Victoria Labor prepares for difficult battle for fourth term
In Australia, the Victorian Labor Party is preparing for the November 28 election, in which it seeks to secure a fourth consecutive term in power. According to ABC News Australia, the campaign of Premier Ben Carroll’s government will take place amid discussions about crime, road conditions, the state’s debt and previous scandals.
Challenges for the government
Carroll became head of the Victorian government in July, replacing Jacinta Allan, and said the authorities would take a new direction. At the same time, his Niddrie electorate, where he has an electoral margin of 6.7%, could be at risk in the November election, according to ABC.
The report notes that the state audit office this week classified nearly half of Victoria’s roads as being in poor or very poor condition. The upper house of parliament also did not support the Labor Party’s proposed right for state residents to work remotely.
After 12 years in power, the government, according to ABC, is facing the political consequences of a series of scandals, including corruption allegations involving construction projects funded by taxpayers. The report also mentions a deterioration in the state’s debt situation.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Statements by the One Nation leader
One Nation’s leader in Victoria, Warren Pickering, who is running in the Pakenham electorate in southeastern Melbourne, broadly confirmed a report by The Australian newspaper that he used amphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana in his 20s. This came a day after the party’s federal leader, Pauline Hanson, called such claims false.
Pickering also admitted that he repeatedly lost his driver’s licence for drink-driving. He denied allegations by his former partner that he had allegedly used methamphetamine at home.
Carroll said he believes in second chances, but called for an assessment of One Nation’s policies, including the party’s rhetoric on multiculturalism and migration. ABC notes that polls indicate One Nation could have a noticeable impact on the course of the state election.
