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Crime the hot topic Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has paid a visit to Berwick in what is predicted to be a battleground seat. Dutton joined his colleague Jason Wood MP and Liberal candidate for Bruce Zahid Safi on Tuesday 1 April at the Berwick RSL. The rise in crime in the South East of Melbourne was a key focus as the gathering provided an opportunity for victims of crime to share their experiences and the challenges they face. This marked the first visit in the campaign by Dutton to the region. As a former police officer, Dutton emphasised his lifelong passion for ensuring better outcomes, particularly for children’s safety and supporting those in need. The seat of Bruce, held by Labor MP Julian Hill, is one of the spots the Coalition hopes to pick up in their bid to return to office under Dutton. A recent redistribution put most of Berwick in Bruce. The Berwick RSL, formerly within the boundaries of Wood’s La Trobe, is now within Bruce. The redistribution brought Hill’s margin from 6.6 per cent down to 5.3 per cent. This area of Berwick voted predominantly Liberal last election and the Coalition would wish to retain that in the event of a hoped-for swing overall that could defeat Hill.
Zahid Safi (Bruce candidate), Liberal leader Peter Dutton with Jason Wood MP. (Stewart Chambers: 469202)
Supermarket wait The one industry that could kick-start the development of the Officer town centre is supermarkets, but there is yet to be certainty that Coles or Woolworths will arrive in town anytime soon. Coles has an application in Officer that has been pending for over three years, while a recent announcement by Woolworths for a store close by has seemingly gone silent.
So far, the only supermarket close to the town centre are two small IGA grocers that are within housing estates north and south of the freeway. With the recent news of American retail giant Costco making another application for a local warehouse, this time in Pakenham, it puts the underdevelopment of Officer in fresh perspective.
Even though the Officer town center has large areas zoned for retail, Costco is still opting for an industrial area south of the Princes Freeway. The big Australian supermarkets do have an interest in Officer; Coles has applied for a permit to build a supermarket just north of the council’s civic centre and Woolworths conducted consultation regarding a supermarket on the corner of
Princes Highway and Whiteside Road. Coles made their application for 458 Princes Highway in November 2021 with no final decision made yet on the $20 million build. The council and Coles confirmed that the application is still being actively sought by the latter. See full story on page 2
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