Liberal candidate Frank Schiefler says Hastings residents are being let down on the basics, from the roads they drive on to access to their local police station.
STPL News caught up with Schiefler over coffee on Saturday to discuss his campaign for November’s Victorian state election.
A Hastings resident who recently bought his first home, Schiefler says the pressures facing people trying to stay in the area helped convince him to stand.
The Liberal candidate is challenging Labor MP Paul Mercurio, who won Hastings in 2022 with 51.35 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote.
Why Is Frank Schiefler Running For Hastings?
Asked why he was putting his hand up, Schiefler began with housing and what happens to a community when people can no longer afford to stay.
“Young people are priced out of the housing market. It’s something I care deeply about.”
Schiefler said he wanted people growing up locally to have the opportunities their parents and grandparents had. That concern extended to the role local sporting clubs play in Somerville, Hastings and Tyabb.
“It’s the footy clubs that have people come and be there for their entire lives.”
In his view, the effects of young families moving away reached beyond individual households. Football and netball clubs could struggle to keep teams together.
Those pressures, alongside living costs and local road conditions, had shaped his decision to run.
“When you put all these things together, we need a change.”
Crime And Policing Across Hastings
Restoring 24-hour public access to Hastings police station is a central part of Schiefler’s campaign.
“I’ve campaigned very, very hard on making the Hastings police station 24 hours again.”
About 1,500 locals had signed the petition, according to Schiefler. STPL News has not independently confirmed that number.
STPL News raised Mercurio’s video outside the station, in which the Labor MP described it as “fully staffed and fully operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week”.
Schiefler said the MP should speak directly with local businesses about crime.
“If he walks up and down the high street and pops into any business and hears what they have to say about crime, I think he might be in for a shock.”
Mercurio’s video also acknowledged the counter closed overnight and said officers could be out working in the community when nobody was at the station during the day.
Victoria Police lists counter hours as 9.30 am to 4.30 pm daily, leaving it scheduled to close for 17 hours each day. STPL News has also reported temporary reception closures during advertised opening hours.
Police say patrols and response services continue around the clock. Those services are distinct from public counter access, and counter closures alone do not establish staffing levels.
Schiefler backed the Liberals’ “adult crime, adult time” approach for serious offences, arguing that a small group of repeat offenders was committing a large number of crimes and being repeatedly released on bail.
STPL News raised an incident involving imitation firearms and the community reaction that followed.
Schiefler’s response was directed at Labor.
“They’ve given up on crime. They’ve given up on roads and they’ve given up on Hastings. It’s unacceptable.”
“And we need a fresh start, and we need a government that’s focused on getting these problems fixed.”
The Liberal candidate also criticised Mercurio’s vote on Jack’s Law, a proposal to expand police weapons searches using electronic detectors.
Parliament’s record of 23 September shows Mercurio opposed a procedural motion to introduce a Liberal bill, rather than a vote on its final passage. Labor MPs said they supported the principle but wanted further consultation.
Why Are Roads A Campaign Priority?
Schiefler said driving on local roads meant watching for potholes, which became harder to judge when filled with rain.
“I live in Hastings and I have to drive around just like everyone else.”
Schiefler explained that he had recently spoken to a mechanic in Hastings, who showed him damaged tyres and rims costing about $1,500 each to repair.
“We have to make sure that our cars, our motorbikes, are road-worthy, but the government has given up on making sure that the roads are worthy for our cars.”
A motorcycle riding group had told him its planning now included checking routes for potholes, alongside finding cafes and pubs that could accommodate everyone.
Asked to nominate his most hated pothole, Schiefler would not narrow the field.
“Oh, no, no. I’m not going to play that game, just simply because there’s too many.”
“I’ll say one pothole, and someone will say, what about this one?”
His answer was that they all needed fixing.
The Victorian Auditor-General reported in September that 48 per cent of the state road network was in poor or very poor condition in 2024, compared with 39 per cent in 2021. The report noted an additional $352 million announced in August for pothole repairs, after the audit had been completed.
Would Local Sporting Clubs Get More Support?
Asked whether he would advocate for sporting and cultural facilities in Somerville and across the electorate, Schiefler’s answer was direct.
“Yes, is the short answer, absolutely.”
He said meetings with most local sporting clubs had focused on the projects they wanted supported.
“I’m going to put forward the best case for every single one of them.”
Somerville Recreation Reserve was among the projects Schiefler wanted progressed. He said clubs had been told there were limits to what he could promise.
“I’m not going to be able to make miracles happen on everything, but they’re at least going to have someone that tries.”
The state funded preparation of the reserve’s master plan. Schiefler promised to advocate for upgrades, but stopped short of a costed construction commitment.
For Schiefler, the issue reflected a wider concern about Western Port communities missing out on their fair share of investment.
“We’re rural when it suits governments. We’re metropolitan when it suits governments.”
STPL News raised Geelong’s rail service as a comparison. Schiefler pointed to the waits and connections involved in travelling from Somerville to Melbourne.
Would He Advocate For Better Access To Health Care?
STPL News raised the experience of a Somerville parent who said she had to travel to Dandenong for subsidised prescription glasses for her son.
Would access to basic health care be something he would pursue?
“Yeah, absolutely. But again, it just comes back to the money.”
Schiefler returned to his concerns about state debt and spending.
“These things do cost money, and to have the investment, you’ve got to have a budget that can handle that.”
The response was a commitment to advocacy, without a specific local health proposal.
What Was His Final Message To Voters?
As the interview drew to a close, Schiefler returned to roads, crime and public access to Hastings police station.
His message to voters wanting a change of government was to support the Liberals.
“And that is, I’m going to fix the roads and I’m going to get crime under control.”
