• Williamstown, Altona, Laverton Star

By Alesha Capone

9th February 2010 11:05:27 AM

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THE Altona by-election campaign turned ugly last week, as the State Government was accused of launching a personal smear campaign against Opposition leader Ted Baillieu.

The Altona electorate is considered a safe seat for the ALP, which retiring member Lynne Kosky won by a margin of more than 20 per cent in 2006.

The ALP, which selected Jill Hennessy as its candidate for the latest election, sent leaflets out and posted a video on the internet site YouTube criticising Mr Baillieu’s history last week.

The clip said, “The last Liberals sold 300 schools to developers” and stated Mr Baillieu backed each sale.

The video also said Mr Baillieu’s real estate agency “got a contract to sell many of the schools” including Laverton Park Primary School during the 1990s.

Mr Baillieu hit back at the ALP claims. “Last year John Brumby promised that he would stop dirty personal smear campaigns by Labor,” he said.

The Liberal by-election candidate, Mark Rose, said the ALP’s actions were an attempt to deflect attention from the important election topics.

“We’re focusing on the real issues effecting Altona, not personally attacking people,” he said.

Mr Rose said the ALP’s video neglected to mention the party had closed or amalgamated more than 150 schools.

The Liberal Party has asked the Victorian Electoral Commission to investigate the ALP’s anti-Baillieu material.

Education became a main by-election campaign theme as the week progressed.

Mr Rose and Opposition spokesman for Education Martin Dixon visited school Altona Prep-9 College on Wednesday.

Mr Dixon said the Brumby Government had ignored community wishes for the school to extend to Year 12.

“This $12.2 million school has seen enrolments drop and parents remove their children because it didn’t meet the education needs of this community,” he said.

“A Baillieu Government will listen to the community wishes and we will make Altona Secondary College a P-12.”

Mr Rose said he thought it was “shocking” that children’s schooling would be disrupted in the middle of their most critical years of study.

However, Altona College principal Nathan Chisholm said the college was “delighted to be benefiting from the substantial public investment in our bright future.





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