Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In Saturday's state election, Victorians rejected the Liberal Party's narrow and nasty campaign of fear and division and resoundingly endorsed the Andrews government's positive agenda of getting things done and making things fair in health, education, infrastructure and climate change. The election campaign exposed Liberal MPs who were completely out of touch with the electorate and a divided and chaotic party organisation that is not fit for purpose for modern Australia. Many of the architects of this state of affairs sit opposite—Liberal MPs who have spent more time pursuing so-called left-wing termites and socialists in their own party than they have pursuing the support of voters in their own electorates, Liberals who have spent more time trying to make the member for Dickson Prime Minister than they have trying to make our schools and hospitals the best in the world. In my community, the Liberal Party had nothing to say about rebuilding Footscray Hospital and nothing to say about rebuilding schools like Sunshine secondary college, renovating schools like Altona North Primary School or rebuilding much-needed new ones like the Footscray Learning Precinct. They had nothing to say about fighting climate change.

In contrast, the Andrews Labor government took a positive agenda to the public, delivering on all of these issues for our community. I want to give my hearty congratulations to first-time Labor candidates in my electorate Katie Hall and Melissa Horne, who ran outstanding campaigns and will deliver for our community in Melbourne's west. (Time expired)