Liberal, Labor camps rally at campaign launches as Victorian state election edges closer

Victoria’s two major parties have held their campaign launches in Melbourne, ahead of what aspiring premier Jess Wilson has described as the “most consequential election in decades”.

At the Liberal Party’s launch at The Glasshouse on Olympic Boulevard, Ms Wilson promised a tough new bootcamp for young offenders aged 14 to 17, to be established at the former Dhurringile Prison near Shepparton.

The camp would act as an alternative to a community corrections order or other custodial sentence, and would include a daily program of physical and other activities, such as cleaning, maintenance, agriculture and education, she said.

Meanwhile, Premier Ben Carroll addressed a sea of red at Labor’s campaign launch in Moonee Ponds, declaring his party “up for the fight”.

At the Liberal launch in the city, Ms Wilson said that, after 12 years of Labor, Victoria was at a crossroads.

“Labor have completely forgotten both the privilege and the responsibility of government,” she told supporters.

“They have spent their time focused on the lives of themselves and their mates, not the lives of Victorians.”

She told the party faithful, including three former premiers, that the November 28 election was a choice “between a Labor government that has increased taxes, wasted your money and let crime and corruption take over”.

“Or, a fresh start with lower costs, reduced crime and a government that works.”

In just 13 days, Victorians will head to the polls to decide how the next four years will look after three consecutive terms of Labor government.

At the Liberal launch, Ms Wilson spoke of what she claimed the state had lost, including up to $15 billion under alleged corruption in the Big Build projecta sense of safety, and money from 70 increased or new taxes and charges.

“They have robbed us of something more fundamental too — they have sucked the life, the light, the vibrancy from this state,” she said.

The opposition leader said Labor had also let the state’s pothole-riddled roads “fall into rack and ruin”.

Among her promised solutions were a vow to hire 3,000 extra police, return protective service officers (PSOs) to train stations and recruit another 200 PSOs to patrol high-risk shopping centres.

She has also promised to repeal Victoria’s treaty, halve elective surgery waiting lists, bring back technical colleges, scrap activity centres and build three new select-entry public high schools.

Ms Wilson promised that a Liberal government would implement “adult crime, adult time” laws before Christmas, for 25 serious offences including arson and motor vehicle theft.

“We’ll end the tobacco wars because Victorians are sick of waking up to firebombings every single day,” she said.

Other pledges include no new or increased taxes, scrapping the controversial emergency services tax and exempting first homebuyers from stamp duty on properties up to $1 million.

Labor spruiks public health to party faithful

At Ben Carroll’s campaign launch, the focus was squarely on health, as the premier announced his party’s promise to halve the state’s planned surgery waiting list.

Before the premier spoke, Mr Carroll’s wife Fiona Rothville introduced him and recounted their family’s experience with the health system during life-threatening pregnancy complications ahead of the birth of their daughter, Madeleine.

“Public healthcare saved the life of my daughter and the life of my wife,” Mr Carroll said.

“Those doctors saved my family. That’s the truth.”

The pledge to fund an extra 100,000 planned surgeries in public hospitals would cost $1.17 billion, while a complementary promise to fund an extra 500,000 specialist appointments would involve a $195 million spend.

“It’s all very well to fund additional surgeries, but we also need to make sure that people can get in and see the specialists that they need to see to determine whether surgery’s a requirement or not,” Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said.

She also said 30 per cent of the surgeries would take place in regional Victoria.

A Coalition policy to halve elective surgery waitlists, announced in early October, differs in its use of private hospitals to reduce wait times.

In the lead-up to the election, Labor has already promised to set up 20 free dental clinics and hire 750 more nurses across 12 emergency departments.

“We’ll slash ED waits by 20 per cent, slash surgery waitlists by 50 per cent, and slash dental care costs by 100 per cent,” Mr Carroll said.

“I will make healthcare more affordable. Liberals will make healthcare more American.

“Labor has always been the party of Medicare and the party of public health.

“We’re going to be the party of free dental.”

Former premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby attended the launch, along with federal Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

Despite Mr Carroll’s efforts since taking over as leader to distance himself from the leadership of former premiers Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews, he received rounds of applause as he listed some of the party’s achievements since it gained power under Mr Andrews in 2014.

“Victoria has been moving fast and making things since 2014,” Mr Carroll said.

“[We’re] catching up with our biggest ever population boom and building generational infrastructure like the Metro Tunnel, like the 121 brand new schools and the 12 brand new hospitals.

“Thanks to Labor, we now have half a trillion dollars’ worth of assets coming online and those assets are the platform for future growth and prosperity.”

He said the government had boosted frontline services and “hired thousands more nurses, thousands more teachers and police”.

“But building for the future isn’t always easy, never has been, never has been smooth sailing. We did face significant headwinds, significant global headwinds, and yes we could’ve done some things better,” he said.

“These are tough economic conditions but we are up for the fight.”

He accused the Liberal Party of being irresponsible by “promising the world to everyone and knowing you can’t deliver it”.

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