The usual choice between a Labor Government or a Liberal/Coalition Government is a false choice.
Allow me to explain why.
There is a more reasonable choice.
A choice to stop paying for endless cycles of major party dysfunction
The Teal Independent Choice
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Axing the "Shadow Public Service": Slash the billions wasted on external consulting firms and outsourced labor; instead of freezing essential public sector hires.
Depoliticising Infrastructure: Strip major project approvals away from politicians looking to buy votes in marginal seats. Mandate that all infrastructure spending above $100 million must be assessed, ranked, and published by an independent Infrastructure Victoria based purely on cost-benefit analysis.
Pragmatic Triage of the "Big Build": Avoid triggering exorbitant cancellation penalties and legal fees on signed contracts like the North East Link. Instead, honor existing legal commitments to prevent sunk costs, while immediately pausing and auditing uncontracted mega-projects (such as future stages of the Suburban Rail Loop) to redirect funds toward urgent, localized infrastructure.
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Empowering IBAC: Bypass the political theater and delays of a Royal Commission by giving the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) the funding, "follow the money" powers, and public hearing mandate it actually needs to root out corruption on taxpayer-funded construction sites.
Transparent Contract Tendering: Mandate open-book accounting for all state-funded mega-projects so the public and independent auditors can see exactly where cost blowouts are occurring and which entities are profiting.
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Targeting Relief to Households, Not Just Capital: Pivot economic levers away from supply-side tax cuts that primarily benefit developers. Focus instead on delivering immediate, targeted relief to families, pensioners, apprentices, renters, and essential workers being crushed by everyday inflation.
Electrification to Lower Bills: Treat the renewable energy transition as an economic multiplier. Accelerate subsidies for household batteries, rooftop solar, and energy-efficient appliances to structurally and permanently lower power bills for Victorians, instead of relying on unpredictable retail energy markets.
Smart Planning for Affordable Housing: Reform zoning laws to enable sensible "missing middle" density (like townhouses and low-rise apartments) in well-serviced, transport-rich suburbs. This grows housing supply without forcing costly urban sprawl that demands billions in new infrastructure spending.
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Evidence-Based Debt Management: Reject arbitrary timeline pledges (like a strict 2032 surplus) that mandate blind budget cuts. A state economy is not a household budget; responsible fiscal management must ensure health, education, and community welfare are fully funded, rather than sacrificing the standard of living to hit a political performance indicator.
Focusing on Preventative Investment: Direct state funding into hopspitals, education, aging with dignity at home, mental health services, disability support, and early childhood education. Catching health and social issues early keeps Victorians out of overcrowded emergency departments and the justice system, saving the budget billions in downstream crisis management.
A few of the pressing issues in Bulleen and wider Victoria,
and the Moderate Way Forward
RAPID AI DATA CENTRE EXPANSION
“I will protect Bullen by insisting highly profitable mega-facilities pay their own way with self-funded renewables and recycled water, while fighting to stop the fast-tracking of these projects through total transparency, strict emissions testing, and genuine community consultation.” - Greg
Possible
OVERLOAD of
our electricity grid
Local
EXPOSURE to
pollutants
Projected to
CONSUME 4%
of our water
Taxpayer funds
DIVERTED for
tech grid upgrades
Increased demand
drives HIGHER
energy bills
Uses as much
POWER as
a power station
Diverted funds
means LESS for
essential services
Grid strain means
BLACKOUT
risks
The Major Parties are Failing Us
Latest Action Plan
Sounds Promising but Has Loopholes
Rules don’t apply to 68 existing and planned data centres
Ignores quiet taxpayer subsidies for data centres
Labor
Focused primarily on
Digital Innovations without Adequate Safeguards
Latest statements full of words but short on meaningful action.
Assumes eventual benefits outweigh the immediate risks
Liberal
Victoria’s economy depends on a thriving tech sector, but the rapid rollout of massive AI data centres cannot come at the expense of our climate and community wellbeing. Sadly, Labor has irresponsibly left us with a mess of legal challenges that will make it difficult to bring all of these billion-dollar tech firms and sites into compliance with sensible rules.
Nevertheless, we must succeed. We cannot allow private corporations to put our energy security at risk, drive up household bills, siphon funds away from hospitals and other essential services, or compel us to rely on new gas projects just to power their servers.
To protect Bullen and our state, I will fight to make these highly profitable companies pay their own way. They must fund their own renewable energy and battery storage systems, and use only recycled water for cooling to protect our drinking supplies. Most importantly, I will stand against the fast-tracking of these mega-facilities by demanding total transparency, strict emissions testing and reporting, and genuine community consultation before any new project is approved.
The Teal Independent Way Forward
“We can't afford to wait a decade for the mega-offshore wind projects or new natural gas exploration that will continue to drive up our power bills. I will insist on a middle approach that fast-tracks household and business relief by temporarily bridging the 2028 Yallourn reliability gap with fossil fuels to secure grid reliability, but also fast-tracks ready-to-build onshore renewables, commits to profit-sharing for regional transmission line communities, and expands household battery initiatives.” - Greg
Victoria’s Energy Crisis & Household Costs
Rising GAS & ELECTRIC
bills for families
Sluggish
RENEWABLE ENERGY
grid
Nearing Yallourn
COAL plant retirement
Depleting natural
GAS supply reserves
Painful transition
COSTS passed
to consumers
Offshore WIND
rollout years
behind schedule
Fragile
WINTER & SUMMER
power reliability
Substantial
EMISSIONS
issues
The Major Parties are Failing Us
Rapid Net Zero and
Renewable Energy Approach
Coal and gas are expensive, high emission dead ends.
Quietly entering commercial deals with coal to extend Yallourn to keep the lights on.
Power bill relief years away.
Labor
Market-led and
Coal/Gas Friendly Approach
Proposes aggressive gas exploration and extraction.
Open to keeping coal operating longer to keep the lights on.
Power bill relief years away.
Liberal
Victorians are caught between two failing extremes: Labor’s sluggish remewable transition that risks blackouts before new infrastructure can be built, and the Liberal/Coalition’s reactive push to slow renewable energy transitions and vital transmission lines in favor of costly fossil fuels. Both approaches drive up household power bills and create deep uncertainty.
We need engineering pragmatism, not political ideology. A sensible, balanced approach focuses on three priorities:
Build What Works Today: Fast-track modular grid batteries and shovel-ready onshore wind and solar to replace the Yallourn coal plant output before its 2028 closure, rather than waiting a decade or more for multi-billion dollar offshore wind or gas megaprojects.
Bridge the Reliability Gap: Treat domestic gas as a temporary, flexible firming reserve to keep heaters running during winter freezes, and air conditioning on during summer heat waves, without locking families into permanent fossil-fuel dependence.
Relieve Household Budgets: Streamline planning, empower regional communities with genuine profit-sharing on transmission corridors, and expand household battery support so families directly cut their power bills.
Victoria CAN achieve a reliable, low-emissions grid without sacrificing affordability.
The Teal Independent Way Forward
“We deserve a government ready and willing to partner with business to drive Victorian prosperity. In part, this includes demanding an independent audit of our state finances and insisting on public accountability for all lage state projects, upskilling our workforce and reducing payroll taxes to boost apprentices, and delivering a practical energy transition plan that balances ambitious climate action with a reliable and affordable power grid.” - Greg
Victorian Business & Prosperity Challenges
High TAXATION
and LEVIES until
2033
Significant
occupational SHORTAGES
Massive INTEREST
costs on rising state debt
Apprentice COMPLETIONS
& student SKILLS slipping
Lowest BUSINESS
CONFIDENCE
nationally
COSTLY and UNRELIABLE
energy systems
New businesses
DECLINING in every category
The Major Parties are Failing Us
Labor
Idealist and Over-Centralised Approach
Relies on business taxes to manage rising debt.
Ambitious on renewable energy but risking grid stability.
Rigid workforce strategies not agile enough for business.
Immediate Scrap, Reverse &
Repeal Approach
Repeal regulations, but no comprehensive vision or plan.
Scrap net-zero but relies too heavily on fossil fuels.
Reverse taxes and reduce debt but no forward-looking plan.
Liberal
Victoria needs a government willing to partner with business to drive prosperity for everyone, balancing ambitious energy and climate action with economic reality. A moderate, Teal approach demands fiscal discipline, integrity, and pragmatic reform.
As soon as possible, we need an independent review of state finances to reduce debt and chart a credible path to lowering business taxes and stimulate growth. Reforming the Financial Management Act and restoring accountability on mega-projects like the Big Build will ensure public money is respected.
To boost our workforce, we need a payroll tax exemption for apprentices, modular lifelong learning to upskill students and workers in literacy and numeracy, deepen university ties with industry, and treat equity as an economic imperative.
On energy, we must remain committed to cleaner power, but the transition must be practical. As coal plants like Yallourn close, we need a reliable bridging plan, including gas power to stabilize the grid, keep the lights on, and boost investor confidence. We must also balance environmental and financial responsibility with the need to fast-track renewable energy projects, all while being completely transparent with Victorians about the true cost of their power bills.
The Teal Independent Way Forward
“We don’t have to choose between crucial infrastructure and our environment. I will protect the natural heritage and livability of our suburbs by treating climate science and fiscal integrity as mutually reinforcing goals, and demand strict independent oversight and genuine community consultation to ensure Bulleen’s tree canopy, the Yarra corridor, and our irreplaceable green wedges are never again sacrificed for unchecked state mega-projects.” - Greg
Climate & Environmental Challenges
Record-breaking
"SUPER" EL NINO threats
Constant local
GREEN WEDGE
encroachments
Diminished
OPEN SPACES
in Bulleen parklands
Mega-project
EMISSIONS degrading
air quality
Severe Melbourne
WATER SUPPLY
stress predicted
Longer and more
extreme HEATWAVE
seasons
The Major Parties are Failing Us
Favors a Centralized, State-led Environmental Approach
Tree / habitat losses are trade-offs for transport capacity.
Poor management of mega-project emissions.
More rigid state controls over local communities.
Labor
Liberal
Emphasizes Consumer
Choice Approach
Criticises with few solutions
Does not have a comprehensive climate / environmental policy.
Climate is not a stated priority.
Pro-developer history and bulldozing local lands.
A moderate approach combines science-led climate action with fiscal discipline and local environmental protection. Rather than accepting heavy tree canopy loss and habitat destruction as unavoidable costs of state mega-projects, the way forward is to advocate for transparent, evidence-based planning that actively safeguards urban biodiversity, irreplaceable green wedges, and sensitive waterways across communities like Bulleen and the Yarra corridor.
On energy and climate, the moderate approach bypasses political culture wars by championing rapid emissions reduction through market innovation, decentralized community batteries, household electrification, and modernized grid capacity, ensuring both economic resilience and consumer choice.
Crucially, this approach demands collaboration, evidence-driven innovation, independent environmental oversight, and strict project accountability, refusing to let major infrastructure development bypass critical ecological standards and undermine community wellbeing.
By treating fiscal integrity, community consultation, and climate science as mutually reinforcing goals, it is possible to manage risks and preserve the livability and natural heritage of Victoria’s suburbs, parklands, and regional ecosystems.
The Teal Independent Way Forward
Aging with Dignity at Home
“We don’t have to choose between crucial infrastructure and our environment. I will protect the natural heritage and livability of our suburbs by treating climate science and fiscal integrity as mutually reinforcing goals, and demand strict independent oversight and genuine community consultation to ensure Bulleen’s tree canopy, the Yarra corridor, and our irreplaceable green wedges are never again sacrificed for unchecked state mega-projects.” - Greg
Surging COSTS
reduce care affordability
DELAYED assessments
delaying support
10-month
WAITLISTS
delay support
Bed-blocking TRAPPING
Seniors in hospital
AFFORDABLE
housing, transport, &
mental health support critical
Chronic workforce
SHORTAGES limit
service availability
Financial and physical
ELDER ABUSE
The Major Parties are Failing Us
Mismanaged, Waitlisted,
Red Tape Approach
Priority waitlist now ballooned past 100,000 seniors.
Imposed steep out-of-pocket costs for daily living and services.
Overcomplicated funding scheme leading to service disruptions.
No meaningful movement on staff shortages.
Labor
Prioritising Wealth
Over Equity Approach
Favors lifetime fee caps to constrain overall system funding.
Failed to propose or support sustainable revenue solutions.
Sidesteps legacy of funding workforce and waitlist issues with no meaningful plans for rapidly expanding senior population.
Liberal
Victoria is experiencing an aged care crisis and aging with dignity requires an equity lens that protects pensioners and keeps them securely in their homes and local communities. We must pivot from funding battles to state-level realities, listen and align with the priorities of aged care advocates in Victoria, and demonstrate compassionate care and respect.
The most pressing issue for older Victorians is housing insecurity, with older women and lifelong renters disproportionately at risk. A genuine community-led model demands urgent investment in accessible public housing to ensure seniors are not pushed into homelessness.
Next, we must tackle the rising threat of financial and elder abuse through expanded legal advocacy and public prevention campaigns.
Then, rather than focusing solely on administrative care hubs, we need practical local interventions: improving community transport networks to reduce social isolation, and equipping local mental health services with dedicated geriatric and dementia expertise.
Finally, supporting our seniors means expanding well-being respite for older carers and implementing protections against extreme heat.
Aging with dignity is not just a line item in a state budget. It is a fundamental promise we make to our elders.