Vic Premier John Brumby,2007. Credit: Another Melbournite

By Alex Schlotzer:

This year promises to be an extraordinarily interesting year for Victorian state politics.

At end of 2009 there were a number of controversial decisions from the State Labor Government including a half-baked attempt to roll out the state’s new public transport ticketing system, Myki (pronounced “my key”), which was done under the cover of Christmas as well as the state government apparently seeing the error of their ways when it abandoned its push to export more brown coal from the Gippsland region.

There was also additional pain in the release of reports noting that the North-South water pipe line was a waste of time and taxpayer money; as well as the revelation the government was handing over sensitive personal data on the pipe line’s protesters to the company building it.

The start of 2010 has not been much better, especially in the lead up to a state election due on November 27.

The roll out of Myki has been plagued with major problems, one of the big ones being unable to get the right cards to the right people. Myki continues to blame Metlink, the company responsible for the existing ticketing system, for not supplying correct users’ details. And they continue to refuse to sell the Myki card anywhere except online through a website that is user unfriendly. Lynne Kosky, the Minister for Public Transport, attempted to pitch to her side of the story to the masses of PT users, which spectacularly failed to convince anyone that the new Myki system would be better than the current system.

With the system now 3 years overdue and millions of dollars over budget, it will prove to be a major stone around Labor’s neck as it attempts to persuade voters they’re still able to govern. But this is only one issue, others being public education, the state’s environment and public health. Brumby will have his work cut out to staunch the haemorrhaging of the government at the hands of his deputies. The incompetency illustrated by his deputies in handling the various issues that have rocked the government is not a good look, especially in an election year.

But what of Ted Baillieu and his hapless band of Liberals; or the (loose) coalition between them and the Nationals?

While some may contend the Victorian Labor government has reached the end of its useful life, having been in power for over 10 years, there are no signs the Liberals are even near ready to govern. Unfortunately for the voting public of Victoria the Liberals have been a woeful Opposition. In fact it hasn’t been so much of an opposition as it has been a meek critic that more often than not votes with the government. Even now as Baillieu attempts to take advantage of the government’s mishandling of public transport, there is no depth to the attacks.

The Opposition completely lacks the vigor needed to challenge the government. Even the usual law and order debate, something conservatives usually excel at, is limp and weak. Baillieu still remains an unknown and his colleagues in the Victorian Liberals are even less known; even around their own electorates.

It beggars belief that despite the multitude of issues that have been rocking the Brumby government, the Victorian Liberals remain incapable of enunciating their policies should they be elected to the government benches. The complete lack of exposure, or preparedness to do the work, is really coming home to roost.  One thing can be said the Victorian Liberals will continue to remain in the political wilderness if they can’t find ways of reaching out to voters.

Note: The resignation of the Minister for Public Transport and the Arts, Lynne Kosky today (Monday 18/01) will not bode well for the Brumby government.  The resignation will force a by-election in Kosky’s seat of Altona just months before the state’s general election.  However, it’s highly unlikely the Liberals will perform well in this particular by-election given the ALP’s two-party-preferred (2PP) vote is 70.21%. It’s also unlikely the Liberals will be able to capitalize on the situation to illustrate they are an alternative worth voting for.

Alex Schlotzer is a straight talker when it comes to politics and loves to vent his spleen. Actively involved in Australian and international politics with a keen understanding of the dynamics of the political machine, Alex has a prolific online presence and has been a cyber activist for over 15 years. Regional editor of theangle.org, he can also be found at his blog and his exciting online project Australian Politics TV.

Tags: ictoria australian politics, metlink, myki, victorian politics