allowances for Metro based members – at tax payer expense. Member using tax-payer travel allowance to transport his dog, Red shirts affair – using tax payer funds to branch stack and electioneer. Bullying… and so on. Then there is the Branch Stacking big time that puts inept friends of the faction in parliament (via save ALP seats) to the detriment of the local community. As someone who lives in the West of Melbourne I wouldn’t vote Liberal but I am only too familiar with the despicable behaviour of some (many) members of the ALP.
Its a dilemma. Who to vote for. Two major parties full of long serving pollies who have spent years under the full force of the various lobby groups and are therefore totally corrupted. Not being a Vic I’m not in this one but the problem is national. Until we agree to limit senior libs to one or two terms to limit thrir exposure to the corrupting seductions of the lobbyists its probably best to vote i dependant, or anyone who has been elected before really. Perhaps someone who still has ideals, have a wrong they want to right or an injustice they want to turn around. Instead of the usual grifters prostituting their position for money by selling favourable legislation to billionaires and other corrupt corporates.
Capping donations, plus no post-politics perks, might help.
It will be interesting to see how many Victorians are prepared to vote for the Victorian Division of QAnon (AKA Victorian Liberal Party).