Railing against rail loop put Matthew Guy back on track - but there’s a long way to go

Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy must appeal to voters in the inner city, the eastern suburbs, the regions and the Labor heartland – a tough ask. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Victoria’s opposition leader, Matthew Guy, effectively fired the starter’s gun on the state election campaign this week when he announced the Coalition would shelve the Suburban Rail Loop – the largest infrastructure project in the history of the state – if it wins in November.

After two weeks of negative headlines about a proposed donation scheme, which prompted the resignations of several key members of his team, Guy’s announcement seized back the initiative.