Highlights
- The Liberal leader says broader representation in gender and diversity will be their target for the next election.
- Australia's estimated resident population in 2020 included 721,000 people born in India, but Australians of Indian origin are yet to make inroads into politics.
- "Bring International students back to Victoria, get them through the quarantine facilities and get them back to our universities": Matthew Guy
The next Victorian state election is scheduled in November 2022, when the Premier Daniel Andrews-led Labor government will attempt to win a third term in power.
In September this year, Mr Guy ousted Liberal leader Mr Michael O’Brien to reclaim his position as leader of the Opposition in Victoria.
As the parties continue to court multicultural votes, inclusive political participation and representation have become hot topics.
Questions remain on whether either party will step up with substantive representation from ethnic communities in the next election.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia's estimated resident population (ERP) in 2020 included 721,000 people born in India.
However, Australians of Indian origin are yet to make inroads into the Australian political sphere commensurate to these numbers.
According to research by Surjit Dhanji, an Honorary Fellow at Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, Australians of Indian origin account for 0.5 per cent of representatives in the federal parliament, 0.7 per cent in the Victorian state parliament, and even lower proportions for local councils in New South Wales and Victoria.
We have always said that we need to diversify the parliamentary party
“We don't have as many members as Labor; they have twice as many as us and, I understand that. But it is certainly going to be one of our targets for the next elections to make sure we are broadly represented, not just in gender but in Australian’s backgrounds and, I have no doubt, whatsoever, we will do that,” said Mr Guy.
When asked whether the commitment to diversity extends to placing an Indian Australian in a ‘winnable’ seat in the party candidate list, the Liberal leader said there is 'no doubt' the party will do that.
Mr Guy also told SBS Hindi that it is on his agenda to bring overseas students back into the country for the sake of the economy and the education sector.
“It is important for our economy but also for the education sector. This has been our most important sector for many years, and we can’t let it wither and go away. It is dependent on overseas students so we must have plans to bring international students back to Victoria, back to Melbourne, quarantine them and have them vaccinated before they come,” he said.
The Victorian government recently submitted a student arrivals plan to the Commonwealth for approval that provides a gradual pathway for arrivals throughout 2022.
The plan includes up to 120 international students returning each week by Christmas, with an increase in weekly student numbers as restrictions ease, and universities contributing to the quarantine costs for these students.
Mr Guy said, "It is now time to manage a return to normality".
“We have to have a normalised approach to return back to our borders in time and do it safely and properly and I hope that the governments, both state and federal, have worked all those quarantine issues out. We have had 18 months to do that. Obviously, Australians would expect that it has been done,” said Mr Guy.
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