Victorians think officials are losing Apex battle

UPDATE: PREMIER Daniel Andrews has refused to comment on a poll saying Victorians believe the government is not doing enough to tackle the youth crime wave, but admits there is always more to be done.

Voters believe Premier Dan Andrews is losing the battle against crime. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

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PREMIER Daniel Andrews has refused to comment on a poll that says Victorians believe the government is not doing enough to tackle the youth crime wave, but admits there is always more to be done.

After a series of terrifying home invasions and youth justice riots, Galaxy research conducted exclusively for the Herald Sun shows 68 per cent of voters polled believe authorities are losing the battle against Apex.

And in a direct warning to the Andrews Government, 64 per cent believe it is not doing enough to tackle youth crime and 44 per cent think the state is less safe today than at the 2014 state election.

Mr Andrews refused to comment on the polls this morning but admitted that there was “always more to do” to make Victoria safe.

“I’m concerned to make sure that Graham Ashton, the Chief Commissioner, has got the resources, the laws, the support that he needs, and that’s exactly what the government has been delivering for the last two years,” he said.

“That’s our record, that’s what we’ve done for the last two years and we’ll continue doing it.”

“We will always look to do more and invest more ... There’s always more to do and I will never rest, no matter what opinion polls might or might not say.”

Victorians have spoken in the exclusive Galaxy survey.

Mr Andrews dodged questions about his popularity as Premier, saying that he was more concerned with delivering the government’s policy commitments.

“All of those things concern me, all of those things are at the front of my mind, not passing polls one day or the next,” he said.

Despite the troubling law-and-order results, the ALP has a slim lead over the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis (52-48), ­suggesting it would narrowly win an election if it was held today.

Mr Andrews’ personal standing has taken a battering since a Newspoll conducted last year that showed he had a comfortable lead over Opposition Leader Matthew Guy as preferred premier.

On the eve of Labor’s second anniversary in power, only 36 per cent of those surveyed believe Mr Andrews makes a better premier, while 31 per cent selected Mr Guy.

One-third of voters say they couldn’t commit to either one.

Galaxy managing director David Briggs said Labor had a narrow lead over the Coalition but there was growing community concern about safety. “There is a definite perception across the state that Victoria has become less safe since the election of the Andrews Government,” he said.

“Even the majority of Labor supporters accept that the authorities are losing the battle against the Apex gang.”

Monash University political scientist Dr Nick Economou said law and order had been a policy weakness for the ­government, and this had to be dealt with well before an election.

“If swinging voters feel profoundly unsafe, then that could be a problem,” he said.

Labor MPs also concede that a focus on crime is hurting them, with one saying it is “clearly an issue” for the ­government.

However, the Herald Sun understands the government is planning to dramatically increase Victoria’s police force in a bid to quell rising concerns.

The Galaxy research shows that the primary vote of the major parties and the Greens has not shifted much since the 2014 election.

Today, 37 per cent of res­pondents said they would vote Labor if an election was held today, 42 per cent nominated the Coalition, and 12 per cent said the Greens.

At the election, 38 per cent voted for Labor, 42 per cent for the Coalition, and 11.5 per cent for the Greens.

On November 29, it will be two years since the 2014 election, when Daniel Andrews led Labor to victory over then-premier Denis Napthine.

Since then, the government has been rocked by a series of controversies, including the dumping of the East West Link, the loss of three ministers, insider whistle­blowing over rorts, and the CFA crisis.

But it has also been quick to kick off big-ticket infrastructure projects, including its signature level-crossing removal program and planning for the Melbourne Metro.

There has also been a decline in unemployment, with almost 93,200 fulltime jobs created since 2014.

Parliament resumes tomorrow for the second-last ­sitting week of the year.

The government has flagged it would introduce a lot of new legislation before the end of the year, including to drastically reform the taxi industry and legalise Uber.

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