THE four candidates contesting Bendigo West at the State Election answered questions from Bendigo Advertiser readers this week, covering a range of local topics including growth, jobs, crime and poverty.
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Incumbent Labor MP Maree Edwards, Liberal candidate Kevin Finn, Greens candidate Laurie Whelan and Animal Justice Party candidate Marilyn Nuske outlined their respective policies for the region.
Below is a transcript of some of the answers given by candidates to particular questions.
JOBS GROWTH
Q: What can be done to increase the amount of full-time employment in Bendigo West?
Maree Edwards: “The unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in Victoria for many, many years. Since coming to government we’ve created 397,00 new jobs – 57,000 of those are in regional Victoria. Not long ago I made a announcement at KR Castlemaine – a transition fund to help the company move casual and part-time employees to full-time employment. We've also invested in TAFE, providing 30 free priority courses in areas where we know there are skills shortages.”
Kevin Finn: “One of the key Coalition policies is to reduce payroll tax to one per cent in regional and rural areas. It incentivises businesses to remain in regional and rural areas and allows them to expand.”
Laurie Whelan: “The Greens have a new invasive species policy and we hope there’s opportunities for employment in this regard.”
Marilyn Nuske: “We promote the benefits of nature based tourism. Birding is one of the fastest growing pastimes in the world and there’s 220 bird species in this area. I believe it's something that can be picked up for this area. There's no reason why areas like Castlemaine, Maldon and even Bendigo can’t benefit from nature tourism.”
CRIME
Q: What plans do parties have to reduce crime in the electorate?
Kevin Finn: “Crime is out of control in Victoria, including Bendigo. Crime has increased over the past four years. There’s 190 fewer front line police than there were in 2013. Under a Coalition government, jail will mean jail. Repeat family violence offenders will be sent to jail and if you breach bail you will go to prison. We’ll also re-introduce the police in schools program and have tougher penalties for drug king pins.”
Maree Edwards: “Kevin's assertion is absolutely wrong, we’ve got 3500 more police than there were before. We have the lowest crime rate we've had since 2015 - down seven per cent.”
“The biggest law and order issue in this state and across the globe is family violence, that’s why were implementing the full 227 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. It’s the single most important issue we face.”
Marilyn Nuske: “It’s not enough to be saying that 60-odd people died from domestic violence so far this year – we know that – we need to be looking at solutions, supporting the services that are helping women flee domestic violence. There’s limited education for perpetrators of crime. There needs to be greater funding for those areas, it’s been starved. We need to be spending money on solutions and education.”
Laurie Whelan: “Unfortunately the Coalition is the only party not to have committed to implement the full recommendations of the of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. We need to work on domestic violence – 68 people (died so far this year) is just too many - it needs to be none. That's where the focus of crime attention needs to be put. It's a person that's known to the victim and that shouldn't be happening. It's time for that to change. I don't believe there's a huge crime issue in Victoria. Personally I think it’s a beat up.”
***Watch the live debate below***
PLANNING FOR GROWTH
Q: How can the state government make sure infrastructure keeps up with the booming population in Bendigo’s west?
Laurie Whelan: “Plans for growth in Marong and Maiden Gully have been in place for 10 years now. I would take issue with the Labor government not providing a commitment to those schools (Marong and Maiden Gully primary schools). Education is the most important service we can provide for our young people from the beginning. It's unfortunate they've missed out and it should be based on growth.”
Maree Edwards: "Maiden Gully and Marong are two growth areas and we're very conscious of that. We've invested money to do the planning work between Maiden Gully and Ironbark. I'm obviously aware of both schools needs and I’m committed to making it happen.”
Kevin Finn: "We're playing catch up in terms of putting infrastructure in place. The Liberals’ population commission would look at capacity and would make sure we have the necessary infrastructure in place.”
POVERTY
Q: How can the government help people in the electorate get out of poverty?
Kevin Finn: "The Coalition has a focus on cost of living pressures. We’ll create a new power plant and provide energy deals for low income earners and discounted TVs and fridges for concessions card holders.”
Maree Edwards: "We've introduced solar rebates for 650,000 homes across Victoria and other support for renters. The one way out of poverty is to have a decent job. Our investment in TAFE I hope will enable people to go back a study and re-train to get the job they want. We need to support our service providers. Having a decent job and having access to a well resourced health and education system can make a big difference.”
Marilyn Nuske: “We have an incredible lack of low-cost housing for people a on low income. Housing that's added must be sustainable. We need to be creating houses that are affordable to live in.”
Laurie Whelan: “One of the major costs of living is housing, and what's been lacking in Bendigo West is public and social housing. That takes the pressure off cost of living.”
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