By Jaidyn Kennedy
Moira Deeming has been hand-picked by opposition leader Brad Battin to represent the Liberal Party’s increased focus on the western suburbs.
Less than four months after being readmitted to the party, the Western Metropolitan MP has been appointed as the “leader’s representative to the western suburbs”.
Ms Deeming said the decision came after herself and Battin agreed on taking a “different approach,” to engaging with constituents in the region.
“We need to earn their trust not just their votes – we can’t just come along at election time and be promising money here and there and nonsense like that,” she said.
“It gives me extra time for advocacy based on the west – it just means that I can do my job more effectively.”
Part of the Liberal’s new approach will include Ms Deeming increasing her time on the ground and she is in the early stages of developing a website dedicated to communicating with constituents and processing their queries.
“It’s actually a massive little movement that’s started, we’ve got some experts involved already,” she said.
Ms Deeming said part of the future site would include a space for members of the community to offer professional expertise relating to their field to the party.
“If they are in the west and happen to be a business owner or a nurse, or if they know how to fix something and have a bit of knowledge, they can get on board,” she said.
Her priorities are delivering several key infrastructure projects she believes have been “neglected” by the state government.
She said the electrification of the Melton rail line, the Outer Metropolitan Ring Road and Western Interstate Freight Terminal were top of her list.
Ms Deeming said the Liberals will attempt to build off a swing against the state government at February’s Werribee by-election.
“From my perspective prior to Brad, there was a bit of an attitude that because these are such strong Labor areas they didn’t think Labor voters wouldn’t listen to them,” she said.
“I love the fact that in Werribee, they showed that you cannot take them for granted anymore and so that’s why this is a really key moment in time.”
