The Liberals enter the race for the City of Melbourne

For the first time in its history, the Liberal Party will formally endorse a team to run in October’s City of Melbourne elections.

Led by 34-year-old CBD resident Mariam Riza and local business owner Luke Martin as its candidates for Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor, respectively, the Liberals are largely out to try and get a councillor elected next month.

If successful, that will be East Melbourne resident and the Victorian Liberal Party’s former state treasurer Owen Guest, who was influential in making the party’s first formal bid for Melbourne a reality.

Mr Guest, who previously ran for the Liberals in the federal seat of Macnamara (formerly Melbourne Ports) in 2016, will be joined by Chinese language teacher and Southbank resident You Li Liston, who will fill the second spot on the councillor ticket.

Speaking with CBD News in early September, Mr Guest said the timing for the party’s first official push for Town Hall was “necessary” as Melbourne had “suffered” under its current leadership.

“We've had a Labor government at state level for too long with obvious bad side effects,” Mr Guest told CBD News.

“We have, right now, a Labor Lord Mayor, who works hand in hand with that Labor government, who has done so throughout his entire career and Melbourne suffered.”

“Nick Reece and the Labor Party cannot be given a free pass, which is what they've received for too long.”

“I said that it was time for us to do something about that and they [the Liberal Party] have shown courage to promote Mariam, Luke, You Li and myself and say, ‘go for it’.”

Ms Riza has worked as a public servant focused on economic revitalisation, jobs and employment, social impact, and community strengthening, as has experience in the not-for-profit sector with Brotherhood of St Laurence.

She said when she moved to Melbourne 10 years ago, she fell in love with the city and its beauty. However, she said that in the past few years, there was now “a darkness” and a sense of “sadness” to it.

“We’re not carrying as many people as we used to, we’ve lost businesses along the way,” Ms Riza said. “It’s not as vibrant as I remember it to be, and we’ve lost sight of the residents as well.”

Mr Guest, who works in the finance industry, added that what had concerned him the most about the current state of the city and Victoria was how some had described it as “in danger of becoming a sovereign risk”.

“Who's going to invest in Melbourne in its current state? And the answer is less and less,” he said.

People are moving interstate, people are setting up businesses where it's cheaper, where it is easier, where there's less interference from your local government or your state government.

“We can see it in the CBD too, with too many for lease signs up.”

While the Liberal team is yet to announce its full list of policies ahead of October’s election, Ms Riza said safety and amenity, accessibility and transport and supporting small businesses and investment in the city would be among its top priorities.

“My vision for the future is bringing back the buzz to the city,” she said.

“Even though this is a local government election, it interplays with the state as well. And so, we're confident that when we win local and we win state, we'll be able to provide for a much safer Victoria and safer Melbourne as well.”