Home affairs minister wades into state campaign with ominous warning as opposition links debate to population growth

Peter Dutton has entered the Victorian election to warn that “Victoria’s problem” with gangs could “result in very serious outcomes or death”, as the state’s Liberal leader continues to make immigration and crime a centrepiece of his campaign.

The Queensland MP made the comments about the Victorian poll on Sydney radio on Thursday and repeated earlier comments that people who commit a crime while on a visa should be deported.

In January, Dutton claimed that Victorians were “scared to go out to restaurants” because of “African gang violence,” a claim that was not supported by his state colleagues.

The premier, Daniel Andrews, however, dismissed Dutton as “irrelevant”.

“He’s talking about serious issues, but very few people I think take Mr Dutton seriously now,” Andrews said. “He’s part of a government that is a shambles, and he’s irrelevant to the work that we’re doing.”

The federal home affairs minister’s comments are linked to news reports about crimes committed by people of African appearance. Police have previously criticised commentary from federal MPs on the topic, and have said while there was an issue with a small number of African-Australians in Melbourne, elevating groups of young offenders to the category of “gang” would “play up to the ego of these young people”.

The crime rate fell in 2017-18, according to the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency, and although the number of people committing a crime is the highest since the agency’s inception in 2004, the number of offenders per 100,000 dropped by 1.3% to below 2015 levels.

Population and media control

The opposition leader, Matthew Guy, is also talking about immigration and crime in the context of Melbourne’s population growth, which has become the central issue of his campaign.

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Under the slogan “get back in control”, Guy said population growth in the city, which is on track to overtake Sydney as Australia’s biggest city by 2035, had to be slowed.

He proposed an overhaul of the general skilled migration program and refugee and humanitarian visa programs in order to direct population growth outside Melbourne.

It would involve giving Victoria say over the skills, jobs and location criteria of skilled migration visas and directing humanitarian visa holders to regional areas. Guy said he will take the proposal to the council of Australian governments meeting in December if elected.

Andrews, has taken a different approach to population growth, saying Victoria needs to invest in infrastructure to fit demand for people to live there.

The Liberal party has also taken a tightly controlled approach to its media policy. Both Labor and the Liberals are holding their election launches on Sunday, but only Labor has told all media where their event will be held.

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However, the Liberals did approve the first ever interview for Guy’s wife, Renae, a former political media adviser who met Guy when they were both working in the office of former Liberal MP and later premier Denis Napthine.

Asked if Guy ever sought her advice, Renae Guy told Channel Nine “sometimes”, followed by: “I sort of see myself as giving him advice more as a mum.”

Health and education

The Labor party has promised to establish a royal commission into mental health, a proposal that has been backed by prominent mental health advocates.

Andrews said the terms of reference would be set and commissioners appointed within 100 days if Labor was re-elected, and estimated the cost at $13.2m.

Labor also announced a plan to include literacy and numeracy information on year 12 results, through the compulsory general achievement test. All year 12 students are required to sit the test prior to completing their VCE or VCAT assessments to inform statistical moderation of final grades.

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The proposal includes $187m for 700 teachers to provide individual tuition where needed.

On Sunday, the opposition pledged to allow the contraceptive pill to be bought over the counter without a script, if elected. The proposal has been welcomed by reproductive health advocates but criticised by the Australian Medical Association.

Red shirts update

Labor MPs, including six ministers, accused of rorting taxpayer funds in the 2014 election campaign reportedly refusing to attend formal police interviews.

Lawyer Rob Stary, who is representing 20 MPs, told Fairfax Media that his clients would not be attending the interviews, and the investigating officers are reportedly concerned about instructions not to search, photograph or fingerprint any MPs who did consent to being interviewed.