VICTORIANS will next Saturday pass judgment on the government of Daniel Andrews, balancing a string of failures, scandals and poor policies with a record of steady achievement on infrastructure investment against a backdrop of a healthy economy.

They must decide whether Matthew Guy is a better alternative to lead the state by controlling rampant overspending in the face of economic headwinds, and demonstrating more effective leadership on important law and order issues.

The Andrews Government deserves credit for its aggressive infrastructure investments, removing dozens of archaic level crossings, overseeing jobs growth, and displaying a visionary approach to Melbourne’s rail system.

But hardly a month has passed when the government hasn’t been rocked by scandal, ineptitude and fiascos which question its integrity.

The fact that current ministers are still refusing to co-operate with a police investigation into the “red shirts” scandal is a matter Victorians should keep at the top of their minds when they cast their votes. It hardly sets the standard for integrity and accountability in government.

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media_camera Premier Daniel Andrews has led a government that deserves credit for aggressive infrastructure investments, but voters should keep in mind Labor’s shortcomings. Picture: AAP Image, Daniel Pockett.

Also on their minds should be weakness on youth crime and bail laws, failures on power prices with the closure of the Hazelwood power station, the CFA fiasco with a pathetic buckling to militant unionism, and the unforgivable waste of more than $1.2 billion of taxpayer money spent on a road that wasn’t built.

The Sunday Herald Sun acknowledges the Andrews government has invested in infrastructure that made sense in a rapidly expanding state.

From committing $11b to the Metro Rail project, $16b to North East Link and $7b to building the Westgate Tunnel – the Andrews Government has made bold decisions to help our growing pains.

But Mr Andrews has led a government of great failings: among the worst was the CFA dispute that saw the Andrews government side with the powerful United Firefighters Union in an industrial dispute that led to the sacking of the CFA board, the resignation of Minister Jane Garrett and severely damaged the fabric of the CFA. The CFA dispute epitomised the closeness of Mr Andrews to militant unions.

And then there was the scandal of Corrections Minister Steve Herbert, forced to resign after being caught using taxpayer money to chauffeur his dogs Patch and Ted around the state.

Then there was the scandal that saw Labor MP and speaker Telmo Languiller resign after being caught rorting his parliamentary allowance to the tune of $40,000. He was swiftly followed by Labor’s deputy speaker Don Nardella, forced to quit his job over claiming almost $100,000 in his allowance.

And then there was the Red Shirts scandal.

This fiasco saw the ALP caught rorting almost $388,000 of taxpayers money to fund party workers in their 2014 election campaign. This scandal, revealed by the Herald Sun, saw 21 Labor MPs implicated in the rort, including six ministers.

All 21 are now under a police investigation, an investigation they are refusing to co-operate with.

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media_camera Voters will pass judgement on Daniel Andrews’ term as Premier. Picture: Stuart McEvoy, The Australian. media_camera Opposition leader Matthew Guy has made it clear that fighting crime in a top priority. Picture: Alison Wynd

This is an unacceptable state of affairs and one that is deeply troubling because these MPs should be co-operating with the police.

To have ministers of the crown under investigation and refusing to be interviewed by police, while those ministers and their government are fighting an election campaign is unprecedented.

And it’s ironic that while those very ministers avoid police, they also preside over a state where those police are battling on a front line against a wave of violent crime.

The Sunday Herald Sun has deep concerns about crime in this state and the fact is that despite increased spending on police, this government is too soft and too slow to crack down on youth gangs and change lax bail laws.

The revelation that Bourke St killer, Hassan Khalif Shire was on bail when he committed his atrocity will do nothing to change that perception.

Victorians are worried about law and order and with Matthew Guy and the Opposition it is clear that fighting crime is a top priority. They have a strong policy to tackle crime from increased mandatory sentencing to bringing in a sex offenders register, installing tougher bail conditions and even bringing in a boot camp for young offenders, as we reveal in the Sunday Herald Sun.

In addition to having concerns about the Andrews government’s ability to fight crime, the Sunday Herald Sun also has deep concerns about their ability to manage our ballooning debt which now sits at $22 billion and is forecast to blow out to $32 billion in the next four years.

While the economy is humming right now, there are head winds coming and the Andrews Government spending spree has left this state dangerously exposed.

media_camera Victoria should end the fighting and bitterness of the past four years with the election of a Coalition governmetn led by Matthew Guy. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The state budget, propped up by stamp duty revenue, is set to take a $2.4 billion hit as the property market retracts. Public sector wages have blown out by $1.8 billion in the past year with recent figures revealing an 11 per cent rise in public servants in the past four years

Added to this is the real risk that the cost of borrowing money is going to rise at the same time, the State Government has locked in billions and billions of dollars in spending.

Make no mistake, this state will face significant economic challenges and the Andrews Government just keeps spending.

The Sunday Herald Sun believes that the Coalition is more responsible with its spending policies and better placed to manage the economic challenges ahead.

We see no signs that the Andrews Government understands the gravity of the situation ahead and perseveres with its crash or crash through spending sprees with your cash.

The alternative Treasurer Michael O’Brien has been in control of the purse strings before, under the Napthine Government, and exercised restraint on many areas of spending.

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Mr Guy and the Coalition represents the a stronger alternative on social policies, responsible spending and a better grasp of tackling critical law and order issues.

The incumbent government relentlessly pursued so called “progressive’’ social policies such as Safe Schools, a blatant exercise in social engineering, and injecting rooms, another policy out of touch with the values of average Victorians.

In the face of its failings, Victorians should seek a return to stable, responsibly and respectable government which will tackle worsening crime, better manage economic challenges ahead and better represents the values of Victorians.

Victoria should end the fighting and bitterness of the past four years and fortify our economic future with the election of a Coalition government led by Matthew Guy.