Tuesday, 15 August 2023

Warrandyte electorate

Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:31): I have been enjoying spending more time out and about in our electorate in Warrandyte recently. Of course there is an upcoming by-election there very soon, and I have been spending a lot of time with Liberal candidate Nicole Werner. I first got to know Nicole when she was the candidate for Box Hill at the last state election. Various external forces obviously were not moving in our direction as a party at that time. I am, however, thrilled now that there is an opportunity for Nicole to join us, should that be the will of the great people of Warrandyte, now that my friend and colleague Ryan Smith has decided to call time.

In getting out and about, Nicole and I have principally been knocking on doors. Whether it is hearing from parents at local schools like Oxley college or Whitefriars, who worry that their schools will be next on Labor’s hit list of schools that will pay millions of dollars of additional taxes, whether it is talking to local businesses and local business groups like the Jackson Court Traders Association, hearing about their woes when it comes to spiralling WorkCover costs and payroll taxes, or whether it is talking to mums and dads who have recently got their latest bills and are worrying desperately about how on earth they are going to pay for them, what we are hearing first and foremost is about Victoria’s cost-of-living crisis. So to all those people in Warrandyte, I would assure them that in Nicole they have a future representative who cares deeply about their needs, cares deeply about providing cost-of-living relief and has a laser-like focus on the things that matter most to Warrandyte.