Gang violence a key concern for Victorian voters in election year

A string of violent crimes committed by street gangs is weakening the Victorian government’s hold on key marginals.

Victoria's state premier, Daniel Andrews

Victoria’s Andrews government is facing the daunting prospect of starting an election year on shaky footing, with Coalition polling showing law and order to be the No 1 issue for voters.

A string of violent crimes committed by street gangs over the summer is weakening the government’s hold on metropolitan marginal seats, and has the potential to erode support in coveted seats in the city’s outer suburbs, according to the polling.

The state’s opposition is fine-tuning a tough-on-crime election strategy after polling conducted last month showed that crime was the No 1 concern across the 14 seats.

The polling also showed that voters were fearful in seats including Cranbourne, Sunbury and Narre Warren South, where law and order was considered the most decisive election issue.

The government holds both Sunbury and Narre Warren South on a margin of about 10 per cent but rising fears over safety has put the seats “in play” for the next election, a Liberal source said.

In the marginal seat of Bentleigh, crime ranked as the second biggest issue behind planning decisions, including a plan to build a raised railway two blocks from the beach.

Victoria’s Youth Affairs Minister Jenny Mikakos yesterday defended the government’s efforts to tackle street gangs, and said the issue would take time to fix.

“For those people who are running around putting about simplistic answers, all I can say is that is a complete con job,” she said. “One thing alone is not going to fix this issue.”

The Coalition has taken aim at soft sentencing in the courts and changes to the youth detention system which have made it easier for young offenders to avoid jail.

“The Andrews Labor government is totally out of touch by thinking that letting more violent offenders off with a slap on the wrist is what the community expects,” opposition spokesman for legal affairs John Pesutto said.

Australian Conservatives MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins said the government had failed to call out ethnic-based violence for what it was. “People are barricading themselves in their homes at night,” she said.