Victorian State Election Policy - Seat Of Kew
1. Dishonest, Incompetent Government. At Times Worst Of All - Corrupt Government.
Problem
The type of person in the Victorian Parliament today?
Simply put, their background in the main is via the union movement or as an assistant to a politician.
The vast majority of persons have been long-standing members of the Labour and Liberal parties who “go with the flow” and “toe the line”.
Today, in a world which is changing massively in very short time frames, we need politicians who “vision the change” before it is upon us and are open to further knowledge, understanding and input.
Solution
(i) More independent politicians who are dedicated to working for the people of Victoria/Australia and not just working for an electorate today.
David Pocock is the best example of a dedicated politician in Australia today.
(ii) Reduce basic politician salary to “average earnings” (around A$110,000 today and increased by rate of inflation each year).
(iii) Restrict eligibility to be a politician to persons who first must have worked in private practice for at least five (5) years.
(iv) Limit the term of office to a maximum of three (3) Parliaments. Each Parliament has an increased life of four (4) years. Exceptions being promotions to Premier or Senior Ministers.
(v) Establish a Royal Commission into the “Big Build” (now government policy in August 2026). Most important in respect to this Royal Commission is its “terms of enquiry and reference” and its appointment of personnel to preside and lead. For instance, it should consider the planning, approval and rollout processes for each different build in Victoria today. And specifically
investigate the costings of all “Big Build” contracts across the board.
(vi) Improve the education, quality and skills of the public service. It should be a career objective commencing with political and public service studies in Year 10 at secondary school and continuing with a degree in public service studies at University.
(vii) Establish an “Important Appointments Authority” to make all top-level appointments in government and semi-government authorities and judges in our legal system. The judicial system in any strong democracy must be free of political interference. Certainly not like America under Trump today. And we must retain the best people for the position rather than a person sympathetic to the political cause, or worse still a “member of the boys club”.
The above measures will in my view strengthen and improve future government in this state.
But my preferred position is to abolish state and territory governments and reconstruct local municipalities to be directly accountable to the national government.
This measure improves efficiency and hence productivity. It has the added advantage of coming with an annual A$200 billion dollar saving.
Finally, it will reduce dishonest and corrupt government and government agencies and provide a more transparent and simpler system of government necessary in a new technological world we live in today.
And if in doubt remember that most state powers under our Constitution are “joint powers” between the states and national government. Health, Housing, Education, Infrastructure, Social Welfare and Transport are all “joint powers” with the national government. So let's first turn to what are exclusive state powers. There are not many but the most important is;
2. Law and Order
Problem
Victoria has become a “home for the crooks” and a workplace which is free of any effective rule and regulation at the “top end of town".
Hence, Price Waterhouse and more recently KPMG.
As a “pro bono” lawyer I see it every day in excessive fees charged by both solicitors and barristers and a legal system today which totally fails the average individual or family.
Solution
(i) Source the extra 2,000 police officers necessary to provide an efficient and safe service to Victorians. Pay those persons more money to get the best and most committed police officers.
(ii) Improve and increase the study to qualify as a police person so that the person is more intelligent and has a better understanding of social/economic order and individual, corporate and business operations than they do today. This is achieved with studies undertaken over three (3) years and not just six (6) months as it is today. Better qualified police officers will strengthen the force and give more public confidence to Victorians in the police force.
(iii) Police work should become more specialised and more complex. Hence, the police person would retain interest in the work and stop the constant “outflow” from the force over the past 25 years or so.
(iv) In line with (iii) above, a number of non-police specialised civil squads should be established. Each Civil squad would be directly accountable to the Chief Commissioner of Police.
Such civil squads would be established in the following fields:
(a) “Graffiti” civil squad - would apprehend and prosecute offenders and incarcerate or rehabilitate offenders.
(b) “Security officers” civil squad - as it exists today on railway stations. It would also be extended to patrol streets and shopping centres.
(c) “Motorcar/bicycle” roads law squad - to regulate the proper use of roadways by road users.
Such “civil squads” would free up valuable labour resources and allow for the establishment of special “police units” to investigate “machete gangs” and arsonist attacks of tobacco shops in Greater Melbourne and work generally in more specialised police fields.
(v) Limit bail applications by imposing “strict liability” custody on apprehension and charge for certain offences like “machete possession and unlawful use”.
(vi) Build more specialised prisons with improved educational facilities and support mechanisms to encourage convicted persons to adapt to a different life under the current social order. This also requires a better “parole” and “life after prison” support system to discourage incarcerated persons returning to the same people and same unlawful behaviour.
Every other power is to some degree a joint power with the national government. Let's begin with (3) Housing.
3. Housing
Stage 1
Just as it has already done with industrial relations powers Victoria could refer its “housing powers” to the national government.
It is a sad reflection on the selfishness and narrow-mindedness of state government politicians today. We must adopt a national housing policy for the Plato “public good”.
If done, all local government planning and building approvals and all state and territory government approvals are centralised under one department.
Stage 2
A “blueprint” is created for housing development nationally (if other states and territories fall into line).
The result is just one group of experts in all fields at the one time.
Central to this “blueprint” is a commitment to Decentralise housing development into regional towns and cities.
In Victoria, that centre is Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wangaratta and Sale. A national government with its exclusive powers of taxation and industrial relations can quickly and efficiently create a workforce of property developers and tradespersons in each of these country centres. Each of the centres are linked to Melbourne by a train service today and all centres are no more than three (3) hours away by car.
By contrast, the Labour Government wants to grow housing with apartments in close proximity to its suburban rail link and its recently opened extended rail City Loop.
Nationally, the Labour Government promises 1.2 million houses being built in Australia in the next 5 years. The Victorian Labour Government promises to build 800 thousand houses/apartments from 2024-2034. Both are mere promises.
And the Liberal Party wants to challenge the Labour Government focus of medium-density inner-suburban living by creating “activity centres” and expanding the Melbourne capital city zone to include North Melbourne, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Fishermans Bend, Parkville and fast-track twenty-seven (27) “precinct structure plans” (PSPs).
Sorry guys - but you simply sadly just missed the mark. Melburnians do not want its city to grow much more and certainly not as envisaged by the Labour Government or the Liberal party proposals.
Housing in Australia requires a national policy centered around development of regional cities and towns. In a word, decentralisation.
It requires a national plan on housing development in various fields;
Public and social housing
Private housing
Houses and apartments for aged communities
Preschool, primary and secondary schools, universities, and post secondary schools - Aged care facilities
Hospitals and medical centers
It must be national because only a national government can offer the tax incentives and concessions necessary to attract business to the regional centers and tradespersons to build the housing and infrastructure.
4. Economic - Cost of Living Crisis
State government assistance is obviously limited as the main revenue sources of government are held and controlled by the national government. But a Victorian state government could provide the following assistance:
(i) Continued free public transport or travel for A$2 - A$5 dollars per day (whatever is around and closer to break-even mark).
(ii) Introduce a “mortgage stress relief policy” and a “rent stress relief policy” with banks and other financial institutions and landlords for a short fixed term, say the next two (2) years.
(iii) Give concessions for utility expenses - gas, electricity, and water - particularly to pensioners and low-income earners.
(iv) Act on reports of profit gouging by major Victorian retailers and in particular the retail food industry to limit profit gouging.
5. Education, Health, Infrastructure, and Social Welfare
You can read my policies in more detail at finlaydavis.com.au