DANDENONG
Suburbs: Noble Park, Keysborough, Dandenong, Dandenong North, Dandenong South, Doveton.
Held by Gabrielle Williams (ALP) 73.9% 2-party preferred.
1. Where do you live and how long have you lived there?
2. Why did you choose to run for the seat?
3. Why are you the best candidate for Dandenong?
4. Biggest three issues in your electorate and how will you tackle them?
5. How would you tackle the shortage of affordable homes in Greater Dandenong?
6. What’s your view on City of Greater Dandenong’s desire for the closure of Lyndhurst toxic waste dump?
7. What’s your view on calls to shift the city’s industrial 2 zone further away from homes in Dandenong South and Keysborough?
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Name: Matthew Kirwan
Age: 49
Occupation: Project Manager
1. I live in Noble Park with my wife and twin daughters. We’ve lived there for 7 years, but I’ve lived in Greater Dandenong my whole life – mostly in Keysborough.
2. • Labor takes Dandenong District for granted.
• Our state schools are underfunded leading to many parents choosing private education.
• Poverty and disadvantage continue in Dandenong District. We have above average crime rates and growing street homelessness. We have some of the highest poker machine losses in the state, making the poor poorer.
• I’m sick of seeing the state government’s Revitalising Central Dandenong project fail to meet its aims. The Dandenong central business district needs proper investment and more government jobs moved to the area to aid it’s post-covid recovery.
• It’s time to end the neglect.
3. • With a career in project management and public policy, as well as 8 years’ experience as a local Councillor for the City of Greater Dandenong, I bring passion, skills, and experience about how to make Dandenong District a better place to live and work.
• As a Councillor I fought hard and successfully for better community infrastructure, more effective and efficient services, greater open space and a more open and transparent Council.
• However, I also become more aware of the many decisions that the State Government were continuing to make, or refusing to make, that hamper our local community.
• With my experience and commitment, I am the best candidate for Dandenong District.
4. • We need to reduce the cost of living with cheaper energy, education and transport.
• We need better funding for public schools and public hospitals, not just for bricks and mortar but for staff and programs so that our public education and health systems have the quality we need, rather than being on life support.
• We need new funding and new commitment to the Revitalizing Central Dandenong project. It was a great idea 17 years ago but in the last decade the project has stalled, and the State Government have lost interest.
5. • This is a state-wide issue that needs a state-wide response.
• To tackle the housing crisis we will cap rents, make property developers pay their fair share for affordable homes and ban political donations from property developers.
• However, unlike the current government, getting on and building affordable homes is critical. The Greens plan is for 100,000 public homes to be built over the next decade.
6. I advocated for this as a Councillor and my position hasn’t changed. For the health and welfare of nearby residents the Lyndhurst toxic waste dump should close.
7. I support those calls, just as I did when I was a Councillor. I served the residents in these suburbs as a Councillor, and I know that they are too close to a zone that has toxic industries. Our area shouldn’t be a dumping ground for industries because it is a safe seat.
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Karen Broadley (Liberal Party)
I am Karen Broadley, your Liberal Candidate for Dandenong. I have more than 20 years’ experience working as a youth worker, in child protection and in family violence. Half this time was spent working in Dandenong, working with children, young people and families experiencing a range of life issues including violence, drug and alcohol problems, mental illness and homelessness. My work experiences led me to undertake a PhD on how to make good decisions in child protection and in other complex situations. I currently lecture university students on subjects including child safety, family violence and welfare systems.
As I have listened carefully to the experiences and concerns of everyday people and small business owners in Dandenong, the concerns I most often hear are to do with help for the homeless and help for people with drug and alcohol issues. The rising costs of living, and concerns about community safety are often raised. Better access to health services, including mental health services and dental are important. Improving the public transport system – particularly bus frequency and timetabling – is an essential, but often neglected aspect, of meeting people’s basic needs.
If I am elected, my commitment to the people of Dandenong is to work hard to improve their health, safety and wellbeing, including access to health and other essential services. I will work with all the diverse communities in Dandenong, including small businesses to better understand what their concerns and needs are, and to discuss the best way forward. People themselves, who live and work on the ground in Dandenong are in the best position to know and understand what their most pressing issues and needs are. It is crucial for their experiences and voices to be valued and heard. If elected, I will draw on my long experience of working with and for people, to deliver real solutions for Dandenong.
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Gabrielle Williams (Australian Labor Party)
Gabrielle Williams has always had a strong sense of justice and inclusion, which prompted her to run for Parliament. She was elected as the Member for Dandenong in 2014 and re-elected in 2018.
Gabrielle prioritises job creation and education for local families in her electorate. She firmly believes in the power of education to help people find secure, accessible employment, and is determined to make sure no child is left behind.
Passionate about supporting the Dandenong community, Gabrielle has secured record investment for local schools, community organisations and facilities. Including upgrades at every school in the Dandenong electorate, removing level crossings to bust congestion and enabling trains every 10-minutes during peak hours, upgrading local roads, and creating more local jobs by manufacturing trams, electric buses, Metro and VLine trains right here in Dandenong.
Gabrielle knows that some of the biggest issues facing our community are the rising cost of living, pressure on our health system and housing.
On the cost of living, Labor has already delivered the $250 Power Saving Bonus, free TAFE, free kinder from 2023 (saving $2500 per family), solar panels, batteries and hot water systems at no up-front cost, caps to council rates, sick pay for casual and contract workers and free Ls and Ps. A re-elected Labor government will also bring back government-owned energy, with any profits to go right back into driving power bills down.
Gabrielle and Labor have also delivered the landmark Housing Big Build, creating 12,000 new social and affordable homes across Victoria. Including projects like Viv’s Place in Central Dandenong, which is already providing secure housing for those who need it most.
And only Gabrielle and Labor will upgrade Dandenong Hospital. Including an expanded Emergency Department, treating 12,000 more patients. As well as a new Intensive Care Unit, outpatient clinic and operating theatres.
As someone who has lived, worked and studied locally, Gabrielle understands our community – and knows how to deliver.
Gabrielle is driven by her vision for an inclusive and equitable Victoria that continues to lead Australia with its progressive reform in gender equality, mental health reform, Treaty and prevention of family violence.
6. We have put in place strong safeguards for the operation of this facility, while backing the Environment Protection Authority with $180 million to enforce these tough regulations and requirements, keeping nearby housing estates safe.
We’ll keep working with the community to ensure local residents are at the forefront of everything we do.
We’re also putting a massive effort into reducing waste and that will see the demand for landfill reduced.
The Victorian Government has set a target to divert 72 per cent of waste from landfill by 2025 and 80 per cent by 2030. Including an investment of $515 million to deliver the biggest transformation and reform of our waste and recycling sector.
This includes $380 million to deliver the Recycling Victoria: A new economy plan through which we are fundamentally reducing waste, maximising the ways we use and reuse our precious resources, and building a sustainable and resilient circular economy for Victoria.
7. The Victorian Government currently has no plans to change the industrial zoning in Dandenong South.
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No response: KLOP, Andrew (Animal Justice Party), HARMSE, Audrey (Family First Victoria), TURNER, Tham (Liberal Democrats), LEVCHENKO, Anthony (Freedom Party of Victoria).
