LIAM DURKIN

STATE Opposition leader John Pesutto was back home last week.

Mr Pesutto returned to Traralgon on Tuesday, December 12, discussing on-the-ground issues with Latrobe Valley constituents.

After attending a timber forum in Heyfield, Mr Pesutto stopped by his old hometown.

First up, he and Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron toured the St Vincent De Paul Society’s Assistance Centre ahead of Christmas.

An engagement at Traralgon Football-Netball Club followed, discussing facility upgrades with Maroons president Kevin Foley.

Traralgon FNC is still operating out of portable changerooms more than two years after major floods.

While in Traralgon, Mr Pesutto also took the opportunity to catch up with old school mate and Café Evviva owner, Joe Tripodi.

Heading into the shopping centre, the opposition leader then met Traralgon Centre Plaza management.

Mr Cameron had previously set up a petition inside the complex, calling for more police and PSO resources in the Latrobe Valley.

The petition garnered close to 1000 signatures, and was tabled in the last Parliamentary sitting for the year.

“People have spoken, and the prevailing view is that towns across the Valley including Morwell, Moe, Traralgon and Churchill are in desperate need of more police and PSO resources,” Mr Cameron said.

“In meeting with Police Minister, Anthony Carbines, I highlighted the fact that the Morwell electorate has the highest crime rate of any municipality outside of Melbourne.

“Every one of Melbourne’s 212 train stations has a dedicated PSO presence, yet just four stations in the whole of regional Victoria have a dedicated presence.

“We have a problem with anti-social and criminal behaviour in town centres and it is having a disastrous impact on small business and community safety.”

From Traralgon, the convoy headed out to Hazelwood North, where the local fire brigade is campaigning for a new shed to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Speaking to the Latrobe Valley Express, Mr Pesutto said the memories always came flooding back whenever he visited Traralgon.

“It’s great to get back and be with the community I grew up in,” he said.

“Traralgon is my hometown, I was born and grew up here, it’s always a real delight to come down to Traralgon, and the Latrobe Valley, Gippsland locally.”

A little further down the road, the Liberals will hope to retain their seat in Monash, after long-serving member Russell Broadbent lost in a preselection battle to Mary Aldred last month.

Mr Broadbent is expected to see out his term until the next federal election in 2025.

Despite being generally regarded as a safe Liberal seat, Mr Pesutto said the new candidate wouldn’t be taking “anything for granted”.

“She’ll work hard to get elected. I just know that Mary Aldred is going to be a fantastic candidate, hopefully she’ll get elected and serve the people of Monash really well,” he said.

“I’ve known Mary for many years, I know she was a fantastic choice to succeed Russell Broadbent.

“I did work for Russell as an electorate officer back in the mid-90s and he served his community well.”

Mr Pesutto recently ticked over 12 months as Liberal leader, and said the party had been kept busy in a year that saw the state government change leaders and cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

“We’ve had a solid first year, we’ve really exposed the failings of the Allan Labor government, whether it’s tax, whether it’s debt, whether it’s cost-of-living people are facing, even just corruption and waste,” he said.

“People in Traralgon and surrounding communities know they have to work really hard to earn money and yet they see their state government just wasting it.

“So – for us we’ll now start to turn our focus more to some of the general ideas we have for the state’s future, and that’s what you’ll see in 2024 and beyond.

“It’s a great honour to lead them (the Liberals). As a former Traralgon boy I often bump into my teachers, Jan Fitzpatrick who was my Grade 3 teacher, I still feel fearful of my teachers when I come back here.

“I think about all the things that shaped me as a young kid growing up and took me on to where I am now … I have a lot to be thankful for from Traralgon.”

Perhaps fittingly, the last stop during the Gippsland journey was in Morwell, where Mr Pesutto celebrated his heritage at the Italian Australian Club.

Talk: St Vincent De Paul Society’s Assistance Centre, Traralgon vice president, Lyn Burns discussing the society’s initiatives over the Christmas period with state opposition leader, John Pesutto and Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron. Photograph supplied

Local boy: State opposition leader, John Pesutto back home in Traralgon last week. Photograph: Liam Durkin