In the second part of our series on the main contenders to win the seat of Mildura at next month’s state election, MATT TAYLOR asks sitting MP Ali Cupper about her first-term reflections, and what’s next if she’s re-elected.
“IF people vote on performance, I’ll win.”
With this short, bold show of confidence in what she’s achieved in her first term as a local MP, Ali Cupper is ready to justify the bookies’ short-priced odds for her to retain the seat of Mildura at next month’s state election.
Not that she’s paying much attention to the punters’ pick to snare the seat, which Ms Cupper won by just 253 votes against the Nationals’ Peter Crisp at the 2018 poll.
“I don’t spend much time on the punditry,” Ms Cupper said during an interview with Sunraysia Daily this week.
“I just work hard, and I’ll run on my record. I’m a sixth-generation Mallee girl, I deeply love this electorate and I know what we’re worth. And that’s what I’m working for every single day.
“I think politics and how voters think has changed now. It’s more based on performance, rather than who your great granddad voted for.
“To that extent, I think I’m going to have a really good showing at this election.”
By any measure, the Independent MP has kicked goals for her electorate.
The funding achievements between Ms Cupper and her predecessor, Mr Crisp, provide a stark comparison.
The 42-year-old mother of a young boy has secured three times more funding for health care in four years than Mr Crisp achieved in 12 years, $102 million to $31 million.
Other key areas, including sport, tourism and housing, have benefited much greater under Ms Cupper’s watch, too.
“In terms of sports, I’ve been able to secure six times more funding for community sport than my predecessor was able to get in 12 years,” Ms Cupper said.
“And I’ve managed to get substantially more funding for tourism, for what we call Outback Vic, than what my National Party predecessor was able to secure in 12 years. And it’s the same with housing.
“So, the idea that because I’m not in a party that I’m simply not able to achieve results is just not supported by evidence.”
A cool change for battlers
When asked about what her biggest win has been for her electorate over the past four years, Ms Cupper gives somewhat of a surprising answer.
She was one of the driving forces behind the return of Mildura’s base hospital back to public hands just more than two years ago.
But this doesn’t rank at the top of her list of achievements.
“Getting the hospital back into public management is right up there, but the one I’m most proud of is securing air-conditioning in public housing,” she said.
“We knew from a whole lot of research from Mallee Family Care, in conjunction with the University of Sydney, that little kids were going to school absolutely dog tired because it had been too hot to sleep the night before. They were going to the sick bay to sleep.
“And you think about the impacts of heat stress on families and how it can exacerbate health problems and contribute to family violence.
“It wasn’t just good policy to get more air-conditioners into our public housing. It was an act of humanity.”
The air-conditioning boost for battling families came as part of the State Government’s $40 million social-housing infrastructure boost for north-west Victoria over the past 18 months.
About 500 air-conditioning units were expected to be installed in public-housing properties across the state’s northern regions.
A reason to be proud
One of the most controversial periods of Ms Cupper’s first term in office came six months after she formed an alliance with Fiona Patten’s Reason Party in December 2020.
She severed ties with the Reason Party in the week she was accused of being a “hypocrite” and “game player” after it bought the domain names of three Victorian National Party MPs in early 2021.
The Reason Party secured the domain names of Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh and two of his colleagues, Member for Lowan Emma Kealy and Gippsland MP Danny O’Brien, in response to the Nats buying Ms Cupper’s domain name.
But Ms Cupper this week didn’t have any regrets about the Reason links.
“No, the Reason Alliance is what got us our hospital master plan,” she said.
“I’ve defied the Andrews Government a number of times.
“The two most prominent examples were my ‘sh*t roads protest’ on the steps of Parliament House, which did the trick. I secured a total of $13 million to improve the Robinvale-Sea Lake Road that was a death trap for school kids.
“And the other act of defiance against the Andrews Government was working with Fiona Patten to get the balance of power in the Upper House. And that got some great publicity for the RateGate campaign.
“What you do as a politician is look for opportunities to maximise your leverage, even if it comes at personal risk.
“Not only do I not regret the Reason Coalition, but I’m proud of it because it defied the Andrews Government.”
Setting new goals
What’s next for the former Mildura deputy mayor if she’s re-elected on November 26?
“One of the things I’ve said that in the event of a hung parliament, the price for my support will be rail,” Ms Cupper said.
“That would be passenger rail restored to the people of Mildura and all the little towns between here and Maryborough.
“We also need a new deal for freight. We can pick over the carcass of the Murray Basin Rail Project all we like, but what’s clear is that we need a new deal for freight. And part of that is the reinstatement of the Ballarat corridor because that means a great deal to the people of Ouyen.
“We want the government to appoint a taskforce that considers all the different options in terms of a 30-year plan. We need certainty for local operators to get more freight off the road and on to the train.”
The other main mission is deeply personal for Ms Cupper.
“Autism is another big one for me,” she said.
“We’re compiling the results of many conversations with autism stakeholders from the past few months into a pitch to the government.
“One of the things I think we’ll be suggesting is a Minister for Autism, because when you create a portfolio you automatically elevate the status of that issue.
“We have so many families and kids dealing with autism.
“My brother has classic autism. He is non-verbal. When I was growing up, we didn’t really know too many other autism families.
“We have an above-average rate of autism in this region, so it’s a really important issue and I think that aside from an Autism Minister, we need an autism school here too to provide people with specialist support.”
NEXT WEEK: Jade Benham (Nationals candidate)
