Victorian election: Hear from Dan Andrews, Matt Guy directly

Hear from the Premier and Opposition leader as they make their final case to the people of regional Victoria ahead of the election.

MATTHEW GUY:

I get to see a lot of regional Victoria. Over the past year I’ve spent tens of thousands of kilometres on our roads, multiple trips up to the border and down to the southwest coast will do that.

And I think that’s what matters most to country Victorians – our roads.

Crater-sized potholes riddle our local highways and hazard signs warning us to slow down line even our busiest highways. The state of our roads isn’t just terrible – they’re unsafe.

My opponents have been in charge for 19 of the past 23 years. And yet they were quick to blame the current floods as the bitumen crumbled and roads simply fell away.

Regional Victorians know that the roads were unacceptable long before then, and something needs to be done about it.

Liberal Leader Matthew Guy in his electoral office in Doncaster, in the District of Bulleen, ahead of the state election. Picture: Jason Edwards

Instead of expensive patch jobs that deteriorate the moment a bit of rain falls, or speed limit signs telling you to slow down – we’ve got a plan to deliver safer roads for all Victorians.

We’ve announced a $10 billion package over the next 10 years to get on with the job, starting with the roads worst affected by the recent disasters.

We’ll also bring back the country roads and bridges program that Labor has ripped apart.

Like our roads, our health system is crumbling.

That’s why every single available cent from shelving the $35 billion Suburban Rail Loop, a 25-kilometre underground tunnel in Melbourne’s southeast, will be spent on fixing our health system.

This will not only build new hospitals in Wodonga, Mildura, West Gippsland, and Ballarat, but upgrade smaller hospitals right around the state too.

We’ll fix the leaky roofs and outdated facilities in Daylesford, Cobram, Mansfield, St Arnaud, Warragul, Ararat, Bairnsdale and Bright. We’ll also build a new health school in Shepparton because we know that 85 per cent of nurses and doctors who train in regional areas stay there.

Our health system is on life support and needs to be the priority. No one in regional Victoria voted for exorbitant taxes and record debt to pay for Labor’s pet projects in the city, while calls to triple-0 go unanswered in the country.

In recent years, thousands have left the city behind for a quieter life all around our beautiful state. But without a comprehensive plan, we are left without the vital services and infrastructure to support a growth in population.

We need to do something about it, and that’s why we have developed the nation’s first Regional Infrastructure Guarantee – allocating 25 per cent of all new capital spend in our state in the regions.

So, while Labor focuses on its botched major projects benefiting those who live within the tram tracks, we’ll double what they currently offer to those in the country.

Victoria needs a fresh start, a dose of confidence again, a fresh vision, a real plan for better roads and healthcare.

If I become Premier on Saturday night, I look forward to getting on with it.

Matt Guy is the leader of the Opposition.

DANIEL ANDREWS:

Cath and I are teaching our kids to work hard, and to do what matters. Because that’s what my parents taught me.

Growing up in Wangaratta, I watched my old man get up early, go to work, come home, go to sleep – and then do it all over again. Mum was the same.

My parents worked every day with purpose. They did it because they wanted something for us kids they’d never had.

A future decided by who we were and what we could do. Not by who they were, how much they earned or where we lived.

Our government has used every single day with the same purpose.

From Wodonga to Warrnambool, we’re building the road, rail, schools and hospitals that country communities deserve – with more than $36 billion invested since we came into office.

Our TAFEs, once padlocked shut, are now open, and filled with Victorians studying for free.

We’ve delivered Three-Year-Old Kinder, rolled out to regional communities first. And from next year we’ll make kinder completely free – saving families thousands of dollars.

But we know there’s more to do.

Premier Dan Andrews at the Labor campaign launch in the Cranbourne Community Theatre. Picture: Rebecca Michael

We know that cheaper fares on more comfortable trains – and more frequent services – matter to commuters across regional Victoria.

It’s why if re-elected, we’ll cap the cost of a daily V/Line ticket to $9.20 – the same price as a metro daily fare. For concession card holders, it’ll be $4.60.

We’ll also place a massive order of new V/Locity trains, supporting jobs while we upgrade our network.

And we’ll add almost 200 extra weekend services across regional Victoria.

We all remember it was the Liberals and Nationals’ who privatised our electricity. And it’s Victorians who are paying the price – $23 billion and counting.

It’s why we’ll bring back the SEC, restoring government-owned energy and powering our state with cleaner, cheaper renewable energy. For people, not profit.

We’ll establish an SEC base in Morwell, putting this proud region at the heart of our clean energy future.

As part of our plan to revive the SEC and create 59,000 clean energy jobs, at least 6,000 of those jobs will be for apprentices and trainees.

And we’ll deliver the rapid relief that families need. Our Power Saving Bonus has helped more than 1.6 million families with their energy bills, this year alone.

From March next year, we’ll release another round of the Power Saving Bonus – providing an extra $250 for every household.

We’ll also make sure regional Victoria gets the spotlight it deserves, hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026. The Games will bring an action-packed program to regional communities – while also leaving a long-term legacy.

That includes the creation of thousands of jobs – building on our record of job creation. A record that means regional Victoria is now home to the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.

Regional Victorians have a clear choice on November 26.

They can choose cuts and closures and privatisation.

Or a fairer, more equal future for Victoria – and regional Victorians.

Because Labor is doing what matters.

Daniel Andrews is the Victorian Premier.