29th of June 2023

The apathy of citizens, in general, has always been a problem in every democracy.

There is nowhere that this is more evident than in politics in Victoria.

Governments of every political persuasion have a duty to act ethically, be accountable to the electorate and be competent.

The Community Advocacy Alliance Inc. (CAA) has no political affiliations. If the Government of the day is failing to meet the required standards, we will be highly critical regardless of the political party in power, be that Labor, Liberal, Greens or any other Party or Coalition.

This is a fundamental principle in our determination to try to give a voice to the largely unheard people of this State. Those of us who do care.

We certainly have been and will continue to be, highly critical of the current Labor Government led by Premier Daniel Andrews.

Our criticism is not about Labor’s politics but solely about their behaviour.

Examples of incompetence and misconduct abound.

At the top of the list is the 800+ deaths in the Quarantine debacle. The waste of about $1.2 million on the cancellation of the Eastlink Freeway extension. The “Red Shirts Rort”, which saw Labor pay back just under $400,000, the Lawyer X fiasco, “Slug Gate”, and Ministers rorting their travelling allowances, just to name a few.

Politicians ferrying pets or using a Govermremt vehicle for their private business; this type of behaviour is unacceptable.

Every major project undertaken by Labor has cost overruns of not millions but billions of dollars. Victoria’s debt is greater than three other Australian States. Does this seem like a competent Government? Your money, taxpayers.

The North-South Pipeline that cost billions is a classic act of budgetary vandalism and never has been and is not likely to be ever used. Not being prepared to accept the error of this project, we are paying for expensive maintenance – for what benefit? The Desal plant was built at the same time to drought-proof the State, so why a North-South Pipeline was ever a viable or necessary project is seriously questionable.

No Political party has the ticker or competence to accept reality and stop wasting money on maintenance and recycle what is recoverable from the project. If, at some future time, the Pipeline is required, the savings achieved will comfortably pay for the reestablishment. The most expensive part, the pipes, will remain serviceable.

It is strange that none of this seems to resonate with electors.

All of these matters cost taxpayers millions of dollars annually, and yet most of us do nothing.

Apathy reigns supreme.

The CAA implores every voter to get involved and demand the highest standards of behaviour from whichever political party is in power.

Unless this happens, anarchy will remain a grave danger to our democracy.