IN Daniel Andrews’ victory speech after waltzing in the November State Election, he vowed to govern for all Victorians, not just those electorates that voted for him.
We hope they weren’t just words.
We hope when he made that promise, he was referring to people in large parts of rural and regional Victoria, who have long felt largely ignored by the Andrews Government.
Take Mildura.
Labor only announced a candidate weeks before the state election, did not actively campaign or advertise, despite spending enormous amounts elsewhere, ignored invitations to attend candidates’ forums and declined interview requests and questions from this newspaper. Is that taking our seat seriously?
Labor also failed to deliver any election pledges of note for Mildura, understanding that the votes weren’t there.
So is it the people of the Mildura electorate’s fault that they therefore ignored Labor at the polls? What genuine choice were they given?
A look at the electoral map shows that Labor has no presence in electorates around the border.
In contrast, the red of Labor dominates in and around Melbourne.
What does that tell Mr Andrews?
Rural and regional Victoria desperately needs Mr Andrews to not see us country folk as being politically useless to him, but be true to his word and really govern for us.
And that starts with showing up. Even occasionally.
The last time the Premier visited Mildura was to announce the return of Mildura’s hospital to public management in 2020.
Since that time, his government has made some significant health promises for north-west Victoria.
But ahead of the election and, even since his re-election, the silence has been deafening.
Plans for a new $36 million, 30-bed local drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre — which was announced last May — have remained at the site identification stage for months, and the State Government is yet to announce any progress.
Mildura’s top cop and the Mildura Base Public Hospital chief executive both told Sunraysia Daily how important this new facility is, particularly in the wake of a spate of overdoses over the new year period and a dramatic increase in crime.
Similarly, we are also desperately waiting for the release of the long-promised master plan for a new hospital in Mildura.
The master plan was promised to be delivered in April last year and then again in August, but we’re still waiting.
And it’s not like we haven’t asked what is going on, and why the delay. This newspaper has asked. Over and over again.
We again tried last week with a list of detailed questions, which received a typically evasive response.
“(It) is still being considered to ensure residents in the Mallee get the clinical services that support the community,” a government spokesperson said.
And then there are the generational floods, that are only now just receding, leaving a mess and costly clean up in their wake. These border communities have lost plenty, and remain uncertain what lies ahead during the recovery. Where has the Premier been?
It’s not good enough.
And it only serves to reinforce the belief that the government ignores this community, and other border electorates like it.
We can’t be seen as being politically useless. We need to be seen as Victorians.
Mr Andrews again won with a large majority in the state election and all congratulations to him and his government.
He now has a great opportunity to change the perception of country people in this term of government.
Make those words on election night count.
