Arabic version: الأحزاب الكبرى في فيكتوريا تطلق حملاتها الانتخابية
According to ABC News, Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson and Labor leader Ben Carroll have launched their parties’ election campaigns in Melbourne before the November 28 state election.
Speaking at the Liberal Party event at The Glasshouse on Olympic Boulevard, Ms Wilson called the vote a choice between Labor and “a fresh start”. She announced a proposed bootcamp for youth offenders aged 14 to 17 at the former Dhurringile Prison near Shepparton. The program would be an alternative to a community corrections order or another custodial sentence, with physical activities, cleaning, maintenance, agriculture and education.
Ms Wilson also repeated pledges to hire 3,000 extra police, return protective service officers to train stations and recruit 200 more officers for high-risk shopping centres. Other commitments included “adult crime, adult time” laws for 25 serious offences, no new or increased taxes, and a stamp-duty exemption for first homebuyers purchasing properties worth up to $1 million.
At Labor’s launch in Moonee Ponds, Premier Ben Carroll said the party was “up for the fight” and focused on health policy. Labor pledged $1.17 billion to fund an extra 100,000 planned surgeries in public hospitals, alongside $195 million for an additional 500,000 specialist appointments. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said 30 per cent of the surgeries would be delivered in regional Victoria.
Labor has also promised 20 free dental clinics and 750 more nurses across 12 emergency departments. Mr Carroll said the party would cut emergency department waits by 20 per cent, halve surgery waiting lists and eliminate dental care costs. He cited infrastructure and frontline-service spending since Labor won government in 2014, while acknowledging that the government could have done some things better.
