The Liberal Party is confident a blue wave from the west can help it win control of Spring Street in next year’s state election.
Star Weekly sat down with opposition leader Brad Battin and his envoy to the western suburbs Western Metropolitan Region MP Moira Deeming at her office in Caroline Springs on Thursday, October 2.
Should the Liberals get elected, Mr Battin said his first priority in the western suburbs would be addressing crime.
“The first thing I would prioritise is probably the thing everyone speaks to me about, crime– it’s got to be about what we are going to do to address crime,” Mr Battin said.
“We talk about it across Victoria, but the west has been hit the hardest and we have seen it too often in the media.”
The former cop also said a government he leads would invest $100 million in rehabilitation for youth offenders.
According to Mr Battin, the Liberals are still deliberating infrastructure commitments.
The pair was asked about the party’s previous difficulties attracting voters in the west.
“Probably point A is being present,” Mr Battin said.
He said he meets with groups, farmers and attend forums and frequently stays in the region.
Ms Deeming said people west of the Yarra are thirsty for political change.
“We all have stakes. I have four children, this isn’t just for political power, I am worried about my children’s future. This is a really serious fight,” Ms Deeming said.
The opposition leader said funding youth mental health facilities, working to cut red tape for small businesses and working with developers to build infrastructure before residents move into new estates were part of his plan.
He also said the Avalon employment precinct should be the “next big thing” and the Liberals would support the private sector develop to the area.
Star Weekly asked Ms Deeming what she had achieved since being appointed as the Leader’s Representative to the Western Suburbs in April.
Ms Deeming said she has been coordinating the party’s strategy in the west for infrastructure and drafting legislation, including a plan to overhaul the public service sector.
“All the things you want to achieve, you achieve in government,” she said.
