Editorial: A fresh start is needed to unite Victoria

Given the manifest failures of the past four years, Victoria cannot – financially or politically – afford another term of Labor and Dan Andrews’ leadership.

Victoria has never been more in debt, or more divided, than it is at present.

Politics in our state is polarised and the Andrews government’s handling of the pandemic, its centralised power and its ideology that puts state control above individuals and businesses has widened those community divisions.

Given the damage done to Victoria and its people over the past few years, if Daniel Andrews was the CEO of any publicly listed company, he would have lost his job long ago.

The facts speak for themselves.

The failure by the Andrews government to provide proper infection controls in hotel quarantine – a tragic fiasco that led to 801 deaths – followed by the draconian impost of restrictions from curfews to travel limits and cruel playground bans saw Greater Melbourne subject to 263 days of lockdowns – more than any other city in the world.

The failure by the Andrews government to provide proper infection controls in hotel quarantine saw Greater Melbourne subject to 263 days of lockdowns. Picture: Getty Images

Much of the pain Victoria suffered over the past three years – school students forced to learn from home, the shadow mental health crisis, the businesses ruined, the separation of families for months on end, the inability to attend funerals, or see loved ones in their final moments in hospital – hit our state harder due to multiple mistakes caused by a toxic combination of government incompetence and arrogance.

Despite the promise to provide answers on who authorised the botched quarantine program, why army assistance was refused, or to justify Mr Andrews’ claims of “gold standard” contact tracing as the system buckled, neither the Premier nor a single minister – or official – has ever taken responsibility for the litany of lethal, and avoidable, errors.

Much of the pain Victoria suffered over the past three years hit our state harder due to multiple mistakes caused by a toxic combination of government incompetence and arrogance. Picture: David Geraghty

Sadly, a lack of transparency has become a hallmark of the Andrews government. Whether it be the red shirts rorts, the industrial-scale branch stacking within the ALP, or numerous Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission investigations the Premier has been questioned in, repeated scandals have eroded community confidence in probity and accountability.

This week, Mr Andrews broke a key election vow to tell voters how much the Suburban Rail Loop will cost. Before the 2018 poll, Labor claimed the project – described as the most-expensive thought bubble in Australian history – would cost $50bn. In August, an independent estimate put the price of the first two stages at a staggering $125bn, with fears it will rise past $200bn.

Victorians deserve an answer from their Premier given the perilous financial position our state is now in. Picture: David Geraghty

Victorians deserve an answer from their Premier given the perilous financial position our state is now in. All they got was spin. Net debt is forecast to hit $165bn in 2025, more than NSW, Queensland and Tasmania combined, underscoring the extent of reckless fiscal mismanagement. Certainly, catching up with the population boom over the past 20 years has demanded prudent infrastructure funding, and removing rail crossings was smart politics and a win for commuters. But virtually every major project embarked on by the Andrews government has blown out in cost and delivery time.

Putting aside stimulus and support spending needed to navigate the pandemic, such excess on Labor’s “big build’’ – which happily keeps construction unions on side – has set the state on track back to the dark days of the Cain-Kirner governments.

The size of the public sector has also exploded, rising a dizzy 73 per cent since Labor came to power, with now 346,000 public employees – 10 per cent of the entire Victorian labour force – set to cost $35.76bn by 2025.

Labor’s ‘big build’ – which happily keeps construction unions on side – has set the state on track back to the dark days of the Cain-Kirner governments. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Like responsible road and rail investment, Victoria needed more nurses, teachers, police and ambos, but the scale of the bureaucracy is out of hand and Labor has burdened coming generations with paying down an unprecedented bill.

The votes of public servants and the construction industry are key for Labor. But Victoria’s growing debt bomb has consequences, foremost making the huge task of repairing our ailing health system all the more difficult. The crisis, starting with the deadly breakdown of triple-zero responses, is shameful. Equally as shameful is Mr Andrews’ attempts to blame the pandemic, when our hospitals and ambulance network were in a critical condition well before Covid reached our shores.

Labor has ruled Victoria for 19 of the past 23 years, and Mr Andrews has been in power for eight years. With such a diabolical track record, the opposition should be in the box seat for victory. But the Coalition has wasted much of the past term.

Matthew Guy carries his own baggage on integrity issues but, to his credit, has focused this election on the concerns of everyday Victorians. Picture: AAP

After failing to take the fight up to Mr Andrews during the dark days of lockdown, the Coalition turned to Matt Guy as leader despite his trouncing at the 2018 poll. Mr Guy carries his own baggage on integrity issues but, to his credit, has focused this election on the concerns of everyday Victorians.

The opposition kicked off its campaign by promising to axe the SRL and direct the cash into hospitals, forcing Labor to make a health a priority. But the challenge remains, are those Victorians now wanting change confident in voting for an alternative when the Liberal-Nationals have, until very recent times, failed to make their mark on policy and public profile. Many voters feel disenfranchised and will reject both Labor and the Coalition.

Given the manifest failures of the past four years, Victoria cannot – financially or politically – afford another term of Labor and Mr Andrews’ divisive leadership. The Herald Sun believes Victoria needs a new start and Mr Guy and the Liberal-National Coalition are the best hope to unite this great state.