By Callum Ludwig
2024 promises to be a year filled with political debate, with hot topics spanning from humanitarian crises overseas to the cost of living hitting hard across the country to the decrepit state of any roads throughout the state.
The Star Mail reached out to local State and Federal MPs to find out what their goals and concerns are for the year ahead and what legislation they would like to see introduced.
Casey MP Aaron Violi said the cost of living, planned road projects in Coldstream and Montrose and access to healthcare are his focus.
“Those fundamental challenges around cost of living, access to health, energy prices, I don’t think those are disappearing in the next 12 months,” he said.
We ran an important inquiry last year on food security, looking at making sure that our farms are sustainable and successful and one of the things that came out of that was the imbalance of power in the relationship between the supermarkets and farmers,”
“Given I worked in a food manufacturing business supplying supermarkets, I’ve got first-hand experience, so I’m definitely looking to use that to support our farmers and food suppliers by making sure that the duopoly of Woolworths and Coles are engaging in fair practice.”
Mr Violi was a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture that delivered the ‘Australian Food Story: Feeding the Nation and Beyond’ report in November 2023 which delved into the food security of Australia.
In 2023, the Australian Greens secured support for a review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct while a Select Committee on Supermarket Prices is set to release a report by May this year. The Queensland Government has also announced an inquiry into the widening gap in supermarket prices and what farmers are paid for their produce.
On a state level, local MPs in the Outer East are going in to bat for their community projects, pushing for road projects and thinking about legislation that can help crack down on key community concerns.
Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence said one of her key issues of focus is getting potholes and degraded roads fixed and making roads safer.
“Including fixing dangerous intersections at Hull and Mooroolbark Roads in Mooroolbark, and Clegg and Wellington Roads in Wandin North,” she said.
“(I will be) holding the state government to account to upgrade Maroondah Highway and Killara Road in Coldstream, now that the 2019 funding allocated to this vital road safety project has been re-confirmed,”
“After the devastating desecration of the Montrose War Memorial in 2023, as well as a series of vandalism attacks on other Yarra Valley war memorials in recent times, this year I will continue engaging with local RSLs and police about how we could legislate increased penalties for those individuals that desecrate and damage war memorials and other community assets of significance.”
Pushing the Victorian Government into making progress on the promised upgrades for the Maroondah Hospital was also on the cards for Ms Vallence, a goal she shared with fellow Victorian Liberal and Member for Croydon David Hodgett.
Mr Hodgett said he will be vigorously pursuing the project as well as others.
“We are yet to see any plans or the commencement of works on this project. When you have an emergency and call an ambulance, you expect one will arrive when you need it. Likewise, when you are sick and need a bed in hospital, you expect to be able to be admitted for treatment and care,” he said.
“I am concerned about the centralisation of planning powers, where the government will cut out local community consultation and locals having a voice in the planning process. As such, I will maintain pressure to ensure genuine community consultation on projects that impact the lives of local residents.”
Mr Hodgett also said he would like to explore the potential benefits of legislating a licensing scheme for retailers selling tobacco products, similar to liquor licensing.
“Industry representatives state that the illicit nicotine market in Victoria is out of control and current laws are simply not sufficiently enforced. Victoria is one of the last jurisdictions in Australia to not require traders to obtain a licence to sell tobacco products,” he said.
“The government of the day does not have a monopoly on all the good ideas and should be open and receptive to the issues and ideas that elected members see as important.”
Over in Bayswater, Jackson Taylor is looking forward to seeing a plethora of projects delivered in the district in 2024.
“Importantly, work continues on delivering on the commitments I made to our community at the last election including the major upgrade to Boronia Station which will see a lot more activity over the year as we finalise plans and get on with work,” he said.
“We’re also well advanced in planning for work to commence on the Bayswater South and Kent Park Primary upgrades as well as upgrades at St Joseph’s Primary and there is work ongoing with upgrades at Wally Tew and Tormore Reserve pavilions and a new dog park in Wantirna to name a few,”
Locals will also be excited at the work on Burwood Highway to add more lanes and a new safe intersection at McMahons Road will be complete and open to traffic in mid-February, something which was long talked about and now delivered.”
Upgrades to the Angliss Hospital is also set to get underway while works for the ‘Green Heart of Knox’ project will continue.
Member for Monbulk Daniela De Martino has picked out emergency management and road repairs as key focus points in the hills this year.
“We are vulnerable to climate change in the form of wild storms, heavy and persistent rainfall, and bushfires. Emergency management is therefore a key area of interest for me, and I will continue to work on helping our local emergency services undertake their important work as much as possible,” she said.
“(Road) repairs have been underway across the hills, but they can only be undertaken in dry conditions, which have been few and far between of late.”
Ms De Martino also joined the Legislative Assembly’s Environment and Planning Committee at the start of the term and will continue her work within it.
Ms De Martino said it is a challenging and interesting role.
“I have a keen interest in the environment, so this committee is a natural fit for me. Our first inquiry looked at the non-payment of subcontractors in the construction industry within Victoria,” she said.
“It was both eye-opening and very concerning to see the extent to which honest, hard-working people are often unpaid for the work they do,”
“Our next inquiry is soon to be determined but will undoubtedly also look at a matter which significantly impacts Victorians and examine what can be done to improve the situation.”
Federal Member for Aston Mary Doyle was contacted for comment.
State Member for Eildon Cindy McLeish was on leave and will endeavour to share her response following her return.
