Back off and let us Victorians vote the way we want to

Why do Victorians vote for that ‘madman’ who locked them down for so long in the pandemic? Some outside our borders struggle to understand.

Victorian State Election People’s Forum with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy at Box Hill, Melbourne. Picture: Ian Currie

Odds are, you probably didn’t watch it. I wouldn’t have, if not for my posting here.

And even then, 10 minutes in I wandered off to make a drink, take a phone call, and then make another drink to lubricate the final moments.

It was our state election debate, on television, subsequently derided by hosting commentators as “boring” but described in the local press as “genteel”.

Clearly, both debaters understood this much; Victorians are mostly a quiet bunch, and they value a respectful conversation. So Daniel Andrews and Matthew Guy kept themselves nice, which was a good thing.

Some outside our borders struggle to understand why our state votes the way it votes. Why oh why, they ask, do Victorians vote for that “madman” who locked them down for so long in the pandemic?

Firstly, no one can understand the lived experience of people in another place. Particularly when those messages come out of a place that is part interstate rivalry, part political leaning.

My eyes roll at the pejorative depictions of my home town, particularly on Sydney radio. Our weather is snidely referred to, our roads are apparently so riddled with potholes we can’t drive anywhere, our health system is completely broken, our economy is on the brink of crisis, our CBD is a wasteland and our people are moronic “sheeple” – leftist cult members following their dear leader.

And all of this would be fixed if only the state would vote Liberal. So why don’t we? Maybe just to annoy the angry shock jocks in Sydney.

In Victoria, generally speaking, we don’t like hyperbolic rhetoric, or outrage-fuelled discourse. Perhaps it is our Presbyterian heritage. People here are stoic, polite, sedate and agreeable. They are not loud, rambunctious, and boisterously disagreeable.

Our Premier has been understated in his demeanour, and understated is how Victorians like things. In politics, leaders can choose to draw attention to themselves, or deliberately try to stay out of view, and only appear when absolutely necessary. In Victoria, it is better to do the latter.

Back in 2018, the opposition chose to be loud, inflammatory and divisive; they fought an election on “African gangs”.

Unfortunately, the federal ­Liberals put their shoulder to the wheel to help, and wild-eyed ­interstate politicians brought our issues to national attention. One from Queensland sensationally claimed that Melburnians were too frightened to go out to dinner.

This was an absurd thing to say, and for us, an outrageous insult. It felt like we were being banged over the head, with what we saw as our problems, in front of the entire nation. It felt like we were being humiliated, and hectored into voting a certain way. And it was very bad for the community that was being tarnished and slighted for political ends. Victorians welcome migrants and don’t appreciate them being treated nastily.

So on election night, Labor won in a landslide. The Coalition were left with 27 out of 88 seats.

In the wash-up, Liberal powerbrokers admitted through gritted teeth that the “Victorian African gangs” tirade might have worked against them.

To those who say these crime-related issues were real, well yes, of course, it is a fact that crimes existed. However, it is also a fact the issue evaporated out of public sight the day after the election.

In this current election, the ­opposition seems to have learnt from the past, although it has ­focused too much on the lockdowns. This difficult period is painted as some sort of moral failing, and something we should be ashamed of. This approach won’t attract votes.

Right now, Victorians have ­serious issues to grapple with, and considerable challenges ahead. But there is also much to be grateful for. The city is pumping, entertainment wise. People are out and about and enjoying themselves at higher than pre-Covid levels, and we will need an extra 373,000 workers within the next few years, to meet demand.

As the fastest-growing state before Covid struck, and with this level of growth likely to resume, our infrastructure program has been turbo-boosted and debt is high. The debt level worries ­people, but in this campaign, the Liberals have promised to spend significantly more than Labor, which nullifies the issue.

The campaign has been rocky, for both major parties. They have both been referred to our anti-corruption authority, for respective investigations. There have been scandals, silly accusations and ridiculous things said by people on all sides who should all know better.

And in the media, we have all heard far too much about our Premier’s unfortunate but uninteresting fall down the stairs, and a car accident about a decade ago.

All up, our government is aged, and far from perfect. The time should be ripe for change. Yet cultural elements within the opposition heighten concern. There appears to be a skeleton crew of decent folk, struggling to modernise the party, and draw attention away from its collection of “crazy uncles and aunts”; resident misfits, weirdos, and religious extremists.

This weekend, Victorians will vote for, as they always do, the party we hope will do the least damage to our society and economy. That is all people can ever do.