FEDERAL Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, state opposition leader Michael O\u2019Brian and members of the shadow cabinet were joined by approximately 300 rank and file members of the Liberal Party for State Council meetings last weekend.<\/p>\n
The two-day event held at the Mercure in Golden Point also included a major policy announcement and visit to recycling plants in Wendouree.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegional Victoria has been the poor cousin under Danial Andrews,\u201d Mr O\u2019Brien said. \u201cHe\u2019s very interested in governing for the tram tracks of Melbourne, he\u2019s not so interested in governing for the regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing out here, working with our local members\u2026 we\u2019re about saying we want to be a party that looks after all of Victoria. We\u2019re out here, we\u2019re meeting people, we\u2019re listing to people and we\u2019re coming up with solutions to their concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since becoming state opposition leader following Liberal\/ National Coalition electoral defeat just over a year ago, Mr O\u2019Brien has been to Ballarat three times.<\/p>\n
He said that\u2019s something we can expect more of in the lead up to the next state election in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always happy to get out as much as possible and\u2026 what I\u2019m planning for next year is to be out of Melbourne, out of the Spring Street bubble, even more than I have been in this 11 months or so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to see more of our shadow ministers out and about because this is a very important part of Victoria. It needs to be listened to, it needs to be represented. I think the Labor Party has taken Ballarat for granted for way too long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Member for Ripon and shadow treasurer Louise Staley was also at the meetings. She said it was key that the Liberals brought events like the State Council to the regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clearly a commitment from my party that Ballarat is important to us,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m really enthusiastic that everyone comes to see all the great stuff happening in Ballarat. It\u2019s important that our membership see what\u2019s Ballarat has to offer and at the same time we listen to what Ballarat wants to tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the State Council roadshow, Mr O\u2019Brien and other members of the shadow cabinet visited two recycling plants in Wendouree with City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Ben Taylor for a major policy announcement.<\/p>\n
Called \u2018Zero to Landfill\u2019, the policy would see energy from waste technology rolled out across the state, including in Ballarat, and a 100 per cent reduction in rubbish going to landfill by 2035.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make sure the next election is a contest of ideas and I want the Liberal Party to be leading,\u201d Mr O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not going to cede to anybody in the Labor Party, or anywhere else, the environment. The environment is absolutely vital. It\u2019s vital for today\u2019s generation and for our children and I\u2019m going to make sure we have got the ideas and the policies to tackle those challenges and give Victorians a better state to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FEDERAL Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, state opposition leader Michael O\u2019Brian and members of the shadow cabinet were joined by approximately 300 rank and file members of the Liberal Party for State Council meetings last weekend. The two-day event held at the Mercure in Golden Point also included a major policy announcement and visit to recycling plants […]<\/p>\n