By Mikayla van Loon
It’s been a crazy few weeks in the lead up to the 26 November State election, with candidates announcing they would be vying for the title of MP, pledges being made and votes starting to be submitted.
So here’s a recap on what has happened on both sides of the political spectrum.
To start, some electoral boundary changes were made by the Victorian Electoral Commission during the 2020-21 redivision, seeing Evelyn lose 4,091 voters to the Warrandyte District (part of Chirnside Park) but gain 9,954 voters from the Monbulk District (most of Montrose; parts of Kalorama, Lilydale, Mooroolbark and Mount Evelyn).
Evelyn has seven candidates running for the seat, from the Liberal, Labor, Greens, Animal Justice and Family First parties, as well as two independents.
In recent weeks, current Evelyn Liberal MP Bridget Vallence has made a number of financial pledges for the electorate.
On a hyper local level, Ms Vallence has pledged a total of $34.6 million towards community projects across the electorate.
This includes:
$5 million for safety upgrades to Warburton Highway in Seville East (widening and turning lanes)
$5 million to kickstart the scoping works to duplicate the Lilydale rail line between Mooroolbark and Lilydale and provision for station at Kinley
$8 million for a new State Emergency Service (SES) Unit for the Dandenong Ranges to support Lilydale and Emerald SES capacity across our region (based on direct feedback from Lilydale and Emerald SES)
$15.6 million for building and facility upgrades at local schools in Mt Evelyn, Mooroolbark, Wandin North and Chirnside Park
$6.6 million Wandin North Primary School new classrooms and toilets
$6.4 million Birmingham Primary School Mt Evelyn new multipurpose stadium
$1.8 million St Mary’s Primary School Mt Evelyn new classrooms and toilets
$400,000 Rolling Hills Primary School Mooroolbark overhead sports court covers
$400,000 Chirnside Park Primary School overhead sports court covers
$1 million toward redeveloping Coldstream Football and Cricket pavilion
$100,000 for behind-the-goals football nets at Montrose Football Club (a safety initiative to prevent children running onto the main entrance driveway for the ball)
“I haven’t wasted a minute as the local MP listening to the needs of residents, businesses and community groups across our electorate, and my local pledges include fixing dangerous roads, upgrading schools, supporting local emergency services and improving local public transport,” she said.
Statewide, Ms Vallence said the first priority of a Liberal government was to fix the health system.
“Our first priority is fixing the health system after years of underinvestment and mismanagement, rewarding hardworking families, and ending the era of spiralling debt under Daniel Andrews and Labor.”
This adds to a list of promises made by an elected Liberal government, including:
$400 million to upgrade the Maroondah Hospital (our closest major public hospital)
$2 flat fare on trains and buses, all day every day ($1 for concession)
Review of bus network and routes across Lilydale and Yarra Valley
$10 billion over 10 years for road maintenance across Victoria addressing dangerous and degrading roads and potholes
No new taxes and legislate a cap on state debt
$2.5 billion Bringing Manufacturing Home fund to support existing and new manufacturing businesses with grants to scale-up and grow, strengthen local content and government procurement obligations to buy from Victorian businesses first on government infrastructure projects (this is my policy from my Shadow Ministerial portfolio)
Labor candidate Lorna Dent has been a little more reserved, only announcing the one pledge for the Seville Recreation Reserve.
This included $5 million towards an upgraded pavilion featuring female friendly change rooms.
“We’ve delivered better courts and grounds, new scoreboards, lighting upgrades, and changing facilities for clubs in every corner of the state. And we are now investing $5 million towards an upgraded pavilion everyone in Seville can be proud of,” she said.
Some of Labor’s major pledges should it form government for another four years include:
The installation of 1,500 free pad and tampon dispensers in up to 700 public sites across Victoria
Free registration for eligible apprentices
$69 million package for lactation consultation appointments
Expand free TAFE to every Victorian
$2 million in grants for the creation of more fathers groups across the state
$42 million to install 100 neighbourhood batteries alongside reviving the State Electricity Commission (SEC)
