Bryce Eishold
Labor member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing has criticised Liberal candidate for Morwell Dale Harriman in a series of online social media posts after Mr Harriman announced last week he would remain employed at the Latrobe Valley Authority.
Mr Harriman told The Express on Friday he intended to remain employed at the LVA in the lead-up to the election.
The Latrobe Valley Authority was established by the Andrews’ government to coordinate $266 million in response to the closure of Hazelwood Power Station.
In February, Mr Harriman indicated he would likely not be employed at the LVA come election time and said he’d be keen to discuss with the party how the organisation could “do a better job” at securing more employment opportunities in the region.
Instead, last week Mr Harriman, who is employed as a worker transition broker, said he would remain at the LVA and take two weeks’ leave in the weeks leading up to the election.
However, Ms Shing took aim at Mr Harriman’s comments on Twitter and said the Latrobe City councillor was taking a “win-win bet” each way.
“So the Liberal candidate for Morwell 1) works [at] the Latrobe Valley Authority 2) is happy to continue to work there creating jobs until the election, BUT 3) thinks they need to do a better job,” Ms Shing’s tweet reads.
“AND 4) supports the Liberal plan to restructure his own employer?”
Ms Shing also said “it appears he’s taking leave before the election, it looks to be a win-win bet each way – he either becomes the new Liberal MP or he goes back to working at the very same organisation that he and his own party keep saying needs to do better.”
When Mr Harriman announced his candidacy alongside Liberals leader Matthew Guy he said, “As an employee I’m not going to go and bag out the public service … but I think we can let [the LVA] do a better job.”
Mr Harriman’s tweet drew criticism from other notable figures, including Minister for Families and Children and Youth Affairs Jenny Mikakos who said “It’s very clear the only job the Liberal candidate for Morwell cares about is his own”.
Greens candidate for Monash William Hornstra also chipped in and said “I wonder what the Libs have done for Morwell … I know! Plunged it into a 2-decade long stangnation [sic] thanks to gutting the SECV … and then leaving us to die”.
In response, Mr Harriman said “Unfortunately as part of my work contract, I’m unable to make comments on matters related to the LVA and so I’ll be making no further comment at the stage.”
