Can Daniel Andrews win a 3rd term as Premier of Victoria?

Victorians on the 26th November will decide whether to
give the Labor Party and the Premier Daniel Andrews, a
3rd term in office, or whether the Coalition, under the
opposition leader, Matthew Guy, should take the reins.

Labor has certainly had its problems. Melbourne has endured
one of the world's longest lockdowns and the state recorded
the nation's highest death toll.

However, the opposition has also struggled to capitulise
on Labor's woes and is facing its own identity crisis
in the wake of the federal election in May when voters
turned away from the Liberals in six blue-ribbon seats in
favour of teal independents.

The bookies, polls, and pundits, have predicted a Labor win.
But as we know predicting anything is risky at the best of
times. Regardless of the result of the election - it will
redefine the state. It will chart the future direction of
the Liberal Party, and it will show whether the teal
independents are here to stay.

My bets are on Daniel Andrews getting back in.

My apologies for the typo. I meant to say that
the opposition struggled to capitalise (not
capitulise).

The state of the libs in Victoria must be really bad, if the head of the only government in Oz to implement the shooting of protesters can be reelected.

This really so when the thing they were protesting about, the lockdowns, was his idea, & is now accepted as a huge mistake.

Most people seem to think so. Victorians are masochists or idiots. Either way, it is their own fault that both sides are rubbish. To think that Victoria used to be the strong state of Bolte and Kennett!

It appears that both Labor and the opposition are focusing
on healthcare in their campaigns with both sides promising
to spend big. It will be up to the voters to decide who
they will believe and trust. Promises are easy to make but
voters have to feel that those promises will be kept and
delivered. It will amount to who voters feel they can trust.

According to The Age newspaper voters fear a change of
government in the face of sky-rocketing living costs and
problems in the healthcare system. Labor's primary vote is
at 42 percent, just 1 percentage point lower than it was
at the "Danslide" victory of 4 years ago.

The Liberals primary vote has plummeted to a new low of
28 percent, down 7 percentage points since 2018 when the
Coalition lost a swag of blue-ribbon seats.

It's still early days though - and things could change.

Given that Victoria's Dan-caused debt is more than that of Queensland, NSW and Tasmania put together, I would have thought that the dictator's throwing of $15 million at a netball team would have any self-respecting citizens up in arms. But, as all but a few Victorians - those brutalised by a politicised police force- have taken Andrew's totalitarianism lying down, I guess there is not much self-respect in Victoria.

Andrews has had a matter to do with a car/cyclist incident in 2013 brought up by the media.

The media has now revealed that the cyclist was involved in a collision with the Andrews car, but Andrews stonewalled 17 questions on the matter yesterday, saying that he had dealt with everything at the time.

In the past? Yes. But not forgotten, and everything, past and present, pops up at election time.

Unfortunately, Yes.

The Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC),
reviewed the car incident in 2017. It was made clear at the
time that they were not investigating the incident or the
conduct of the Premier, or any member of his family. Mrs
Andrews was driving the car, which carried her husband and their
children.

Ryan Meuleman secured an $80,000 payment from the Transport
Accident Commission, after he ploughed into the side of
the Premier's car, which was paid to him when he turned 18.

The Premier responded to questions about the accident on
Thursday saying - "I've canvassed those matters in great
detail. I've got no further comment to make."

But of course "We Dan!" The Liberals are desperate to whip
this old case into a frenzy, and the media is determined to
help as undoubtedly so will the anti-Labor supporters
clinging to straws. It's also another opportunity fo the
young man to try to gleam more money from all this.
His lawyer is being very cautious though - as to whether there
is a case to answer.

Just goes to show - how dirty politics can be. Most voters
still trust and prefer Daniel Andrews to that other Guy.
At least in Victoria.

I watched QanA last night with our current Treasurer,
Jim Chalmers,
as the only guest answering questions from the audience
and via videos. He did not evade and answered each question.
He did not duck and weave. And at the end of the program -
I'm sure from the applause that most people would have felt
as I did. Here was an honest man - doing a good job. He's
someone we can all trust!

A refreshing change.

Whether or not Andrews ever tells the truth, who knows; but he always looks shifty.

Appearance still plays a big role in someone's re-election
campaign - especially for voters who don't know much about
their candidates. They use simple cues like faces and
appearance - because they don't know enough to recognize
them for their accomplishments.

Of course when voters do get to know politicians really
well, their face and appearance becomes irrelevant.
Because voters get so much better information than what the
politicians look like.

Judging by appearance? Perhaps that should not be done?
But in politics looks do matter. Research confirms it.
And this is wrong for democracy.

Apparently the cyclist, now 24, is lawyered up and ready to go to court. There are now questions about how the matter was handled by VicPol, and there is even talk of a lack of assistance rendered as required by law after a traffic accident. If Andrews operates his private life as he does his public one - nothing is ever his fault, he doesn't recall, etc. - there are interesting times ahead for Danny Boy, on top of his political problems.

A Victorian poll of more than 800 voters, taken from
October 20th to 24th shows Daniel Andrews leads
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy as preferred Premier by
49% to 29%, a slightly bigger margin than the last poll
in September.

It is pretty dire for the Coalition on that point.

"There is value in being the underdog but there's a
fine line between an underdog and just a dog."

Things are going to heat up in the next couple of weeks
as the election campaigns get into full swing. It will
be interesting to see how all this pans out. Voters have
been through a lot. It's been a tough year all round
and Christmas is just around the corner. Most people
could certainly use something to put smiles on their
faces. We'll have to wait and see what that will be.

I support a change of government, a change to the Liberals is possibly on the cards, but with punter disillusionment running high in Victoria, add in Liberal Party dysfunctionality and the state generally having a left wing bias I can see the progressive Greens and moderate independents doing well. The far right, as typified by Hansonism has not fared well in past elections in Victoria and may not do so again. Not a great follower of Victorian politics, so Dangerous Dan each-way might be the bet.

Dear Paul,

It's really hard to tell which way Victoria will swing.
Lidia Thorpe has done a great deal of damage for the
Greens in Victoria. But then Matthew Guy is not
popular either. And Dan Andrews and the recent scandals
are not helping. So it's all a bit of a question-mark
at the moment. Although I suspect it will end up being -
a case of - "the devil you know." People usually don't like
change when things are crumbling around them.

Dear Paul,

It would be lovely if we were given a choice of voting
for "the best people." But unfortunately they're usually
never candidates. I'm sure there are many better qualified
people out there - who are not in the running or given a
chance to run. I've met quite a few in
the past here in Victoria. I'm not sure how the parties
choose who's going to run.

Public Servants should not be voting in the first place ! It's like having relatives of perpetrators as Jurors !

Hi Foxy,

When you say; "Lidia Thorpe has done a great deal of damage for the Greens in Victoria." I find that generally applies to those who wouldn't vote Green at any time. Sometimes "controversial" people attract as many voters as they alienate.

Anyway, how candidates are chosen. In the Greens there is only a democratic process involved in choosing people to run, no parachuting or captains picks, or HQ impositions, only grass roots members can select candidates. Any financial member, with I think 12 months membership can nominate. An interview process with branch members an outline by the prospective candidate as to what they are standing for followed by some Q and A from the floor, a ballot will then ensue. In all ballots "no choice" is an option, so there is always a ballot even with one candidate. 'No choice' has happened only once when I've been involved, and it was my choice to exclude the nominee, then new noms are called for. The Senate ballot being state wide is a gruelling exercise for most, and some will drop out half way through. Presentation and credibility are most important, and you have to be well armed with facts, hesitancy costs votes. I'm always pleased when the person I'm supporting gets the nod.

What could happen to Victoria if Dictator Dan hangs on is what is happening in the U.S. of A, where "leftugees" are fleeing the blue states, particularly from California where so many Hollywood actors were going to move to Canada if Trump was elected: Trump was elected, but they didn't move. Now they are. Off to the Republican states.

Companies are also moving from super-woke California: Netflix, NBC, Apple, Chevron, Hewlett Packard, Tesla and American Airlines - all off to Texas, Arizona and Florida.

There must be some Victorians who are over Shifty Dan the Shonky Man.

Dear Paul,

Thanks for that.

In Victoria - especially at the state level - we've had
some excellent female candidates running on both sides of
politics. However, they have not stood much of a chance
against the males. Perhaps because they've been too
outspoken for their party's liking. It's always the males
who eventually get selected. I would like to see that
change.

Dear Paul,

In the area in which I live it has always been a safe
Liberal seat. And the choice of candidates has always
been rather limited. Labor has never taken the electorate
seriously at either the state or federal level. Liberals
have always won as a result. Matthew Guy is probably
going to win his seat here again.

We have a large wealthy electorate - and Labor
should invest more in it if it want to win.
People usually prefer candidates
who are familiar to them. Especially the young voters - who
tend to stay away from the much older male candidates that Labor
puts in. Matthew Guy looks good compared to them. Younger
candidates with more modern relevant outlooks would help.
I'm not sure who the Greens candidate is. I'll have to check
on that.

We have a large wealthy electorate
Foxy,
Wealthy in what way ? Definitely not in wisdom but yes, as in overpaid non-performers driving up rates & most costs for those who work for a living !

I've been asked about my electorate -
"wealthy in what way?"

I was referring to household incomes initially.
But of course, there's many other things that
make my electorate wealthy.

For example, the electorate is home to a thriving
and diverse local economy serviced by active
businesses and employing over 35,000 people. We have
a rich cultural diversity. We have a good age mix.
Over 60s - as well as our medium age being 43.
We have excellent schools, libraries, and healthcare
facilities in abundance as well as aged care.

We have a high household income with nearly 27% being
@2,500 per week. The electorate is hard working, successful,
highly educated with 42% of the population having a diploma
or higher (Greater Melbourne - 32.5%).

I wouldn't want to live any where else. Our parks are
magnificent.

indyvidual,

Usually most people do have to work hard for what they have.
Unless of course you are given a large inheritance.
Very few of us are given that. So I don't understand your
comments. They don't make sense.

They don't make sense.
Foxy,
Ok then, What kind of work brings in $2500/week ? Is it manufacturing or manipulating ?
In other words are these incomes economical to the employers ?
Just curious because when I discussed this with my Pilot mate he said he'd love to get that !

Indyvidual,

The electorate has a thriving and diverse local
economy serviced by registered 27,500 (ABS) local
businesses, including about 12,710 active businesses.
The businesses are varied.

Now back to the topic of the election.

Unfortunately, people like Indy suffer from the "sin" of envy, the other bloke's getting something I'm not getting, it must be a rort! This entitlement attitude runs deep in society and is ingrained in some people.

Foxy you made the mistake of saying; "We have a large wealthy electorate" that enraged Indy to the point of attack, he said; "overpaid non-performers driving up rates & most costs for those who work for a living!" Most unfortunate.

Dear Paul,

The Australian Bureau of Statistics gave all that data
that I cited.

In my electorate - people work very hard.
There are a variety of businesses - from healthcare
professionals - ranging from GPs, to specialists,like
cardiologists, oncologists, eye-specialists, geriatric
consultants, and many more. As well as tradies, plumbers, electricians, builders, architects, et cetera.

There's also people working at more
than one job. And the list goes on. I'm not sure how
indyvidual makes his assumption about "wisdom," regarding
complete strangers and about an electorate he doesn't know.
That's why I said - none of his logic makes any sense to
me.

Now back to the topic:

Both parties have released competing health and public
transport promises. And there's probably more to come in
the next couple of weeks. What seems to have registered
with many voters here was when the Premier announced last
week that he will bring back the State Electricity Commission
(SEC) and generate government-owned renewable energy.

Not sure how that will affect things.

We're receiving some very derogatory advertising from
the Liberal Party in our electorate prior to the
Victorian election. It's very disheartening because they're
using the old tactics of "attack" and not offering what they
will do if elected. This is an out-moded tactic - and no longer
works. It's actually a turn-off for most voters. And it's not
a very wise move to do this in a safe Liberal seat.

A Melbourne lawyer has written a piece on the "draconian measures " introduced by the Victorian dictator during Covid, and how the dark side of human nature was exposed, and the ease with which Victorians embraced the "new authoritarianism".

The Victorian Charter of Human Rights is not worth the paper it is written on. Human rights advocates, academics and officials are not interested in human rights.

Victorian government agencies are criticised, including VicPol - the "partisan arm of the executive enforcing its will rather than independently upholding the law".

The majority of Victorians are described as "submissive fools, vassalages accepting the protection of the all powerful state"; and that state is like "the Stasi in the final days of the German Democratic Republic ''.

The GDR is now freed and reunited with the rest of Germany. Are there enough Victorians wanting to free themselves from Danistan? The opposition might be rubbish, but they are not evil

Attacks on Premier Daniel Andrews are part of
News Corporation's long abuse of power. However,
the Labor government still looks set to be returned
on November 26th.

What we are currently seeing is the capacity of the
Murdoch media to try to influence electoral outcomes in
in Victoria. However their influence is much weaker than
it once was. Mud chucking in the hope that it will stick
no longer works with most voters.

A recent example is The Herald Sun's resurrection of a
nine year old motor accident involving not the Premier
but his wife. It published an online video-taped interview
with the cyclist involved in the collison and his father.

The interview was long on innuendo and short on facts. It
insinuated that in some undefined way the Premier improperly
used his power to deny the young man justice and that the
legal system let him down.

News Corp is cradled in influence peddling and propaganda, all
for the purpose of advancing the Murdoch family's interests.
Abuse of power is baked into its culture. This does not excuse
what the Herald Sun and others are doing. But it helps explain
it.

Dear Foxy,

Indeed.

If there was any inclination to put the Libs ahead of Labor the utter toxicity of the Murdoch press and the brain dead fools who regurgitate this stuff will turn a lot of people off.

The HS lead today with a picture of the stairs Andrews had his quite serious accident on.

Zero debate on policy issues just diving for utter gutter journalism which has been the hallmark of the Murdoch press.

The Murdoch Derangement Syndrome is on a par with the Trump Derangement Syndrome, and is just as juvenile.

Not if you're on the receiving end!

Speaking of juvenile behaviour, economist and commentator, Peter Smith, describes the "permanent state" of the Left as being "children in a tantrum". He wonders how decent people would ever contemplate supporting the Left side of politics (perhaps decent people do not). The Left is 'tribal', and it is "my tribe right or wrong" - which probably explains why you-know-who can come up with the lunatic accusation that it is people like me that cause 90% of problems.

Smith is talking about the modern Left - not the long-gone Left that his father, and mine, supported, and I supported until the Marxists took over.

We saw from the last federal election how Australian
politics has certainly changed. Election defeats, as unwelcome
as they may be are not all bad. Failure presents an
opportunity to turn the ship around and lay the foundation
for better days.

Rather like a business at the precipice, political parties have
no alternatives but to take a long hard look at themselves, warts
and all.

Australian politics has changed forever. Voters are demanding
more solutions, transparency, and honesty. The out-moded
methods of mud-slinging no longer work for most people.
Therefore for the Liberal Party in Victoria it is now time
to change if they want to remain relevant. Australian politics
has changed - it's time for the Liberal Party to do the same.

On this forum we've heard the words - "This is my opinion."
Over and over again. And fair enough. It baffles me however
that this statement doesn't come with a connected statement
about perhaps being dead wrong.

Some people seem to think that somehow their opinion gives
them a "carte blanche" to spout total nonsense. And I find
it disturbing that some people think that any thing that
challenges their ideas is equivalent to an attack on their
beliefs.

Opinion or worse - belief, had become a shield of every
poorly conceived notion that worms its way onto social
media.

Perhaps we need to ask ourselves 2 questions:

"Is this actually an opinion ?"

If it is an opinion, how informed is it and why do I
hold it?

Can Daniel Andrews win a third term?

From the negative approach that Matthew Guy is
taking in his campaigns here in Victoria - he's
not looking good. However, I doubt if ti will make
any difference in my electorate - which is a safe
Liberal seat.

'Media Watch' did a good bit on the Murdoch trash last night and the attempted to smear Andrews over the 2013 car accident his wife had with a cyclist. The actions of Murdoch's Gutter Press is disgusting at the best of times. The septic tank is 91, can't last much longer.

The media has declared the Victorian election to be a 'referendum on Andrews'. If that were true, Labor would be toast. Nobody in his or her right mind could possibly like the creature.

Dear Paul,

I'm sorry I missed Media Watch last night.
You'll never guess what I was watching -
"Gordon Ramsay." (smile).

It has been interesting to see the two little steps (misrepresented as 'stairs') that Dan and his wife thought - as they looked at each other - had put an end to him.

Recently bought a Cricut Maker so I decided to make a cool car sticker design for fun.
I made a cartoon picture of Dan Andrews poking his head up out of a toilet
- with the caption 'Dan Andrews - The Turd That Wont Flush'

If we were to ask any Liberal Party
supporters why their party was turfed
out from government in May the answer would be - two
words. Scott Morrison. And ask them as to why they think they
can win this state election - it would again be a two word answer -
Daniel Andrews.

Every election is a test of the incumbent's popularity, a
community wide job appraisal. Given the pandemic and Victoria's
record - Andrew's performance will be front of mind for many voters.
COVID may be their only recollection of the Premier.

Yet Andrews is odds on to win a 3rd term - according to all the
published opinion polls as well as the bookies. To win office
the Opposition needs to win 18 seats without losing any.

It's a tough call, yet the Liberals think it's not impossible.
Unfortunately Matthew Guy believes the key is to tap into
"anti-Dan" sentiment especially in the outer suburbs.
This could be his and his party's undoing.

The Premier's approach is far more positive focusing on their
investments in hospitals, schools, and infrastructure which
worked previously.

Voters may be grumpy but they still will back a party that is
getting things done - to one that's simply finger-pointing and
attacking.

I can't help wondering what on earth has happened to
Matthew Guy. I met him a few years ago - when he visited
my mum's nursing home in my electorate. He was charming,
so relaxed and very helpful. He spent ages talking to
mum. I was so impressed with him. To see him on television
today - he appears so stressed and cranky. A totally different
man, and it's not a good look. If I was a relative of his I
would be quite concerned and would wonder if all this politics
is getting to him. And if it's really worth it?

I'd like the old Matthew Guy back again.

Early voting in Victoria starts on Monday.
The race is coming to a close. It will probably
get a bit more frantic during the week. In any case -
Good voting to everyone. Hopefully Victorian will get
it right in the end - whatever that may be.

Taken from the Australian Financial Review:

" A largely inaffective opposition with an unpopular
leader has failed to put together a coherent case for
governing, or for ousting a premier who isn't well
liked."

According to all the polls it appears that Premier
Daniel Andrews will win a 3rd term when Victorians go to the
polls on November 26th.

I've checked out the candidates in my electorate - and don't
find any of them appealing. But I'll have to choose prior
to Nov. 26th.

Hi Foxy,

Candidates from political parties are not independent operators, they are duty bound to follow the party line, or in the case of the big two factional lines. What a local MP should be doing is representing his/hers constituents at the local level, and advocating before government on local issues affecting his/hers constituency. In a practical sense that is difficult, particularly for those in senior government or opposition positions, much of the "hack" work is left to administrative functionaries (staff).

p/s We have found our local state MP very helpful in assisting with local matters for the registered charity, such as applying for a grant for new rooftop solar. I'm told the power bill is heading in the direction of $10k/year on 3 meters overall, our share will be around $5k (lights, hot water, commercial fridges and freezers, stoves, office, etc), from our almost $20k budget (excluding a part time wage which is funded separately), about 50%, seems the power of God is not enough, we are relying on the Energex God at the moment and he's failing us. I am surprised, but hopeful for improvement shortly with the intervention of the Sun God.

Dear Paul,

The only time we've heard from Matthew Guy in recent times
has been prior to this upcoming election - where he's now
gone into full steam ahead. I didn't even know who the
other candidates were until recently. So it's been
disappointing all round. I get more of a reaction from
Liberal Senator James Paterson - who always respond to any
questions or help asked. But he's not in my electorate.
He strikes me like a very concerned politician with a
conscience.

Well our letter box has been inundated by leaflets
from the two major parties. We'll be voting early next week.
The list of candidates is not very tempting. ranging from
Liberal, Labor, to Greens, Family First, Independents, and
a few unrecognizable others. I'm seriously tempted to not write
anything or "none of the above." The choices are so limited.
I don't mean to sound like a grumbler - but seriously?

Hi Foxy,

Why do you say your choice limited, seems a fairly wide ranging group.

Victorians have to be careful about some Independents, they are NAZI GUN NUTS in disguise. Is Mise will know who they are.

Dear Paul,

Yes there's eight of them that's true. However when you
look up their backgrounds some of them are a bit
questi9onable to say the least - that's why my enthusiasm
is waning a tad. Still, I'm trying to not be too negative -
I'd like to be able to vote for someone with more experience.
Anyway, I've still got a couple more days for a miracle to
happen.

Dear Paul,

How do you feel about former US President Donald Trump
running again? What are his chances?

Hi Foxy,

What can I say about Trump. The forum Trumpsters will be ecstatic. The world will be just a little more unsafe should Trump prevail. Trumps chances of winning are good, he suits American politics, sick as it is.

When discussing "things" with a friend, an Anglican priest last week, he made the starling statement; "America is not a Christian country, and never has been." I tend to agree. What's your thoughts?

Issy, can tell us about those gun nuts running in the Vic election. One called for "red mist" from Andrews, how dangerous is that. "Red mist" the blood spray from a bullet.

Dear Paul,

As you know my husband and I lived and worked in the US
for close to ten years. That was a few decades ago. It
was a different time back then. We also travelled all
over the US, Mexico, and Canada. I fell in love with the
natural beauty of the countries visited. It was a very
special time. We were two naive kids from Oz - and we soaked
everything in so to speak. However, we saw some of the
attitudes developing back then that we see now. Only back
then it wasn't so bad as it now is. We decided to return home to
OZ because we didn't want to raise our kids in the US.

The hillbillies now have come down from the mountains into
the cities, it's now like a scene from the movie - "Deliverance."
and getting worse. I hope that Trump doesn't get the Republican
nomination. He has no concept of the responsibilities that
the position of a US President entails. He's clueless - and thinks
he can run the show all by himself. That makes him dangerous.
He will destroy the country.

Dear Paul,

Is the US a Christian country? I'd say yes.

It was in the US that we first heard the term WASP.
(White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant). And I think the US
has the largest Christian population in the world. Every
politician when making a speech will always finish with
"God Bless America!" And so on. God somehow always manages
to be a part of the conversation. There are so many churches.
And people will always use the terms - "God Bless!" and -
"It's God's Will!" You'll even see bumper stickers that
read - "In God we trust, everyone else pays cash!" and so on.

So there you are.

Hi Foxy,

My talks with Padre Pete are most enlightening. Despite all that "tongue in cheek" superficial clap trap about American christanity, I have to say Pete makes a compelling argument as to WHY America is NOT a Christian country, and I agree, whole heartedly. Pete actually shocked me with what he thinks of America, a 72 year old "conservative" Anglcan priest, and I thought I was the radical.

Dear Paul,

The America of today is certainly not the America
we experienced way back a couple of decades ago.
However, perhaps we just didn't see it. In any case
we saw enough to decide to come home and raise our
kids here.

Dear Paul,

You're going to laugh - on our return to OZ and much later
as the kids grew - we decided to send them to a private
well known Catholic school here in Melbourne.

On a parent and teacher evening we got to meet the Principal
who tried to pay me what he thought was a compliment by
telling me - that he was delighted to meet me because I was
not "your typical migrant." (like I got off the boat yesterday).
Whereas, there I was thinking - he was a typical Irish priest.
(smile).

Well, my husband and I voted yesterday. Early voters
had turned out in large numbers - which surprised me,
and there were so many people handing out leaflets.
It was very busy. Now we have to wait for the results.
I think it will be a close race from what I observed.
And there were a few candidates that seemed a bit odd.
Some went under the umbrella of "Independents," but
when you looked into their pros and cons - some of them
were bordering on the extreme. I hope that voters will
do their research on who they vote for.

Hi Foxy,

I have been made aware that Issy's "Gun Nut" mates from the 'Shooters and Hooters' Party, who for years have failed to make any decent inroads into Victorian politics, they have one MLC, but all his web site talks about is his passion for killing and wrecking cars. His biggest claim to fame is having children involved in "paintball", what a jerkoff! They are being deceptive by standing some so called "independents" this election.

Dear Paul,

Daniel Andrews has won a Third Term - and made history.
Victorians have cast their votes. The Liberals have lost
again. Hopefully Matthew Guy's career is not over yet. He
did manage to retain his seat - however I suspect that a
new leader will be elected. Assessments should be carefully
weighed up - and lessons learned - and action taken.

Ultimately a strong and welcome result.

The Liberals lost because there wasn't a good reason to vote for them.

They concentrated heavily on Daniel Andrews even going so far as to have a full colour photo on the back of their how to vote cards.

This is the first election where I can say the Murdoch coverage was a net detriment for the Lib's. The Libs got all caught up in what the Sun Herald was running. The story about the stairs on which Andrews had slipped becoming a front page story then saw our local member putting out a post referencing the same.
http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/politics/victoria-election-2022-liberal-mp-slammed-for-joke-about-daniel-andrews-spinal-injury/news-story/38035708a03de01bdfbffaa6eee87fbd

It looks like he has lost what was supposedly a safe Liberal seat.

I think Victorians got so heartedly turned off by the Murdoch press telling them what to think that Andrews collected votes he might not have expected. For him to increase his lead in the last week of polling reflected that plainly.

Hi Foxy and Steele,

The Murdoch gutter press has no relevance to young (under 40) progressive voters what so ever. The old out of touch mob who read that rag, are not influenced by it, but reassured by it. Should Murdoch print "Dan Andrews Is An Axe Murderer" it doesn't cause the Old Farts to vote hard right, they do that anyway, but just reinforces what they already "know".

There is a proposal before the NZ parliament to lower the voting age to 16, I'm all in favour. My 16 year old granddaughter is well informed on politics. Living in Queensland on Sunday night, she could name the Victorian Opposition leader Mathew Guy, more than most voting Victorians could do.

BTW, the comments of our "radical" Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe had no negative influence on the Green vote, in fact they may have been a positive for us.

Thanks Steele and Paul,

Victorian voters made their feelings clear. The Murdoch
Press had little effect. Even in early voting the Libs
handing out the leaflets had bad attitudes - telling
people "We've got to get rid of Daniel Andrews!" which
made people cringe while waiting in line. I suspect
it had an opposite result. These bully tactics no longer
work. But these old die-hards will never realize it,
they're so out of it.