Federal election 2016: Fireys’ dispute adds spark to local debate

The Country Fire Authority’s stoush with the state government in Victoria is hurting the ALP’s chances.

Frankston resident John Walsh hopes the seat of Dunkley in Victoria will stay Liberal. Picture: David Geraghty.

Corangamite incumbent Sarah Henderson is trying to fight off the Labor challenge by capitalising on the animosity towards Premier Daniel Andrews over the ongoing Country Fire Authority stoush in an electorate that suffered devastating fires during the Christmas period. The CFA industrial dispute was a hot topic during this week’s debate between Henderson and the Labor candidate, Libby Coker.

Coker described it as a state issue while Henderson said a re-elected Coalition government would amend the Fair Work Act to protect the volunteers.

Another point of division between the parties is how to tackle unemployment in the region, which includes Geelong as well as Apollo Bay and Lorne, and has been hit hard by the downturn in manufacturing. Labor has committed $2 million to the G21 Region Opportunities for Work project, while Henderson said at the Geelong Advertiser-sponsored debate that the Coalition’s Youth Jobs PaTH (prepare-trial-hire) scheme would be a game-changer.

INTERACTIVE: State of the marginals

Henderson holds the seat by a two-party preferred margin of 4 per cent. She is known to her constituents, while the Liberal candidate for the marginal seat of Dunkley, Chris Crewther, will be looking to capitalise on the respect constituents have for outgoing member Bruce Billson.

Dunkley, which covers beachside suburbs Frankston, Mount Eliza and Mornington, as well as Langwarrin and Seaford, has been held by the Liberals since 1996.

Billson was re-elected with a margin of 5.6 per cent in the previous election, an increase on the prior two elections. Crewther, a consultant, faces a push by ALP candidate Peta Murphy, a criminal defence lawyer.

Social worker Pip Coulthurst, who has met Murphy, says the Labor candidate seems to be more across local issues than Crewther. Coulthurst, who lives in Seaford and volunteers with an environmental group, says she is concerned with social issues and believes others in the electorate are also looking for a party that will commit to renewable energy.

She wants to vote for a party that will reinstate Gonski school funding, care about family violence and generally be progressive. “I totally think Labor is going to win,” she says. “I have nothing against Chris Crewther but there’s no way I could ever support the Liberal Party.”

Frankston resident John Walsh says he hopes the seat will stay Liberal. “We’ve had good representation from the Liberal Party,” he says. “They should really keep up the work that they have been doing.”

He is unhappy Billson is stepping down but thinks the Liberals will be able to maintain the support he has built in the community.

Walsh, who is retired, says he does not think people in the seat will vote for the Greens and the race will come down to the two major parties.

While both parties have similar stances on most issues, he says there is likely to be a backlash against Labor in Dunkley and across the state because of Andrews and his stance on the CFA.