By Corey Everitt and Afraa Kori
Not even a week has passed since the start of the federal election campaign and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has paid a visit to Berwick in what is predicted to be a battleground seat.
Dutton joined his colleague Jason Wood MP and Liberal candidate for Bruce Zahid Safi on Tuesday 1 April at the Berwick RSL.
The rise in crime in the South East of Melbourne was a key focus as the gathering provided an opportunity for victims of crime to share their experiences and the challenges they face. This marked the first visit in the campaign by Dutton to the region.
As a former police officer, Dutton emphasised his lifelong passion for ensuring better outcomes, particularly for children’s safety and supporting those in need.
“I think it’s incredibly important that we come together to try and hear some of the experiences,“ he said.
Owner of Harry’s Clothing Berwick, Harry Hutchinson, has been assaulted and robbed countless times in the last nine months, which has affected his mental health.
“I slept in my store until six months after the last robbery. I would go in after midnight and leave at six o’clock in the morning. As you can see, I’m still affected by it,” he said.
“There’s something wrong with society today for all this to happen. Now, I’m not the only one. We had a local butcher. He lost $50,000 worth of meat.“
The seat of Bruce, held by Labor MP Julian Hill, is one of the spots the Coalition hopes to pick up in their bid to return to office under Dutton.
A recent redistribution put most of Berwick in Bruce. The Berwick RSL, formerly within the boundaries of Wood’s La Trobe, is now within Bruce.
The redistribution brought Hill’s margin from 6.6 per cent down to 5.3 per cent.
This area of Berwick voted predominantly Liberal last election and the Coalition would wish to retain that in the event of a hoped-for swing overall that could defeat Hill.
