Major parties launch election campaigns in Victoria

Detailed summary

Victoria’s two major parties officially launched their election campaigns in Melbourne on Sunday, ahead of what aspiring premier Jess Wilson has described as the “most…

Victoria’s two major parties officially launched their election campaigns in Melbourne on Sunday, ahead of what aspiring premier Jess Wilson has described as the “most consequential election in decades”.

“Labor have completely forgotten both the privilege and the responsibility of government,” Wilson told supporters at Olympic Park. “They have spent their time focused on the lives of themselves and their mates, not the lives of Victorians” (ABC).

The Liberal leader promised a tough new bootcamp for young offenders aged 14 to 17 to be established at the former Dhurringile Prison – an alternative to a community corrections order or other custodial sentence (ABC).

Meanwhile, in Moonee Ponds Premier Ben Carroll announced to Labor supporters the party’s $1.2bn public hospital surgery policy, which he promised would cut public hospital surgery waiting lists by 50% (The Age).

“If the Liberals and One Nation get their way, economic growth will stall, social cohesion will falter, working people will be worse off, and Victoria will go backwards,” Carroll said in his speech. “That’s not the Labor way” (The Age).

Polling by the Australian Financial Review points to a strong likelihood there will be a change of government on 28 November. Labor is trailing the primary vote with 23% against The Coalition’s 31%, while One Nation is polling at 22% and the Greens at 15% (AFR).

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Saturday Paper. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.