Liberals avoiding inner-Melbourne contest

Labor's fight to hold its inner-Melbourne seats from the Greens has been dealt a blow in the form of lacking Liberal Party candidate nominations.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy

Matthew Guy is facing calls to address the issue of climate change ahead of the Victorian election. (AAP)

Victorian Labor's battle with the Greens for four marginal and high-profile inner-Melbourne seats has been dealt a potential blow with the Liberal Party so far failing to field candidates.

State Liberal headquarters on Wednesday lodged the party's nomination list with the Victorian Electoral Commission for 77 lower house seats.

But there were no candidates for the Greens-held Melbourne and Northcote electorates or incumbent-Labor seats of Richmond and Brunswick.

Inner-Melbourne seats have traditionally gone to Labor but the party has increasingly needed Liberal preferences to get over the line.

The Liberals, in coalition opposition with the Nationals, are also not contesting seats held by its country partner.

Despite the candidate list being submitted, nominations don't officially close until midday Thursday.

Shadow Treasurer Michael O'Brien said there was still time for candidates to be finalised.

"You have the far left in the Greens, you have rorters in Labor, for a Liberal voter it's between the devil and the deep blue sea," he said.

"What I think Liberal supporters want is for the Liberals to win this election."

On the campaign trail, Liberal MPs spent Wednesday attacking Premier Daniel Andrews over his secret infrastructure deal with China.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison led the charge on Sydney radio Wednesday, followed by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy.

Mr Guy promised to make the deal public if he becomes premier after the November 24 election.

"We have a right to know as Victorians what the government has signed up to, to a foreign government just before an election," he told reporters.

But Mr Andrews remained steadfast on the belt-and-road initiative memorandum of understanding and pointed to backing from federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham and Foreign Minister Marise Payne.

"The long-standing protocol is that these matters are not made public and I think there might be some agreements that the federal government has signed up to that's similarly treated," Mr Andrews said.

Mr Morrison is campaigning in Queensland despite there not being an election there but he is expected to soon join Mr Guy on the hustings.

Mr Guy on Wednesday revealed plans for a 1300-bed prison to cope with his promised mandatory criminal sentencing crackdown.

He would re-allocate $690 million set aside by Labor in this year's budget for a 700-bed prison, to build a jail twice the size using a public-private partnership.

It would house up to 700 maximum security, 300 medium-security and 300 remand inmates and is due for completion by July 2023.

Premier Daniel Andrews was in Pakenham, promising new schools and kindergartens.

If re-elected, his government would build a kindergarten at 14 schools set to open in 2021 and 2022 and add kindergartens where possible to new schools slated for completion in 2019 and 2022.

Labor is also promising $850 million to construct 24 pre-approved schools and plan for another 55.


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Source: AAP



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