Werribee locals set to punish Labor for years of neglect

In former Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas’s long-held seat of Werribee, some within the community say they see little to show for his record infrastructure spending.

Liberal candidate Steve Murphy chats with voters in Werribee. Picture: Aaron Francis

Former Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas may have overseen tens of billions of dollars of government spending on infrastructure projects and left the state with record debt, but out in his long-held seat of Werribee, some within the community say they see little to show for it.

“I’m sick of being treated like we don’t exist in this neighbourhood,” said Phill Evans, a 78-year-old local.

“Nobody bothers about us out here because we’re a safe, or we’re supposed to be, a safe Labor seat.”

The February 8 Werribee by-election, which has been triggered by the resignation of Mr Pallas, is shaping up to be a key test for ­Jacinta Allan’s Labor government ahead of next year’s state election.

Strategists from both sides believe that if Labor loses the seat, it could trigger the beginning of the end of Labor rule in the state amid a poor showing in published opinion polls.

While it’s understood that senior Liberal MPs are not convinced the party will win in what is traditional Labor heartland, Labor is understood to be bracing for what could be a substantial swing against the government that could end up being as high as 10 per cent.

Labor candidate for Werribee John Lister. Picture: Aaron Francis

When The Australian visited the seat on Thursday, there was a murmur of discontent as some within the community started heading to the early voting booths.

A lack of investment in local infrastructure to support a growing population, particularly congestion on roads, was highlighted as a key issue by voters.

This is despite the government’s recent announcement that it would ramp up a road extension, as well as invest $333.5m in other road upgrades in the area as part of a joint funding agreement with the commonwealth.

While some Labor voters said they would remain faithful to the party and were happy with their performance in government, others confirmed they had abandoned ship.

Pamela Brown, a retiree who has lived in Werribee for 35 years, said she had been a lifelong Labor voter until she cast her vote for Liberal candidate Steve Murphy on Thursday.

“I’ve had a gutful of Labor and I just want to give Liberal a chance,” she said.

“Hopefully they can offer a lot more, which I think they will.”

Pamela Brown says she had been a lifelong Labor voter up until Thursday. Picture: Aaron Francis

“Werribee has been neglected for infrastructure spending in particular for a long time,” said David Turnbull, a 53-year-old social worker who also voted for Mr Murphy.

Labor has dominated the seat of Werribee, holding it between 1979 and 2002 before it was removed, and then again since its recreation in 2014.

Mr Pallas, who left Victoria on track to reach net debt of $187.3bn by mid-2028 when he announced his resignation in December, had served much of the area since 2006.

John Lister, a local schoolteacher and CFA volunteer, is running as Labor’s candidate.

Mr Lister, who grew up in the area and also lives there, said the cost of living and congestion were the two biggest issues in the area and, should he be elected, he would advocate for improvements to local roads.

“There’s a lot of noise around this election, but I’m the person who can work in government to get things done,” Mr Lister said.

“As someone who’s grown up here and uses these services every day, I’ll be out there fighting for Werribee and making sure that we get what we need.”

The Liberals have put forward Steve Murphy, a former police officer who works in real estate in Werribee.

Local resident Phill Evans, who says he’s fed up with the government ignoring the needs of locals because it has been a safe Labor seat. Picture: Aaron Francis

Mr Murphy said crime, cost of living and a lack of local infrastructure were the key issues in the seat.

“I came 30 years ago … we’ve basically got the same infrastructure with four or five times the population,” Mr Murphy said.

Among the other 10 contenders are Greens candidate Rifai Raheem, City of Whittlesea mayor Aidan McLindon who is running as an independent, and another independent Paul Hopper, a lifelong Werribee resident who won 5.9 per cent of the votes at the last state election in 2022.

Terry, 63, who declined to give his last name, said he had voted for Mr Hopper, a change from his usual Labor vote.

“There’s just a lack of accountability for the money they (Labor) spend on products and roads and everything that’s going to be no help for this area whatsoever,” he said, adding: “I was almost going to vote Liberal, but my heart couldn’t do it.”

Independent candidate for Werribee Paul Hopper. Picture: Aaron Francis

Greens candidate for Werribee Rifai A. Raheem. Picture: Aaron Francis

Meanwhile, over in Melbourne’s inner southeast, a rare Liberal-Greens contest is set to take place in another by-election scheduled for February 8.

The Greens, which have held the seat of Prahran since 2014, will need a substantial primary vote in order to retain the seat, after ­independent candidate Tony ­Lupton, who previously held the seat as a Labor MP, decided to preference the Liberal Party.

Labor is not running a candidate in the Prahran by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of former Greens MP Sam Hibbins.