By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Being a true local counts, says the Liberals’ freshly endorsed candidate for Narre Warren South.
Susan Serey, the conservative Casey councillor who previously ran for the seat in 2014, is back in battle for the 2018 election.
To succeed, she needs a swing of more than 5.5 per cent against ALP candidate and National Union of Workers state secretary Gary Maas.
Cr Serey, a Berwick accountant and business development worker, says she’s always lived in Casey.
This was unlike her opponent who was seeking to move from St Kilda East to a local rental property, she adds.
“A local is something we have never had,” she said.
“I’m not going to promise to move in (to the electorate) and then not move in.”
Her interest in politics was kindled not long after volunteering at St Vincent de Paul’s as a 15-year-old.
She started volunteering with her “mentor” Inga Peulich’s office in Chelsea – a person who shares her socially conservative “values”.
“I don’t want our country, our values, our state being undermined by things that the public don’t want.
“They don’t want drug injecting rooms, they don’t want euthanasia, they don’t want Safe Schools and radical teaching at schools, they want Australia Day to continue on 26 January.”
On same-sex marriage, Cr Serey pointed to the low 51-per cent ‘Yes’ count in Holt – which covers much of Hampton Park, Cranbourne and Narre Warren.
“It’s a clear indication that people don’t want to get their values trashed and changed at the drop of a hat.”
There was a curious recent moment when Liberal member Geoff Ablett was elected Casey mayor for the third time recently.
While other councillors toasted Cr Ablett with congratulations at the 13 November meeting, Cr Serey declined to comment.
“I wasn’t actually consulted on who was going to be mayor or deputy mayor …
“How could I congratulate someone who doesn’t have the courtesy to tell me what was going on?
“If he wants to play games, it’s his fault not mine.”
Her other main issues are law and order, roads and public transport – a key concern for the 80 per cent of employed Casey residents who commute outside Casey for work.
She said City of Casey’s transport wish-list of up to $5 billion was possible within the next State Government term. It would include a rail extension to Clyde, bus route improvements and about $2 billion of arterial road upgrades.
“I think it needs to be done in the City of Casey.
“The transport situation is getting worse and worse.”
Citing a rising crime rate, Cr Serey says she doesn’t feel safe living in Casey.
“One day it will happen to me and my family – and that’s scary.”
She is also concerned by the rising numbers taking up drugs – and the need to significantly boost Victoria’s drug-rehab centres and cut the six-month waiting lists for ‘ice’ addicts.
In contrast, the trial of a safe-injecting room in Richmond would not save lives and would become a beacon for drug-dealers, she said.
In 2014, Cr Serey won a one per cent swing against the ALP incumbent Judith Couacaud Graley. It showed people didn’t like to be “taken for granted”.
Her 2018 rival Mr Maas said he was hopeful of settling into “my new community” by the end of this year.
In the meantime he said he’d been meeting with local constituents, community leaders, teachers and principals.
He would continue the work of sitting MP Ms Graley to lobby for road and public transport upgrades, including the $1 billion of road projects already being carried out.
“The former Liberal Government did not plan for the population growth that has been experienced in the outer south-eastern suburbs.
“These consequences are being felt by the local community.”
