With a state election looming, Victorians can take their pick of criminal allegations
The Age notes that Labor’s Daniel Andrews is the first Victorian premier to serve a full term since Steve Bracks, Saturday:
While his survival is noteworthy, Andrews’ first term has not been without controversy — and it is ending with a number of promises unfulfilled. When the upper house rose … more than 20 bills had failed to pass into law. Among them was a government commitment to improve nurse-to-patient ratios. The government had also promised to stamp out property developer delay tactics … The stagnation that brought the final sitting of parliament to a close offered a stark contrast to the controversies and dramatic episodes that gripped Spring Street throughout the 58th term.
The Age also looked at crime stats:
Almost two-thirds of the state’s aggravated burglaries were not solved last year. Of the 3075 residential aggravated burglaries reported in Victoria in the last financial year, 64 per cent remained unsolved as of June 30, along with 76 per cent of the 13,787 car thefts, figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show. A residential burglary is classed as aggravated if a resident was in the building at the time. For break-ins that took place when nobody was at home, the clearance rate was even lower.
The New Daily website looks at the state’s political crimes, Friday:
Labor has also been dogged by the so-called “red shirts” rort, with 21 MPs under police investigation. The scandal has remained in the headlines, with the ombudsman on Wednesday revealing the investigation cost her office $879,000. That takes the total taxpayer expense to $1.3 million … to investigate Labor’s misuse of parliamentary allowances in the lead-up to the 2014 election.
New Daily warms to a theme:
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy was happy to point out some of the government’s scandals in a rowdy final question time for 2018. “You lost your speaker and deputy speaker for rorting the second residence allowance. Your deputy president went for rorting his printing allowance … A fish rots from the head. Will you finally accept responsibility for the sordid, corrupt mess of a government that you lead?” The mention of fish was all Andrews needed to hit back at Guy for his own scandal — a lobster dinner with an alleged mafia boss.
The Herald Sun finds a long bow to draw, September 5:
Alleged mafia figure Tony Madafferi says Daniel Andrews has shopped at his grocery store, which is in the Premier’s electorate. Calabrian businessman Mr Madafferi, who has been a person of interest … said Mr Andrews was a customer. “Never given (him) free fruit,” he said of one of the accusations levelled at Mr Andrews. “The man come shop here.’’
The Herald Sun continues:
Sources close to Mr Madafferi have claimed he had attended functions with Mr Andrews and he was a likely donor to the Labor Party. Mr Andrews has refused to comment on whether he had visited Mr Madafferi’s store, or claims they shared a table at a Grand Hyatt dinner in 2002.
Asked about the Progressive Business function, Mr Madafferi stated: “I can’t remember nothing more … I want nothing to do with this.’’
State political reporter with The Age, Benjamin Preiss, January 9:
The state government has vowed to “throw the book” at violent youths, while federal Home Affairs Minister (Peter Dutton) cited an Age poll to double down on his claim that Victorians are too scared to go out as controversy continues over street gangs in Melbourne.