Come November, Victorians will decide who will hold power over the State Legislative Assembly’s 88 seats.

The people of one of those 88 seats, the newly reformed electorate of Berwick will be deciding on a new leader.

Previously running from 1976-2002, the Berwick electorate was abolished and moved to Gembrook.

But in 2021, the electorate was redistributed back to the region of Berwick and covers the suburbs of Berwick, Beaconsfield, Clyde North and small towns around Cardinia Creek south of Emerald.

The eliminated seat of Gembrook is held by Liberal MP Brad Battin, who has been a member of Gembrook in the Legislative Assembly since 2010.

Battin has lived in Berwick for most of his life and has raised his children in the suburb.

If Battin were to uphold the seat following the election’s results in November, there are many things he would hope to achieve, including completing the upgrade of Metro trains on the local Pakenham line to a modern style, and making a start on the Beaconsfield stations and facilities.

Setting aside $1.5 million for the project, Battin said he would upgrade passenger shelter, additional bike racks and overall access for people   with mobility issues.

“I don’t need to tell you how much this is needed and well overdue,” Battin said. “You can only rely on the Liberals to upgrade Beaconsfield Station.”

The station has received formal complaints for an extended period, especially surrounding the severe lack of shelter for poor weather circumstances.

Battin has laid out his blueprint to improve the cost of living, and opening the options for gas explorations in Victoria and have conventional onshore gas.

“We have access to a lot of gas and can use it to ensure we have long term power with gas powered generators. [It will be] A cheaper and more environmentally friendly option as we move towards renewable energy in the future,” he said.

Battin’s first step to reduce the cost of living is to “commit to no new taxes, then reduce taxes like the tradie tax that is placing pressure on building a new home in the state.”

“We support smaller government, and this will assist to reduce the cost to operate government in the state with savings passed to the community,” he said.

An ex-policeman, Battin is aware of safety in the electorate covering 99  square kilometres. “We need the Clyde North Police station locally, a commitment the Labor Party failed to deliver on,” he said.

A promise in the 2018 election, the Clyde North police station, has not yet been constructed. Between Narre Warren and Cranbourne there are no police facilities.

The Berwick electorate holds a population of about 55,000 voters. “We expect this to grow rapidly and I am confident we will need to realign the boundaries in 2028 to ensure we have fair representation in the future,” Battin said.

“As a good local MP it is also about the small items, the people who need a person to go in and bat for them, I will continue to do that.”

Other candidates for Berwick have not yet been announced for the election in November.