Victorian Political Parties Ramp Up Promises as State Election Approaching

A member of the public votes at Mount Alexander College Polling Booth on election day in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 7, 2013. Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Major political parties in the Australian state of Victoria have switched their targets to new parents and first-home buyers in an effort to attract voters as the state election draws near.

On Nov. 7, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that his government would spend $69 million (US$32 million) to support new parents and their babies if the Labor party was re-elected.

Included in the package were $15 million in spending for a new early parenting centre in Northcote and another $3.9 million for an early parenting centre dedicated to Aboriginal families and children in Frankston.

“Labor is doing what matters by making sure new parents are better supported–both during pregnancy and once a new baby comes home,” Andrews said in a statement.

In addition, the premier said Labour would invest $4 million to provide new parents with free appointments on lactation with midwives and nurses, while another $6 million was set aside for delivering multicultural storytimes across the state.

But as Labor introduced new spending for Victorian parents, it criticised the Liberals-National Coalition, saying they had a track record of closing and privatising maternity services as well as sacking thousands of nurses.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 21, 2022. AAP Image/Diego Fedele

Meanwhile, the Coalition started a new week of campaigning by announcing a plan to release 150,000 extra lots of land across Melbourne and regional Victoria in the next two years without introducing any new taxes.

The initiative is built on a recent promise by the Coalition to waive stamp duty fees on properties purchased in Victoria with a value of up to $1 million for a year from Jan. 1, 2023, if it wins the election.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the plan was a real solution to the housing affordability issue in Victoria.

“Others have said that young people are happy to rent forever–I disagree,” he said in a statement.

“Our plan will unlock more land, make it more affordable to enter the market and make owning your own home a reality.”

Polling Shows Labor is Ahead of the Coalition

Meanwhile, a Newspoll showed that Labor was likely to win a third consecutive term but could face a challenge to hold a majority government due to a fall in voter support, the Australian reported.

According to the polling, as of Nov. 5, Labor’s primary vote dropped to 37 percent, which is similar to the Coalition’s and is six points lower than what Labor achieved in the 2018 election.

However, on a two-party-preferred basis, Labor led the Coalition by 54 percent to 46.

At the same time, the polling indicated that over a quarter of voters intended to back minor parties or independents, with support for the Green party and others reaching 13 percent each.

Regarding who is the preferred premier, Andrews continued to stay ahead of Guy with a 52-33 lead.

Additionally, 51 percent of the surveyed voters said they were satisfied with Andrews’ performance, while Guy’s dissatisfaction rating jumped 10 percent to 52 percent over the past year.