Victorians think the state has become less safe since Daniel Andrews was elected, polls show
A MAJORITY of Victorians think the state has become less safe since Daniel Andrews’ Labor government was elected, a new poll shows.
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A MAJORITY of Victorians think the state has become less safe since Daniel Andrews’ Labor government was elected, a new poll shows.
The Galaxy/Herald Sun poll of 1085 voters shows 52 per cent now think the state is a less safe place than in late 2014.
In November, just 44 per cent of people polled gave that response.
Only 15 per cent think the state is safer than in 2014 — matching November’s result.
Just over a quarter of people say they feel no different.
Since November, Victoria has seen further frightening home invasions and a series of riots at youth justice centres.
Teens involved in a mass breakout from the Malmsbury youth justice centre ran amok, stealing cars.
The perception of a law-and-order problem is growing despite Premier Daniel Andrews and Police Minister Lisa Neville’s promise two months ago of thousands more police to tackle rising crime rates.
Their public order blitz included promised new laws, such as a “Fagin’s Law”.
Named after the adult ringleader of child pickpockets in Charles Dickens’s novel, Oliver Twist, it would jail for up to a decade adults who procure children to commit crimes.
The results from the latest Galaxy poll show 71 per cent of Coalition supporters have the impression the state is less safe today than in 2014.
But Galaxy managing director David Briggs said not only Coalition voters were upset about law and order.
“Even one in three Labor supporters accept there has been a deterioration in safety since the Andrews Government was elected,” he said.
Most Labor MPs acknowledge that law and order has been a weak spot for the government. But they believe they are capable of stemming the bleeding.
Several have previously told the Herald Sun that the announcement late last year of 2729 new frontline police would soon take hold.
At the time of that announcement in December, Mr Andrews also said that comprehensive changes to youth crime laws “will hold young offenders to account and help keep Victorians safe”.
Mr Andrews called the commitment of extra police “the single largest investment in police numbers in the history of our force”.
COMMENT: A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES, SAY VOTERS
NOT happy, Dan!
That’s the personal message voters have delivered to Premier Daniel Andrews in this poll.
The message is even clearer for Treasurer Tim Pallas, whose Werribee constituents feel so betrayed by him, they’re arming themselves with political baseball bats.
Perhaps Dan’s negative-17 approval rating is why he has become a bit more camera-shy lately.
The Premier was everywhere after his 2014 election victory. But with a big agenda, he was bound to irk some people, and he’s starting to wear more of that personally.
The good news for Labor is that they’re still in front — just.
While MPs will be happy to be in the lead at this stage, the Premier’s level of personal popularity will worry some, as will the fact more people in Victoria think the state is heading in the wrong direction.
As Galaxy’s David Briggs says, “governments that are considered to be heading in the wrong direction are rarely re-elected”.
Andrews is now almost neck and neck with Matthew Guy as preferred premier.
While Guy might take some satisfaction from this, he will be concerned more voters haven’t picked up the Liberal brand on the back of government woes.
As the Werribee poll shows, many voters are saying “stuff you all” to major parties.
Pallas is on the nose in a big way. His constituents don’t think he’s representing them well, which is probably not helped by many of them seeing a man in a suit who doesn’t even live in their seat.
Enter Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, now polling big numbers in that safe Labor seat and 8 per cent across the state.
If major parties can’t reconnect with voters and Hanson maintains anywhere near that level of support, the brawl over preferences in 2018 will be a sight to behold.