I rise to congratulate Nicole Ta-Ei Werner, the Liberal candidate for the Victorian seat of Warrandyte, who was pre-selected yesterday, from a very competitive field, by grassroots Liberal members. Nicole is 32, the daughter of Malaysian Chinese migrants, and an absolute dynamo with strong connections to the Warrandyte community. And she has already hit the ground running. Nicole, of course, has very big shoes to fill, in replacing the former member for Warrandyte and former Liberal minister Ryan Smith. Nicole works for food-relief charity Empower Australia. She would make a first-class member for the people of Warrandyte. She is a fighter, and she will fight hard to hold the Andrews Labor government to account.
In 2026, the Andrews Labor government must be voted out. This is a government which is bringing Victoria to its knees. This is a government mired in corruption allegations, in dirty deals, in jobs for mates and in punishing Victorians for working hard, including through measures such as the schools tax on independent and religious schools. This is a government driven by extreme socialist ideology. The most locked-down city in the world—who could ever forget? This is a government which is crippling our state of Victoria with massive debt, whilst funnelling billions into discredited projects like the Suburban Rail Loop, whilst, at the same time, turning its back on vital infrastructure projects like the Melbourne airport rail loop and Geelong fast rail. Victorians have had enough. This is a government which must go. This is a government which is destroying our state.
And I say: Go, Nicole! You will be absolutely fantastic.