First shots fired in Vic election attack ad

The first shot has been fired in the election campaign, with a scathing attack ad panning Matthew Guy’s “real solutions” promise.

Former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison have been rolled out on day one of the Victorian election campaign in a new attack ad panning Opposition leader Matthew Guy.

The 33-second ALP ad compares Guy’s promise of “real solutions” to similar election commitments made by both Mr Abbott and Mr Morrison.

The ad will go live across MPs social media accounts and marks the first shot fired in the election campaign which officially began on Tuesday.

Liberal Party campaign material boasts “Real solutions for all Victorians.”

“A Matthew Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will give Victoria the fresh start it needs, so that we can fix the health crisis, drive down the cost of living and deliver real solutions for all Victorians,” it says.

Mr Guy has also made a habit of promising “real solutions” during press conferences.

The 33-second ALP ad compares Guy's promise of ‘real solutions’ to similar election commitments made by Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison. Picture: Supplied

Labor sources said the ad would inevitably force voters to link Mr Guy to the federal Liberal Party. Picture: Supplied

Labor sources said invoking the memories of Mr Abbott and Mr Morrison would inevitably force voters to link Mr Guy to current federal Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton.

Mr Dutton sparked widespread criticism across Victoria during the 2018 election when he claimed Victorians were “scared to go out to restaurants” because of “African gang violence”.

An internal party review following the 2018 election loss blamed, in part, the party’s focus on African gang crime which “became a distraction for some key voters who saw it as a political tactic rather than an authentic problem”.

Daniel Andrews is also at the centre of an attack ad, but in a twist it is calling on voters to back him.

The CFMEU has dubbed the Premier a “p---k” in posters being put up in building sites across Melbourne, but is still urging its members to vote Labor.

“Dan might be a p---k, but he’s a prick who’s delivering for construction workers,” the poster reads.

“Labor will keep you in work for another 30 years.”

The ad highlights more than $100bn in funding for major infrastructure projects including the Suburban Rail Loop which the state Opposition has vowed to scrap if elected.

Union representatives have been warning against a vote for the Liberals “because they don’t build anything”.

However among an estimated 281 election commitments to date, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Liberal Party has pledged billions of dollars in new health and transport infrastructure.