14 - parliamentary debates (hansard)

PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

(HANSARD)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT

FIRST SESSION

WEDNESDAY, 14 AUGUST 2019

Internet: www.parliament.vic.gov.au/downloadhansard

By authority of the Victorian Government Printer

The Governor

The Honourable LINDA DESSAU, AC

The Lieutenant-Governor

The Honourable KEN LAY, AO, APM

The ministry

Premier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. DM Andrews, MP

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. JA Merlino, MP

Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Industrial Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. TH Pallas, MP

Minister for Transport Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. JM Allan, MP

Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice and Minister for Victim Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. BA Carroll, MP

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, and Minister for Solar Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. L D’Ambrosio, MP

Minister for Child Protection and Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. LA Donnellan, MP

Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Equality and Minister for Creative Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. MP Foley, MP

Attorney-General and Minister for Workplace Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. J Hennessy, MP

Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Ports and Freight . . . . . . . The Hon. MM Horne, MP

Special Minister of State, Minister for Priority Precincts and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. GW Jennings, MLC

Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, and Minister for Suburban Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. M Kairouz, MP

Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. J Mikakos, MLC

Minister for Water and Minister for Police and Emergency Services . . . . The Hon. LM Neville, MP

Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and Minister for Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. MP Pakula, MP

Minister for Roads, Minister for Road Safety and the TAC, and Minister for Fishing and Boating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. JL Pulford, MLC

Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. RD Scott, MP

Minister for Local Government and Minister for Small Business The Hon. A Somyurek, MLC

Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Resources

The Hon. J Symes, MLC

Minister for Training and Skills, and Minister for Higher Education . . . . The Hon. GA Tierney, MLC

Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Youth

The Hon. G Williams, MP

Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hon. RW Wynne, MP

Cabinet Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ms M Thomas, MP

OFFICE-HOLDERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT—FIRST SESSION

Speaker

The Hon. CW BROOKS

Deputy Speaker

Ms JM EDWARDS

Acting Speakers

Ms Blandthorn, Mr J Bull, Mr Carbines, Ms Couzens, Mr Dimopoulos, Mr Edbrooke, Ms Kilkenny, Mr McGuire, Mr Richardson, Ms Spence, Ms Suleyman and Ms Ward

Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and Premier

The Hon. DM ANDREWS

Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and Deputy Premier

The Hon. JA MERLINO

Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition

The Hon. MA O’BRIEN

Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party

The Hon. LG McLEISH

Leader of The Nationals and Deputy Leader of the Opposition

The Hon. PL WALSH

Deputy Leader of The Nationals

Ms SM RYAN

Leader of the House

Ms JM ALLAN

Manager of Opposition Business

Mr KA WELLS

Heads of parliamentary departments

Assembly: Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: Ms B Noonan

Council: Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the Legislative Council: Mr A Young

Parliamentary Services: Secretary: Mr P Lochert

MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT—FIRST SESSION

Member District Party Member District Party

Addison, Ms Juliana Wendouree ALP Maas, Mr Gary Narre Warren South ALP

Allan, Ms Jacinta Marie Bendigo East ALP McCurdy, Mr Timothy Logan Ovens Valley Nats

Andrews, Mr Daniel Michael Mulgrave ALP McGhie, Mr Stephen John Melton ALP

Angus, Mr Neil Andrew Warwick Forest Hill LP McGuire, Mr Frank Broadmeadows ALP

Battin, Mr Bradley William Gembrook LP McLeish, Ms Lucinda Gaye Eildon LP

Blackwood, Mr Gary John Narracan LP Merlino, Mr James Anthony Monbulk ALP

Blandthorn, Ms Elizabeth Anne Pascoe Vale ALP Morris, Mr David Charles Mornington LP

Brayne, Mr Chris Nepean ALP Neville, Ms Lisa Mary Bellarine ALP

Britnell, Ms Roma South-West Coast LP Newbury, Mr James Brighton LP

Brooks, Mr Colin William Bundoora ALP Northe, Mr Russell John Morwell Ind

Bull, Mr Joshua Michael Sunbury ALP O’Brien, Mr Daniel David Gippsland South Nats

Bull, Mr Timothy Owen Gippsland East Nats O’Brien, Mr Michael Anthony Malvern LP

Burgess, Mr Neale Ronald Hastings LP Pakula, Mr Martin Philip Keysborough ALP

Carbines, Mr Anthony Richard Ivanhoe ALP Pallas, Mr Timothy Hugh Werribee ALP

Carroll, Mr Benjamin Alan Niddrie ALP Pearson, Mr Daniel James Essendon ALP

Cheeseman, Mr Darren Leicester South Barwon ALP Read, Dr Tim Brunswick Greens

Connolly, Ms Sarah Tarneit ALP Richards, Ms Pauline Cranbourne ALP

Couzens, Ms Christine Anne Geelong ALP Richardson, Mr Timothy Noel Mordialloc ALP

Crugnale, Ms Jordan Alessandra Bass ALP Riordan, Mr Richard Vincent Polwarth LP

Cupper, Ms Ali Mildura Ind Rowswell, Mr Brad Sandringham LP

D’Ambrosio, Ms Liliana Mill Park ALP Ryan, Stephanie Maureen Euroa Nats

Dimopoulos, Mr Stephen Oakleigh ALP Sandell, Ms Ellen Melbourne Greens

Donnellan, Mr Luke Anthony Narre Warren North ALP Scott, Mr Robin David Preston ALP

Edbrooke, Mr Paul Andrew Frankston ALP Settle, Ms Michaela Buninyong ALP

Edwards, Ms Janice Maree Bendigo West ALP Sheed, Ms Suzanna Shepparton Ind

Eren, Mr John Hamdi Lara ALP Smith, Mr Ryan Warrandyte LP

Foley, Mr Martin Peter Albert Park ALP Smith, Mr Timothy Colin Kew LP

Fowles, Mr Will Burwood ALP Southwick, Mr David James Caulfield LP

Fregon, Mr Matt Mount Waverley ALP Spence, Ms Rosalind Louise Yuroke ALP

Green, Ms Danielle Louise Yan Yean ALP Staikos, Mr Nicholas Bentleigh ALP

Guy, Mr Matthew Jason Bulleen LP Staley, Ms Louise Eileen Ripon LP

Halfpenny, Ms Bronwyn Thomastown ALP Suleyman, Ms Natalie St Albans ALP

Hall, Ms Katie Footscray ALP Tak, Mr Meng Heang Clarinda ALP

Halse, Mr Dustin Ringwood ALP Taylor, Mr Jackson Bayswater ALP

Hamer, Mr Paul Box Hill ALP Theophanous, Ms Katerina Northcote ALP

Hennessy, Ms Jill Altona ALP Thomas, Ms Mary-Anne Macedon ALP

Hibbins, Mr Samuel Peter Prahran Greens Tilley, Mr William John Benambra LP

Hodgett, Mr David John Croydon LP Vallence, Ms Bridget Evelyn LP

Horne, Ms Melissa Margaret Williamstown ALP Wakeling, Mr Nicholas Ferntree Gully LP

Hutchins, Ms Natalie Maree Sykes Sydenham ALP Walsh, Mr Peter Lindsay Murray Plains Nats

Kairouz, Ms Marlene Kororoit ALP Ward, Ms Vicki Eltham ALP

Kealy, Ms Emma Jayne Lowan Nats Wells, Mr Kimberley Arthur Rowville LP

Kennedy, Mr John Ormond Hawthorn ALP Williams, Ms Gabrielle Dandenong ALP

Kilkenny, Ms Sonya Carrum ALP Wynne, Mr Richard William Richmond ALP

PARTY ABBREVIATIONS

ALP—Labor Party; Greens—The Greens;

Ind—Independent; LP—Liberal Party; Nats—The Nationals.

Legislative Assembly committees

Economy and Infrastructure Standing Committee Ms Addison, Mr Blackwood, Ms Connolly, Mr Eren, Mr Rowswell, Ms Ryan and Ms Theophanous.

Environment and Planning Standing Committee Mr Cheeseman, Mr Fowles, Ms Green, Mr Hamer, Mr McCurdy, Mr Morris and Mr T Smith.

Legal and Social Issues Standing Committee Ms Couzens, Ms Kealy, Mr Newbury, Ms Settle, Ms Suleyman, Mr Tak and Mr Tilley.

Privileges Committee Ms Allan, Mr Guy, Ms Hennessy, Mr McGuire, Mr Morris, Ms Neville, Mr Pakula, Ms Ryan and Mr Wells.

Standing Orders Committee The Speaker, Ms Allan, Ms Edwards, Ms Halfpenny, Ms McLeish, Ms Sheed, Mr Staikos, Ms Staley and Mr Walsh.

Joint committees

Dispute Resolution Committee Assembly: Ms Allan, Ms Hennessy, Mr Merlino, Mr Pakula, Mr R Smith, Mr Walsh and Mr Wells. Council: Mr Bourman, Mr Davis, Mr Jennings, Ms Symes and Ms Wooldridge.

Electoral Matters Committee Assembly: Ms Blandthorn, Ms Hall, Dr Read and Ms Spence. Council: Mr Atkinson, Mrs McArthur, Mr Meddick, Mr Melhem, Ms Lovell and Mr Quilty.

House Committee Assembly: The Speaker (ex officio), Mr T Bull, Ms Crugnale, Ms Edwards, Mr Fregon, Ms Sandell and Ms Staley. Council: The President (ex officio), Mr Bourman, Mr Davis, Ms Lovell, Ms Pulford and Ms Stitt.

Integrity and Oversight Committee Assembly: Mr Halse, Mr McGhie, Mr Rowswell, Mr Taylor and Mr Wells. Council: Mr Grimley and Ms Shing.

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee Assembly: Ms Blandthorn, Mr Hibbins, Mr Maas, Mr D O’Brien, Ms Richards, Mr Richardson, Mr Riordan and Ms Vallence. Council: Ms Stitt.

Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee Assembly: Mr Burgess, Ms Connolly and Ms Kilkenny. Council: Mr Gepp, Mrs McArthur, Ms Patten and Ms Taylor.

CONTENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS Acknowledgement of country .................................................................................................................................... 2557

BILLS Children Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 ............................................................................................................. 2557

Introduction and first reading ................................................................................................................................ 2557 PETITIONS

Banyule planning scheme ........................................................................................................................................... 2557 DOCUMENTS

Documents ................................................................................................................................................................... 2558 MEMBERS STATEMENTS

Toorak Road, Kooyong, level crossing ..................................................................................................................... 2558 Bendigo Islamic Community Centre ......................................................................................................................... 2558 A Good Kitchen ........................................................................................................................................................... 2559 Dairy industry .............................................................................................................................................................. 2559 Gary Jungwirth ............................................................................................................................................................ 2559 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne ............................................................................................................................ 2559 Sunbury winter night shelter....................................................................................................................................... 2559 North-east link ............................................................................................................................................................. 2560 Tram Road, Doncaster ................................................................................................................................................ 2560 Bulleen electorate ........................................................................................................................................................ 2560 Sunshine Letters campaign ......................................................................................................................................... 2560 Indian Independence Day ........................................................................................................................................... 2560 Smythesdale ................................................................................................................................................................. 2561 Benambra electorate .................................................................................................................................................... 2561 Sigmund Jörgensen ..................................................................................................................................................... 2562 Viewbank College ....................................................................................................................................................... 2562 Rawson Primary School ............................................................................................................................................. 2562 West Gippsland Hospital ............................................................................................................................................ 2562 Gary Jungwirth ............................................................................................................................................................ 2562 Djab Wurrung sacred trees ......................................................................................................................................... 2563 Wilhelm Bernard Darrel Schumacher ....................................................................................................................... 2563 Duck hunting season ................................................................................................................................................... 2564 Neil Poulton ................................................................................................................................................................. 2564 Casey/Cardinia Life Activities Club .......................................................................................................................... 2564 Tarneit electorate sporting clubs ................................................................................................................................ 2565 Club Fogolar Furlan Melbourne ................................................................................................................................ 2565 Gary Jungwirth ............................................................................................................................................................ 2566 Neil Poulton ................................................................................................................................................................. 2566

STATEMENTS ON PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORTS Public Accounts and Estimates Committee .............................................................................................................. 2567

Report on the Appointment of a Person to Conduct the Financial Audit of the Victorian Auditor-

General’s Office...................................................................................................................................................... 2567 Public Accounts and Estimates Committee .............................................................................................................. 2568


General’s Office...................................................................................................................................................... 2568 Public Accounts and Estimates Committee .............................................................................................................. 2569


General’s Office...................................................................................................................................................... 2569 BILLS

Renewable Energy (Jobs and Investment) Amendment Bill 2019......................................................................... 2570 Statement of compatibility ..................................................................................................................................... 2570 Second reading ........................................................................................................................................................ 2570

Rail Safety Legislation Amendment (National Services Delivery and Related Reforms) Bill 2019 ................. 2572 Statement of compatibility ..................................................................................................................................... 2572 Second reading ........................................................................................................................................................ 2577

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019 ................................................................................................. 2579 Second reading ........................................................................................................................................................ 2579

MEMBERS Premier.......................................................................................................................................................................... 2584

Absence ................................................................................................................................................................... 2584 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS

Waste and recycling management ............................................................................................................................. 2584 Ministers statements: TAFE funding ......................................................................................................................... 2585

Waste and recycling management ............................................................................................................................. 2586 Ministers statements: child protection ....................................................................................................................... 2588 Building cladding ........................................................................................................................................................ 2588 Ministers statements: recycling relief package ......................................................................................................... 2590 Mildura Base Hospital ................................................................................................................................................ 2590 Ministers statements: regional employment ............................................................................................................. 2591 Building cladding ........................................................................................................................................................ 2592 Ministers statements: youth mental health ................................................................................................................ 2593

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS Kew electorate ............................................................................................................................................................. 2595 Yuroke electorate ......................................................................................................................................................... 2596 Euroa electorate ........................................................................................................................................................... 2596 Sunbury electorate ....................................................................................................................................................... 2596 South-West Coast electorate....................................................................................................................................... 2596 Lara electorate .............................................................................................................................................................. 2596 Brunswick electorate ................................................................................................................................................... 2597 Macedon electorate...................................................................................................................................................... 2597 Hastings electorate ....................................................................................................................................................... 2597 Mount Waverley electorate ........................................................................................................................................ 2597

BILLS Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019 ................................................................................................. 2598

Second reading ........................................................................................................................................................ 2598 MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

Homelessness ............................................................................................................................................................... 2609 BILLS

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019 ................................................................................................. 2632 Second reading ........................................................................................................................................................ 2632

MOTIONS Budget papers 2019–20 .............................................................................................................................................. 2640

ADJOURNMENT Mooroolbark level crossing ........................................................................................................................................ 2665 Growing Suburbs Fund ............................................................................................................................................... 2666 Kaniva chemical waste dump site .............................................................................................................................. 2666 Strathaird Primary School ........................................................................................................................................... 2667 Anti-Semitism .............................................................................................................................................................. 2667 Hazel Glen College ..................................................................................................................................................... 2668 Shepparton education plan .......................................................................................................................................... 2669 Health services ............................................................................................................................................................. 2669 Geoff Watt Memorial Athletics Track ...................................................................................................................... 2670 Salvation Army Carrum Downs community supermarket ...................................................................................... 2670 Responses ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2671

JOINT SITTING OF PARLIAMENT Legislative Council vacancy....................................................................................................................................... 2673 Victorian Health Promotion Foundation ................................................................................................................... 2673 Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation .......................................................................................................... 2673

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wednesday, 14 August 2019 Legislative Assembly 2557

Wednesday, 14 August 2019

The SPEAKER (Hon. Colin Brooks) took the chair at 9.32 am and read the prayer.

Announcements

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

The SPEAKER (09:32): We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land on which

we are meeting. We pay our respects to them, their culture, their elders past, present and future, and

elders from other communities who may be here today.

Bills

CHILDREN LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2019

Introduction and first reading

Mr DONNELLAN (Narre Warren North—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Disability,

Ageing and Carers) (09:33): I move:

That I have leave to bring in a bill for an act to amend the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005, the Children

Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Act 2018, the Crimes Act 1958, the Evidence Act 2008, the

Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, the Working with Children Act 2005 and the Limitation of Actions

Act 1958, and for other purposes.

Mr WAKELING (Ferntree Gully) (09:33): I ask the minister for a brief explanation of the bill.

Mr DONNELLAN: This provides for the introduction of mandatory reporting in relation to child

abuse for religious ministries—that is the main part of the bill. Further there are other parts, including

the provision of vaccinations for children in the care of the state to ensure that it is very clear that the

state has the right to do that, and other amendments.

Motion agreed to.

Read first time.

Ordered to be read a second time tomorrow.

Petitions

Following petition presented to house by Clerk:

BANYULE PLANNING SCHEME

To the Legislative Assembly of Victoria

The Petition of residents of Victoria draws to the attention of the House to the Banyule Planning Scheme

Amendment C152 that seeks to make the interim heritage overlay (HO198) for 22 Arden Crescent, Rosanna

permanent.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Assembly of Victoria act promptly (interim order expires

on 1 Nov 2019) in accordance with this request from Banyule City Council, the local residents and wider

community and make the amendment to the Heritage Overlay permanent and thereby protect this 115 year

old architecturally unique heritage building.

By Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (17 signatures).

Tabled.

DOCUMENTS

2558 Legislative Assembly Wednesday, 14 August 2019

Documents

DOCUMENTS

Tabled by Clerk:

Subordinate Legislation Act 1994—Documents under s 15 in relation to Statutory Rule 66.

Members statements

TOORAK ROAD, KOOYONG, LEVEL CROSSING

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (09:35): Sadly, my community of

Kooyong is already seeing the pain of the Labor government’s decision to plough ahead with sky rail

at Toorak Road—

Members interjecting.

Mr M O’BRIEN: I hear the cackling of laughter of the minister at the table, the Minister for

Transport Infrastructure, which is appalling—despite the overwhelming community support for a

rail-under-road solution to remove the Toorak Road level crossing.

Ms Allan interjected.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House will come to order!

Mr M O’BRIEN: Residents of Talbot Crescent have witnessed the whole-scale chopping down

of mature trees, which the minister finds very funny. She finds it funny to cut down trees in people’s

homes; she thinks that is hilarious. These are trees which provided a screen between the train line and

local homes, and now they have gone.

This deforestation was a shock to local families; it certainly was never shown in any of the glossy

drawings pumped out by the Andrews government and their spin doctors at the Level Crossing Removal

Project. In what can only be regarded as a calculated insult, the Labor government has advertised for

members of a community ‘construction liaison group’, but only after the trees were chopped down!

Typical Labor: only advertise to consult with people after you have already done the deed.

This government is destroying the amenity of too many people in my community—they are seeing

local sporting ovals taken over. The government needs to sit down and genuinely consult with the

community about minimising the damage that its ill-thought-out proposal is doing.

BENDIGO ISLAMIC COMMUNITY CENTRE

Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure) (09:37):

Friday, 26 July, marked an important milestone for our wonderful city of Bendigo. Civic, community

and multifaith leaders came together to celebrate the start of works for the Bendigo Islamic

Community Centre (BICC). It has been a long journey to reach the point of works starting on stage 1

of this project.


Ms ALLAN: At times this journey has been challenging for the Bendigo community, a challenge

our community rose to respond to. It is wonderful to see the strength, determination and perseverance

of our local Islamic community in realising this significant milestone. It is also a testament to all in

our community who have promoted tolerance and inclusion, not least Believe in Bendigo.

I am proud to have been a strong supporter of the Bendigo Islamic Community Centre and by

extension the Muslim community in Bendigo. I would like to thank the Premier for sharing this special

moment with us. The decisive leadership on cherishing Victoria’s cultural strength is a hallmark of

our Premier, and our community has deeply appreciated the personal support of the Premier

throughout this journey.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


I would also like to acknowledge the leadership on this issue of the City of Greater Bendigo and also

our local media. I would like to quote a comment from Sameer Syed, the president of the Bendigo

Islamic Association, in the Bendigo Advertiser:

… it won’t be just a mosque for the Bendigo Muslims to pray in, it will be a centre of religious and cultural

exchange for all residents of Bendigo …

Our vision is for every Bendigonian to benefit from the BICC, whether it be to educate themselves, engage

in constructive dialogue, take part in community activities or simply drop in with family and friends for a

coffee …

A GOOD KITCHEN

Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) (09:38): Last week, as part of Homelessness Week, I attended A

Good Kitchen at the St Mary’s parish centre in Swan Hill. Can I congratulate the A Good Kitchen team,

who have been operating since last October to provide meals for the homeless and the disadvantaged

in Swan Hill over that time, and congratulate Father Matt from the parish and all the team there that do

this great work. It was very pleasing to see the Clontarf team come down on Tuesday night, and they

are offering to volunteer in the future. The two Rotary clubs are behind it, Bunnings are behind it, and

there are some very generous donors in Swan Hill who have made sure that this is continuing.

DAIRY INDUSTRY

Mr WALSH: The other matter I want to raise is the fact that those in the dairy industry in northern

Victoria are very perplexed that John Brumby has been appointed to actually head up the task force to

do the dairy plan for the future. John Brumby was the architect of the north–south pipeline, the food

bowl modernisation project that actually led to the waterways of northern Victoria. I really feel for the

dairy industry that John Brumby is supposedly the person that is going to save that industry, when he

is the person that started at the mess in the first place through what he did around the water projects in

northern Victoria and particularly the north–south pipeline. We know that was an appalling project,

with $1 billion of Victorian taxpayers and water users money spent to build a pipeline that has not

been used and will never be used, because when there is a drought in Melbourne there has already

been a drought in northern Victoria and there is no water to go down that pipeline.

GARY JUNGWIRTH

Mr J BULL (Sunbury) (09:40): I would like to extend my deepest condolences on the passing of

Gary Jungwirth. Gary was a life member of the Labor Party, a tireless advocate for his local

community, a passionate fighter for social justice and a warm, kind and friendly person. Throughout

Gary’s life he served as two-time mayor of Hume City Council. During this time Gary pioneered the

idea and development of the Broadmeadows Global Learning Centre, which years later led to the

development of the Craigieburn GLC and the soon to be finished Sunbury Global Learning Centre. I

would like to offer my deepest sympathies to Gary’s wife, Ann, their children and the extended family.

INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF MELBOURNE

Mr J BULL: I was delighted, on Friday night, to represent the Minister for Multicultural Affairs

and join world famous actor Shah Rukh Khan—SRK—and thousands of fans at the opening of the

10th anniversary of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. India continues to mesmerise the world

with its rich heritage, science, technology and, no doubt, its movies. The theme of this year’s festival

was courage, which will give audiences the opportunity to explore issues that the films present. Thank

you for having me. It was a terrific success.

SUNBURY WINTER NIGHT SHELTER

Mr J BULL: Last week I had the opportunity to catch up with local ministers from Sunbury

churches to discuss the winter night shelter project, a terrific project that is assisting those that are most

vulnerable in our community. I commend everybody on their important work. Congratulations, and

keep it up.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


NORTH-EAST LINK

Mr GUY (Bulleen) (09:41): I again rise to raise the biggest issue of debate and discussion in

Manningham, which is the government’s plan to build a north-east link and their desire to widen and

possibly toll the Eastern Freeway. Noise barriers on the proposed freeway at the Bulleen Road

interchange are set to be reduced for the flyovers so that drivers and heavy vehicles exiting eastbound

have broader access as they exit, passing over Thompsons Road. This will apparently allow a

100 kilometre per hour speed limit as opposed to 80. But to be able to do so, those noise barriers will

be reduced. This means residents are going to be exposed to no protection from traffic noise, despite

a five-lane each-way road having doubled the lane width and a flyover akin to the massive Interstate 5

and State Route 14 interchange in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. It will be a very poor outcome

for residents in the Bulleen area.

TRAM ROAD, DONCASTER

Mr GUY: I place on record my support for concepts by Applewood residents to attain safer,

signalised entry and exit points to their village on Tram Road, Doncaster. The federal government has

committed $1 million to make this project happen. We now need state government support. It is a very

sensible idea. It can be done with a major federal contribution that can solve one of Tram Road’s most

dangerous intersections. We do need the state to get on board. I ask that VicRoads and the state

government be a party to discussions on this issue, sought by the City of Manningham, in order to

progress a solution that would be of great benefit.

BULLEEN ELECTORATE

Mr GUY: Finally, I want to place on record my appreciation to the 200 people that came along on

a cold winter’s night to the public meeting held by the member for Warrandyte, me, Mary Woodridge

and our guest, the Leader of the Opposition, a few Thursdays ago. Traffic congestion, the north-east

link, crime and changes to state planning laws all featured heavily in the evening discussions. It gives

me great heart to see so many Manningham locals come out to talk about issues that deeply impact

their community. I want to place on record my thanks to the local RSL president, Charles Collins, and

the Doncaster RSL for the venue and, as always, their support for the Manningham community.

SUNSHINE LETTERS CAMPAIGN

Ms ADDISON (Wendouree) (09:43): Last week was Homelessness Week and I wish to recognise

Ailish Ryan, a young Ballarat girl with a big heart who inspires me. After seeing firsthand people who

were homeless, Ailish wanted to make a difference for people who were sleeping rough. She thought

about what she could do to improve the lives of people doing it tough. How could she bring some

sunshine into their lives? And so the idea of the Sunshine Letters campaign began. These are very

special letters written to people experiencing homelessness ‘to make them feel warm and happy’, as

Ailish describes it.

With the support of her family, teacher Jo O’Kelly and Emmaus Catholic Primary School, she is

making a difference. Ailish’s dad created a bright yellow letterbox for people to post their sunshine

letters, which sits in the Emmaus school foyer. Since then Ailish has encouraged friends and their

families to write sunshine letters to bring a smile to those people experiencing homelessness and to let

them now that they are not invisible, that members of our community do care. Hundreds of sunshine

letters have now been written, and from all reports they bring joy to those who receive them. I am

pleased that the Sunshine Letters campaign is growing, with students at Yuille Park Community

College building another sunshine letterbox. I encourage anyone who wishes to write a sunshine letter

to do so, and I am happy for members to drop them at my office.

INDIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

Mr BATTIN (Gembrook) (09:44): In the electorate of Gembrook we proudly celebrate the many

communities that have chosen to call our area home. An ever-increasing number from India are

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


choosing to call Cardinia and Casey home. The fifteenth of August will be India’s 72nd independence

day. It commemorates the independence of India, in 1947. On 15 August 1947 the first Prime Minister

of India raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi. On each

subsequent independence day the incumbent Prime Minister has customarily raised that flag and has

given an address to the nation.

This year I travelled to India with the assistance of Harpreet Kandra Singh and Brajal Parikh, who

arranged parts of the trip, which included universities, business and religious parts of the tour. On the

tour we attended the Red Fort to learn about the history of India and about the flag raising occurring

in this proud independent nation. On this day I stand with the Indian community as they commemorate

their country’s independence, and I thank them for joining our community to make this the place what

it is today. Thank you to all involved in the various temples, community groups and organisations and

to community leaders for welcoming me to your community and sharing your country with me when

I was in India earlier this year.

I would also like to pass on to Jason Wood, who has been put into the role of Assistant Minister for

Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs federally, my thanks for his work with the

communities down through the Gembrook area, particularly in Casey and Cardinia. It is much

appreciated, and we look forward to a bright future with the help of many, many different nationalities

in the electorate.

SMYTHESDALE

Ms SETTLE (Buninyong) (09:46): One of the many wonderful communities that I represent is

Smythesdale. Recently I was in Smythesdale opening the new skate park with Golden Plains mayor

Owen Sharkey. This was as a consequence of the Andrews government co-funding the construction

of the skate park, which is extremely popular with local kids—particularly the half-pipe.

This week I had a great chat with Corey Pohlner, the principal of Woady Yaloak Primary School,

about the four campuses this school covers. While there I also had the pleasure of a tour of

Smythesdale cemetery with the cemetery trust secretary, Rosemary Angus. The cemetery has many

historically significant people buried there and has information displays around the graves of many of

their historic men. Now, thanks to a grant from the Andrews government, the region’s historic women

will finally receive the same recognition.

Stopping off at the wonderful historic Court House Hotel I had the pleasure of running into the crew

from DE Quarry Solutions. I had a great chat with David, the quarry boss, about how the business has

been booming over the last year with all of the regional road upgrades and the wind farms being built.

On Sunday I was back in Smythesdale, this time to congratulate some of the fantastic volunteers of

the Smythesdale CFA brigade as they received their service awards. Smythesdale is a place that is well

worth a visit, and I commend it to everyone.

BENAMBRA ELECTORATE

Mr TILLEY (Benambra) (09:47): If there is one message people want me to bring to Melbourne

it is simply: when is it our turn? When will Labor recognise the potential of rural Victoria? The people

of Benambra see media moments in big tunnels, they hear about the government underwriting a

wrestling event for Melbourne and giving $50 000 to a multimillionaire basketballer to take happy

snaps around the city of Melbourne. They also want to be consulted. They watch from a distance as

regional road safety forums pull up at Shepparton, an expert education panel only gets to Wangaratta

and a renewable energy launch also starts and stops in Wangaratta.

Infrastructure Victoria said you need to invest in the regions. Just last week the Regional Australia

Institute highlighted the potential for Albury-Wodonga to grow to almost 400 000 people. I will say

that I was happy to hear that five Wodonga schools are among the first in the state to benefit from the

free dental bus. But for the most part we feel ignored, with projects left unfunded—projects like

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


Bullioh’s netball courts, Wodonga turf club’s convention centre or just fixing the potholes in country

roads. So I ask for the people of Benambra: when is it going to be our turn?

SIGMUND JÖRGENSEN

Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (09:49): I rise to give thanks for the life of Sigmund Jörgensen, OAM,

from 29 April 1940 to 21 July 2019, one of the founders and leaders out at Montsalvat in Eltham. I

was pleased to join many, many people from the local community in celebration of his life just last

week, and I thank the member for Eltham for sharing her reflections at the time about the Montsalvat

Jazz Festival and regional and cultural tourism events. As a former mayor of the Shire of Nillumbik

and also a Labor candidate back in 1996 in Eltham, for over 25 years Sigmund has been a great friend

and also a great leader in the community. I was certainly pleased to join people to celebrate an amazing

life of generosity and leadership in our community and a great supporter of course of the green wedge.

VIEWBANK COLLEGE

Mr CARBINES: Can I also send my congratulations to my old school, Viewbank College, for its

successful production of Back to the 80s, as Viewbank College was transformed into William Ocean

High School and the class of 1989. I was pleased to attend one of the performances. I want to thank

the new principal, Sharon Grimes, and also commend the great work of co-producers Caitlin Brown,

Ben Mogford and Jessica Brown, and all of the students who did such a stellar job, particularly Ethan

Francis-D’Amour, the drama captain; William Marshall, the tech captain; and the team. To all those

who are concluding their year 12 studies there this year, my very best wishes to you, and of course all

this took place in the new $11.5 million Viewbank College performing arts theatre.

RAWSON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Mr BLACKWOOD (Narracan) (09:50): Just yesterday news filtered out from the Department of

Education and Training that a recent school bus review has recommended that Rawson Primary

School should have its school bus service terminated from the end of 2019. If the Andrews government

adopts this recommendation, it will be another kick in the guts for a small country community in

Gippsland. Currently the school has over 30 students, with almost 20 students reliant on their school

bus to deliver them to school and home each day. Rawson is located 37 kilometres north of Moe, and

students travel from the surrounding districts of Erica, Moondarra, Jacob Creek and Caringal. Why

should our schoolchildren bear the brunt of the Andrews government’s cuts to funding, caused by their

own failure to manage money and contain the costs of running government? So I call on the Minister

for Education to step in and ensure the Rawson Primary School bus continues to run in 2020.

WEST GIPPSLAND HOSPITAL

Mr BLACKWOOD: The West Gippsland Hospital continues to struggle with a massive increase

in demand and problems associated with the construction of a new operating theatre that has led to the

closure of all theatres for more than five weeks. Theatres reopened yesterday but that will not ease the

pain and disruption those waiting for elective surgery have endured. The Andrews government have

got to begin treating the West Gippsland community with more respect, release the business case and

feasibility studies that have been completed for over 12 months and tell the community of West

Gippsland what their plans are for healthcare delivery in West Gippsland in the future.

GARY JUNGWIRTH

Mr EREN (Lara) (09:51): It is with great sadness that I speak to the house today about the passing

of Gary Jungwirth, who was a much-loved and much-respected member of the Labor Party and a

friend. Gary passed away on Saturday, 13 July, at only 67 years of age. My condolences to Gary’s

wife, Anne; sons Edwin and Tom; and the wider family.

Gary was a life member of the Labor Party. He was a dedicated representative of his local area on

council and served as mayor of two municipalities, Preston and Hume. Gary had a wideranging career.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


He was at different times an electorate officer, a ministerial adviser and a senior public servant, who

always had strong Labor values and a focus on social justice.

Leading into the 2014 election Gary assisted me in my role as the Shadow Minister for Sport and

Recreation and contributed to some amazing policy work that we took to that election. He was an

esteemed colleague who applied his intelligence and skills to every job before him. But I will

remember him most for being a great friend and a fun person to spend time with. He had a passion for

politics and loved to discuss the current state of play with anyone who would listen. He loved his

family and had an amazing passion for life.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend his funeral as I was overseas, but I understand it was a fitting

tribute to a man who contributed so much to society. Many people attended to pay their last respects

to a wonderful man. Gary, you will be sorely missed by all those who knew you, especially those from

your Labor Party family.

DJAB WURRUNG SACRED TREES

Dr READ (Brunswick) (09:53): South of the highway on the southern edge of the Langi Ghiran

State Park is a stretch of dry grassland dotted with eucalypts. Some are hundreds of years old and pre-

date white settlement. Sacred to the Djab Wurrung people, these trees have a value that I cannot

completely grasp as a city dweller of European descent. But I can still recognise that they are ancient

and priceless, that they have a spiritual meaning to Indigenous people. The Djab Wurrung people tell

us that some of these trees may be up to 800 years old, and that countless generations of their people

were born while their mothers sheltered beneath them or in the hollows. As I listen, I try to put it in

language I can understand. They are like a cathedral or mosque. They are historic, like a precious old

building. They are spiritual, and they are a natural wonder as well. They are impressive, these old

spreading gum trees. So I have a sense of the impending loss if these trees are bulldozed to make way

for a highway duplication—a project with its own logic but which appears not to appreciate the value

of the country it will wound. The protesters blockading the highway are about to be evicted, so I

implore the government to find another way.

WILHELM BERNARD DARREL SCHUMACHER

Ms BLANDTHORN (Pascoe Vale) (09:54): Vale, Wilhelm Bernard Darrel Schumacher. Darrel

passed away on Wednesday, 3 July. Most importantly, Darrel was a loving husband to Sandy; father

to Hans, Natasha, Elise and Talya; father-in-law to Rochelle and Devon; and grandfather to Ethan,

Jaxon and Harvey. My deepest condolences to Darrel’s family.

I knew Darrel as an official of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, where he

worked for 18 years. Darrel started with the SDA as an organiser in October 2001. He was a tireless

advocate for union members on the Mornington Peninsula. In 2006 Darrel was promoted to the

position of SDA membership officer, where he was responsible for liaising between SDA organisers

across the state and Victorian employer representatives in relation to membership matters. Darrel

understood that there is strength in numbers, and he was a staunch promoter of broad union

membership. Darrel also served as a mentor for new union officials, in particular for young unionists

who joined the SDA in part-time organising and recruitment roles.

Of strong Christian values, Darrel expressed those principles through his support of fellow men and

women. As a devoted Catholic, Darrel saw his work at the SDA as an opportunity to carry out the

principles expressed by Pope Leo XIII in the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum and subsequent

encyclicals on the rights of workers. Darrel was well regarded by union members and employers alike.

He was a valued colleague and a pleasure to work with—unless the Sydney Swans were winning.

Darrel came to Australia from Sri Lanka in search of a better life for himself and his family, but he

also helped influence a better life for hundreds of union members.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


DUCK HUNTING SEASON

Mr D O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (09:56): It was a pleasure to join members of Sale

Field & Game at the Heart Morass wetland a couple of weeks ago, planting 2000 trees for National

Tree Day. This practical conservation was not a one-off. Having purchased the Heart Morass in 2006,

they have made huge strides in rehabilitating this important local wetland.

This event came just before MPs started receiving emails, I believe generated from the Animals

Australia website, demanding we ban duck season. To those sending the emails, you are perfectly

entitled to your opinion and to lobby MPs to shut down something you do not like. But here is a tip:

when you click ‘Send’ on that email, it might be useful to have some of it—just some of it—actually

rooted in reality. For instance, to quote some of the emails, duck season does not ‘destroy rural

communities’ or ‘protected habitats’, and it is not ‘unregulated and cruel’. In fact it is quite heavily

regulated. It is ridiculous to say duck season promotes ‘unrestricted weaponised violence’ and that

‘criminal activity is endemic’ by hunters. I received one that was particularly offensive, calling hunters

‘primitive and challenged psychopaths’, and that if they could get away with it ‘they'd move on human

targets’. What a disgraceful, shameful thing to suggest. Another reads—falsely—that rural Victorian

homes are ‘seriously scattered with shooting and bloodshed’ during duck season. Really?

These emails indicate to me that those sending them and the organisation generating them have no

idea what they are talking about. I raise them here to highlight the ignorance. For the reckless few

hunters who do the wrong thing, they should absolutely feel the full force of the law.

NEIL POULTON

Ms CRUGNALE (Bass) (09:57): I stand to honour Neil Poulton, who departed this world on

24 July. The CFA and Pakenham fire brigade lost their leading firefighter. The Pakenham Lions

football-netball club lost their head trainer. Their family lost a beautiful, unique and all-for-community

gentle man. With over 27 years of service, both as a volunteer and career firefighter, Neil served with

Berwick, Dandenong, Doveton, Hallam and Pakenham brigades. He was given a national emergency

service award for his role in the 2009 fires, and at the recent service celebrating his life he was

posthumously awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal.

All attending were encouraged to wear either work uniforms, a bright Hawaiian shirt or don flower

chains to best embody Neil’s joyous love of life. The stories and tributes abounded and will continue

for a very long time. ‘An inspiring leader, prankster, larrikin, big heart, a strong unionist, an avid

photographer’—all voiced in just a few sentences. What also came to light in Neil’s honouring was:

Brave firey, into ‘scout’ things, only met him once, but Christ, what an impression he left, an absolute rarity,

all round good bloke, dedicated, committed, hugely popular, tremendous supporter of women’s south eastern

football.

The processional line of honour that followed was indicative of his special place in so many hearts.

My sincerest condolences to Anita and the Poulton family, his friends and work colleagues. We thank

you, Neil, for your service, leadership and commitment to your community and the wider community.

CASEY/CARDINIA LIFE ACTIVITIES CLUB

Mr MAAS (Narre Warren South) (09:59): On 11 July I had the pleasure of visiting the

Casey/Cardinia Life Activities Club with the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers to celebrate

their work in the community. Life Activities Clubs Victoria supports people through educational,

social, physical and recreational activities as they enter the later stages of their lives. The slogan of

Life Activities Clubs is ‘Life’s Better Together’, which embodies their philosophy of enjoying life and

meeting like-minded people to help address loneliness and social isolation.

The Andrews Labor government has provided $42 330 to Life Activities Clubs of Victoria in the state

budget. This will be the sixth consecutive year that the organisation has received state government

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


funding. Organisations such as the Casey/Cardinia Life Activities Club are an extremely important

part of our community as they provide much-needed support services for people aged 50-plus.

The Casey/Cardinia Life Activities Club meet every Thursday for their regular Twinkle Toes activity,

which involves sequence in-line dancing. Although very tempted, given that the activity involved

coordination and stamina, the minister and I left the in-line dancing on this particular occasion to the

professionals. The Andrews Labor government is proud to support community groups such as Life

Activities Clubs of Victoria and the work that they do to keep people physically, mentally and socially

active. My thanks to Kath Frowen, president of Life Activities Clubs of Victoria, Susan Brooks,

president of the Casey and Cardinia club, board members in attendance and club members for their

hospitality and truly inspiring afternoon.

TARNEIT ELECTORATE SPORTING CLUBS

Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (10:00): It has been a busy few months for the Tarneit sporting

community. Whether it is football, netball or soccer, Tarneit is on the move and getting active. A new

and welcome addition to our community has come in the form of the Tarneit Titans Netball Club.

Having only just been formed, Tarneit Titans received $3000 from this government to purchase new

uniforms and equipment as part of the VicHealth active club grants. I would like to thank Hollie and

Jake and the rest of the club for making me so welcome down at the courts at Eagle Stadium, where I

got to try out my netball skills and realise that even though I might have height on my side, that is

about it when it comes to my netball playing career.

I also paid a visit to Truganina Thunder Football Club, another beneficiary of this government’s

sporting club grants. It was a pleasure to witness the girls team play a great match, watched on by their

mums and dads. I want to thank club president Nick Ladbrooke for inviting me down to watch the

girls play. Another beneficiary of the sporting club grants is Truganina Auskick, having received

funding of $1000. It was wonderful witnessing the strong sense of local community as the kids enjoyed

themselves out on the field whilst parents chatted and got to know one another.

It makes you realise that these sporting clubs are not just about getting active; rather they are an integral

part of what brings our community together. I am so proud to see so many kids getting out and active

in our community on the weekend, playing the sports that they love. To all the families across my

electorate, I encourage you, whether you are young or old, fit or, like me, trying to get fit, to do the

same and get involved.

CLUB FOGOLAR FURLAN MELBOURNE

Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) (10:02): For some people in my electorate the Fogolar Furlan

Club is something hidden down near the Darebin Creek away from the thoroughfares, out of sight and

out of mind. But its location in Thornbury belies the impact it has on the Italian community in my

community and well beyond the boundaries of the Northcote electorate. My community is blessed to

have a strong and vibrant Italian population who bring so much to the tapestry of cultures and

communities that I have the honour to represent. Indeed the Northcote electorate is home to almost

7000 people with Italian ancestry and almost 3000 speak Italian at home.

The life of the Fogolar Furlan Club is lived through and is a reflection of its members. The club is a

meeting place for all from the Friuli region. It has been a home away from home. It has maintained

the traditions, culture and unique language of their origins. I am informed that the word ‘fogolar’

actually means ‘intimate fireplace’, and what better setting for the club’s 62nd anniversary celebration

dinner a couple of weeks ago on a cold July evening. I want to extend my warmest congratulations to

club president Mr Peter Muzzolino and all the members of the club and community who celebrated

that night. I believe our multicultural communities, both the younger and the older generations, should

be supported, and I look forward to many more years of celebration with the local Italian community

in the electorate of Northcote.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


GARY JUNGWIRTH

Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (10:03): I rise to pay tribute to a dear friend and a great loss to the Labor

movement, Gary Jungwirth. In the words of his life partner, Anne, who posted on Facebook on 13 July

2019:

Passed peacefully at home amongst family and friends.

Forever dedicated to Family, Democracy, Human Rights, Social Justice, Lifelong Learning and the Mighty

Tigers

I just cannot believe how well Gary faced the end of his life. I think it was just an example to everyone.

Once he learned that he had inoperable cancer he just set about doing everything that he loved for as

long as he could. He loved surfing, he loved skiing, he was a great friend of lifelong learning and I

know the member for Broadmeadows and the member for Yuroke are deeply thankful for his work in

Hume shire.

It was wonderful to be at his funeral and see every living mayor there pay tribute to their dear friend.

I read from André Haermeyer:

I am deeply saddened to read this post from Anne Jungwirth, just moments ago.

Gary Jungwirth is a friend I’ve known for more than 35 years.

His commitment to humanity, to his local community, to fairness, to decency, to his family and his love of

the Labor Party were his hallmark.

I was privileged to be in Melbourne prior to the recent federal election, and to be invited to join Anne, Danielle

Green, Ros Spence, and a number of others to accompany Gary to … his last vote for the Labor Party—Labor

proud until the very end.

NEIL POULTON

Mr EDBROOKE (Frankston) (10:05): It was a huge shock to hear of the passing of leading

firefighter Neil Poulton of the Pakenham fire brigade recently. It came as a shock to most people in

region 8 CFA. My thoughts are with his family: his wife, Anita, and kids, Ellyn, Euan and Gus, and

the rest of his family as well.

Ms Allan: On a point of order, Speaker, as it is the practice that points of order are usually held

over until the end of members statements, I am rising now to take a point of order on a matter that

occurred during my members statement.

When I rose earlier to make a members statement on the commencement of works at the Bendigo

Islamic Community Centre, a very important occasion for my community and indeed many

communities, the member for Eildon across the table said, ‘Why do you hate all religions except for

this one?’. I am very confident that I heard very clearly what the member for Eildon said across the

table and the member for Richmond, the Minister for Planning, was sitting alongside me.

I take that comment across the table, that interjection, as an imputation against me. There are the

obvious extensions of the imputation against the government and the community more broadly. I am

deeply and personally offended by those comments. They are made even worse by the fact that the

member for Eildon is meant to hold a leadership position in this place. It is why the member for Eildon

is sitting here at the table.

When it comes to matters of protecting and nourishing our religious diversity, it requires leadership, it

demands leadership; it does not demand division from those leaders. So I would like the Deputy

Leader of the Liberal Party to withdraw those deeply offensive remarks, and I would like the Leader

of the Opposition to distance himself from what I find to be deeply personally offensive.

The SPEAKER: I ask the member for Eildon to withdraw.

Ms McLeish: I support all religions, and I withdraw those comments.

STATEMENTS ON PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORTS


Statements on parliamentary committee reports

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AND ESTIMATES COMMITTEE


General’s Office

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (10:07): It is a great pleasure to speak on a committee report today, because

we have only got one committee report so far in the Parliament in this term, and that is the Report on

the Appointment of a Person to Conduct the Financial Audit of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office,

which was tabled in 2019—I just want to double-check that that is accurate, so thank you very much,

Clerk and Speaker.

This is of course a very, very important appointment because we put enormous trust and

responsibility—

Mr M O’Brien interjected.

Ms KEALY: Yes, I am warming up—enormous trust and responsibility in the Victorian Auditor-

General’s Office (VAGO). It is of course an office which shines a light really on many government

activities and duties, and often we see a number of recommendations arise from Auditor-General’s

reports which should be taken into consideration and definitely put into place when it comes to the

government planning how they will change how they do things into the future.

I would like to just at the outset congratulate the new financial auditor, Mr Geoff Parker, for his

appointment to the role. I am sure he will continue to do an excellent job in upholding the financial

duties of the Auditor-General’s office.

I would like to refer to page 5 of this report and the background to some of the responsibilities of the

financial auditor, and that is around ensuring that the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office is achieving

its objectives effectively and doing so economically and efficiently and in compliance with the Audit

Act 1994. This is something that is very, very important because we need to make sure that we have

the powers given to the Auditor-General but the financial support as well to ensure that they can

undertake full and comprehensive audits on government departments and the bureaucracy.

This is most important because we have got some very, very important audits that have been put

together in the annual plan for VAGO in this coming year. I probably should in this early portion of

my contribution congratulate and thank the Victorian Auditor-General and his office. He has a

fantastic team who really put an enormous amount of work into producing comprehensive reports. It

really does help us to identify where the gaps are in the government system, where there is need for

urgent recommendations or where there can be improvements in the system to make sure that everyday

Victorians can rely on and trust our government departments to be doing the job that they see fit.

When I look at the performance audit work program that is coming up for the next three years for the

Victorian Auditor-General’s Office there are a few audits that I would particularly like to highlight

that I am looking forward to, in particular the maintaining local roads audit. I think that will be

fascinating given the amount of deterioration in our roads that we see. We hear time and time again

from our councils that it has really hurt them having the country roads and bridges program that The

Nationals put in place cut so that they are unable to maintain their roads to the same standards. This

will be something where I hope there will be strong recommendations put forward for how the state

government can better support our local government—local councils—to better maintain these roads,

because these are essential roads for our local people. They are used for freight; they are used for

transport. It is how people get to work. It is how people go to footy and netball training and take their

kids to school. It is where the school buses go. So we need to make sure that there is a good road

network for our people, and we are not seeing that at this point in time. It is actually very, very

disappointing that Labor have turned a blind eye to most of the roads in country Victoria and

particularly funding for councils to maintain local roads.



We have also had a couple of really good reports tabled by the Auditor-General earlier this year, in

particular Access to Mental Health Services, which was tabled in March 2019; and Child and Youth

Mental Health, which was tabled in June 2019. These are absolutely scathing reports of Victoria’s

mental health system. In particular I would like to highlight some of the concerns the Auditor-General

raised in relation to funding for mental health. We have had so many audits which have provided

strong recommendations on how we can fix Victoria’s mental health system. We know that the system

is in crisis. Absolutely, it is fantastic that we have a royal commission into mental health, but we need

to make sure we have immediate funding to fix the problems now. I highlight a comment by the

Auditor-General:

The Royal Commission into Mental Health will undoubtedly highlight many areas for improvement across

the system. However, the need for planning and investment to meet demand is already known and as such

work to address this should not await the Commission’s recommendations. Further delay will only amplify

the problems the Commission seeks to address.

Therefore I call on the government to take note of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office in the reports

that they provide. It is very well and good to make sure that they are operating in a financially sensible

way that meets requirements, but they must listen to these recommendations. We need an urgent

injection of funding into the mental health system to start saving lives today.



General’s Office

Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (10:12): I refer to the Public Accounts and Estimate Committee

inquiry into the appointment of a person to conduct the financial audit of the Victorian Auditor-

General’s Office. The importance of who audits the Auditor-General is a response to the age-old issue

of who watches the watchers. The critical responsibilities are scrutiny, accountability and compliance.

The role is to establish the facts without fear or favour. This is significant, particularly at a time of

hyper-partisanship and hyper-factionalism. So we need to have independent people who interrogate

the value, particularly of major projects. This is vital.

I refer also to the report into the east–west link project that the Auditor-General did and was tabled on

9 December 2015. The reason I raise this report and the Auditor-General’s roles and responsibilities

is because we have new opportunities to help address need and raise aspiration. These are that the

Australian government has committed to developing a north-west Melbourne city deal with the

Victorian government and local councils. This deal would provide the unique opportunity for all levels

of government to work together to unlock the region’s full potential. The north and west regions of

Melbourne are undergoing dramatic population growth, with the area expected to grow by around

460 000 people—that is almost half a million people—or over 35 per cent by 2031. The region’s

residential areas are growing and the economy continues to transition from traditional manufacturing,

with exciting emerging employment clusters and industries. This is why this is really significant and

an opportunity.

I do want to refer to the Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population, the Honourable Alan

Tudge, who put it this way:

A North West Melbourne City Deal would provide the platform to deliver the vision, planning and investment

needed to support a fast growing population, housing and jobs, and ensure the region acts as an efficient

gateway to Melbourne.

So what I am really calling for is: how do we actually get a bipartisan way to look at how we do the

investments in these areas? It is no more critical than for the designated capital of Melbourne’s north,

which is Broadmeadows, and to address issues of how we get the infrastructure critically brought back.

I am sure the house would recall that we had the reverse Robin Hood proposition in the past, with a

one-term coalition government that took the money out of Broadmeadows and shunted it down the

train line to Frankston to gain a vote there and into other marginal seats. Now, this was an amount of



$180 million, so we need to look at how we redevelop into these communities and what the

opportunities are to do that.

This is significant because you need to actually address these particular communities and show that

they get the fair go that everybody else wants as well. We are now on the rise. I have published and

promoted Creating Opportunity: Postcodes of Hope since 2016. We were able to get the Business

Council of Australia, we have had Labor leaders, we have had the state Treasurer and we have had

business come to Broadmeadows for economic and cultural development conferences. We have a

unity ticket about what needs to be done. Here is the chance. Here is the opportunity that is on the

table. What I am really asking is that we put the political swords and shields down and we act in the

national interest and what is best for communities, particularly where it is needed most. If we have a

needs-based approach, the answer is clear and the investment is actually at its highest. We have the

most affordable available land in Melbourne’s north for new industries and jobs.

We have now got a developer who has come and done a deal with the Ford Motor Company to reinvest

$500 million into the plants in Broadmeadows and Geelong, so there is the trigger that we want. The

market has arrived. There is private investment. Here is how we can actually help drive it. What he is

planning on doing, if he lives up to his pitch, is to get in new technologies, new industries and new

jobs. So it really is, in my view, an opportunity. I take the view that you do not look a gift horse in the

mouth—it is better to throw a saddle over it and ride it into the sunset. So let us seize opportunity, let

us put politics to one side and let us not see this become another argument over east–west, okay? Let

us not do that. Let us actually do something that is in the best interests of the nation, that will drive

jobs, new industries and productivity, and will be highly significant in these communities where this

infrastructure is long overdue and is needed most.



General’s Office

Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (10:17): I am pleased to rise and speak on this Report on the Appointment

of a Person to Conduct the Financial Audit of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office. The history of

the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office is deeply entwined with the history of Victoria. Both officially

came into existence in 1851. Previously a part of New South Wales, the creation of Victoria began in

1840 with Henry Gisborne’s petition to separate the colonies. It would be 21 years before the idea of

a Victoria independent from New South Wales would be realised. Coinciding with the 1851

foundation of the colony of Victoria and the appointment of Charles Ebden as the first Auditor-General

was the discovery of gold near Ballarat. Within a decade the small colony of some 70 000 people

would swell to half a million, propelled by this gold economic boom.

The history of Victoria could not have been successful without the appreciation and the application of

prudent economic principles such as transparency and accountability—principles championed then by

the Auditor-General. Initially the Victorian Auditor-General was tasked with looking at the then

independent colony’s finances, but this was later broadened to examine the public service, and later

the entire public sector, and its use of public funds and resources.

Today the Auditor-General has an incredibly wide remit, covering some 550 public sector

organisations, including this Parliament. These organisations include but are not limited to all major

government departments; 170 companies, trusts and joint ventures; 99 public bodies; half a dozen

public cemeteries; a dozen independent budget sector agencies; almost 90 public hospitals and

ambulance services; 28 universities and educational institutions; 11 waste and resource recovery

groups; 11 regional libraries; 30 water authorities and catchment management authorities; and no less

than 79 municipal councils. This is a massive task requiring the application of very stringent rules and

regulations. The financial health and integrity of Victoria’s entire public sector depends on this one

organisation, which is why the effective auditing of the Auditor-General’s Office is so critical.

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Now I would like to refer to a couple of recent discussions out there in our community around—and I

want to get this right—who watches the watchers of the watcher. So this relates to a lot of discussion

that has been going on in our community for some time about the big four: KPMG, PwC, EY and

Deloitte. These four major companies hold the reins on just about all audit and consulting activities

across the world for multinational companies. These are the companies that are generally tasked with

the role of auditing most of the big multinational companies. It is interesting to read how those

companies have overseen some of the biggest audit failures in history. Just recently in the Financial

Times of London, Britain’s largest accounting firms, it has been suggested, should be broken up to

avoid a string of serious audit failures like those that have taken place in the past and to restore some

public confidence. What we have seen over a long period of time is that these companies have what

they call ‘Chinese walls’ within them. So on the one hand they are watching and auditing and fulfilling

those tasks, but on the other hand, and within the same offices, there are a whole lot of people working

for government, working for these companies, producing consultancy reports and giving detailed

advice around a whole range of issues—financial issues, taxation issues—all of these things.

I think the question is now being very seriously asked about whether that is an appropriate task and

appropriate business model for those big companies when they are so critical in really determining

good practice and good behaviour within companies. So we as a Parliament need to have every faith

in the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office and every faith in those tasked with holding VAGO to

account. While this may be one of the driest issues to come before this Parliament, it is very important.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY (JOBS AND INVESTMENT) AMENDMENT BILL 2019

Statement of compatibility

Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister

for Solar Homes) (10:24): In accordance with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities

Act 2006, I table a statement of compatibility in relation to the Renewable Energy (Jobs and

Investment) Amendment Bill 2019.

In accordance with section 28 of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006, I table a

statement of compatibility for the Renewable Energy (Jobs and Investment) Amendment Bill 2019.

In my opinion, the Renewable Energy (Jobs and Investment) Amendment Bill 2019, as introduced to the

Legislative Assembly, is compatible with human rights as set out in the charter. I base my opinion on the

reasons outlined in this statement.

Overview

The bill establishes an increased renewable energy target for Victoria of 50 per cent by 2030.

Human rights issues

There are no human rights protected under the charter that are relevant to the amendment bill. I therefore

consider that the amendment bill is compatible with the charter.

The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio, MP

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change

Second reading


for Solar Homes) (10:24): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I ask that my second-reading speech be incorporated into Hansard.

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Incorporated speech as follows:

Victoria is part of a major global energy transition, with renewable energy at the centre of this change. It is

vital that we embrace this transition and seize the significant economic, environmental and social benefits for

current and future generations of Victorians.

Victoria’s abundant renewable energy resources unlock many opportunities to drive investment and

employment across the state. To maximise these opportunities and demonstrate our leadership and

commitment in this area, we legislated progressive yet achievable Victorian Renewable Energy Targets

(VRET) of 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025 in 2017.

The Renewable Energy (Jobs and Investment) Amendment Bill 2019, before you today, will increase the

legislated VRET target to 50 per cent by 2030. This is an important step forward for the state because we are

providing industry with continued policy certainty to invest in renewable energy projects, especially in the

absence of credible and long-term climate change and energy policy at the Federal level.

The Bill will also drive investment in local industry and supply chain development and will further grow the

contribution of local Victorian content/from production materials through to new local jobs and traineeships.

The Commonwealth Government’s review of the Federal Renewable Energy Target in 2014 and 2015 caused

significant investment uncertainty in the renewable energy sector. The Victorian government therefore

introduced VRET in 2016 and has implemented numerous initiatives to support its achievement.

Since the establishment of the Andrews Labor Government in 2014, Victoria’s renewable energy sector has

experienced unprecedented growth, reflecting the success of the government’s policies and programs in

providing investment certainty and leadership. Specifically, the share of Victoria’s electricity generated from

renewable sources has increased from 11 per cent in 2014 to 20 per cent in 2018.

Since 2014, 686 megawatts (MW) of large-scale wind farms and 336 MW of large-scale solar farms have

been commissioned, and a further 2,721 MW of large-scale wind and solar farms are under construction or

undergoing commissioning in Victoria. These projects, which provide a combined amount of 3,744 MW, are

expected to bring forward $6.7 billion in capital expenditure and create 5,000 jobs in Victoria’s renewable

energy sector.

We have delivered a number of initiatives to support the renewable energy industry, improve system

reliability, create local jobs and propel industry and supply chain development.

The VRET 2017 Reverse Auction was the largest of its kind in Australia. The Auction successfully funded

six large-scale wind and solar projects in regional Victoria, totalling 928MW of new renewable energy

capacity expected to come online in 2020. In addition to this, it is expected to generate 1.1 billion dollars of

investment and more than 900 new jobs while producing enough electricity to power more than

645,000 households in our state.

Another initiative is the Renewable Certificate Purchasing Initiative (RCPI) which is bringing forward

around $700 million of new investment in four renewable projects providing a total of 351 MW and creating

around 700 jobs during construction. Through the RCPI, the government will buy renewable energy

certificates related to its electricity use directly from new Victorian projects. Our Solar Trams are a brilliant

example of this.

We have also committed $25 million to our Battery Storage Initiative which is the deployment of two large

scale batteries in Western Victoria with a combined capacity of 55MW / 80 MWh. The first battery is a

30MW / 30MWh system connected to a vital grid intersection at a substation in Warrenheip, near Ballarat.

The second is a 25MW / 50MWh ‘behind-the-meter’ Tesla at the Gannawarra Solar Farm, south-west of

Kerang. The Gannawarra battery is the largest integrated solar farm and battery in Australia and among the

largest in the world.

The batteries which are strategically located at constrained sections of the electricity network, are both

operational and provide much-needed backup power and grid- stabilisation. As a result of our VRET, we can

confidently invest in renewable technology like the Battery Storage Initiative and maintain a reliable and

secure energy supply for Victorians.

For behind-the-meter renewables, the Victorian government’s Solar Homes initiative is empowering

households to adopt rooftop solar, solar hot water systems and battery storage units through this nation leading

rebate program. This ground-breaking investment will bring the number of households with residential solar

systems to one million within ten years. In addition, the Solar Homes program is expected to save Victorians

$500 million a year on their electricity bills once the program is fully rolled out.

Increasing our renewable energy target to 50 per cent by 2030 will ensure Victorians continue to benefit from

our renewable energy transition. We expect that achieving the VRET 2030 target will:

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• bring forward significant new investment in renewable energy capacity, increasing total electricity

generation in Victoria by 9 per cent (from 53,019 GWh to 57,611 GWh) in 2030, which increases

the reliability of Victoria’s supply;

• generate annual electricity bill savings of around $32 for households, $3,100 for medium

businesses, and $150,000 for large companies;

• support additional economic activity of up to $5.8 billion in Victoria by 2030, driving local industry

and supply chain development

• increase employment by up to an average of 4,067 full time jobs a year, which equates to around a

total of 24,400 two-year jobs in Victoria over the period to 2030; and

• reduce Victoria’s emissions from electricity generation in 2030 from 35.9 million tonnes of carbon

dioxide equivalent (Mt of C02e) without VRET 2030 to 33.9 Mt of C02e when VRET 2030 is

achieved, contributing to Victoria’s long-term target of net zero emissions by 2050 which is

legislated in the Climate Change Act 2017.

Lastly, the Renewable Energy (Jobs and Investment) Act 2017—the REJI Act—requires the Minister for

Energy, Environment and Climate Change to report to Parliament annually on the progress made towards

meeting the VRET targets. In October last year, I tabled the first VRET Progress Report in Parliament and it

showed that Victoria is firmly on track to meet its 2020 renewable energy target. I will continue to report on

the success of the VRET over the coming years.

The REJI Act also requires the Minister to determine the minimum renewable energy generation capacity

required to meet the VRET target. The Amendment Bill will require the Minister to determine the minimum

generation capacity necessary to meet the 2030 target by 31 December 2025.

With the consideration of what I have shared today, and our significant contribution to renewable energy

generation, this Amendment Bill will encourage and deliver investment, employment and ensure a

sustainable, growing economy for our State, reflecting Victoria’s leadership in the energy transition.

I commend the Bill to the house.

Ms McLEISH (Eildon) (10:24): I move:

That the debate be now adjourned.

Motion agreed to and debate adjourned.

Ordered that debate be adjourned for two weeks. Debate adjourned until Wednesday,

28 August.

RAIL SAFETY LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (NATIONAL SERVICES DELIVERY

AND RELATED REFORMS) BILL 2019

Statement of compatibility

Ms HORNE (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Public Transport)

(10:27): In accordance with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006, I table a

statement of compatibility in relation to the Rail Safety Legislation Amendment (National Services

Delivery and Related Reforms) Bill 2019.

In accordance with section 28 of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (the ‘Charter’),

I make this Statement of Compatibility with respect to the Rail Safety Legislation Amendment (National

Services Delivery and Related Reforms) Bill 2019.

In my opinion, the bill, as introduced to the Legislative Assembly, is compatible with human rights as set out

in the Charter. I base my opinion on the reasons outlined in this statement.

Overview

The main purposes of the bill are to amend the Rail Safety National Law Application Act 2013 (the Principal

Act) to provide for the safety of all rail infrastructure and rolling stock operations carried out in Victoria and

for all rail safety work carried out in Victoria to be regulated under the Rail Safety National Law (Victoria)

(National Law), and to provide for the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (Regulator) to be the

sole regulator of those operating in rail safety work. The bill also repeals the Rail Safety (Local Operations)

Act 2006 (Local Operations Act) and, as a consequence, re-enacts the provisions in that Act for the drug and

alcohol testing of rail safety workers in the Principal Act.

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Human Rights Issues

Right to the presumption of innocence

Section 25(1) of the Charter provides that a person charged with a criminal offence has the right to be

presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law. This right is relevant where a statutory provision

shifts the burden of proof onto an accused in a criminal proceeding, so that the accused is required to prove

matters to establish, or raise evidence to suggest, that they are not guilty of an offence.

Legal burdens

Section 48D, inserted into the Principal Act by clause 17 of the bill, has the effect of requiring rail safety

workers to prove certain matters to show that they are not guilty of an offence. In particular:

• Under subsections (l)–(3), if a certain concentration of drugs or alcohol is detected in a sample taken

from a rail safety worker, or if it is shown that a certain drug was in the body of the rail safety worker,

within 3 hours of certain alleged offences occurring, then, until the contrary is proved, it is presumed

that drug or that concentration of drugs or alcohol was present at the time of the alleged offence.

• Under subsections (4) and (5), for the purposes of certain offences, it is presumed that the concentration

of alcohol or drug present in a breath test, a blood test, or an oral fluid sample was not due solely to the

consumption of that drug or alcohol by the worker after having carried out rail safety work, unless the

contrary is proved by the worker ‘on the balance of probabilities by sworn evidence given by the worker

which is corroborated by the material evidence of another person.’

These provisions therefore require that the accused must establish on the balance of probabilities that the

relevant drug, or the relevant concentration of alcohol or drug, was not present at the time of the alleged

offence, or that the concentration of drugs or alcohol was due solely to the consumption of those substances

after having carried out rail safety work. As they impose a legal burden of proof on the accused, these

provisions limit the presumption of innocence.

The question of whether a reverse onus of this nature constitutes a reasonable limitation on the presumption

of innocence depends on all the circumstances of the case, including: the seriousness of the offence; the

punishment which may flow from a conviction; the nature and extent of the matters required to be proved by

the accused; and the significance of those matters relative to the matters required to be proved by the

prosecution.

In this case, the reverse onus only affects persons who are working as rail safety workers in a regulated

industry—the provisions do not apply to the general public. The relevant offences are regulatory offences

involving a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine. The offences are therefore of a less serious nature than criminal

offences involving imprisonment. The reverse onus only arises where a breath, blood, or oral fluid test has

demonstrated the presence of a certain drug or a certain concentration of drugs or alcohol. In such

circumstances, the matters to be proved by the accused are matters that fall particularly within the knowledge

of the accused - that is, whether the accused was affected by drugs or alcohol at the time of the alleged offence,

or whether the relevant consumption of drugs or alcohol occurred after the accused was no longer engaged in

rail safety work. It would be unduly difficult and onerous for the state to investigate and prove these matters.

Imposing a burden of proof on the accused in these circumstances therefore ensures that these offences can be

prosecuted effectively and that they operate as a deterrent to the unlawful carrying out of rail safety work.

Further, imposing an evidential onus (which would merely require the accused to show some evidence to

displace the relevant presumptions) would not be effective, as it could be too easily discharged by the defendant.

As such, in my view, these provisions are demonstrably justifiable on the basis that they are necessary for the

important purpose of providing that rail safety work is conducted appropriately, and protecting the community

from the risk of unsafe rail operations. I therefore consider that these provisions are compatible with the

Charter.

Evidentiary burdens

The bill also contains a number of provisions imposing an ‘evidentiary burden’ on the accused—that is, a

requirement that the accused point to some evidence to displace a presumption:

• New section 48K provides that if it is proved that a rail safety worker was carrying out rail safety

work, that one or more drugs were present in their body, that their behaviour was consistent with

that of a person who has used or consumed certain drugs, and that the behaviour usually associated

with use or consumption of those drugs would result in the person being unable to carry out rail

safety work properly, then in the absence of evidence to the contrary, this is proof that the rail safety

worker carried out rail safety work while impaired by a drug.

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• New section 48N provides that a document purporting to be a print-out produced by a breath

analysing instrument and purporting to be signed by the person who operated the instrument is

admissible in evidence and, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, is proof of the facts and

matters contained in it.

• New section 48P provides that in certain proceedings, the statement of a police officer that they

were authorised by the Chief Commissioner of Police to carry out an assessment for drug

impairment on a particular date, or a certificate purporting to be signed by the Chief Commissioner

stating that a police officer is authorised to do so, is admissible in evidence and, in the absence of

evidence to the contrary, is proof of the authority of the police officer. New section 48W(2) makes

similar provision with regard to evidence that a police officer was authorised to take an oral fluid

sample under new section 48R.

• New section 48ZB provides that various matters relating to blood tests can be certified and taken

as proof of the facts and matters contained in the certification in the absence of evidence to the

contrary. For example, an approved analyst may sign a certificate containing the prescribed

particulars as to the concentration of drugs or alcohol in a particular blood sample, and that

certificate, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, is proof of the facts and matters contained

within it.

• New section 48ZC makes similar provision in relation to oral fluid samples.

• New section 48ZD makes provision for certification of evidence in relation to breath tests.

However, the provision differs from sections 48ZB and 48ZC in that a certificate purporting to be

a certificate containing the prescribed particulars produced by a breath analysing instrument of the

concentration of alcohol indicated to be present in the breath of the person and signed by the person

who operated the instrument is ‘conclusive proof’ of the facts and matters contained within it and

various other matters, unless the accused gives notice that they require the person giving the

certificate to be called as a witness, or that the accused person intends to adduce evidence in rebuttal

of any such fact or matter.

In my view, although these provisions require an accused to adduce certain evidence, they do not limit the

right to be presumed innocent. The prosecution must still prove the essential elements of the relevance

offences; an accused need not prove any matters in order to escape liability. Therefore, the right is not limited

and the provisions are compatible with the Charter.

Defences

In addition to the above provisions, the bill requires rail safety workers to prove or ‘satisfy the court’ of certain

matters in order to establish a defence against certain offences, as follows:

• New subsections 48H(3) and (4) provide that it is a defence against charges relating to furnishing

a breath sample or blood sample showing more than the prescribed concentration of alcohol if the

person proves that the breath analysing instrument used on that occasion was not in proper working

order or properly operated, or that the result of the blood analysis was not a correct result.

• Under new s 48S(5), a worker must not be convicted or found guilty of refusing to provide a sample

required under s 48R if the worker satisfies the court that there was some reason of a substantial

character for the refusal, other than a desire to avoid providing information which might be used

against the worker. New section 48M(9) makes similar provision with regard to refusing to furnish

a breath sample.

The matters that the defence must prove or show under these provisions are not essential elements of the

offence. As such, in my view, the burden of establishing the offence is not transferred to the accused by these

provisions, and the right to the presumption of innocence is not limited. Further, a requirement to prove or

satisfy the court of these matters is necessary to avoid such defences being raised in circumstances where

there is no real basis for them (in relation to new subsections 48H(3) and (4)), or where the matters raised are

purely within the knowledge of the accused (in relation to new subsections 48S(5) and 48M(9)).

Right to a fair hair hearing

Section 24(1) of the Charter provides that a person charged with a criminal offence or a party to a civil

proceeding has the right to have the charge or proceeding decided by a competent, independent and impartial

court or tribunal after a fair and public hearing.

The right to a fair hearing is engaged by new sections 48ZB and 48ZC. Under these provisions, an accused

who has been served with a copy of a certificate stating certain facts or matters relating to blood samples and

oral fluid samples may, with the leave of the court, require the person who has given the certificate (or another

relevant person) to attend at all subsequent proceedings for cross-examination. However, the leave of the

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court can only be given if certain conditions are met (for example, where there is a reasonable possibility that

the sample was not that of the accused, or was contaminated, or where the attendance of the person would

materially assist the court to ascertain relevant facts).

These provisions facilitate the effective prosecution of rail safety offences involving the use of drugs and

alcohol. In my view, they do not impose any unreasonable requirements on the accused or any inappropriate

restrictions on the ability of the accused to challenge the evidence of the prosecution. As such, the right to a

fair hearing is not limited.

The right to a fair hearing may also be engaged by new sections 48M(13), 48V(6), 48X(6), and 48ZA(7).

These sections provide that no action lies against a registered medical practitioner or approved health

professional in respect of anything properly and necessarily done in the course of taking a blood sample or

being furnished with a urine sample which they believed on reasonable grounds was allowed to be taken

under the relevant provisions of the Principal Act.

This immunity from legal action may be relevant to the fair hearing right as a person affected by the actions

of medical practitioners and health professionals in the relevant circumstances will be unable to bring an

action against them. In other jurisdictions, it has been found that a broad statutory immunity from liability

which imposes a bar to access to the courts for persons seeking redress against those who enjoy the immunity

may breach the fair hearing right.

However, the immunity only extends to things ‘properly and necessarily done’. As such, it is still possible for

a person to seek redress where improper or unnecessary actions have caused harm. The immunity also will

not apply if the medical practitioner or health professional acted outside the scope of the legislation. Further,

samples may only be taken without the consent of the rail safety worker by the requirement or direction of

authorised persons; any person harmed by the taking of a sample could potentially bring an action against the

authorised person who made the requirement that the worker furnish the relevant sample. On balance, I

therefore consider that even if the right to a fair hearing is engaged, these provisions are compatible with that

right.

An additional immunity is provided by new section 48ZB(15), which provides that if a registered medical

practitioner or approved health professional is requested to examine or collect a sample of blood for the

purposes of s 48ZB, and the rail safety worker has consented to the examination or collection, then no action

lies against the medical practitioner or health professional even if it subsequently appears that the worker was

incapable by reason of their mental condition of effectively giving consent. While the right to a fair hearing

may be engaged by this provision, I consider that it is not limited. In circumstances where a medical

practitioner or health professional reasonably believes that a person has validly consented, it is appropriate

that they should be able to act upon that consent without fear of legal consequences. This is particularly

necessary in circumstances such as these, where questions will often arise relating to whether the accused is

impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Right to privacy

Section 13(a) of the Charter provides that a person has the right not to have their privacy, family, home or

correspondence unlawfully or arbitrarily interfered with. The bill contains provisions that may give rise to

interferences with the right to privacy; however, in my view, any such interferences will be neither unlawful

nor arbitrary and therefore do not limit this right.

New s 48P sets out the procedure for assessments of drug impairment. Subsection (3) provides that an

assessment must be video-recorded if the worker was involved in a ‘notifiable occurrence’ unless the

prosecution satisfies the court that a recording has not been made because of exceptional circumstances. This

provision engages the right to privacy as a person may have their drug impairment assessment video viewed

by the court and other persons. However, in my view, any interference with privacy is neither unlawful nor

arbitrary, as requiring video evidence of a drug impairment assessment is reasonably necessary to provide

evidence of a relevant impairment, and may also help protect the rights of the accused where there is a dispute

regarding whether they were drug impaired. Further, new section 48Z requires that videos must be destroyed

within one month if a charge has been brought but the matter is not proceeded with or is discontinued or

otherwise concluded, or within 12 months if the worker is not charged.

Several provisions in the bill also authorise or require information or documents to be disclosed in limited

circumstances by or to the Regulator. The provisions include clause 14, which inserts a new Division 7 of

Part 4 into the Principal Act, and clause 19, which inserts a new Part 8 into the Principal Act. In my view, any

interference with privacy caused by these provisions will be minor in nature and will be neither unlawful nor

arbitrary.

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Right to freedom of expression

Section 15(2) of the Charter provides that every person has the right to freedom of expression which includes

the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds. This right is subject to special

duties and responsibilities under section 15(3) of the Charter, and may be subject to lawful restrictions

reasonably necessary to respect the rights and reputation of other persons, or for the protection of national

security, public order, public health or public morality.

New s 48Z provides that it is an offence to use, or cause or permit to be used, a video-recording or related

material concerning an assessment of drug impairment that is required to be destroyed under that provision.

It is also an offence to use, permit to be used, or otherwise disseminate information derived from such a video

or related material. This offence restricts the right to freedom of expression. However, any limitation falls

within the internal limitations on the right as it is a lawful restriction that is reasonably necessary to protect

the privacy rights of persons subject to drug impairment assessments. I therefore consider that the offence is

compatible with the Charter.

Requirements or directions that rail safety workers submit to drug or alcohol tests

Clause 17 of the bill inserts a new Part 4A into the Principal Act, which enables authorised persons to require

rail safety workers to submit to breath tests, blood tests, and oral fluid tests in various circumstances. Refusing

to submit to such a test may amount to an offence. These provisions engage a number of rights, discussed

below.

Right to freedom from forced medical treatment

Section 10(c) of the Charter provides that a person must not be subjected to medical or scientific

experimentation or treatment without their full, free and informed consent. ‘Medical treatment’ in the Charter

has been held to have the same meaning as ‘medical treatment in the (now repealed) Medical Treatment Act

1988, which defined medical treatment to include any ‘medical procedure’. This includes a procedure that is

based upon the science of the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease or injury, or of the relief of pain,

suffering and discomfort.

There is a question about whether drug and alcohol tests (including blood tests, urine tests, oral fluid

collection, breath tests and drug impairment assessments) fall within the definition of ‘medical procedure’ for

the purposes of the Charter. While these tests clearly can be used for a medical, diagnostic purpose, the

purpose in this situation is regulatory in nature, rather than medical.

Even if these tests do fall within the definition of ‘medical treatment’, I consider that any limit on the right to

freedom from forced medical treatment is reasonable and justifiable on the basis that it occurs in the context

of a regulatory regime, and applies only to rail safety workers, not the general public. Further, the tests are

carried out for the important purposes of protecting community safety and ensuring that rail safety work is

carried out only by competent persons who are not impaired by drugs or alcohol. I therefore consider that

these provisions are compatible with the right in section 10(c) of the Charter.

Right to privacy

The right to privacy is engaged by the provisions authorising tests to be carried out on rail safety workers, as

the right includes the right to bodily privacy. However, for the reasons set out above, I consider that any

interference with privacy is neither unlawful nor arbitrary. I therefore consider that this right is not limited by

these provisions.

Right against self-incrimination

Section 25(2)(k) of the Charter provides that a person charged with a criminal offence has the right not to be

compelled to testify against themselves or to confess guilt. I have considered whether the drug and alcohol

testing provisions in the bill engage this right. However, as the right has been held not to extend to the taking

of physical evidence (such as breath tests, fingerprints and DNA samples under compulsion), in my view it

is not engaged by these provisions.

Freedom of movement

Section 12 of the Charter provides that every person lawfully within Victoria has the right to freedom of

movement. Various provisions within new Part 4A involve minor limitations on this right by enabling

authorised persons to require rail safety workers to attend at certain places or remain at certain places for the

purposes of alcohol or drug testing. To the extent that the right to freedom of movement is limited by these

provisions, I consider the limit to be reasonable and justifiable in the interests of protecting community safety

by providing for appropriate drug and alcohol testing of rail safety workers.

Hon. Melissa Horne MP

Public Transport

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Second reading

Ms HORNE (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Public Transport)

(10:27): I move:


I ask that my second-reading speech be incorporated into Hansard.Incorporated speech as follows:

Victorians deserve a safe, efficient and reliable rail system that gets them to work and play, facilitates the

movement of freight, supports economic development and improves social mobility and inclusiveness.

The Andrews Government is addressing gaps and building capacity in our rail system through the Big Build

and is investing in new rolling stock to improve reliability, operational efficiencies and the quality of public

transport services.

The Bill will complement the significant investments that are being made by reducing administrative

complexity and eliminating fragmentation of regulatory responsibility between Transport Safety Victoria and

the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator. It will eliminate duplication of administrative systems and

enable cost savings to be progressively realised. Importantly, it will enable the final stage of regulatory

harmonisation benefits to be delivered to the rail industry.

This Bill will complete the national reform of the regulation of rail safety, a process that began in 2011 when

the Council of Australian Governments signed an Intergovernmental Agreement to establish a national

scheme of rail safety regulation.

This led to the approval of the Rail Safety National Law as an applied laws scheme, hosted by South Australia.

Under the Rail Safety National Law, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) was

established in July 2012 to administer rail safety regulation and enforcement across Australia. ONRSR

commenced operations on 20 January 2013.

Victoria entered into this single national regulatory scheme for rail safety in May 2014 through the enactment

of the Rail Safety National Law Application Act 2013, which applied the national law as the law of Victoria.

At that time there was an underlying concern about moving immediately to a direct delivery model, given the

unproven record of the national regulator, and the size and complexity of Melbourne’s metropolitan rail

systems.

For these reasons the Victorian Application Act provided for rail safety regulation in Victoria to be delivered

through a Service Level Agreement between Transport Safety Victoria and ONRSR. New South Wales

adopted a similar approach.

Since 2014, ONRSR practices and systems have matured. It has been able to demonstrate itself as an efficient

and effective risk-based regulator that gives due regard to state issues and is responsive to State and Territory

Government needs and priorities.

Following an independent review of safety risks, organisational risk management systems and ONRSR

competencies and capacities the Victorian Government has assurance that ONRSR can take full responsibility

for rail safety regulation in Victoria without any risk of a diminution of safety.

The review found that:

• Safety standards in Victoria would be more efficiently regulated using a direct service delivery model

by removing the duplication of business systems, equipment and administration by TSV and ONRSR.

• A direct service delivery model may also be more effective as it would provide clearer, single point

accountability for the outcomes of rail safety regulation in Victoria, and assist in the development of a

single, positive culture within ONRSR.

• ONRSR’s current organisational structure is appropriate to manage the transition of the TSV into a direct

delivery model and ONRSR’s governance and risk frameworks and its corporate business systems are

sufficiently mature to ensure that rail safety performance is maintained, and where possible, improved.

• The provisions of the National Law and governance arrangements overseen by the Ministerial Council

provide sufficient mechanisms for the Victorian Minister to have no less visibility and control of rail

safety regulation in Victoria under a direct delivery model.

The regulation of trams and a proportion of tourist and heritage railways in Victoria continue to be regulated

locally under the Rail Safety (Local Operations) Act 2006. The independent review considered whether

Victorian trams and local tourist and heritage railways should also be regulated by ONRSR as is the case in

other states.

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The independent review found that:

• The regulation of trams and local tourist and heritage operations would be more efficiently and

effectively delivered under the national scheme.

• Tram operations have significant differences in risk profile and engineering, technical and operational

standards than heavy rail systems.

• A competent regulator needs to have sufficient skill and experience to understand these differences for

the purposes of assessing an operator’s competence and capacity to manage their risks.

• On the assumption that relevant TSV staff will transfer to ONRSR under a direct delivery model,

ONRSR would have available to it no less skills, knowledge and expertise than is currently dedicated to

regulating tram operations in Victoria.

• ONRSR would bring additional skill and experience to the regulation of trams and Tourist and Heritage

operations in Victoria.

The findings of the review have given the Victorian Government assurance that the time is right to complete

to transition to national regulation. We expect the national regulator to deliver on its promises and we are

confident that it can.

The Bill implements the transfer of all rail safety service delivery and regulatory functions from TSV to

ONRSR by repealing provisions in the Rail Safety National Law Application Act 2013 (the Application Act)

that require an effective service level agreement to be in place.

The Bill also:

• increases the scope of the Application Act so that it provides for trams and tourist and heritage railways

to be regulated by ONRSR;

• removes derogations from the national law relating to data protection and privacy, the operation of the

infringements scheme under the national law, differences in definitions and treatment of different

facilities (e.g. freight terminals);

• specifies transitional provisions to ensure that there is continuity of regulatory activities when regulatory

responsibilities are transferred from TSV to ONRSR and new service delivery responsibilities come into

effect;

• repeals the Rail Safety (Local Operations) Act 2006, which currently applies to trams in Victoria and

some tourist and heritage rail operators that are not currently regulated under the national scheme;

• makes consequential changes to the Transport (Safety Schemes Compliance and Enforcement) Act 2014

to remove references to Victorian transport safety officers enforcing rail safety laws; and,

• modifies the drug and alcohol provisions currently contained in the Rail Safety (Local Operations)

Act 2006 and transfers them to the Application Act.

Finally, in recognition that the transfer of regulatory responsibilities from TSV to ONRSR will bring about

significant changes to the level of TSV responsibilities, the Bill makes changes to the Transport Integration

Act 2010 that align the level of influence and control the Minister has over TSV with that which the Minister

has over the Commercial Passenger Vehicles Commission and other similar transport sector agencies.

In conclusion, the safety of public transport users is of the utmost importance.

If the system is not safe, or perceived to not be safe, then the use of the rail system will diminish, detracting

significantly from the investments that are being made in response to growing transport demands.

The Victorian Government has confidence that the consolidation of rail safety regulatory responsibilities,

skills and knowledge will improve the oversight of our railways and bring about improvements to rail safety

over time. It will also improve consistency in regulatory practices, and in turn reduce compliance costs for

the industry.

I commend the Bill to the house.

Ms McLEISH (Eildon) (10:27): I move:

That the debate be adjourned.


Ordered that debate be adjourned for two weeks. Debate adjourned until Wednesday,

28 August.

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FLORA AND FAUNA GUARANTEE AMENDMENT BILL 2019

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Ms D’AMBROSIO:


Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (10:28): I am pleased to open the debate on behalf of the Liberal and

National parties in the Parliament on the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019, which is

an amendment of what is now a fairly long-in-the-tooth act, the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

The intention of this bill, as the introduction tells us, is to establish objectives and principles of the

act—so, replace principles of the act, and I will come back to that—to impose additional obligations

to consider biodiversity in decision-making; and to improve transparency, accountability et cetera, the

sorts to things we have come to expect in that particular section of the legislation.

I want to start by saying that while certainly our performance in terms of biodiversity protection—and

I would say ‘our’ as in the state of Victoria—has been patchy, it does have a very long history. There

is a tendency to think that all environmental protection started sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, but of

course it does go back a lot further than that, thank goodness. There were many successful efforts

made, no doubt in this chamber, to enact legislation to protect various aspects of the natural

environment, to protect biodiversity—that is probably not the term that would have been used at the

time, but to begin that process.

The earliest examples I could find without doing extensive research was the Wild Flowers and Native

Plants Protection Act 1958. Given that was a 1958 act it was in the established part of the consolidation

of the legislation so there could well be a significantly older act than that. But I think it is fair to say

that we got more serious as a state, in common with much of the rest of the world, in the late 1960s

and early 1970s. We had, under Premier Bolte, the passage of the Environment Protection Act 1970,

which provided the legal framework for not only environment protection but a range of issues around

water, air and so on. And it created of course the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA),

which gave us as a state an agency to start enforcing the sorts of protections, particularly around

industrial activities in the case of the EPA, but it certainly raised awareness of the importance of the

environment.

National parks of course also go back a long way. The Victorian National Parks Act 1956 was

superseded by the 1975 act under the Hamer government. The Wildlife Act 1975 is another very

important piece of legislation. The Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 of course reworked older

legislation. Most recently in terms of major enactments in the federal sphere, we have the Environment

Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 enacted by the Howard government. All of those

pieces of legislation are critical and I think demonstrate the evolution in terms of the way we view

environment protection.

It is also interesting to reflect upon the population of Victoria—not going all the way back, but

certainly from around the time of the introduction of the Environment Protection Act in 1970—

because with a growing population that does tend, if you do not manage it appropriately, to place

pressure on natural resources as well. I am not for a minute suggesting that growing population is a

bad thing—not by a very, very long stretch—but clearly we need to manage it in such a way that the

environment is protected and natural resources are protected for future generations, not simply

consumed to satisfy the immediate needs and demands of the population.

Going back to 1970, the state had a population of about 3.4 million people. By the 1986 census, just

before this 1988 act was introduced—and discussions were certainly well underway at that stage about

what the act might look like—the population had grown by only 600 000 people to 4 million. Now of

course it has almost doubled from that figure in 1970. We are up to, on the most recent figure I could

find this morning, 6.3 million people. No doubt it will be 6.4 million people by the end of the year or

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by early next year. So we have a significant issue in a rapidly growing population and we need to make

sure that we keep the environmental regulation framework up to date.

I was interested to look back to the second-reading speech of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Bill 1988.

I remember as a young councillor having a conversation with the minister who moved that bill, Ian

Cathie. Looking back through the second-reading speech reminded me that business was done very

differently in the days of the Cain government compared with the way in which the Parliament—or

the government, more accurately—deals with business now. I was interested to note that in the second-

reading speech Minister Cathie made the point—I am quoting him—that:

On 16 September last year—

that would be 1987—

the government introduced a Bill for a flora and fauna guarantee Act with the intention of achieving its passage

in that Parliamentary sitting. However, in response to a request from Heather Mitchell, the President of the

Victorian Farmers Federation, the government allowed the Bill to lie over from the 1987 spring sittings to the

1988 autumn sittings. It was the view of the federation that country people were not yet sufficiently familiar

with the proposed legislation.

The minister went on to say that:

The government also took up the proposal of the then Liberal shadow Minister for Conservation, Forests and

Lands, the honourable member for Evelyn, and conducted a series of seminars on the Bill …

There was I think a good degree of cooperation in terms of the development of this legislation. I would

suggest that that is the least that perhaps the current government could take out of the Cain

government’s book.

The other interesting point about that is that earlier in the day, prior to the minister moving the second

reading of what became the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, he had moved that the item ‘Flora and

Fauna Guarantee Bill—Second reading—Resumption of debate’ be discharged from the notice paper.

So in fact the outcome of that conversation with the Victorian Farmers Federation and with Victorian

communities at the suggestion of the then shadow minister led to the bill that had been introduced

being scrapped and a new bill being introduced. While that is generally not the way parliaments do

their business these days, I think it is fair to say that quite often you do get a better result from that

extended engagement.

The other point that the minister made in introducing that bill was about the state of biodiversity—not

using that term but effectively about the state of biodiversity at that time. He said in his speech:

Our records show that at least 20 species of mammals, 2 species of birds, and 35 species of vascular plants

have vanished from Victoria in the space of 150 years.

Furthermore, at least 700 … species are threatened right now … about one in five of all the native vertebrate

animals and vascular plants still living in Victoria is facing the prospect of extinction.

In some ways, you might say not much has changed. If we fast-forward to the second-reading speech

from the current minister, she says:

… much of the Act’s architecture is still fit for purpose. Victoria’s continued decline in biodiversity can in

part be attributed to a lack of implementation of this Act, rather than to deficiencies in its structure.

Given that the party she represents has been in power for 16 of the last 20 years, I think it is fair to say

that if there has been a lack of implementation of this act rather than deficiencies in its nature, then

perhaps the Australian Labor Party should have a good, long, hard look at itself because if there are

problems, 16 out of 20 years means the buck stops with you. The minister goes on to say:

What is clear is that business as usual will not adequately address threats to Victoria’s biodiversity.

I think that is also a fair comment, because when you look at the report card from the commissioner

for environmental sustainability, the 2018 report card and the section on biodiversity, the story is very,

very bleak. Just running through the indicators, and I am going to go through them all because I think

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it is important to have them in the record of the house, the indicators are identified or categorised by

status and by trend, and the quality of the data is also identified.

We start with invasive freshwater plants and animals: the status is unknown, the data is poor and the

trend is unknown. The trend in carp distribution, a predator: the status is poor, the trend is downwards

but we have got good data so at least we know we have got a problem. Invasive terrestrial plants:

again, the status is poor, the trend is downwards—in other words, it is getting worse—but again we

have got good data so at least we know we have got a problem. Invasive terrestrial animals: the status

is poor and getting worse but we do not have good data; there is poor data there. The trend in deer

populations and distributions: the status is poor and getting worse, and again poor data. The trend in

horse populations and their distributions: the status is poor and getting worse, with fair data there. The

trend in populations and distributions of threatened freshwater species in the wild: the status is

unknown, the trend is unknown and the data is poor. The trend in the population number and

distribution of trout cod: the situation is fair, it does not appear to be getting any better or any worse

and the data quality is fair. I think that is about the best one we have had so far.

The trend in the population and distribution of Macquarie perch: the situation is fair, the trend is not

getting any worse and the data is good, so I guess that is the best one so far. The population and

distribution of Murray crayfish: the status is poor and getting worse, with fair data. The trend in the

population number and distribution of the spotted tree frog: the situation is poor and getting worse but

we have got good data so again we know we have got a problem. The trend in the population number

and distribution of the Booroolong tree frog: the status is poor and is getting worse, but at least we

have got good data there. The trend in population number and distribution of the Baw Baw frog:

exactly the same—the situation is poor and is getting worse but we know it. Threatened species that

are wetland dependent: we do not know—we do not know whether it is getting worse or better, we do

not know full stop and, not surprisingly, there is poor data there. Trends in the population and

distribution of threatened terrestrial species: poor status, getting worse, poor data. Vascular plants: the

status is poor, the trend is getting worse, the data is fair. Vertebrates: the situation is bad and getting

worse, with fair data. Invertebrates: exactly the same—bad, getting worse, fair data.

The only bright spot in the whole report is private land conservation: the situation is fair—we would

like it to be good but it is fair—but the trend is up and the data is good. Conservation of Victorian

ecosystems: the situation is fair, it is not getting any better or worse, with good data. River health:

much the same, although we are starting from a poor status, we are not getting any better but at least

we know it. Riparian vegetation habitat: the trend is unknown, the situation is poor, the data is poor.

Area of functional floodplain: the status is unknown and not surprisingly there is poor data.

Distribution and abundance of frogs: poor, getting worse, but we know it. Distribution and abundance

of fish: poor, getting worse and good data so we know it well. Distribution and abundance of

waterbirds in the Murray Darling Basin: poor, the trend is getting worse and the data is only fair. The

distribution and abundance of macroinvertebrates: the situation is fair—it is not getting any better or

getting any worse—and the data is fair.

As we move—I am sure to everyone’s relief—to the final page of the indicators, the wetland extent

and condition status is unknown, we do not know what the trend is and the data is poor. The health

and status of Ramsar wetlands in Victoria: we do not know the status, we do not know the trend, we

do not have anything but poor data.

Net gain in extent and condition of native vegetation: the status is poor, the trend is getting worse, but

we have got good data. Landscape scale change: the situation is poor, the trend is getting worse, and

the data is fair. Change in suitable habitat: fair status, not getting any better or worse, and good data.

Area of management in priority locations: fair, not getting any better or worse, and fair data. Victorians

value nature: we do not know. I would have thought that was an absolutely critical starting point—

that we should know whether Victorians value nature or not. We do not know. We do not know the

trend, and we have got obviously, self-evidently, very poor data. Particularly important, I think, and

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finally, the number of Victorian government organisations that manage environmental assets that

contribute to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning standard output data is poor,

the status is poor and no-one knows what the trend is.

Now, the bottom line for all of that in terms of status is that of those indicators, and there are 35

altogether, for seven of the 35 we, as a state, do not know what their status is. In 21 we know the status

is poor. In seven we know the status is fair. None are good. In terms of where we are going—the

trend—nine out of 35, which is a pretty high number, are unknown. Seven are tracking okay.

Eighteen—so more than half of all indicators—are deteriorating. Only one is on the rise. In relation to

the data figures, which I think are perhaps not the most important but are certainly the most amazing,

out of those 35 indicators, only 13 are good, 10 are fair and 12 are poor. If we cannot get the data right,

if we do not know what is happening, then how on earth do we take action to fix the problem? Of

those that are considered to be good in terms of data, eight are in decline, four are stable and only one

is on the improve.

I wanted to highlight a sole indicator that is on the way up: conservation on private land. That is the

only indicator in the whole suite of biodiversity indicators in this report that is a positive trend, and

that is on private land. So I think what we are doing with this bill is absolutely essential—it is important

work—but coming back to the minister’s comment about using the provisions of the act that are there,

unless the government has a good, long, hard look at itself and actually does what it says it is going to

do, then it does not matter how much work we do in this place passing legislation because nothing is

going to change.

I have made similar comments before, but I think it is worth looking at the various relevant outputs of

the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, which are administered by the Minister for

Energy, Environment and Climate Change but in this case relating to the environment and climate

change aspect of her portfolio. You would have to say the spending on ongoing day-to-day operations

that needs to be done, that actually drives those indicators, has been over the term heavily cut. If you

refer to the last budget, the environment and biodiversity output has gone up by less than 3 per cent, but

at least it has gone up. But when you look at the effective budget for the management of public lands

and forests, in gross terms, yes, it is up $7.9 million, but there are a suite of initiatives, a suite of election

promises, that the government has made—and that is their right, but they cost money to give effect to—

and the cost this year is $32.9 million. What that does to the ongoing budget of the agencies responsible

for the management of public land and forests is that that is an effective cut of $25 million to their day-

to-day operational funding, and you cannot expect them to do the job if you are going to cut their funds.

The other output of course is Parks Victoria. Now they have had an actual cut. They went from

$194.3 million in 2018–19 to $181.1 million in 2019–20, so a cut of $12.3 million, effectively, to Parks

Victoria. Initiatives actually work slightly in their favour, but there is a gross cut of $13.2 million and a

net cut of $12.3 million. You cannot expect legislation to resolve the issues that we have with the

environment, with biodiversity, if you keep cutting the funding available to the agencies to do their jobs.

Turning to the detail of the bill, there are only a couple of things I want to highlight with regard to this

piece of legislation. One of the significant changes is with regard to the objectives of the act and the

principles of the act, which are contained in clause 5 of the bill on pages 10 and 11. Those changes, I

think, do actually sharpen up the objectives of the act, and of course some of the consequent changes

require the minister and the department to have regard to those objectives, which will hopefully drive

the process. But, again, it is all very well to put words into legislation, but that has no effect if it is not

actually implemented, if you are not enforcing the legislation. I do not just mean by having a range of

people going out and pinging the public. I am talking about enforcing the legislation within the

department—actually getting the secretary, getting the deputy secretary, getting the staff to do what the

Parliament and the government have said they must do, and that is unequivocally the job of the minister.

So I think there are a range of changes here with which I would not quibble. The two major ones are

the implementation of the intergovernmental memorandum of understanding on the common

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assessment method, which was eventually signed by Victoria. Some jurisdictions, including the

commonwealth, were prepared to sign up to it in 2015. It in fact took the current minister until April

last year to sign up to this agreement, but I think now everyone has signed up—well, on the copy I

have got, South Australia is not there yet, but everyone else is on board. Without going into the detail

of the common assessment method, it effectively creates a framework to align the cataloguing of

threatened species right across Australian jurisdictions so there will be a single operational list of

governments across the nation with a list of threatened species.

The second major change that is made relates to the habitat conservation orders, which will replace

interim conservation orders. Again, without going into the detail of those changes, and coming back

to the objectives and principles of the act, it does, I think, improve what has been the interim

conservation order process because it provides a much more transparent framework for the way in

which those orders can be used and hopefully will provide a framework so that they can be used.

There are a range of other changes, including an expansion of the scientific advisory committee, a

mechanism for public authority management agreements, a mechanism for enforceable undertakings

so that the secretary will actually have the authority to enter into enforceable undertakings, a

requirement for a biodiversity strategy and, coming back probably to one of my very earliest points

about the way in which legislation is put through this Parliament, the bill actually gives a greater

emphasis to public consultation than was previously in the act. But I would make the point that it is

one thing to talk about public consultation; it is another thing to actually mean it. And if you have a

process that is about consultation but you have already decided the outcome, which is what happens

in far too many cases, then whatever lip-service you may pay to public consultation, you will not get

the benefits that can be achieved from that process.

The Liberal-National coalition will not be opposing this bill. I think the take-out, though, from the

statistics I have quoted today, and going back to then Minister Cathie’s original point about

700 threatened species, is that we really have not moved very far in 31 years. I think we should all take

note of the minister’s point in her second-reading speech that effectively the teeth are in the act but they

just have not been used. If you look through the report that has been produced by the Commissioner for

Environmental Sustainability Victoria, it is absolutely damning. I am not saying for a second that the

situation is terminal—it is very, very fixable—but one thing is absolutely certain: if we continue to do

what we are doing as a state, if the government continues to do what it is doing, or perhaps has not been

doing for 16 of the last 20 years, then the next time we get the Commissioner’s report, the stats will be

worse, and the time after that the stats will be worse again. And no matter how many pieces of legislation

you introduce, unless the government actually moves to deal with the issues, the problem is never going

to be solved.

Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (10:56): I am pleased to make a contribution on the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. It picks up on what has been a big week in the Parliament already,

with legislation on the Environment Protection Authority as well. Both pieces of legislation come from

substantial review work and consultation work in the community that has been led by the past Minister

for Environment, Climate Change and Water, the member for Bellarine, and the current Minister for

Energy, Environment and Climate Change, the member for Mill Park. Certainly I was pleased to be

involved in that work in the previous term as Parliamentary Secretary for Energy, Environment and

Climate Change.

Can I say, to bring this legislation in, to have this debate and discussion and to have the support of those

opposite in relation to what the government has put forward in this bill today is a reflection of the hard

work that we have done in government to review the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988—an act,

mind you, that was first introduced by the Cain Labor government some 30 years ago back in 1988.

I will touch on a few other points in a broader contribution that I will make when we next come back

to this bill, but can I say that it will also be important to touch on the strong record of the environment

in relation to our government, in establishing a minister for climate change to make sure that we

MEMBERS


removed cattle from the High Country while those opposite sought to continue with the nonsense of

fuel reduction units, as they called them. You cannot protect the flora and fauna of our state when you

have cattle roaming freely in the High Country, eating most of it and trampling over the rest of it.

Those opposite tried time and time again to pursue that when they were in government. It failed. It

was a Labor government that again tried to reclaim and make sure that we could protect the flora and

fauna. That is one very clear example of how flora and fauna needs to be protected in our state, and I

look forward to outlining this in my contribution when we continue on this bill later in the debate.

Can I say also that we should not forget that under those opposite one in 10 staff at Parks Victoria lost

their jobs. It is only an Andrews Labor government that has reviewed Parks Victoria and provided

extra funding for Parks Victoria. Under the previous government one in 10 staff at Parks Vic lost their

jobs. It is only our Labor government that has been prepared to have a minister for climate change,

that is prepared to make sure that we do not have cattle in the High Country destroying flora and fauna

across regional Victoria. That is how you come to the point today where you see those opposite

supporting our legislation.

Business interrupted under sessional orders.

Members

PREMIER

Absence

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education) (11:00): I advise the house that the Premier

will be absent from question time today and that I will answer in his place.

Questions without notice and ministers statements

WASTE AND RECYCLING MANAGEMENT

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:01): My question is to the Minister for

Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Yesterday in question time the minister revealed that the

$6.6 million in emergency funding to 33 local councils to deal with the government’s recycling fiasco

will only last for four months. Can the minister guarantee that when this funding runs out in four

months time council ratepayers will not have to pay more than they do now for their recycling?


for Solar Homes) (11:01): What I will say—and I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the

question—is we have committed to what councils have been asking for and have put to us in many,

many meetings over the period of time they have been dealing with the SKM situation. What our

intention is is to sit down with those councils, take a tripartite approach, which is what the

commonwealth wants us to do—


Ms D’AMBROSIO: You understand the word or not? Three levels of government—tripartite—

three levels of government working together across all levels of government to sort out the long-term

issues that are confronting us when it comes to the recycling industry. The runs are on the board in

terms of the investment and the relief support that we have given to councils, and they have welcomed

our relief package.

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, it was a very simple question about whether the

minister will guarantee that council ratepayers will not pay more money on their rates. The minister

did not answer the question—did not even attempt to approach the question. I ask you to bring her

back to actually answering it.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister was relevant to the question. She has concluded her answer.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS


Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:02): Can the minister guarantee that

in four months time no recycling will be dumped at a tip or stockpiled at a warehouse: yes or no?


for Solar Homes) (11:03): I thank the opposition leader for the supplementary question. The Leader

of the Opposition knows full well that the contracts that are negotiated between recycling facilities and

councils are actually managed by councils. What I will say is our government has provided record

investment to the recycling sector, more than any other Victorian government in history. We will

continue—


The SPEAKER: Order! I do warn the member for Ripon and the member for Kew to cease

shouting across the table.

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, if the minister is saying it is not her responsibility,

why has she got $400 million in bin taxes that she is sitting on as the minister?

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Ms D’AMBROSIO: I do remind those opposite they spent $15 million, not just in recycling

either—right across a whole range of areas. Our government is doing—


The SPEAKER: Order! We need to be able to hear the minister’s answer. The father of the house

should show some leadership and stop shouting across the chamber.

Ms D’AMBROSIO: We have been very clear that nationally our recyclable industry needs the

support of all levels of government, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Mr R Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, I refer you to sessional order 11, where all answers to

questions must be direct, factual, succinct and relevant. The Leader of the Opposition’s question was

certainly direct and succinct. We would ask you to direct the minister to make sure that her answer

complies with the sessional order.

The SPEAKER: I thank the member for his point of order. The minister had only resumed

answering her question for a couple of seconds. The minister, to continue.

Ms D’Ambrosio interjected.

The SPEAKER: The minister has concluded her answer.

MINISTERS STATEMENTS: TAFE FUNDING

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education) (11:05): I rise to update the house about the

extraordinary uptake of the Andrews Labor government’s free TAFE courses. More than

25 000 students have commenced training in free TAFE courses in the six months to the end of June, a

92 per cent increase in commencements in these courses compared to the same time in 2018. Female

students account for 57 per cent of all free TAFE students, up from 9 per cent in those same courses

last year. Female participation has doubled in traditionally male-dominated courses such as agriculture,

horticulture, building surveying and cybersecurity. Students over the age of 30 account for 47 per cent

of free TAFE students, and more than a quarter of commencements are in regional Victoria.

The top five free TAFE courses range from accounting, nursing, community services, education support

to individual support qualifications—that is, for our aged-care, disability and community workers,

where we will need thousands of jobs. Demand for free TAFE programs is so great that the Premier

and the Minister for Training and Skills recently announced an additional $11.7 million to

accommodate the strong student demand. I will give you a couple of specific examples. Box Hill



Institute has more than 1800 commencements in free TAFE, a 114 per cent increase compared to last

year. Melbourne Polytechnic has more than 2200 commencements in those free TAFE courses, a 76 per

cent increase—a much brighter picture than under the previous government. Under those opposite

Greensborough and Lilydale TAFEs were closed. Lilydale TAFE was closed. Greensborough TAFE

was closed. We have not only rescued TAFE, we are building it to be stronger than ever.


The SPEAKER: I warn the members for Macedon and Thomastown to cease shouting across the

chamber.

WASTE AND RECYCLING MANAGEMENT

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:07): My question is again to the

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. The City of Ballarat has confirmed that the

government’s recycling crisis will cost Ballarat ratepayers an extra $2 million for its recycling

program. Minister, how much of the $6.6 million you announced yesterday will be allocated to the

Ballarat City Council?


for Solar Homes) (11:07): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. What the Leader of

the Opposition is pointing to is the additional costs incurred by councils since they had to renegotiate

contracts with SKM last year because the contracts set with SKM by those more than 30 councils

actually undercut the real cost of managing this waste. That is what happened last year. The councils

incurred that cost as they renegotiated those contracts and re-signed those contracts.

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the question was very simple: how much of the

$6.6 million announced yesterday will go to Ballarat City Council? The minister is required to be

relevant, and she did not answer that question or even approach it. How much of the money is going

to Ballarat? That was the question, and if this question time is to mean anything, the minister has to be

able to answer that question.

The SPEAKER: I understand the point of order raised by the Leader of the Opposition, but the

minister has been relevant to the question that she was asked.

Mr R Smith: On the point of order, Speaker, if sessional order 11 is to mean anything in this house,

then you need to uphold it, as you are meant to uphold all sessional orders and standing orders. The

fact that the minister can get up and in her answer make no reference at all to the question—I know

you cannot direct the minister to answer the question, but you can uphold the sessional order that says

that the answer should be ‘direct, factual, succinct and relevant’. It was neither succinct nor factual—

it simply was not relevant. So, Speaker, I ask you to direct the minister to come back to the table and

answer the question in a way that is actually relevant to the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! I thank the member for Warrandyte. He essentially reprosecuted the point

of order that had already been raised by the Leader of the Opposition, which I have ruled on.

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:10): With 48 313 residential

households, the government’s recycling crisis will cost every Ballarat household an extra $41 on top

of the $433.40 they pay now in waste management and green waste service charges. Will the

government suspend the bin tax for Ballarat residents until this recycling crisis is resolved, or will

Ballarat families continue to pay for this minister’s scandals?


for Solar Homes) (11:10): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the supplementary question. I think

what is important for the Leader of the Opposition and others to understand is where the landfill levy

funds actually go. They go to providing important services that are enjoyed by the community right

across our state. Whether it is to support the officers for the protection of the local environment, which



councils have actually welcomed, or whether it is to support the Environment Protection Authority

Victoria increasing its resources to tackle pollution and hold polluters to account. These are what is at

risk.

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, relating to relevance, the question was: will the

minister suspend the collection of the bin tax for Ballarat residents? It is not how much money has she

got in the fund, what does the money get spent on, the question was: will she suspend the collection

of the bin tax for Ballarat residents? That is the question, and a direct, succinct, relevant and factual

answer would address that and say yes or no.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister is being relevant to the question that has been asked.

Ms D’AMBROSIO: Speaker, I remind those opposite that when councils first had problems with

SKM last year, we came and brought forward relief for them, immediate relief. When they had similar

problems again this year, that is exactly what we have done.

Mr Walsh: On the point of order, Speaker, on the issue of relevance again, the Leader of the

Opposition’s question did not mention SKM once, and I would ask you to draw the minister back to

actually answering the question as to whether she will suspend the bin tax for Ballarat residents, or do

they have to keep paying for her mess of this whole debacle?

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister was relevant to the first part of the question. She has strayed

from answering the question directly, and I ask the minister to come back to answering the question.

Ms D’AMBROSIO: The collection of waste—the recycling industry—is a shared responsibility.

Our government has provided the support that councils have asked us for, and we will continue to

work with them for the long-term solution.

Mr R Smith: On the point of order, Speaker, with question time becoming a farce, we actually

need ministers to be relevant to the question. There are two Ballarat-specific questions. The minister

did not address the Ballarat aspect of those questions in any way, shape or form. If this question time

is not going to degenerate into a farce, then these sessional orders need to be upheld.

Ms Allan: On the point of order, Speaker, the question, whilst it was using Ballarat as an example,

went to underlying policy matters that are contained in what is a really complex area of public policy.

The Leader of the Opposition and those opposite know that this is a complex area of public policy with

many issues for the minister to consider, and she has been providing a clear policy response to the matters

that have been raised and therefore has been relevant to the questions that have been asked. Those

opposite may not like hearing the policy basis for the issues that the minister is working through, but she

is being entirely relevant to the question and therefore consistent with sessional and standing orders.

Ms Staley: In the context of the point of order that has been raised, Speaker, I would like you to

consider Rulings from the Chair and in particular the Maddigan ruling when she said:

When responding to a question the minister must address the question rather than responding generally.

Are you making a new ruling from the chair that this ruling no longer holds, because clearly the

minister responded generally but did not address the question that she was asked?

The SPEAKER: Order! The question had a number of aspects. It related to the recycling levy, for

want of a better term, and the minister addressed the question and was relevant to that part of the

question.

Mr M O’Brien: To assist you on the point of order, Speaker, and without wanting to read all of

the supplementary question, the first part of the supplementary question noted the number of residents

in Ballarat and calculated what the extra costs would be to them. The question was: will the

government suspend the bin tax for Ballarat residents until the recycling crisis is resolved, or will

Ballarat families continue to pay for the minister’s mistakes? It was clearly specific to Ballarat. The



point made by the member for Ripon is that Speaker Maddigan has previously ruled it is not sufficient

to just generally talk about an issue. That is not sufficient under the Rulings from the Chair. There

actually has to be an answer to the question, and it is not sufficient to just talk about recycling generally

or bin levies generally. It was a specific question about Ballarat, and the minister failed to address that

in any way. Under Speaker Maddigan’s ruling the minister’s answer was out of order, and I ask you

to uphold the point of order on that basis.

The SPEAKER: Order! I have ruled on the point of order. The matter has been raised again, but

the minister was relevant to the question that was asked. There is no point of order.

MINISTERS STATEMENTS: CHILD PROTECTION

Mr DONNELLAN (Narre Warren North—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Disability,

Ageing and Carers) (11:16): I rise to update the house on the landmark action taken by the Andrews

government to protect our children. Today we have introduced laws to ensure religious and spiritual

leaders must report child abuse to authorities. Under this legislation religious ministries will become

mandatory reporters to child protection authorities and we will lift the confessional seal in the eyes of

the law. No longer will there be an exemption for confessions of crimes against children. In doing so

we have met the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child

Sexual Abuse. We have also fulfilled an election commitment, but most importantly we are doing

what is right by victims of child sexual abuse in the past and by children who will be born in the future.

I am advised there is resistance to the confessional seal being broken, but let us be very clear: what

will prevail is not the practice necessarily of the church but the practice of the law of the state.

I want to thank Chrissie Foster, whose family has suffered so much, for her tireless advocacy. Today

we stand with her and those like her, and we stand with our children. For all the debate, it is actually

very simple: if you think a child is being hurt, report it—no exemptions, no special treatment. It is a

cultural change as well as a legal change, and we are committed to delivering it. Already our

government has expanded the list of mandatory reporters to include police, teachers, medical

practitioners, school counsellors and early childhood and youth justice workers. Now religious and

spiritual leaders will join their group. There are other important amendments to the bill as well.

BUILDING CLADDING

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:18): My question is to the Minister for Planning. On 13 September 2018

the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) completed a combustible cladding audit of a childcare centre

in Neerim Road, Hughesdale, rating it as high risk. On 26 October 2018 Monash council wrote to the

owners, informing them that there was a danger to life, safety or health due to the installation of

combustible cladding. Why has this cladding in a childcare centre, described as highest risk by the

VBA and described as a danger to life by Monash council, not yet been removed?

Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for

Planning) (11:18): Can I thank the member for Kew for his question because in part he invites me to

provide a broader oversight of where we are in relation to the challenges that we face in relation to

cladding more generally. I am pleased to advise the member for Kew, of course, of the important

initiatives that the government has put in place in relation to cladding more generally, and then I will

come to the specific question that he has in fact raised with me today. The first is the very important

announcement by the government of $600 million to in fact address the question of cladding in private

residential apartments. This is a really significant announcement by the government, which of course

is on top of the budget announcement that we made of $165 million to address public buildings and

$15 million to create Cladding Safety Victoria. I can say to the member for Kew he is well aware that

I was in fact in London recently at the request of the Premier to address a range of issues in relation to

cladding and to seek further advice from our colleagues in the UK. Can I say that in that respect we

lead every jurisdiction in Australia and indeed in the UK as well, and they were looking to us for

guidance as to how—




Mr WYNNE: Well, there is the truth—

A member interjected.

Mr WYNNE: And of course you were there rolling your arm over, playing a bit of cricket. You

were going well. He was going well. Just hang on a second. Rolling the arm over; that was good—

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will make his comments through the Chair.

Mr WYNNE: With a few of your Tory mates over there—that went well.


Mr WYNNE: Sadly, I did not get the opportunity to meet Mr Corbyn, but there you go. I mean the

place is in shutdown at the moment while they are trying to deal with the question of Brexit.

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

Mr T Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, in the 40 seconds that the minister has left could he

please answer my question about a very important matter, which is a childcare centre in Hughesdale

that is very, very dangerous?

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has strayed a very long way from the question.

Mr WYNNE: Thanks very much, Speaker. I take your counsel on that. But can I say specifically

in relation to the childcare centre, this centre was in fact identified both by the building surveyor at the

Monash council and indeed the Victorian Building Authority, and yes, it is rated as high. It is not fully

clad, as was suggested. It is clad somewhere between 26 and 50 per cent, but that does not in any way

diminish the question of safety. The answer to the question is that both the building surveyor with

Monash and the VBA building surveyor say that the building is safe to be occupied.

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:22): After 11 months, parents of children at this childcare centre were

informed by the media that this building poses a danger to life, and nothing has been done to make it

safe. Why did the minister choose to keep parents in the dark about the fact their children are attending

a childcare centre that poses a danger to life?


Planning) (11:22): Again, I thank the member for Kew for his question. This is a serious matter; there

is no question about that. This is a privately run childcare centre, and it is the responsibility of the

building owner to notify his or her tenant of the state of the building. There was a building order upon

the building to rectify the flammable cladding that is there, but the reality is that this building—and I

again indicate to the member for Kew—on the assessment of the registered building surveyor at the

City of Monash and indeed the Victorian Building Authority building surveyor, is safe to be occupied

for the purpose for which the childcare centre is operating.

Mr T Smith: On a point of order, in terms of the accuracy of the minister’s response, the municipal

building surveyor on 26 October described this building—


The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kew will resume his seat.

Mr T Smith: The minister is being factually inaccurate and misleading this house, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

Mr T Smith: I can make this available. This is the City of Monash document from the municipal

building surveyor that says it is a danger to the life, safety or health of those that use the building.



The SPEAKER: Order! What is the member’s point of order? The member has to have a point of

order.

Mr T Smith: Can I make this available to the house to inform the minister—

The SPEAKER: The member for Kew to make the document available to the house.

MINISTERS STATEMENTS: RECYCLING RELIEF PACKAGE


for Solar Homes) (11:24): I am absolutely pleased to update the house on the response from councils

and industry to our $11.3 million recycling relief package. Councils and industry are onboard with

overhauling our recycling system, and they understand that all levels of government have a role to

play. The Municipal Association of Victoria have said that they welcome the Victorian government’s

$6.6 million support package for councils, and they know that it will provide financial relief for any

additional costs incurred because of SKM’s closure, either from sending materials to landfill or

seeking alternative recycling sources.

The City of Melbourne have said that they look forward to working with the Victorian government on

a joint response to this issue. The Australian Industry Group has also welcomed the investment in

recycling infrastructure. Yesterday’s recycling relief package includes $4.7 million to improve the

quality of an additional 100 000 tonnes of recycled materials through better sorting and processing.

We are funding terrific projects, and just some of the examples include: Fulton Hogan in

Warrnambool—they are going to be taking 5000 tonnes of glass and plastic waste from the kerbside

for use in local pavements; Close the Loop in the northern suburbs will be able to upgrade

infrastructure and see some 5000 tonnes of plastics being used in new asphalt products each year; and

it will also support Astron Plastics at the Cheltenham recycling facility to process more than

4500 tonnes of mixed plastic waste into new plastic packaging.

Since 2017 our funds towards recycling and supporting businesses take the total number of projects

funded to more than 60, turning 670 000 tonnes a year of recycling materials into valuable products

that then go back into the economy, and on top of that we are creating more than 450 jobs. We

welcome the support from local councils and industry on solutions to this complex problem that are

good for the environment, good for local businesses and good for jobs.

MILDURA BASE HOSPITAL

Ms CUPPER (Mildura) (11:26): My question was intended for the Premier, but in his absence, it

is to the Deputy Premier: last week the Minister for Health visited Mildura and heard direct testimonies

about systemic safety issues within our hospital. These sources were able to articulate with credibility

and clarity how these safety issues are either caused or amplified by a key structural deficit unique in

the state, which is our hospital’s responsibility to make a profit. According to your own consultation

90 per cent of community members want our hospital back. The local Labor branch said it wants our

hospital back. This week the local Liberal Party branch broke ranks with its own upper house MP to

state it wants our hospital back too. Our community expected a decision on the management contract

in July; it is now August. How much longer will we have to wait before the government makes a

decision?

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education) (11:27): I thank the Independent member for

Mildura for her question. I will not be able to give as forensic an answer as the Premier and former

Minister for Health, but I understand absolutely how important this issue is for the Mildura

community. As the member said, the Minister for Health had a very successful visit to Mildura last

week in order to listen to the views of local nurses, doctors and patients, Ramsay Health Care and the

wider community. The hospital belongs to the community, so the community should decide its future.

That is something that the Premier clearly indicated earlier. I want to particularly acknowledge the

strong advocacy of the Independent member for Mildura on behalf of her community.



In direct answer to her question, we have listened, and we will make a decision on the future of Mildura

Base Hospital and whether to return it to public hands in the coming weeks. The community

consultation period was very significant. The consultation collected the views of more than

2000 people via an online survey, stakeholder sessions and drop-in visits. As the member has outlined,

the review found that 90 per cent of people would prefer the hospital to be publicly run. That is the

view of the Mildura community. In the context of Ramsay Health having declared operating surpluses

at the hospital of approximately $2 million in each of its last five years, you can understand how the

community would clearly prefer that kind of investment being reinvested into public health for the

community.

There is a long history to this hospital. It was privatised by the Kennett coalition government in 1998—

privatised by the Kennett government. Latrobe Regional Hospital was also privatised but went back

into public hands just two years later. But in 2013 the Napthine coalition government entered into a

five-year service agreement with Ramsay Health from September 2015 to September 2020. Ramsay

Health has offered to activate a two-year option extending the current agreement to 15 September

2022. We are required to respond to that request by 15 September 2019. As I said at the beginning, I

want to acknowledge the advocacy of the member for Mildura. I want to acknowledge and I want to

thank the community—thousands of people who are having their voices heard about the future of

public health in Mildura. We will make a decision in coming weeks.

Ms CUPPER (Mildura) (11:30): My supplementary question is also to the Premier via the Deputy

Premier. The Minister for Health made the effort to come to Mildura and hear our case. The Premier

said he would take personal ownership or responsibility for this issue. Can the Deputy Premier

guarantee that the Premier will come to Mildura, look our community in the eye and deliver the

decision on Mildura Base Hospital?

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education) (11:30): I thank the Independent member for

her supplementary question, and can I assure the member that the Premier is deeply engaged on this

issue, deeply engaged in the future of public health for the people of Mildura and wants to listen to the

people of Mildura. The Minister for Health has been there recently. The Premier is deeply engaged

and wants a resolution. We will be making a resolution in the coming weeks, and I will talk directly

with the Premier and pass on her view as the Independent member for Mildura. But unlike those

opposite, who are happy to privatise, via the Independent member for Mildura and the investment in

public health by the Andrews government we will ensure that the people of Mildura have the health

services that they deserve.

MINISTERS STATEMENTS: REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT

Mr PALLAS (Werribee—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial

Relations) (11:31): I am pleased to update the house on the regional unemployment rate, which now

sits at an all-time record low of 3.8 per cent. Contrast that to five years ago, when there was an

ambulance crisis, a TAFE crisis and of course a jobs crisis, with the regional unemployment rate

peaking at 6.6 per cent.

Since November 2014 the number of jobs in regional Victoria has increased by over 60 000, and of

course 45 000 of those jobs are full-time. How many full-time regional jobs were created by those

opposite? Not 20 000, not 10 000, not zero—in fact they created minus 7500. The current regional

jobs boom is not an accident. It is because we have invested in our regions and it is because as a

government we value investment and we make it where it counts, into regional Victoria, where we

have also halved the regional payroll tax rate.

I recently had pleasure in visiting our great local MPs in the Geelong region, where the unemployment

rate has fallen from 8.1 per cent to 4.8 per cent since this government was elected. I also visited the

Latrobe-Gippsland region once again last month, where the unemployment rate has dropped from

5.9 per cent to 3 per cent. Later this month I will be excited to join two passionate representatives from



the Ballarat region, the member for Buninyong and the member for Wendouree, where we have seen

unemployment drop a whopping 4.5 per cent since the election of the Andrews government, from

6.9 per cent to 2.4 per cent—quite incredible. The government is getting on with the job and delivering

jobs for regional Victoria.

BUILDING CLADDING

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:33): My question is again to the Minister for Planning. Will the childcare

centre in Neerim Road, Hughesdale, be one of the first 15 buildings to have its cladding rectified by

Cladding Safety Victoria, as promised by this minister?


Planning) (11:34): I am pleased to answer the question from the member for Kew because Cladding

Safety Victoria’s remit is to in fact rectify residential buildings. This is not a residential building. It is

a childcare centre, and I would have thought that the member for Kew would be well aware of the

remit of Cladding Safety Victoria. I am pleased to say again that we in fact lead the country in relation

to all of the work that we have done in relation to auditing buildings, so we are now up to almost

2500 buildings that have been physically audited by the Victorian Building Authority. They have now

identified in the order of somewhere between 450 and 500 buildings that the expert panel have

indicated are of high risk or in fact extreme risk. So there is a significant body of work that needs to

be undertaken by Cladding Safety Victoria. They have commenced. We have a new CEO in place,

Mr Dan O’Brien, who would be well-known to—

Mr T Smith interjected.

Mr WYNNE: Please ask that question. I want you to ask that question of me. Have you got the

supplementary there, because I am ready to go with that too? Do not worry about that.

We have 500 buildings that have now been identified. We expect as Cladding Safety Victoria

continues its work it will deal with in the order of 150 buildings a year, and we expect the program to

be completed in three to four years time.

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:36): Can the minister guarantee there are no other childcare centres that

are affected by dangerous combustible cladding? As you have observed, you have audited thousands

of buildings.


Planning) (11:36): What I can guarantee the member for Kew is this: that we have got the most

comprehensive program of auditing of any jurisdiction in Australia, and indeed we lead internationally

in addressing the question of cladding more generally. It is not a Victorian problem—

Mr Walsh: On a point of order, as has been put before about answering the question that has been

asked, Speaker, the minister is not addressing the question at all. The question was: can he guarantee

that there are no other childcare centres in Victoria that have combustible cladding on them that will

be a danger to children’s lives? A lecture about the whole program is not what the question was about.

The question was very specific, and I ask you to bring him back to actually answering that question

and either give a guarantee or say, no, he cannot give a guarantee.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order. The minister was being very relevant to the

question asked. I cannot direct the minister how to answer the question.

Mr WYNNE: Thanks very much, Speaker. We have got the most robust auditing program of any

state in Australia.


Mr WYNNE: Well, then what happens? What happens is that buildings get assessed, and those

buildings have been assessed, as I indicated.




The SPEAKER: Order! The minister, through the Chair.

Mr WYNNE: Thanks, Speaker. We absolutely stand by—

Mr T Smith: On a point of order—

Mr WYNNE: Oh dear, oh dear.

Mr T Smith: Dear, oh dear, yourself. Are there any other childcare centres that are clad in

dangerous combustible material, Minister? Yes or no?

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

Mr WYNNE: We will continue with this robust auditing program that has been in place now for a

period of time, and we will ensure that that work continues on in a systematic fashion.

Mr T Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, I might assist the minister, because he is clearly

completely out of his depth. I make available to the house another childcare centre in Blackburn Road,

Glen Waverley, that is clad in dangerous combustible material.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The member can make those documents

available.

MINISTERS STATEMENTS: YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Equality, Minister for

Creative Industries) (11:39): I use this as an opportunity to update the house on important

developments in youth mental health and particularly suicide prevention. I do so because recently I

had the pleasure of joining with the Premier in officially opening in the Parkville precinct the Orygen

youth mental health facility, delivering on the Labor government’s commitment for a $60 million

capital investment program to deliver both the integrated services of Orygen Youth Health, together

with Orygen’s National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, bringing together both frontline

world’s best service delivery and world’s best research and industry development, particularly around

the issue of mental health for young people. Because this is such an important issue to all Australians,

the great work done by Professor Pat McGorry, a former Australian of the Year, in partnership with

the Victorian government to deliver that centre was very significant. I want to thank Professor

McGorry, I want to thank the philanthropic partners and I want to thank the commonwealth, because

the commonwealth also made a small but not unimportant contribution.

Professor McGorry correctly pointed out that some half of mental health illnesses can be detected by

the age of 14 and three-quarters of later mental health conditions are apparent by the time someone is

24. In this regard the work that Orygen do is critical.

I want to particularly acknowledge the work that Professor McGorry did in bringing together, through

the COAG processes, the Prime Minister’s and the Premier’s recent announcement about how good

mental health, particularly youth mental health, will be a driver of youth suicide down to zero. This is

a commitment that Victoria proudly signs up to.

Mr Wells: On a point of order, Speaker, I refer you to sessional order 11. We had a situation today

with the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change giving answers and, in the opinion of

the opposition, we believe that she did not fulfil the requirements of sessional order 11 to be direct,

factual, succinct or relevant. There are four requirements, and we believe that in her responses to the

substantive questions and the supplementaries she did not fulfil any of those requirements.

You will remember that when we were debating the sessional orders we insisted on the ability of the

opposition to be able to ask you, Speaker, to ask the minister to provide a written response. That was

removed by the government, so that part of it has been taken away from us. Based on what we have



seen today, and based on the point that the member for Ripon made in regard to Speaker Maddigan’s

ruling, we would ask with the greatest of respect that you reflect on today’s question time, reflect on

what has happened today, because otherwise question time is going to turn into a farce. When we ask

a question we require at least one of those four requirements under sessional order 11, because we are

not getting any answers even slightly relevant to the question that has been put to the minister.

Ms Allan: On the point of order, Speaker, the Manager of Opposition Business has invited you to

reflect on question time and has made some comments which he would like you to consider as part of

that reflection. I would like to add some commentary of my own as you consider the matters raised by

the Manager of Opposition Business.

Sessional order 11 does contain the requirement for ministers to be direct, factual, succinct and relevant,

and the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change—I am repeating the point I made during

question time—was indeed relevant to the question that was asked. Given there are broad policy

matters, each of the questions asked of the minister today went to matters regarding the landfill levy,

and she was indeed relevant and factual to those matters that were asked by the opposition. The fact

that the answer was not one that the opposition liked is not a reason for a change to the sessional orders.

I also remind the house and remind the Manager of Opposition Business that the sessional order that

he was referring to that was in the previous Parliament—around the opportunity for the Speaker to

have a written response—was a change to the sessional orders that were in the previous Parliament

that was actually opposed by those opposite when we, as a government, moved the changes to the

sessional orders. So the crocodile tears that are being cried now for that sessional order stand in stark

contrast to the opposition to that sessional order that they demonstrated four and a half years ago.

Finally, Speaker, the Manager of Opposition Business referred to the point of order raised by the

member for Ripon regarding a ruling by former Speaker Maddigan. My Rulings from the Chair is

from October 2018, and there is another ruling from Speaker Maddigan on page 157 about the content

of answers that actually is consistent with the approach you have taken in the ruling on answers to

questions:

Standing Order 58 provides that ‘a minister will have discretion to determine the content of any answer’. The

Chair ruled that this does not give ministers the opportunity to answer questions in any way they like; ministers

must comply with all requirements of standing orders—

which the minister was doing when she was being relevant to the questions that were asked, as per

your ruling. I simply put it to you, Speaker, that those opposite may not like the answers that are being

provided. It is question time: they do not get to write the questions and the answers. It is at the

discretion of ministers to provide the content.

Mr Burgess interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Hastings.

Ms Allan: Further leadership on display over there, Speaker. It is up to ministers to comply with

those sessional and standing orders, which is exactly what the Minister for Energy, Environment and

Climate Change was doing during question time today.


The SPEAKER: Order! When the house comes to order.

Ms Allan: Speaker, as you can appreciate, I am resisting the urge to point out that the behaviour of

those opposite is—

Perhaps if they listened a little more during question time rather than shouting down the Minister for

Energy, Environment and Climate Change at the table, they would perhaps have heard the policy

content that meant she was being very relevant to the question that was asked, and I would have

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS


thought the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, today of all days, might not want to interject too much

more given the very poor form that she has demonstrated today.

Mr Walsh: On the point of order, Speaker, supporting the Manager of Opposition Business, not

only is it disrespectful to the house to not answer questions as described in sessional order 11, but it is

disrespectful to the community of Victoria.

Ms Allan interjected.

Mr Walsh: No, the Leader of the House might laugh about disrespect, but it is disrespectful to the

people of Ballarat who want an answer to that question. It was a very legitimate question, and to say

that the minister used policy to answer it—the people of Ballarat were not interested in policy; they

were interested in an answer to that question about how much more they are going to pay through their

bin tax for the mess that this minister has made of recycling. That was the question that was asked. It is

a total lack of respect for the people of Ballarat that the minister would not answer that question, and

I urge you, as you reconsider the point of order that the Manager of Opposition Business put, that you

take into account respect for the people of Victoria who we are here to represent, rather than some

games that the government wants to play about not answering questions.

The SPEAKER: Order! The two rulings I made on the answer that the minister gave I believe

were correct. But I am happy, particularly given the constructive way that the Manager of Opposition

Business has raised the issue, to meet with him tomorrow with the benefit of Hansard to discuss the

matter further. I might invite the Leader of the House to that meeting as well. We will reflect on the

questions and the answers given.

Mr Northe: On a point of order, Speaker, in regard to some unanswered questions. On 29 May,

question 687, in a question on notice to the Minister for Child Protection, I submitted a number of

questions related to youth residential care facilities that remain unanswered. Also on 5 June,

question 734 was a constituency question in regard to the future of the Hazelwood Pondage. The

Minister for Regional Development has failed to provide a response to that question. This is an urgent

matter, where stakeholders such as Latrobe Valley Yacht Club, Latrobe Valley Game Fishing Club,

Latrobe Valley Triathlon Club and many people in our community are upset at this particular situation.

Those particular stakeholders that I mentioned are being evicted from that site as we speak, and the

government and the minister have failed to respond to that urgent question. I seek your support in

having those questions answered urgently.

The SPEAKER: I thank the member for raising those issues. We will follow those up with the

relevant ministers.

Constituency questions

KEW ELECTORATE

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:49): (922) My question is to the Minister for Public Transport. When will

the minister increase the services for the route 302 and 304 buses that run from Box Hill through to the

city, stopping at numerous stops through the electorate of Kew? I have written to the Minister for Public

Transport on a number of occasions calling for those bus services to be improved. I know that residents

and constituents of the Kew electorate have written on a number of occasions and are becoming

increasingly frustrated that they cannot get a seat on those buses and that the buses often pass their stops

because they are already full by the time they get to Kew. It is totally unacceptable. People are waiting

in the rain and are freezing cold in the morning. They need increased services. With population growth,

particularly in the inner city, we need increased bus services from Kew into the city. My residents are

becoming increasingly intolerant of this minister’s lack of response to their concerns.



YUROKE ELECTORATE

Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) (11:50): (923) My question is for the Minister for Education. What

information can the minister provide about the Andrews Labor government’s commitment to expand

the successful school breakfast clubs program and how will this benefit students in Yuroke? Students

at four schools in the Yuroke electorate are already benefiting from this program that was rolled out

in the government’s first term. Prior to the last election, the Labor government committed to expand

this program to both breakfast and lunch at 1000 government primary and secondary schools, ensuring

more children will have the opportunity to access this great initiative. I am sure that Yuroke residents

are very interested in the rollout of the expanded program and I would appreciate any information that

the minister can provide.

EUROA ELECTORATE

Ms RYAN (Euroa) (11:50): (924) My constituency question is to the Minister for Education. Will

the minister review the government’s very unfair school zone changes across my electorate, which

when implemented at the end of this year, will force many children to change schools? These changes

are threatening to tear communities like Heathcote apart. If you live in Heathcote, you are far more

likely to shop, work or access services in Bendigo. But under these changes, if you live west of the

council offices, you will attend school in Bendigo, and if you live to the east, you will now have to

attend a school in Seymour, which is totally impractical for many families living in Heathcote. It shows

how city-centric this government is that it cannot understand that drawing arbitrary lines on a map

does not work for rural families who do not necessarily travel in the direction as the crow flies.

SUNBURY ELECTORATE

Mr J BULL (Sunbury) (11:51): (925) My question is for the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major

Events. What is the latest information on the planning and design for the $2 million upgrade of Eric

Boardman Memorial Reserve in my electorate of Sunbury, funded of course in the last budget? This

is a really exciting upgrade. Boardman is home to the Sunbury Kangaroos Football/Netball Club, the

Sunbury Lions Juniors and the Sunbury Little Athletics and is also a CFA training ground. It is a

terrific precinct. There is a lot of growth in the community. I certainly look forward to seeing the

design for the upgrade of this terrific precinct. The community loves the area, but we can certainly get

on and make it a better precinct so that more people can play sport in this area. I look forward to the

minister’s update.

SOUTH-WEST COAST ELECTORATE

Ms BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (11:52): (926) My question is for the Minister for Local

Government in the other place, and I ask: will the minister launch an independent investigation into

governance procedures at Warrnambool City Council? Minister, by now you would be aware of the

fractious relationship between the Warrnambool City Council and its ratepayers, following revelations

of inappropriate spending on council credit cards and following the successful application to raise rates

above the prescribed cap. I am aware that Warrnambool City Council is conducting its own internal

reviews of procedures and spending, but Minister, it is my belief that such is the relationship between

the council and the community that no-one will trust the findings of an internal review and the broken

relationship will not start to recover. Minister, I believe the only way that trust can be rebuilt between

the council and the community is for your department to launch an entirely independent investigation.

LARA ELECTORATE

Mr EREN (Lara) (11:53): (927) My question is to the Minister for Education. Last year our

government committed funding for the construction of the new Purnell Road Integrated Children and

Family Centre. This centre will be built alongside the current Northern Bay College Wexford campus

and will provide much-needed kindergarten places for Geelong’s north. My question to the minister



is: what is the latest information on the projected time line for the construction of this build and how

many places will be available across both three and four-year-old kinder?

BRUNSWICK ELECTORATE

Dr READ (Brunswick) (11:54): (928) My constituency question is to the Minister of Disability,

Ageing and Carers. A constituent has advised me that the showrooms of the Independent Living

Centre in Victoria have recently closed down due to withdrawal of funding. The Victorian Independent

Living Centre gave unbiased advice and demonstrations of assistive technology such as wheelchairs,

hoists and personal alarms to people with disabilities and to older persons. These devices improve

quality of life, increase independence and help people stay at home longer. Without an independent

living centre people over 65 who are ineligible for the national disability insurance scheme will not

have a one-stop centre where they can be assessed by therapists and have hands-on demonstrations of

assistive technology. They will have to arrange it all themselves. My older constituents expect that the

government will make it easier to get these services rather than close them down. Minister, will the

government intervene to ensure that a physical site providing professional, non-commercial advice for

assistive technology exists in Victoria?

MACEDON ELECTORATE

Ms THOMAS (Macedon) (11:55): (929) My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads in

the other place. Minister, the people of Gisborne were excited to hear that the Andrews Labor

government has budgeted to upgrade the intersection of Melbourne and Kilmore roads in Gisborne.

Can you now advise how locals in Gisborne and surrounds will be consulted as this project gets

underway? The intersection is notorious in Gisborne, known for its poor visibility and history of near

misses. Ten thousand vehicles per day use this intersection and it is the major entry point to Gisborne

from Riddells Creek, Monegeetta, Romsey and Lancefield. I know that locals in all of these surrounding

towns and areas are keen to have their say on the intersection and I look forward to your response.

HASTINGS ELECTORATE

Mr BURGESS (Hastings) (11:55): (930) My question is to the Minister for Roads. It is regarding

the Somerville to Baxter bike path, and I ask: what assistance is the government able to provide, in

partnering with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, the Frankston City Council and the federal

coalition government to fund and get this project built? As the minister would be aware, the proposed

bike path from Somerville to the Baxter trail is approximately 4.8 kilometres long and would close the

missing link. There would be a shared path connecting those townships to the Peninsula Link Trail

and the Somerville to Hastings bike path. The missing link would create a fully interconnected trail

for our community. The estimated cost of this project is $5.5 million and of course we are all ecstatic

that the federal member for Flinders, the Honourable Greg Hunt, committed $2 million to get this

shovel-ready project off the ground. I applaud the advocacy of Julie Morris, the local councillor. This

is an opportunity for the minister to partner with the other two tiers of government to make this bike

path a reality.

MOUNT WAVERLEY ELECTORATE

Mr FREGON (Mount Waverley) (11:56): (931) My constituency question is to the Minister for

Training and Skills in the other place, Gayle Tierney, and I ask: how will my constituents enrolled in

TAFE benefit from the additional $11.7 million of funding announced for the free TAFE initiative?

Before the winter break I was joined in Mount Waverley by the Premier, and we got the chance to

visit Holmesglen Waverley campus and see how great the free TAFE initiative has been for the

students studying in my electorate. We visited students studying a certificate IV in education support,

currently being taught by teacher Debra Christodoulou. When asked by the Premier who in the class

was only able to study the course in 2019 because of the free TAFE initiative, many of the class raised

their hands. We also got to visit students in the certificate III in commercial cookery course, taught by

Trevor Jenkins, and the certificate II in horticulture course, taught by Heike Barker. I will just say in

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my last 10 seconds here that there are a number of mature-age students coming back to TAFE because

of this free TAFE initiative, which is helping them get on with a new career, and it is a fantastic part

of the initiative.

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Second reading

Debate resumed:

Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (11:58): Just picking up from where I left off on the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019, I think the key thing to pick up on this week in particular is that we

had the Environment Protection Amendment Bill 2019 debated yesterday, and now of course we move

across to the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. Both pieces of work I had the

opportunity to be involved in as Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment in the previous term of

the Andrews government. It was that real hard-yards work from the members for Bellarine and Mill

Park, the previous and current ministers for the environment, that led a lot of that work. It has been

very significant and really underpins the modernising of this legislation, as with our proposals on the

Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) bill that we debated yesterday.

I just wanted to say that there was an acknowledgement that in its current form the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Act 1988 does not reflect contemporary regulatory approaches. The current act does not

account for advances in the understanding of biodiversity management or for the impacts of climate

change. This really was the very first review of that act and how it applies in over 30 years since it was

introduced by the Cain Labor government some 30 years ago. I was interested to note that the member

for Mornington, as lead speaker for the opposition, touched on some of the work of people in

discussions about the bill when it was first introduced. They include people like Heather Mitchell from

the Victorian Farmers Federation. It did remind me that along with Joan Kirner, the former Premier of

Victoria, Heather Mitchell established Landcare over 30 years ago, the anniversary of which we

celebrated in 2016. Can I say that with 600 Landcare groups now across the state representing about

68 per cent of privately owned land, that is another initiative that I think is critical and that the lead

speaker for the opposition touched on. When we talk about flora and fauna and the guarantee act, it

goes right back to that time some 30 years ago when Landcare was established and the importance of

that work in our community.

Can I say that the current bill also sets a clear direction for Victoria’s biodiversity. It strengthens the

government’s leadership and accountability and introduces a modern and effective regulatory program

and a compliance and enforcement framework. In that review there were some 210 written

submissions, and it picks up on a range of other work that I wanted to touch on, one of those being

supporting volunteers in my other role as Parliamentary Secretary for Carers and Volunteers. There is

an acknowledgement that beyond the specific funding for threatened species we also recognise the

crucial role that volunteers play in protecting and restoring Victoria’s natural environment. There is

funding of course for the environment volunteer plan, to nurture and support volunteers. Whether it is

Landcare, friends groups, Coastcare or local groups to improve their area, all environmental volunteers

need to know that they are supported by their government, and we have seen specific grants along

those lines as well.

I did also want to touch on the fact that Parks Victoria was largely decimated by those opposite when

they were in government. Do not forget that under those opposite one in 10 staff at Parks Victoria lost

their jobs, and there was the ramping up of camping fees in our public spaces, many of which have

been scrapped or reduced by our government. We need people to be using our parks. We need people

active in our parks and public spaces, because they are the advocates in our community for why those

places need to be protected. The only way you can do that is by making sure that if people are using

our parks and using our public open spaces, they are ultimately the best advocates for how the parks

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are protected, making sure governments continue to invest in them. I think that is a critically important

aspect. The review of Parks Victoria that I was part of in the previous term led to very significant

financial and budget increases for Parks Victoria. So just like the EPA and the bill we debated

yesterday, in what is turning into very much an environmental week for the Parliament and the

government, if we can make sure that both the EPA and Parks Victoria in their work absolutely can

meet the expectations the community have of the work that they are expected to do, that will go a long

way to protecting not only the built environment but our flora and fauna.

In the few minutes remaining to me can I say there was a review in the previous term of the native

vegetation clearing regulations. That report came out in November 2016. It was particularly

significant. I just want to touch on the foreword to that work by the minister:

The regulations will provide for better consideration of important biodiversity elements in decision making.

This includes key habitats for dispersed rare or threatened species, large trees, endangered Ecological

Vegetation Classes, and sensitive wetlands and coastal areas.

All of this comes back to other ways in which we need to protect our Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

I just wanted to touch also on the submission from Environmental Justice Australia. I thought they did

some significant work. Perhaps they want to take things further than the government is prepared to at

this time, but I think they have also got to acknowledge that there have been significant improvements

in the work that the government has put forward in this bill to modernise and understand, through

much better science, the work that we can do through the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

I also wanted to touch on the work that we did with the biodiversity plan. This plan is protecting

Victoria’s environment—Biodiversity 2037. It really does mark a turning point for Victoria, and that

work again really underpins substantial work from our government. It is a plan that represents a

contemporary approach to managing biodiversity, bringing together the latest conservation science

and social science to help achieve the plan’s vision that Victoria’s biodiversity is healthy, valued and

actively cared for.

Again I wanted to say that there are a range of other matters that we could touch on. Do not forget of

course that it is under a Labor government that we saw the banning of cattle grazing in alpine and river

red gum national parks in 2015, the banning of fracking and the removal of the power to grant 99-year

leases over national and other parks in the National Parks Amendment (No 99 Year Leases) Act 2015.

There was the delivery of the Climate Change Act in 2017. Other important issues included adding

most of the Anglesea Heath to the Great Otway National Park in 2017, the reform and modernisation

of the Marine and Coastal Act 2018, the delivery of the Living with Wildlife Action Plan and of

course, as I touched on, the Environment Protection Amendment Bill 2019 that we debated yesterday.

All of this brings me back to the key point that it is the Andrews Labor government, building on

commitments made in opposition nearly five years ago and as a result of a lot of hard work and

consultation with communities, that has introduced the legislation we have been debating this week,

the Environment Protection Amendment Bill and in particular the Flora and Fauna Guarantee

Amendment Bill. We have had a significant increase in the population in Victoria and across

Melbourne and the outer suburbs. It is critical that the various legislative frameworks across planning

and the environment continue to hold us accountable while we deal with the growing pressures that

we face in maintaining and protecting the flora and fauna in our state.

Mr T BULL (Gippsland East) (12:05): I rise to make a contribution on the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. I note in making this contribution that this bill has been before the

house before but lapsed with the 2018 election. I had the pleasure of speaking on this bill last time it

was in this chamber, so whilst I will not repeat the same speech word for word, there will be some

similarities that come across. As our lead speaker indicated, we will be not be opposing this bill. But

what we will need to see is how some of these changes play out on the ground, because we need to

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ensure that they will not have any detrimental impact on our bush-related industries, our bush-related

pastimes or indeed our farming communities.

I note that one of the main provisions in the bill imposes additional obligations to consider biodiversity

in decision-making. Now, on face value this sounds fine. Yes, we always need to consider biodiversity

in our decision-making. It is commitments like this, I guess, that also do make you wonder about the

reasons behind these additional obligations. As I said in my contribution on this legislation last time it

was in this chamber, what I would like to see is a set of words that say there will be no further

restrictions on existing sustainable industries or impacts on bush user groups. So while our position is

one of not-oppose, I do think we need to closely monitor how these objectives certainly play out on

the ground.

Last time this bill came before the house there was some feedback from the Campaspe Shire Council,

and I would like to make some comments on the feedback that was received from that local

government area. What the council said was that it did not support the over-reliance on modelled

values and mapping, citing that it can indeed lead to some situations where developments have

environmental requirements for threatened species that are not present. In line with this commentary

from the Campaspe shire, I have had a couple of situations in my electorate of East Gippsland where

developments have been refused because the mapping indicates that although a species does not exist

there, the habitat is such that it may exist there at some time in the future, and on that basis the

development has been refused.

One of these that is of interest was a golf course that was to be developed into housing lots. The owner

of the golf course was told that although there was no viscera daisy bush on the golf course, the habitat

was such that it may exist there at some stage in the future. He could not really believe this scenario,

that he could not develop his land because the soil, the climate and the habitat were such that this

species may pop up at some stage in the future on one of his fairways. It was refused based on that

scenario.

There was another case that involved an orchid and an extension to a seed business near Orbost, where

the gentleman wanted to proceed but he was advised that an orchid had the capacity to exist there at

some stage in the future. Now, they walked the ground and the orchid was not present, but because

there was that capacity for it to exist, because the climate and the environment were right, neither of

those developments proceeded. In anyone’s language that is just an absolutely ludicrous situation, that

lines have been drawn on a map, isolated little patches have been located, and because something may

exist there at some stage in the future the area cannot be developed.

In this bill we talk about the creation of habitat protection orders, which will replace interim

conservation orders. The bill states clearly that the minister may make these orders to conserve, to

protect or to manage any critical habitat, and that is fine. There absolutely are various times when

scenarios pop up where we need to put additional protections in place to protect our rare or endangered

or vulnerable species. The member for Mornington eloquently outlined in his contribution the reasons

for that and the precarious condition that some of our species are in in this state.

However, we also need to make sure that when we do this there is no overriding detriment to our

existing and sustainable industries, whether that be timber, whether that be farming, and even people

who want to use the bush for their own recreational purposes. An area may be reserved for a valid

reason. There are absolutely valid reasons that we need to put areas into reserve. But in the past in the

timber industry, for example, where an area that was available for timber harvesting was put into

reserve we did not see a commensurate area returned to the timber industry. So we have had a net loss

of available resource. We know that if we keep heading down that path, we drive up imports from

countries that do not have the same level of oversight that we do in Victoria. It is important that we

have a no-net-loss provision in these industries. I note that this is at the minister’s call; it is her decision

as to whether she will put these reservations in place. I would strongly urge her to encourage a

no-net-loss policy for the existing industries that we have.

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An Auditor-General’s report a couple of years ago found that the timber industry has only 6 per cent

of our native forest resources available to it. The other 94 per cent is already in reserve or is

inaccessible to the industry. The problem is that since that Auditor-General’s report we have many

more areas put into reserve, so it would be less than 6 per cent now, and that means something has to

give. If we keep taking resource area off our timber industry without replacing it, then something has

to give. It is in those timber industry businesses where the workers and the contractors will lose their

jobs. Our industry dwindles. We will drive up imports. Soon we will be having people protest on the

front steps of Parliament that the orangutan is threatened. What we are doing is we are importing

timber from those countries with less oversight because we have knocked down our own timber

industry in Victoria. It makes no sense at all. Our timber industry has high levels of oversight and it

needs to be looked after. It is well-managed and it is sustainable. So when we have legislation to protect

more areas, we need to have a no-net-loss policy.

Before I conclude I want to make a comment on some concerns that were raised initially by the

Victorian Farmers Federation, and I cite some of the concerns that were raised by the VFF are the very

reasons we need to keep a close eye on this. The VFF pointed out, as I did earlier in my speech, that

the concerns relate to ministerial discretions. The VFF said that where this legislation applies to private

land, they believe that Crown land should be the principal player in biodiversity control and private

landholders should not bear the cost of providing an overall community benefit. What they are saying

is that private landholders should be able to work the land they own for the benefit of their farming

businesses. It also raised concerns that the VFF had over existing use rights and the potential impacts

that it may have on mixed farming. I do note that the decision-making, again I say, comes back to

ministerial discretion. The minister needs to consider all of these elements when she is making these

determinations. I do appreciate that this has been used sparingly in the past, and I would certainly hope

that we have a commonsense approach heading into the future also.

Many of the matters that will come up in relation to the legislation such as this need to be determined

on a case-by-case basis. Not all situations are the same. The scenarios differ and they vary enormously

from case to case. But the right to farm must always be a very, very strong consideration across any

decisions that are made. We must always take these factors into account with every determination. If

this commonsense approach is applied, there should be little reason for concern, but it is this point that

does cause concern to some, particularly those in our farming sector. In my area in particular, where

we are still gripped by drought, with only 7 millimetres of rain so far this month, we do not need any

more restrictions on our farmers. So while we do not oppose the bill, we want to see a commonsense

approach taken to this legislation. We do not want to see this being used as a tool to impact on existing

industries, pastimes and the farming community.

Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (12:15): I take great pleasure in joining the debate on the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. I want to pick up on some of the comments made by my friend and

colleague the member for Ivanhoe in his contribution when he remarked on the 30-year anniversary

of Landcare some three years ago and how it was set up by a Labor government and indeed Victoria’s

first female Premier, Joan Kirner, when she was the Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands. It

was great partnership between her and Heather Mitchell representing the farming sector—two great

women bringing about the establishment of Landcare.

My uncle Bill Ermacora had a farm in Simpson and now farms at Winslow. Having been raised in the

inner city—in a wine salon in Smith Street, Collingwood—he did not come from farming stock, but

he was educated in farming by my grandfather Francis Plozza and my aunt Lorraine Ermacora. He

was educated by them, but he also had his own unique way of thinking about things and wanted to

look at it in a broad way. He was very much an early adopter of Landcare principles. I recall when he

was farming in Simpson, because he talked about collaborating and looking across farms and looking

out for the environment, the water table and endangered species. He was called ‘Red Bill’ when in

fact he was really ‘Green Bill’ because he wanted to do farming differently.

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My grandfather Francis Plozza and his brothers moved down from north-east Victoria. They had

farmed around Violet Town, Caniambo, Dookie, Gowangardie and Baddaginnie and they moved to

the Heytesbury Settlement. There was a lot of land clearing done for the Heytesbury Settlement, but

on every one of the farms that the Plozzas established—my grandfather and his brothers—they always

ensured that there was at least one large block of native vegetation and then native vegetation around

the perimeters of the properties. They understood that farming and our natural environment could

coexist, so I think that it was farmers like them that absolutely adopted and were open to the practices

of Landcare.

I was pleased to hear the member for Gippsland East speaking on behalf of the National Party to say

that the National Party are not opposing the bill, and I understood that from the lead speaker from the

Liberal Party as well. The member for Gippsland East raised some concerns that he has. He did say

that he spoke on this bill when it was last presented to the house and then lapsed and he said he was

not going to do the same speech, but I think that maybe he needs to learn of some of the good news

and be updated about what this government is doing to address some of the concerns that he raised,

particularly in relation to mapping. He said that the maps are outdated and said how that can be

disadvantageous to landholders. I would love to provide advice to the member for Gippsland East that

not this year’s budget but indeed last year’s state budget allocated $17.1 million for that mapping to

be redone and to be updated, and I am pleased to advise the member for Gippsland East that it will be

East Gippsland shire that is done first. I think he should be very reassured of that, as should all farming

and forestry communities across Victoria.

The member for Gippsland East also talked about the right to farm. As someone who did not grow up

on a farm but did spend an awful lot of my teenage years and childhood on farms—both my parents

were raised on farms and many of my cousins still farm—and as the Parliamentary Secretary for

Regional Victoria I will always stand strong with farming communities and their right to farm. I think

that those on the conservative side sometimes misunderstand that we are a Labor government and that

we are about jobs. We are about jobs, but we are also about respecting the environment.

There has been a great deal of consultation and work done in updating the Flora and Fauna Guarantee

Act 1988. I remember when it was introduced in 1988, so it really is time to update it. I do think it was

a bit cute of some of the opposition spokespeople to talk about parks and areas being locked up and

access to public land when in fact it was them, under their watch, who caused a lot of areas of public

land to be not accessible because they cut the Parks Victoria budget so harshly. Many of our public

spaces were not accessible to the community because of those huge cuts. How could you actually say

that you cared about the environment? I must say I was shocked that someone like Ted Baillieu as

Premier allowed the National Party to be in charge of the environment. For the member for Warrandyte

to have been a junior minister for the environment and for the environment to have been a junior

portfolio with the pillagers of the environment—those browns, the National Party, with many climate

change deniers still among the ranks, particularly at the federal level—really beggared belief.

I know that some members of the Liberal Party and the National Party are involved with some of those

fringe-dwelling Fraser Anning types, the bush user groups, who are trying to raise fear and say that

this government is not about allowing access to public land. Well, nothing could be further from the

truth and it is we who have reduced camping fees and actually are allowing greater access and

encouraging access to our fabulous network of parks. I am really proud to have the Plenty Gorge Park.

This is one of the newer established parks, only established around the time of the flora and fauna

guarantee to be the spine of my electorate, and it is really what underpins the livability of my electorate.

I am also concerned about elements of the Liberal Party who are on the Shire of Nillumbik in their

current review of the green wedge management plan. Rather than acting on a previous peer review to

council that said their green wedge management plan needed to be updated to reflect the impact of

climate change, in the current review by this council—by a Liberal-led council—they are actually not

paying attention to climate change nor to biodiversity. They are paying lip-service to the extreme right

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wing bush user groups who are trying to blow up the concept of our green wedges and support for

biodiversity, and they are trying to do it under the guise that they want to have more commercial

operations in our green wedges and in the rural conservation zone. They are not ruled out from having

commercial operations there, and they are really being dishonest about this.

We have seen in the Shire of Yarra Ranges that commercial activity has operated very well, and we know

that those on the opposition side when they were in government actually got rid of a branch of the then

Department of Primary Industries that actually was assessing the impact of what the uses of our land

could be and the impact of climate change, and I am really pleased that those people who lost their jobs

have gone into the university sector and are now advising councils about land use. They are looking at

the impact of climate change and the concern that north of the Dividing Range, with desertification, by

2050 we may not be able to produce stone fruit in Victoria, so we may need to look at those things being

grown south of the divide and continue to have food grown in the Port Phillip region.

But those on the opposition benches never do the hard yards. They undercut our commitment to our

environment and to the productive uses of our land. I commend the great work of the flora and fauna

guarantee team and I commend the bill to the house.

Dr READ (Brunswick) (12:25): Victorians have the responsibility of preserving the ecosystems of

plants and creatures that are found nowhere else on this planet. Our marsupials and monotremes, our

noisy argumentative birds, our colourful fungi, our forests and our swamps are all special. They add

value to our lives, like castles and medieval masterpieces do for those in the Northern Hemisphere.

These ecosystems have shown remarkable resilience but not enough to resist the effects of logging; of

pressure from carp, deer, cats, foxes and weeds; of advancing suburbia; and of rising temperatures,

declining rainfall and more frequent fires. So how are we performing as caretakers for our precious

ecosystems and species?

The Victorian State of the Environment 2018 report notes that of 35 measures of biodiversity in

Victoria more than 20 are poor, seven are fair and none are good; around 700 species are listed as

threatened and almost 90 are extinct. We are not doing well, and we will not turn this around by passing

the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019, which ticks some boxes, but will not stop the

logging, eliminate the pests or fight climate change, which is causing ecosystem collapse.

We need a parliamentary inquiry into extinctions to chart the way out of this crisis, but we should pass

this bill because it improves upon its predecessor. We support the bill’s changes to harmonise the way

we categorise threatened species with international criteria and with other jurisdictions. We will

document their decline more precisely.

We support too the increased penalties for illegally taking plants and animals, but this is not a major

threat to our biodiversity compared to those I have described, and funding for enforcement is what is

needed; without that the penalties are theoretical. We support the intention that all government bodies

must consider the act in all their projects, but we need them to do more than just consider—we need

them to be obliged to act. The same defect in the old act gave the minister or the head of a government

department the power to protect habitat or take other action to protect a threatened species, but

successive governments failed to use it even when it was desperately needed.

Unfortunately, this new act does not require action—it just requires consideration. Action will not be

mandatory and so it gives us no confidence that anything will change. Suburban development, clear-

fell logging, pest invasion and global heating will continue unchecked and our flora and fauna will

continue to decline.

So the Greens will move amendments in the other place to require ministers and departments to act to

protect plants and animals under threat. Currently, the act permits action, but history shows we do not

get action unless it is mandatory. Therefore we need this inquiry into extinction. We will support the

bill, but Victoria’s ecosystems need much more.

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Mr MAAS (Narre Warren South) (12:28): It gives me great pleasure to rise and to speak in favour

of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019, as it does to hear that the opposition and the

Greens are also supporting the passage of this bill. This bill strengthens and modernises the Flora and

Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and it also delivers on the government’s commitment to review the said

act. The bill amends this act to ensure that it is stronger and that it can more effectively protect

Victoria’s biodiversity in the face of existing and emerging threats such as climate change.

It was of course the Andrews Labor government’s 2014 election environmental policy which

committed to review key biodiversity policies and controls, including the act. Of course a version of

the bill has been in this place before, and in terms of a historical context the Department of

Environment, Land, Water and Planning led the review of the act, which culminated in the Flora and

Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2018. The bill was introduced into Parliament on 23 May 2018 and

passed the Assembly in June of that year. It was introduced to the Council but did not pass before the

last scheduled parliamentary sitting day prior to the November 2018 state election. So this bill

reintroduces the 2018 bill with the addition of some minor and technical amendments.

The bill itself sets out to achieve many stated aims. Firstly, it sets a clear direction for Victoria’s

biodiversity by revising the act’s objectives to prioritise prevention and modernise the guarantee to

read that Victoria’s flora and fauna will be able to ‘persist and improve in the wild and retain their

capacity to adapt to environmental change’. And it also provides a set of principles to guide the

implementation of the act, including principles to support public participation and the involvement of

the traditional owners of our land.

The bill aims to strengthen government leadership and accountability by encouraging consideration

of biodiversity across government by clarifying and updating the act’s existing obligation on public

authorities to have regard to the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act’s objectives. The bill also establishes

periodic reporting on progress against statewide biodiversity targets. The bill also improves strategic

biodiversity planning by adopting a consistent national approach to assessing and listing species and

the creation of a single threatened species list. It also embeds key components of Victoria’s

biodiversity plan.

The bill will also introduce a modern and effective regulation, compliance and enforcement

framework. It will do this by improving regulation of protected flora to focus on high-risk activities

and introducing a new exemption for the taking of protected flora for public authorities acting in

accordance with a public authority management agreement under the act. It also defines and broadens

the concept of critical habitat to better focus on preventing decline, while creating a more cooperative

approach to its management. It will improve ministerial powers to protect critical habitat in habitat

conservation orders, and it will also strengthen penalties so that the act will provide an effective

deterrent to breaches and is brought into line with other legislation in Victoria and interstate, such as

the Wildlife Act 1975 and the Fisheries Act 1995.

The bill will enable a greater range of compliance tools to allow a graduated response to offences, with

the introduction of infringeable offences and enforceable undertakings; and strengthen the powers of

authorised officers. The bill also enhances accountability and transparency in the administration of the

act by establishing a public register of the act’s instruments and increasing the public consultation

requirements. In terms of variations which have been made to the bill that was introduced in 2018,

there have been minor and technical amendments made to that bill to reflect the passage of time,

correct omissions, address potential ambiguity in the transitional provisions and clarify the intended

operation of the term ‘significant detrimental impact’ in the new aggravated offences.

It is also interesting to note that this bill will sit comfortably with work that is already occurring across

various portfolio areas. If I could give a local example, I know that in my electorate of Narre Warren

South, where currently major roadworks are taking place at the intersection of Hallam Road and Evans

Road with the South Gippsland Highway, some 6000 bees were recently discovered in an abandoned

house which was set for demolition to make way for the new traffic lights at this intersection. It was

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an extraordinary and unexpected find to find those 6000 bees, but rather than a do-nothing approach I

am reliably informed that beekeepers were engaged to coordinate the safe relocation of what was two

hives worth of bees. These bees were relocated so that they could continue to pollinate flowers, fruits

and vegetables. But not only that; I understand that some 8 kilograms of honey and honeycomb were

also extracted in that process. This is best practice biosecurity, and it is actions such as this that this

bill intends to also uphold. Best practice biosecurity is also crucial in protecting the agricultural sector

into the future.

Historically this government has committed funding to protect and ensure that the natural environment

continues to thrive. Over the past five years the government has provided more than $149 million to

protect Victoria’s biodiversity. In 2017–18 we provided over $86 million and an additional

$20 million for ongoing support to a portfolio of environmental protection and improvements across

Victoria. This is the most significant injection of funding for biodiversity that Victoria has seen.

Building on this, the 2018–19 budget provided a further $3 million for our faunal emblems, the

Leadbeater’s possum and the helmeted honeyeater. In June of this year over $2 million was provided

in support of projects through the caring for our local environment initiative. Most recently the

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change launched Zoos Victoria’s five-year Wildlife

Conservation Master Plan and announced $3 million in funding for that particular initiative. I also

note that the Victorian budget 2019–20 invests $142.5 million to boost Victoria’s biosecurity system,

the largest investment of its type in the history of our state, keeping our agricultural sector secure and

preventing the spread of pests and diseases.

This bill delivers stronger protections for threatened species and is further testament to the Andrews

Labor government’s ongoing commitment to protect and improve our natural environment. This

government also knows that a healthy natural environment provides vital life-sustaining services and

underpins many of the productive activities that generate value to Victorians. Victoria’s diverse and

unique mix of plants, animals, soils, seas and waterways function together as ecosystems, which in

turn produce most of our basic needs, including clean air, water, productive soils, natural pest control,

pollination, flood mitigation and carbon sequestration. I commend the work of the minister, and I

commend the bill to the house.

Ms BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (12:38): Today I rise to speak on the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. This is a bill that strengthens and modernises the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Act 1988, delivering a more solid approach to biodiversity. The bill amends the act to

ensure that it is stronger and can be more effectively protective of Victoria’s biodiversity. The reforms

in the bill were first introduced in the last Parliament. We are now here again, I think, because the

priority of this government actually is not the environment, so we will have another go in this term.

The government claims in its second-reading speech to be having ongoing commitments to Victoria’s

biodiversity to keep it healthy, active and valued, but today I am going to talk about some of the

biodiversity issues in my part of the world which demonstrate that this is not at all the case. But before

I go into some of that I would like to raise some of the issues in the bill that are slightly concerning.

Obviously we want to protect biodiversity and strengthen our approach to biodiversity—there is clear

evidence that we are not doing a good enough job—but we need to make sure that we do not

compromise our food producers in Victoria, and we need to have an approach where there is no net

loss. So this is a necessary consideration in any biodiversity changes. With the ministerial discretion

that will be allowed in this bill, hopefully a commonsense approach will take place. But as, rightfully,

the Victorian Farmers Federation point out, they are very concerned, and we should not have the right

to farm compromised, because we all need to remember that there are some basic facts. They are that

farmers actually keep us warm, they keep us fed and they keep us sheltered. They are the basic rights

we have, and they are needed to protect what we are very capably able to do in the state of Victoria very

well, particularly in my part of the world, where we are the largest producer of agricultural product in

the state and where we are the second largest in the nation—very proud facts from south-west Victoria.

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I will come back to the biodiversity aspect of the bill and how the government is claiming in their

second-reading speech that this is their priority. Clearly we do need to ensure biodiversity, but when

you see that the state budget actually has 1 per cent designated to the environment, then it demonstrates

exactly how much of a priority this is for Victoria. When you see areas of bushland and forests left with

no management plan, not enough money and not enough resources to actually address some of the

species that are causing the bush to be threatened and lose diversity, then you can see quite clearly that

no action plan and not enough money—1 per cent of the budget for the total of the state—tells you a

lot about the priority of this government and the environment that they say they are caring about.

So let me tell you about a place over in western Victoria, quite close to the South Australian border—

so a very western part of the state—the Heywood-Bolwarra area. I was recently shown around the

area by a community member who described to me the issue with a plant called sweet pittosporum.

Sweet pittosporum is actually not an introduced species, but it has the title of being a potentially

threatening process. This particular weed is native, so it is a weed local to this area, but I saw big trees

around 8 feet or 12 feet and the understorey is completely lost in the forest. The Brumby government

set this area aside in the 1990s because clearly it is an area of significance, but rather than actually

resource the area, they set it aside and said, ‘Look, it is really important that we look after it’. But now

we are in the situation that within a generation the forest will actually be lost. There is actually no

management plan. Rather than getting rid of the weed when it is small and can be ripped out, they are

waiting until it is at least 8 feet tall and doing small areas at a ridiculous cost. The area I looked at the

other day was maybe 2 hectares and there was a cost of around $300 000 to rip out the weeds

underneath the trees, which were quite large bushes by that point in time.

It is a flawed approach. The resources are not being put into a management plan so that it can actually

be wisely managed, and as a consequence we will have lost this within a generation. It is really quite

heartbreaking and unconscionable. That is a hard word; I have always struggled with it. I should know

it because I used it a lot previously. Anyway, Labor appears to have forgotten that sweet pittosporum

and other weeds do substantially reduce our biodiversity. So that is one area, and I would like to thank

Garry Kerr for taking the time. He is a volunteer, a retired fisherman and an extraordinary man who

knows a lot about our history as well as our natural environment. I would like to thank him for teaching

me a lot about the environment that I did not know.

I would now like to talk a bit more about another area in our part of the world. Going out on the

Portland-Nelson Road or going out to Cape Bridgewater, what you will find is a plant called coastal

wattle. Again, it is actually native to Australia but it was introduced to our part of the world in the

1950s and 60s. It grows like a weed. When I was driving to Nelson the other day I actually pulled over

to take a photo because I could not believe how much it was encroaching on the road—on the white

line. I had another constituent, Bernie Mills, write to me and say that this is an absolute disaster waiting

to happen because you cannot see—kangaroos come out at you and you have got no time. So I wrote

to Minister Pulford in the other place and I got a really interesting response. It is here in my notes. In

the response, where it talks about how important our road network is of course, she said:

I can assure you that RRV—

Regional Roads Victoria—

is always working towards this by adherence to strict inspection and response standards outlined in VicRoads’

Road Management Plan.

Then she went on to say that RRV have prioritised and:

RRV advises that maintenance crews are currently undertaking minor trimming works to improve sight

distance on the Bridgewater Road and on Portland Nelson Road.

Well, that is the biggest joke I think I have ever heard, because if you trim coastal wattle, it is like

putting petrol on a fire. It is not how you manage it. It is a disaster to do that because it just makes it

grow faster. It is a real shame that we have got the silos that this current government is working in.

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This is a problem for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). It is a

biodiversity issue. The understorey of the bush is being lost and this weed—which I know is native

but has that title of ‘potentially threatening process’—is threatening. It is taking all the understorey

away and destroying the bush and putting motorists at risk, and it needs to be addressed properly, not

by trimming.

The last issue I want to talk about is Tower Hill. I was recently invited by the Friends of Tower Hill

to come and meet with them because they are very, very concerned about how Tower Hill is being

managed. They have been working very hard, for 20 years some of them I have been speaking with,

to try and get the weeds managed in Tower Hill. Tower Hill is a 600-hectare piece of land. It is an old

extinct volcano. It is a magnificent piece of the world and I take all my overseas guests there to see

kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, snakes—you see everything at Tower Hill, you never miss out. Koalas I

said, I think. Emus—not so nice, a bit scary. But this area is being managed by volunteers and by a

member of DELWP. Sammy is doing a terrific job, and the team are doing a great job, but they really

want it to be made a national park. The reason is because they believe they will get more money. The

real issue here is that the state government are responsible whether it is a national park or whatever

park it is. They are not going to get more money unless the government gives them the money to do

the job—a new title will not change things.

Daphne Hester told me she has been trying very hard to get Tower Hill prioritised for 20 years. These

people are working with backpacks and just have no management plan. If I ran my farm, which was

about the same acreage, without a management plan, did not address weeds, did not have a rotational

grazing approach—and obviously there is not going to be a rotational grazing approach in a national

park or a forest area, but still the same principle applies—you cannot just attack things without a plan.

So the government needs to recognise what good works these people are doing and assist them with a

proper management plan and the resources to do it. The three volunteers that I spoke to, I worked out,

have put in 60 years of their time over the last 20 years, the three of them together added up, and they

have spent 60 years trying hard. It is real shame that this government which claims to care about

biodiversity puts a bill through like this but when you look out in the field—especially way out west—

there is no evidence that they are supporting the people.

Ms THOMAS (Macedon) (12:48): It really is a pleasure to rise and speak again on the Flora and

Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. Of course this was a bill that came before the previous

Parliament but unfortunately lapsed when the Parliament expired. It is a bill that speaks to one of our

2014 election commitments, which was to enact our Our Environment, Our Future election policy,

which committed us to review key biodiversity policies and controls, including the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Act 1988.

A number of significant things have occurred in my electorate, however, since last I did speak on the

legislation. I am pleased to see the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change is in the

house because she has been involved in a terrific and productive way in both of these things. They

include the reaching of an agreement around the Hanging Rock Strategic Plan. It has now been

approved by the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, the Minister for Planning

and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council as well as being endorsed by three traditional owner groups:

the Dja Dja Wurrung, the Wurundjeri and the Taungurung people.

For the very first time now we have a document that provides a vision for the protection of Hanging

Rock and a vision that will guide sympathetic investment over the years to come. The second

document that is relevant to the bill before the house is the Macedon Ranges Statement of Planning

Policy. This has now been endorsed by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council. While we still have a

number of smaller statutory authorities to sign on, once they have done so the statement of planning

policy will be incorporated into the planning scheme as the pre-eminent policy to guide planning in

the Macedon Ranges. This is also the fulfilment of a 2014 election commitment. Together these

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documents provide unprecedented protection to both Hanging Rock and the Macedon Ranges shire as

a whole for at least the next 50 years and beyond.

Of course, being a peri-urban shire, Macedon Ranges shire faces a number of threats from population

growth. The statement of planning policy is designed to ensure that the areas outside the settlement

boundaries of the townships are protected for a range of values: in agriculture of course, which is very

important in my electorate, but it also specifies biodiversity and environmental values as a policy

domain within the statement of planning policy. The objective of identifying the biodiversity and

environmental values of the policy is to ensure the significant biodiversity, ecological and

environmental values of the declared area are conserved and enhanced. This is a really terrific piece

of work.

When I think about both of these pieces of work—the statement of planning policy and indeed the

strategic plan for Hanging Rock—let us be clear that this is the type of work that only Labor

governments do. It is unimaginable that work of such depth and research would be done by a Liberal

government; it just would not happen. In fact, despite two former Liberal Party members representing

the Legislative Council Northern Victoria Region espousing their great commitments to the Macedon

Ranges shire, neither of them was able to deliver anything to protect either the Macedon Ranges or

Hanging Rock. In fact it is probably worth reflecting that this is perhaps why we only have one

coalition member out of five in Northern Victoria Region. Their numbers have been reduced

substantially in the upper house because, despite all the rhetoric, when it comes to doing the hard work

the Liberal Party is not up to it.

We are hearing a lot today about the Liberal Party’s regard for biodiversity and the environment, but

when they were in government they demonstrated they were incapable of doing that. In fact when they

were in government one of their first pieces of work was to allow cattle to graze up in the High

Country. This was environmental destruction of the worst kind. I am very proud that one of the first

things we did when we were elected in 2014 was to get the cattle out of the High Country. I have

nothing against cattle, but cattle belong on farms, not in national parks. That was one of the things we

were able to do. But, as I said, this is what the previous Liberal government did when it was in power.

As I said, these two documents are very important in the context of this bill because they both talk

about the biodiversity and environmental values as worthy of protection. The statement of planning

policy also—and this is a step in the right direction for our planning policies—clearly identifies climate

change as a threat to the environmental value of the Macedon Ranges and indeed to species viability,

including habitat alteration or destruction, and similarly provides objectives to mitigate the impacts of

climate change in the Macedon Ranges shire.

The thing about the area which I represent is that it is in fact home to a number of species of flora and

fauna of regional significance and indeed some that are threatened or endangered. At Hanging Rock

we have had sightings of the grey goshawk, the Australasian shoveler, the swift parrot, the barking

owl and the powerful owl, as well as the brush-tailed phascogale, amongst others. While the statement

of planning policy identifies black gums, the matted flax lily and, again, the brush-tailed phascogale

and others as significant flora and fauna, we now have a policy in place that is designed to ensure the

protection of those species.

As I said, significant changes have happened since this bill was first introduced into this place. I am

really pleased to see it before the house again today. I will just reflect on what it will actually do by

referring to the details of the bill. It retains the act’s strong objective to guarantee the future of

Victoria’s flora and fauna while acknowledging the challenges of climate change. It introduces a set

of principles to guide the implementation of the act, which includes recognising and supporting the

participation of traditional owners. Another very important step and a hallmark of the way in which

this government goes about its business is to engage meaningfully and respectfully with traditional

owners, which is again something that is unimaginable under a Liberal government.

MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE


The bill encourages consideration and biodiversity across government by clarifying the act’s duty on

public authorities to consider the objectives of the act. It embeds the reporting of progress in

implementing Victoria’s new 20-year biodiversity strategy, Protecting Victoria’s Environment:

Biodiversity 2037. It gives effect to a consistent national approach to assessing and listing threatened

species, the common assessment method, which will reduce duplication of effort between jurisdictions

and facilitate the monitoring and reporting of species’ conservation status; and it modernises the act’s

enforcement framework, with stronger penalties, improved authorised officer powers and new tools

to enable a graduated approach to enforcement, including undertakings and offences, enforceable with

penalty infringement notices.

This is a terrific bill. It builds on so many achievements of the Andrews Labor government, including

the banning of cattle in the alpine and river red gum national parks and banning fracking across

Victoria. Of course we have an election commitment in 2018 to enshrine that ban in our constitution.

We have delivered the climate change act. We have added most of the Anglesea heath to the Great

Otway National Park, reformed and modernised the Marine and Coastal Act 2018, delivered the

wildlife action plan and finalised major reform of the Environment Protection Authority with the

Environment Protection Amendment Bill 2019.

The measure builds on some terrific work of this government. In conclusion, can I thank the very

many passionate environmental volunteers in my electorate who are committed to enhancing the

environment and caring for threatened species, have a passion for remnant flora and are working hard

every day to make sure that I am well aware of the great bounty that is held in the Macedon Ranges

shire which is very worthy of the state protection that the Andrews Labor government has delivered.

I do commend the bill to the house, and I wish it a swift passage through Parliament so that it will

become law in Victoria.

Mr WAKELING (Ferntree Gully) (12:58): It certainly gives me pleasure to rise to again contribute

to this debate. I think we were here this time last year debating the same bill before the house, and I

had pleasure of being lead speaker for the opposition in debate on the bill. The bill amends the Flora

and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, inserts revised objectives and principles of the act and imposes

additional obligations to consider biodiversity in decision-making and improve transparency and

accountability. If we come back to this bill after the lunch break, I will be pleased to continue my

contribution.

Sitting suspended 12.59 pm until 2.01 pm.


Matters of public importance

HOMELESSNESS

The SPEAKER (14:01): I have accepted a statement from the member for Prahran proposing the

following matter of public importance for discussion:

That this house notes Victoria’s homelessness crisis, and further notes:

(1) that over 24 000 Victorians are homeless on any given night;

(2) that there are more than 82 000 adults and children waiting for housing on the Victorian public housing

waiting list;

(3) the Victorian Greens policy to build 80 000 new social housing homes over the next 12 years; and

(4) the Victorian government needs to invest billions in a big build of housing to end homelessness in

Victoria.

Mr HIBBINS (Prahran) (14:02): Last week Victorians shivered through a week of severe cold. It

also happened to be Homelessness Week. Just think what that week would have been like for people

who do not have safe places to call home. The Greens put forward this matter of public importance

today to debate the homelessness crisis because homelessness is the number one social justice issue



facing Victoria today. Homelessness is on the rise. We see it in the streets, with people sleeping rough,

but it is more than that; that is just the tip of the iceberg. So many people are living in unsafe or insecure

accommodation, in emergency accommodation or boarding houses that are simply unfit to live in.

Over 24 000 Victorians are homeless on any given night, and in a wealthy society like ours—a wealthy

state where just today the Treasurer was out trumpeting how good Victoria is performing

economically—to have homelessness that continues to rise, where the people in our society who are

most in need are not getting the help they need, is absolutely outrageous.

Homelessness can be fixed. When any other place around the world has had success in reducing

homelessness, they have built houses for people. Victoria does need a Big Build—a big build of social

housing, both public and community, to end homelessness and get people off the public housing

waiting list, which now stands at over 82 000, including adults and children, with the ultimate goal of

universal social housing allocated on the basis of need, with security of tenure for life.

This is about more than houses of course. At its heart this is about people. And quite often it is people

helping people. Last week I visited organisations that help people in my electorate, as many members

would have done during Homelessness Week. I visited the UnitingCare Prahran Mission and Sacred

Heart Mission, which were providing hot meals to people who needed them, many of them

experiencing homelessness. They do great work. And last year I hosted a homelessness action forum

in the Prahran electorate which included people who had experienced homelessness and those who

worked in the sector. It was very well attended, showing that we are a community that cares about

people in need. We heard about the power of community and making sure that people who are

experiencing homelessness are seen as part of our community, not separate from our community,

making sure that we are building those important connections to support each other, which local

services do so well. And we heard about the importance not just of housing but ensuring that once a

person is housed they have the help and support and the community connections that they need to

maintain their tenancy.

The causes of homelessness are many: family violence, financial difficulties and the housing

affordability crisis, which is pushing affordable housing out of people’s reach. There are next to no

properties that are affordable in Melbourne for people who are on Newstart. You have got relationship

and family breakdown, discrimination still exists today—there are still LGBTI young people getting

kicked out of home after coming out to their parents—and you have got people coming straight out of

prison into homelessness, which of course is only going to get worse. And the experiences of people

seeking help in this system show this is a system that is completely broken. The main problem, as it

has been for many years from when I worked in social services, is there are just not enough houses for

people. When a person accesses a housing service—

Mr Pearson interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Essendon!

Mr HIBBINS: If there is not a place for them—and we know that almost 40 per cent of people

who were homeless or at risk of homelessness in Victoria were unable to get help—they could spend

a few nights in emergency accommodation, of which there is very little in Melbourne, or more likely

in a motel or rooming house where the conditions are often squalid and unsafe. It is degrading and it

is dehumanising and, depending on the level of need, it could be over a decade before a person is

allocated public housing. It is clearly unsustainable for a person or members of a family to be taken

out of their community and put in distant, unsupported accommodation which will just result in them

being back on the streets and slipping through the cracks. It is an ineffective and expensive system.

The Greens took to the last election their policy of building 80 000 new social housing homes, both

public and community housing, over the next 12 years. That would be at a cost of around $30 billion,

which is a significant investment. But when we think about infrastructure, we also need to think about

housing for people, and the federal government should get involved as well. You just have to look at



what housing and homeless organisations were saying during Homelessness Week. The single most

important factor in preventing and solving homelessness is increasing the supply of social housing. We

can help people in need by building more social housing. Housing ends homelessness; the message is

pretty clear. But this is in stark contrast to what governments have been doing in Victoria for decades.

Victoria spends the least on social housing of any state in Australia. What an appalling record,

especially from a state that is supposed to pride itself on being the most progressive state in Australia.

The policies of successive governments in Victoria towards public housing have been the same. They

are a case study in neoliberal economics—underinvest and run down an essential public asset and then

claim privatisation and selling it off is the only way they can afford to fix it. The conditions in some

of our public housing estates are unacceptable—bed bugs, windows covered in pigeon crap that is

never cleaned, lack of maintenance and security—and the government’s privatisation agenda has

reached our public housing estates. The public housing renewal program is a sell-off plan that will

privatise public housing estates, only slightly increase the number of units and actually reduce capacity

by reducing the number of bedrooms and forever limit the amount of public housing that can be put

on these estates by making them majority private housing.

The real value of the land that our public housing estates sit on is not the monetary value that can be

gained from selling it off or doing a deal with private developers. It comes from the fact that public

housing tenants can live in the inner city, close to public transport, close to services, close to jobs and

close to communities that they care about. Now, because of community outrage over the sell-offs and

of course the persistent advocacy of so many housing and homeless organisations through the

Everybody’s Home campaign, we are now seeing some movement by the government with their plan

to build 1000 new public housing units over four years. But let us be realistic: this is just a drop in the

ocean compared to what is actually needed in Victoria, where we need at least 3000 new social housing

homes per year to meet demand. The $209 million they have allocated pales into insignificance when

compared with the $1.8 billion they are spending on new prisons. What a failure of social policy to do

that instead of spending billions on homes for people, which would actually reduce the need for people

to be in prison and reduce the number of people sleeping rough and presenting at emergency

departments for physical and mental health reasons and of course presenting to housing services.

Now is the time for a fundamental transformation in how we approach housing and homelessness in

Victoria. Homelessness in Victoria needs to be seen as not just a political problem that needs to be

closed down or that requires a government to be seen to be doing something so that they can say that

they are doing something or providing more than the money provided last year to fix it. It requires that

big build of social housing and a move towards the goal of universal housing, with support given to

people to address those underlying causes of their homelessness and ensure their long-term tenancy.

This is commonly called the Housing First Model and it has been proven time and time again to be

successful at ending homelessness. Our public housing estates need to be redeveloped with 100 per

cent new public housing, not private development. If we want to get private developers involved, let

us look at inclusionary zoning. Let us start by mandating a certain percentage of social housing to be

included in new developments. Look at Fishermans Bend. The potential of Fishermans Bend and other

redevelopment areas is massive.

All of this will take time. It will take time to build new houses, so I call on the government to take

more immediate action and provide immediate and indefinite relief to every person sleeping rough in

Melbourne. Homeless people are experiencing a freezing winter. They should not have to experience

another. Governments seem to find the cash—


Mr HIBBINS: Let us take a look at every time an Olympics or a Commonwealth Games comes

to town. Suddenly governments can find enough money or find the accommodation to get people off

the streets. Melbourne, Sydney, Commonwealth Games—we all know—



Mr Wynne interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Planning will come to order!

Mr HIBBINS: This government needs to act now. What I am suggesting is that right now anytime

a homeless person accesses a homeless service if they are sleeping rough, they should not get turned

away. The government should act and make sure that no person is sleeping rough in Melbourne and

Victoria.


The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Essendon!

Mr HIBBINS: Let us look at why we should be doing this. Why should we be doing this? It is an

absolute affront to the notions of social justice and a fair society that people are experiencing

homelessness at the levels they are now. Quite often we will hear from the likes of the member for

Essendon whose only justification for public housing is, ‘Oh, well, it’s a market failure. That’s why

we should provide public housing’, as if he needs to justify his going all-in on market economics to

justify why the state should step in. It is not because it is a market failure that the government needs to

step up; it is because it is a fundamental role of government to ensure that every single person has a

safe place to call home. That is a simple fact, and the sooner governments embrace this, the sooner we

can have that transformational approach to homelessness and housing that we need.

A big build, billions of dollars, needs to go into social housing, community housing and public

housing—


Mr HIBBINS: I take up the interjection. We can start by redeveloping those estates that are

earmarked for privatisation and put 100 per cent public housing on those estates. Let us take the Bangs

Street estate in Prahran. Here is an estate that has around 120 units on it. The government’s proposal

is to put 350 to 450 units on it, with an increase of only 12 public housing units. What they are actually

doing is reducing the number of bedrooms available on that estate, reducing the amount of public

housing available on that estate. What they should be doing is looking at public housing estates where

there is capacity for increasing density and investing in 100 per cent public housing on those sites.

The member for Essendon asked, ‘Where?’. I am giving him an answer—in my electorate. I believe

that people who live in public housing, people who need help, people who need housing or are

homeless are people who should be living in my electorate because we are an electorate that cares

about people in need. We are a community that can support and help these people. Where are the

member for Essendon’s ideas for his own electorate? Perhaps he can elucidate them during his

contribution.

But we do need that big build of social housing here in Victoria. Yes, it will take time. Yes, it will take

billions of dollars. Certainly I would urge the federal government to get involved as well because there

is really a need for a transformational approach to housing. The fact that we have homelessness at the

rates we do in Victoria is simply outrageous. Every time we have the Treasurer or the Premier get up

and tout their economic credentials and the jobs here in Victoria, they are forgetting the rising number

of people who are homeless in this state. It is an affront to the principles of social justice, and it is an

affront to this self-proclaimed most progressive government in the most progressive state in Australia.

Those are the Premier’s own words. For a state to proclaim that yet spend the least on social housing

of any state in Australia is absolutely appalling. It is the fundamental job of governments to provide

housing for people.

The SPEAKER: Order! Before calling the Minister for Housing, can I acknowledge—

Interjections from gallery.



The SPEAKER: Order! I remind the gallery about not applauding, clapping or making noise.

I do want to acknowledge in the gallery the presence of former member for Melbourne West in the

other place, Jean McLean.


Planning) (14:17): I am pleased to make a contribution to this matter of public importance because it

addresses an area to which I have devoted most of my working life. Housing has been my passion for

decades. This is no intellectual exercise for me. This is actually the community that I live in, the

community that I grew up in and the community that I call my home. Housing, of course, the member

for Prahran, is a fundamental right. There is no question about that. As a government, we are deeply

committed to all of those principles of social justice—absolutely we are, because that is what drives

this government.

Can I say in relation to the census data of 2016 that there were in fact 24 871 people counted as

homeless on census night, which was a rate of about 41.9 people out of 10 000 people, and that has

remained relatively static since 2011. But is that acceptable? Of course it is not acceptable. None of us

in this chamber would seek to argue with the statement that those figures ought to be addressed, but it

is important that we disentangle some of this data. Firstly, of what is a bit over 24 000 people, 5 per

cent were sleeping rough; 12 per cent were staying temporarily with other households; 18 per cent

were living in boarding houses and 36 per cent were living in inappropriate and overcrowded

dwellings—it is a self-evident point; and finally, 29 per cent were in supported accommodation for

homeless people.

It is important, I think, to indicate in this debate that almost one-third of those who were homeless on

census night were in supported accommodation for the homeless, so they had some form of structure

around them—that is, of course accommodation that is funded by the Victorian government and

delivered by our partners in the community sector. There is obviously a very sophisticated array of

access points—75 in fact across the state—where people needing homeless services can gain

assistance. Indeed this is a network of over 100 community services agencies delivering homeless

services across the state. There is a vast array of interventions. Obviously there is assertive outreach,

case management, brokerage and flexible funding, short-term refuge and emergency accommodation,

transitional accommodation and supportive housing to help people enter into the private housing

market. Let us not forget that this government provided a record investment of $1.1 billion—

A member: How much?

Mr WYNNE: That is $1.1 billion in housing and homeless support to deliver thousands of new

social housing homes, and indeed, member for Prahran, wraparound support to assist Victorians

experiencing homelessness or who are at risk.

A number of us, of course, across the chamber have been, as I have been on any number of occasions,

to some of our homeless support organisations, which are no better epitomised by, at least on a self-

interested basis, one in my own area, St Mary’s House of Welcome, but there are many of them.

Clearly there is Prahran Mission, and there are any number of them who do fantastic work in terms of

their support for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I must say it was a great

delight to me when our government some years ago provided a capital works grant to St Mary’s House

of Welcome to upgrade what were pretty downgraded facilities there in Brunswick Street. I call out

St Mary’s House of Welcome as one of many lighthouse organisations who do such fantastic work

for some of the most dispossessed people in our community.

I had the honour of opening the Ozanam House redevelopment which, for people who may not be

familiar with it, is on Flemington Road, North Melbourne, just opposite the beautifully rebuilt Royal

Children’s Hospital. This was really one of our first homeless shelters, which is what it was originally,

for men only. But with this magnificent redevelopment, as a partnership between government, with



$10 million from government and a magnificent contribution from VincentCare and the philanthropic

sector more generally, what we are seeing now—which is what the member for Prahran is in fact

seeking to promote—is of course wraparound services.

The concept of wraparound services is pretty simple. Obviously it is not a new thing for me. The

Elizabeth Street Common Ground project, which I funded and supported at a previous time as the

Minister for Housing, is simply one of a number of success stories where you ensure housing first and

then provide wraparound services to maintain people in their housing. Guess what happens—if you

provide people with a safe, affordable and secure property and you provide them with the range of

services that they need to support their tenancy and to address some of their underlying issues, they

actually get better. And many people in fact go on to the beautiful opportunities that we are offering

in terms of TAFE and get themselves back into meaningful long-term work. I mean, we understand

that and we know that this is a key element of our intervention going forward.

But Ozanam House is yet again a classic example of where wraparound services are making a

fundamental difference. This is a tiered intervention by Ozanam House: 60 crisis accommodation beds

to get men and women who may have been sleeping rough in the first instance off the streets. There

are 48 transitional units for people rebuilding their lives after homelessness, and they are on the floors

above. And then on the top floors are 26 independent living units for people over 50, with a particular

emphasis on women who have been sleeping in vulnerable situations. I think it is a fantastic example

of wraparound services, but even more than that, it has also got a day centre down below. As the

member for Brunswick would appreciate more than most, it has all of the medical services on hand to

support people who have been in crisis situations and who in many circumstances have very significant

underlying issues such as hepatitis and various other quite significant health issues. There is a dental

practice there, the first homeless dental practice in the state, and as the member for Brunswick would

know, of course oral hygiene is absolutely critical to a person’s health going forward. So this is a

comprehensive response with the Ozanam House development and really the pathway forward in

terms of those wraparound services.

I point to our friends at Melbourne City Mission, probably one of the most distinguished welfare

organisations and one of the oldest operating in Victoria. It is more than 130 years old and is based

down in King Street in the city. Again, they are doing splendid work there. With a contribution of

$3.5 million and operating funding, it is now operating an 18-bed youth refuge right in the heart of the

CBD, with a specific emphasis on young people. As we know, many of them are sleeping in the

undercroft just at the bottom of King and Spencer streets, on the flyover there. So it is directly targeting

those young people for intervention and then the opportunity for refuge accommodation and obviously

again the wraparound services to assist them for whatever period of time they might need. It might be

six months, it might be 12 months—it is not contained in terms of their ability to be engaged with that

program. And they then have the opportunity to move on again to alternative accommodation options.

We provided $19 million for assertive outreach teams. The assertive outreach teams are operating

across both metropolitan Melbourne and indeed country Victoria as well, because as we know,

homelessness is not an issue that is isolated to the CBD, Prahran, Brunswick or my part of the world,

Yarra; it is all over the state. So there is $19 million for assertive outreach teams in the City of

Melbourne, the City of Yarra, Port Phillip, Maroondah, Geelong, Swan Hill, Warrnambool, Ballarat

and Bendigo, which are seeking to assist more than 1000 people to provide—again—the practical

health and mental health services to work with these people. But we do also have a specific emphasis,

because many people gravitate to the CBD, where we have provided $9 million for supportive housing

teams to tackle chronic homelessness in inner Melbourne.

I could go on and on. I could talk further about the wonderful small homes project that we released on

Ballarat Road in Maidstone only recently. There are only six units, smaller houses, which we have

provided with the Harris family, the owners of Flight Centre—great people who have been wonderful

philanthropic partners with the government in terms of providing modular houses on state



government-owned land for a period of time. In this case it was a road widening on Ballarat Road, a

really nice intervention, with all the support services around these people. If the road eventually needs

to be used again the buildings can be picked up and moved onto an alternative site. They have got a

great ambition, the Harris family, to do much more in this space.

In the couple of minutes I have got left I just wanted to talk briefly about the so-called privatisation of

public housing. This is a matter that the Greens political party have sought to pursue now over a

number of elections. You tried very hard in Northcote with the Walker Street estate. I simply say to

my colleague that the member for Northcote stood firm because she actually understood the

importance of having mixed communities. And you could not find a worse, more rundown public

housing estate than the Walker Street estate. The Walker Street estate is an old, concrete walk-up

estate, one of the worst public housing estates probably in Victoria, ripe for redevelopment. The

member for Prahran talks about a mismatch between the number of bedrooms that are going to go

back into that development, indeed into all of our public housing renewal programs. I just say to the

member for Prahran: guess what? The configuration of bedrooms is in fact reflecting what the waiting

list is: 50 per cent of people on the waiting list are single people or couples. We make no apology for

ensuring that we have high-quality mixed developments. We do not want to consign our public

housing residents to enclaves where people in fact do not work, where there is no opportunity for them.

That is why we are going to build and redevelop many of these estates as some of the best, high-quality

public and social housing that we can all be absolutely proud of.

We are very, very committed, obviously, to the election commitment that we made for the 1000 units

that we will be building in this term of government, and we will look for opportunities to do more. We

are not going to rest on our laurels here; we will continue to pursue a path as a government that in

every respect is acknowledged by our commitment to social justice. That is where it starts and finishes

for us, because at the end of the day there is no more important work that I can do as the Minister for

Housing than stand up for people who have not been given an opportunity. So when we do those

redevelopments it is not just about ensuring that we get the best quality redevelopments for our public

and social housing residents, but that we actually give them an opportunity to ensure that there are

pathways for them into meaningful training, education and long-term employment as well. So if you

want to talk about a wraparound approach, this is one that clearly we know works and it is to the

enduring benefit of people who very often have not been given a go.

I say to the member for Prahran: your colleagues at Darebin have been a disgrace and, frankly, some

of your proposals that have basically been fuelled by anti-public housing sentiment are really quite

disgraceful. I would ask you to call upon your friends at the City of Darebin to actually help us get the

public housing renewal program on the way there, because we need one of the council laneways that

they refuse to sell to the state. We will intervene if we have to, and we will compulsorily acquire it.

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (14:32): It is my pleasure to rise to speak on the matter of public importance

as moved by the member for Prahran. Now, the member for Prahran in a previous life was a councillor

for the City of Stonnington, and I was as well. And when I was a councillor, and indeed mayor of

Stonnington, one of the most important things that I learned, and indeed one of the most important

aspects of public policy that we engaged in, was the public housing flats in and around Chapel Street.

At the time I do recall working with the then Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing.

Mr Wynne: I remember it well.

Mr T SMITH: And the glow of bipartisanship is warm across the dispatch box, Speaker.

Mr Wynne: I will just say, Speaker, they were our salad days.

Mr T SMITH: Indeed. I have got fat; you have got balder.




Mr T SMITH: When I was the mayor of Stonnington, we started a program called Stonnington:

Grow With Us, and what that attempted to do was provide opportunities for breakfast clubs for the

kids who lived in the Horace Petty estate and indeed homework clubs in the libraries for kids who did

not have a quiet place to study. That was some of the support that the then City of Stonnington gave

to my then local community’s most needy people.

I suppose that is the perspective I take into this new role that I have as the Shadow Minister for

Housing. I have to agree with the minister that providing stable housing and indeed a roof over our

most vulnerable people is the only way for them to rebuild their lives and indeed to become

contributors to our economy, because you cannot make a contribution in the job market, you cannot

make a contribution in society, if you do not have that stability of a permanent residence. That is why

I am absolutely committed to the notion that the state has a right and indeed a role, a fundamental role,

to provide that very important safety net for those in our society who have fallen through the cracks

and who need that support to get back on their feet and become self-sufficient citizens making a

contribution to the public good going forward. That is why—and this, frankly, is the great Liberal

legacy in social policy that does not often get talked about in this place—my great predecessor as the

member for Kew, Dick Hamer, made an enormous contribution to public housing in this state. The

Bolte government had not been necessarily the most cognisant of those issues, but when Dick became

the Premier of Victoria in 1973—

Mr Pearson: 1972.

Mr T SMITH: In 1972—thank you, member for Essendon. He made a massive contribution and

indeed increased expenditure on public housing dramatically, like we had not seen before. That I

suppose is the legacy that is important for me as the current member for Kew in this important aspect

of state prerogative and policy.

In recent decades I think Victoria—and I know that the minister will probably challenge me on these

matters—has dropped the ball in terms of our commitment to this very important issue. I make that

point broadly, and it is not a direct political criticism of this Labor government. In 1997 we had

69 688 public dwellings. As of 30 June 2018 we had 72 663. Of course that has not kept up with

population growth. Of course that has not met the demand, which is now 80 000 people on the public

housing waiting list. That is a challenge that we are all faced with in this place, as to how we can

effectively provide housing for 80 000 people who need it but also reflect upon that startling fact that

in reality we have not increased the public housing stock much at all in over 20 years. Obviously Labor

have been in power for most of the time, but this is a challenge; this is a genuine public policy challenge

where obviously housing is expensive and the state has a finite pool of money.

Yes, as the minister said, there are a good number of community organisations who do enormous good

in this space. Brendan Nottle at the Salvation Army is a friend of mine who does a power of work. I

have seen him on a number of occasions in Bourke Street. I have spoken to him at length. We had an

issue in my office recently where there was an individual who could not find shelter. I called Brendan,

and Brendan made it happen. He found shelter for that woman. I hope that she is now okay—I do not

know what happened to her. We called the Salvation Army, and they were there within an hour. It was

quite incredible. Between government and NGOs there is obviously a great desire to fix this social

ill—and it is a social ill; let us call it what it is. We do need commitment from the state to improve

essentially the amount of money that is spent on public housing and social housing. Victoria is lagging

behind the rest of the country. There was a Productivity Commission report earlier this year that

showed that Victoria spent less than half the recurrent expenditure on social housing of New South

Wales and less than Queensland and Western Australia, despite both of those states having smaller

populations. Indeed Victoria spent the least of any government on recurrent expenditure on social

housing per person in terms of population.

Under the Andrews government fewer families are finding a place in public housing. As at 30 June

2014 under the Napthine government there were 63 048 public housing households. In just four years



under the Andrews government public housing has decreased by 801 households to 62 247 as at

30 June 2018. I have talked about the public housing waiting list. It has increased dramatically under

this Labor government. While New South Wales has seen decreases from 30 June 2014 to 30 June

2018, including the number of greatest needs applicants on the waiting list almost halving from 10 726

as at 30 June 2014 to 5760 as at 30 June 2018, the number of people on the public housing waiting list

has increased under this government. The number of new greatest needs applicants has almost doubled

in Victoria since the election of the Andrews government from 9852 on 30 June 2014 to 18 859 as at

30 June 2018. These are facts, and facts are stubborn things. I am not for a moment trying to take a

short and stabby political whack on these matters, but these are the facts: we are not investing as much

as other states on public housing, and yet for a whole host of reasons, including population growth,

we have a waiting list that is continuing to grow.

Now, I note that the minister spoke about the privatisation, shall we say—one of the Greens’

allegations around privatisation—of public housing. In Bills Street in Hawthorn there is a real issue.

The government is attempting to develop a site that was gifted by the then City of Hawthorn for the

specific purpose of providing shelter for women. That gift was given in the 1950s. Now the

government’s plan is to privatise a certain part of that development but to increase the overall amount

of public housing by 10 per cent. I just wonder whether that is the right approach. I just wonder whether

or not privatising public land in such a frankly expensive area as Hawthorn is worthwhile because

once it is gone, it is gone forever. I make this point to you quite reasonably: I think that approach does

not necessarily lend itself to the best outcomes because at some point we will need more public housing

in the inner suburbs and we will need more public housing in Hawthorn, and without an ability to

increase the capacity at that site, which will happen once it is sold, I think long term—and locals in

Hawthorn have said this to me—we will regret it a lot.

Mr PEARSON (Essendon) (14:42): I am delighted to join the debate. I am the member for

Essendon. I have two very large public housing estates in my community: I have the Ascot Vale public

housing estate, which was built on a pony track that John Wren owned and was acquired by the Cain

Labor government in the 1940s, and the Flemington public housing estate, which was built

progressively over the late 1950s and into the 1970s.

When I was first elected, and indeed in the lead-up to my campaign, I went around and I tried to

understand these communities in more detail. I tried to understand the public housing estates in more

detail, and a few things stood out for me. I remember having the then Minister for Housing, Disability

and Ageing visit the Flemington public housing estate in early 2015, and there were rats everywhere.

There was rubbish. It was pretty bad.

When I went down and I started to talk with the community centre and I started talking to public housing

tenants who lived there, they said the problem was that the bins did not get picked up frequently enough

so waste gathered and was strewn around and the rats would come out and breed and they were infesting

the estate. What I did was contact the Moonee Valley City Council and ask if we could look at this and

try to find a way through it. I worked through the office of housing and instead of having the bins picked

up once a week, we had them picked up twice a week. We worked with public housing tenants to say

that it was really important that they put waste where it needed to be.

I tell this story because I had been the member for, at that stage, probably about three months or four

months. The federal member for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, had been there since 2010 and had done

nothing. Either he had not spent time on the estate so he did not know the problem, or he knew the

problem but could not figure a way out or did not want to figure a way out.

The other point I want to make is that in early 2015 I heard of a boy called Aseel. Aseel lived in the

walk-ups in Flemington. The walk-ups are precast concrete buildings with asbestos that were built in

the late 1950s and early 1960s. They are freezing cold in winter and they are sweat boxes in summer.

Aseel had a window open and rested his hand on the window to try to get some cool air over the

summer of 2014–15, and that window dropped. It dropped suddenly and it nearly severed his finger.



I met Aseel, I met his parents and I spoke with the then minister, and I said this was not good enough,

that we had to do better and had to try to find a way through this. I committed myself to work and do

whatever I could to try to rebuild that public housing estate, and at every step of the way—every step

of the way—the Greens political party opposed the redevelopment. They do not care about public

housing tenants. They do not care about the circumstances in which they find themselves—they are

opposed. They are totally and utterly opposed to quality of life for public housing tenants.

The member for Prahran in his contribution talked about a big build. He is just a cipher for the

mooching federal member for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, because that is what he has been saying. What

you know about Adam Bandt is if there is free food laid on in my community, he will be there, but

when it comes to getting off his backside and going to work for his communities, he is absent. He is

nowhere to be seen.

The member for Prahran talks about a big build. I will give you a little history lesson about what a big

build actually looks like. Big builds were described as slum reclamation in the 1960s. What happened

is you would have two unelected, non-descript public servants driving around in their cars looking at

houses and saying, ‘Oh, they’re no good’. They would be driving around places like Carlton,

Richmond and Fitzroy and saying, ‘No, no, we’re going to reclaim this. We’re going to compulsorily

acquire these properties, we’re going to kick these people out and we’re going to build public housing

in their place’.

When you talk about a big build, if you are talking about making sure you are putting public housing

tenants near where the jobs, the services and the public transport are, you are talking about compulsory

acquisitions of people’s property. So to the member for Prahran I say: would you rule out compulsorily

acquiring properties in Bendigo Street in Prahran or York Street or Murray Street or Essex Street? Are

you prepared to say here and now, ‘That is what I believe in: I believe in compulsorily acquiring

people’s homes in these streets, in the areas surrounding Bank Street, and putting up public housing’,

or not? If he is saying, ‘No, I don’t want that’, then what he is really saying is, ‘I don’t want more

public housing in my community. We’ll put these people’—I think he referred to public housing

tenants as ‘these people’—‘We’ll put these people’, which is what he referred to them as, ‘not in my

electorate but further afield, out past Melton or out past Werribee, or put them in regional Victoria,

because that is what they want’. They are not interested in supporting public housing tenants within

their community. They do not care about defending the rights of public housing tenants and making

sure you make the investments in public housing. Now the member for Prahran made an insightful

comment. He said that with Bangs Street you would look at making it all public housing, and he also

said we needed 3000 dwellings per year across the state.

I will take the member at his word. If I look at the Flemington public housing estate and I look at the

gazetted controls that we put in place under the last Parliament, we would see the removal of 198 walk-

ups and the replacement of at least 10 per cent—it is important to emphasise at least 10 per cent. The

overall controls looked at increasing the overall footprint of the estate by about 1000 dwellings—about

1000 dwellings would be my rough guess. Even if the member can be taken at his word that he would

like to have all 1000 dwellings in Bangs Street handed over to public housing, it is manifestly

inadequate to meet what he said is required, which is 3000 dwellings per year. There is just not enough

room, unless you are turning around and saying, ‘I’m actually in favour of increasing the densities at

Bangs Street’. I do not know what the gazetted controls are there. I know at Flemington the gazetted

controls are 20 storeys. Are you saying you want 40 storeys in order to meet your target?

Then the question is: how do you pay for it? I mean, how do you pay for it? It is all good and well

when you sit on the sidelines commenting and it is not your money. And let us be honest: the member

for Prahran has not built anything. He has not done anything. This is a bloke who cannot even control

the Darebin branch of his own party. I mean, if you cannot control the largest branch in your own

party, how on earth can you deliver 3000 public housing dwellings a year? It is just manifestly

inadequate.



The other point I would make is that you cannot be what you cannot see, and I firmly believe in this.

Professor Raj Chetty is a professor in economics at Harvard University. He has done extensive work

in America looking at the benefits that poor kids have by living in and growing up in mixed

communities where you have got people who might be in professions or people who have got skills

or trades. Chetty has spoken extensively and written extensively about the importance of providing

people with the opportunity to go out there and meet with people who have got different lived

experiences and the opportunities that come from that.

I met a man, who was at that stage a 26-year-old civil engineer, called Mohamed Mohamed, and he

said he was black, he was Muslim and he could not get a job because his name was Mohamed. One

of Mohamed’s big problems was that he did not come into contact on a regular basis with people who

had worked in engineering or who worked in a consultancy firm, so he did not have access to work

experience or internships. So when he applied for a job he did not get a chance, he did not get a look-

in. Now if you turn around and say what the member for Prahran is saying, which is, ‘Look, let’s

put’—and I will again use his quote—‘these people in a large ghetto’, then you are going to end up

with poor outcomes.

Mr Hibbins: That’s your words, your words.

Mr PEARSON: I will take up the interjection. The member for Prahran referred to his public

housing tenants in his electorate as ‘these people’. I would say in response to the member for Prahran:

my public housing tenants are my people. They are my people, and I have been sent here to get the

best outcome I possibly can for them. And I know one thing: I have been hindered every step of the

way by these snoozers opposite and by these mooching members like the federal member for

Melbourne, Adam Bandt, and the state member for Melbourne as well. It is just outrageous that at

every step of the way they will try and stop us. We will not be diverted. We are committed to delivering

the best outcome for public housing tenants.

Mr D O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:53): I do not know what the Greens did to the member for

Essendon when he was a little boy, but it must have been horrible. As the Leader of The Nationals just

pointed out, I regularly follow the member for Essendon. This one is obvious given it is a Greens

matter of public importance, but when I regularly follow him there is always something to be said

about the Greens. He has got a particular thing against the Greens, and while I mostly agree with him

on a policy basis, I actually do congratulate the Greens for putting up this matter of public importance

because it is an important issue. We might have expected on this side and the government’s side of the

house that this would be about climate change or some other environmental issue, but I do congratulate

the Greens for raising this issue in the wake of Homelessness Week last week, which was a good

opportunity to raise this very important but very complex matter and one that is not easily solved by

any side of politics—and I do not think anyone has a mortgage on the right ideas. I think the member

for Kew made a very considered contribution earlier when he talked about the challenges that we have

in a public policy sense and also the fact that the Victorian government over the last 20 years has

dropped the ball on this. He did that in a non-partisan way, although, as he pointed out, obviously in

the last 20 years the Labor Party has been in government for most of the time.

But it is a very complex matter, and I was pleased last week as part of Homelessness Week to help

launch an exhibition of photographs put together by Uniting in Sale, where they gave cameras to local

people who were homeless and asked them to take photos of their experience, of their day. As it was

last year—or it might have even been two years ago—when there was a similar exhibition, it was a

stark reminder for us in a regional city, or a small country town, that homelessness is certainly not just

about the rough sleepers that we see in the CBD here in Melbourne. I probably get the worst or best

of both worlds, whichever way you want to look at it, in the sense of being an MP and regularly

walking down Bourke Street and seeing those rough sleepers. So I see the very public face of

homelessness, but what the events with Uniting in Sale have taught me in particular is that that is a



very, very small percentage. I think in fact rough sleepers are about 7 per cent of homeless people at

any given time.

At the launch last week I was given some myths. There are a whole lot of them, but I just want to run

through a couple. The first myth that Uniting provided to me is that all people experiencing

homelessness either have a drug or alcohol problem or mental illness—or both. I believe it is true of

many or most of the people sleeping rough in the CBD. The member for Kew mentioned Brendan

Nottle before, and certainly in my discussions with him it has certainly been his indication that for

rough sleepers mental health or drug or alcohol problems are often the cause of their homelessness or

at least contribute significantly to it. But the reality is that is not the reason behind a very large chunk

of people who are struggling to put a roof over their heads. It can happen to anyone—men, women,

young people, any age—and for a whole lot of reasons, whether it is a lack of availability of social

housing, lack of affordable housing, lack of supply or family violence, and that is a very, very large

part. I think the figure that I read in respect of Gippsland and the people that Uniting were supporting

was that about a third of the people coming to them for assistance was primarily due to family violence.

The other myth is that most people experiencing homelessness are men. The figures for Uniting, which

is one of the biggest providers of social services in Gippsland—and I think this was just the Sale

branch—are that in 2018–19, 618 individuals sought assistance through them, of which 54 per cent

were women. Of course, as we know, when women are seeking assistance for housing they often have

children with them too, so it is very regularly women and children. Interestingly too, 191 of those

618 individuals were 17 years and under. We could all tell stories of those youth who leave home,

often again because of family violence or abuse. As I did last week, I commend the government for

its focus on family violence because, as we know and as has been mentioned in this chamber many

times, family violence leads to so many other problems throughout our community, and obviously

homelessness is one of those.

The other myth—and I might come back to this a little bit later—is that homelessness can be fixed by

providing a house. I find myself with young children, as I am sure many in this place do, and they say,

‘Daddy, why is that man lying on the street?’. When you explain that they are probably homeless the

answer is, ‘Well, why don’t we just provide them with a home?’. It is very much more complex than

that. In the winter break I had some time in the US. Particularly in California it struck me how

horrendous the homelessness problem was there with rough sleepers to the extent that in San Francisco

and Los Angeles you literally see on the streets tents on the footpaths and many, many people in a

row. If the largest, richest, most powerful country on the planet—probably in the history of the

planet—cannot ensure that there are enough homes for its people, then I guess that demonstrates how

complex and difficult the problem is.

The other myth is ‘I will never be homeless’. This exhibition last week was actually titled, ‘It won’t

happen to me’. Certainly a number of the people who had taken photos and other people I have spoken

with are always astounded that they have ended up in the position that they have. For very many people

it does not take much to go wrong for them to suddenly find themselves homeless. The last myth, which

I have really already mentioned, is that homeless people sleep on the streets. Well, as I said, about 7 per

cent of people experiencing homelessness throughout the country are actually sleeping rough.

So what are we doing about it? I do not want to dwell on numbers, but as the member for Kew pointed

out, housing stock has not increased significantly in the last 20 years. Indeed I believe in December

2014 the waiting list was 34 320 applicants. An applicant is not a single person necessarily. It can often

be a family, so the actual numbers are higher. By December 2018 that number had increased to 39 834,

and I note the wording of this motion talks about 82 000 adults and children waiting for public housing.

So we can see that the previous coalition government actually managed to reduce the public housing

waiting list, and it has blown out again, notwithstanding the increase in population that of course we

had experienced.



One of those issues, as I mentioned, is mental health. We saw the Auditor-General report earlier in the

year that current state funding only provides mental health services to less than half of Victorians who

suffer a severe mental illness. That of course is a challenge that we must address. I again acknowledge

the work of the government in establishing the mental health royal commission. But as the Shadow

Minister for Mental Health has pointed out a number of times and as the Auditor-General also spoke

about, it is critical that we do not just sit by and wait for the royal commission to complete. We actually

need to start addressing some of these problems. They include, as I said, that less than half of

Victorians who suffer a severe mental illness have access to services. Victoria’s current per capita

spending on specialised mental health services is the lowest in Australia. Clearly mental health has a

very large bearing on homelessness. So these are some of the issues that we also need to address.

I will just briefly finish. The Greens motion talks about a policy to build 80 000 new social homes

over the next 12 years. As the member for Essendon may have touched on as well, the challenge of

that of course is funding and where the funding is going to come from. I understand that we will always

need public housing, that we have to have it there as a social safety net and that there will always be

people in need, even on a temporary basis. But I think that we should be striving as a community to

ensure that people have access to private housing, whether it is rental or whether it is ownership. That

is something that we should always be trying to do—incentivise people out of public housing. It is

critical that we do not overload the private market with regulations and red tape and, particularly, costs.

That is something that is often missed by those on the left of the political spectrum—that if you add

that regulation, red tape and cost, it is less attractive to construct housing and to provide in the rental

market. Therefore that will exacerbate the housing affordability problem. Very briefly, if you

decentralise you will find houses are much cheaper in the country— (Time expired)

Ms HALL (Footscray) (15:03): I am very pleased to speak on this matter of public importance. In

my first speech to this place as the newly elected member for Footscray I spoke about my commitment

to public housing, social housing and crisis housing, and that I would always fight for more public

housing, social housing and crisis housing. This is an important matter and I thank the member for

Prahran for raising it. We take our responsibility on this side of the chamber to people who need a

helping hand very seriously. A roof over your head is the most fundamental thing. I do believe in the

Housing First strategy and I know that this government does too.

We have always been the builders and the believers in public housing, and that has not changed. There

is nothing more fundamental than having a place to call home. Is there more to be done? Yes,

absolutely there is. I would like to start my contribution to this matter by just acknowledging the

Minister for Housing. I do not think there is anyone in the state of Victoria who has done more to fight

for public housing and social housing than the minister we have in this place. He has had many decades

of commitment. From his time at the City of Melbourne to becoming a member of Parliament he has

consistently fought for high quality public housing, and that continues today. I am very pleased to be

able to work with him in this place.

If there was a theme to what I wanted to say today it would be that actions speak louder than words.

In Footscray there is a lot of action in this space. We have, of course, the public housing walk-ups on

Gordon Street, which accommodate many elderly and vulnerable people. There is public housing in

Braybrook. We have Wombat Housing and Support Services, which is a terrific service doing lots of

great work in homelessness. We have Salvation Army Social Housing and Support in Sunshine,

Unison Community Housing, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre—who of course provide

extraordinary wraparound services for people in need. There is McAuley House, which is Victoria’s

first purpose-built accommodation for women who are homeless as a result of family violence.

McAuley House’s new beautiful, purpose-built buildings in the centre of Footscray were funded by a

$4 million contribution by the previous Andrews government.

But I do feel a sense of frustration with the Greens sometimes on these matters because it is very easy,

never having spent time on the Treasury benches, to come in here and say that we should spend



$30 billion on public housing with no meaningful plan for where it should go or how it should be

delivered. So it is surprising to see, when you have these words, the Greens in action at a local

government level, in particular when they have the power to make decisions to increase public

housing, and they squib it. I do not want to be overly political in this debate because I am very

passionate about this issue, and it is indeed a matter of public importance, however, I wanted to raise

a couple of examples where I have been particularly frustrated, as an advocate for public housing, by

the Greens.

This one is a doozy. This is an article from the Age from 2016 and the headline is ‘Greens, socialists

block nursing home for poor’. It explains that:

A nursing home expansion proposed in one of Melbourne’s most desirable pockets, to be built for some of

society’s most vulnerable, has been blocked by Greens and socialist councillors at the behest of scores of

residents.

This was Clifton Hill’s Sambell Lodge. What they were proposing to do at Sambell Lodge was a fairly

modest redevelopment to double their capacity. It is not a huge facility, but the move to expand the

centre from 43 beds to 117 so that more vulnerable people who needed aged care support could get

the accommodation they needed was blocked, and it was blocked by your people. I feel extremely

frustrated when I read about these examples.

Mr Hibbins interjected.

Ms HALL: I am happy to table this. I will continue. There are a few quotes I would like to go

through. So one Clifton Hill local, Rosemarie Speidel, said she had been horrified by the opposition:

… Sambell Lodge residents were being ignored while wealthy residents looked after themselves.

She described the most vocal objectors as “the most selfish people I’ve ever seen”, who had brought their

own independent experts to this month’s planning meeting at Yarra Council.

“They pay $2 million dollars for a house and then try to protect their amenity. But you can’t go and live in a

place like Clifton Hill with all those amenities and not let anyone with less in.”

The Greens have never responded why they opposed this rather modest development.

Mr Hibbins interjected.

Ms HALL: I am happy to table this. This is an article from the Age by a very reputable journalist.

But look, there are more examples. Here is another example, and this is the Markham estate

revitalisation project. The Greens sided with the opposition to reject a planning scheme amendment

for the revitalisation of that estate, which would have improved the facilities for the existing residents,

provided more accommodation and provided disability access for a number of residents.

The Greens like to say that they support a lot of things, like emissions trading schemes, like wind

farms, but when push comes to shove, when they actually have the power to make a difference and

put their hands up and vote for something in a council, the colleagues of the Greens across the state

and in fact across Australia have demonstrated that they are not willing to put their words into action.

I find it incredibly frustrating that the Greens come in here and say, ‘We need 70 000 new dwellings

at a cost of $30 billion’ and blame the Labor government, and yet when it came to perhaps a modest

increase in housing in Clifton Hill, it was too nice an area—they would not support it.

I am very proud to be part of a party that does live its values. Our actions do match our words. This is

a serious and important issue. I think the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System is

a great example of the government doing the hard work that is required to get to the bottom of why

people are homeless in the first place. How could you possibly sort out your mental health issues if

you do not have a roof over your head? To that end I was very pleased to work with my colleagues in

the western suburbs, in particular the member for Melton, Stephen McGhie, and with local

homelessness providers this year to support them in putting together a submission to the mental health

royal commission. They explained how the vast majority of their clients are also battling mental health



issues. I really look forward to the royal commission doing its important work and making

recommendations that this government has already said it will implement.

I am very passionate about this issue. In Footscray we do not have enough services. We do need more,

but it is about getting the right services. There is not a blanket approach that can be applied to these

issues. They are complex. I am very proud that we are doing the work to make sure that we can get

people into the right accommodation and accessing the right services, the wraparound services, that

they need to live a stable and comfortable life and contribute to society.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:13): This is a difficult issue, because in our hearts we want all

Victorians to have a roof over their heads, and yet too many do not. We know that over 24 000 of our

fellow Victorians will be homeless tonight, and almost 40 per cent of those people are under 25 years

of age; many are young children.

Of the 116 000 Australians that now have no home, 7 per cent are rough sleepers. The St Kilda Crisis

Centre, which is at the forefront of crisis housing, had contact with almost 12 500 people last year.

They estimate that since 2010 there has been a 66 per cent increase in the number of people across the

state who are in need of crisis accommodation and that the cost of providing emergency

accommodation has increased by 140 per cent over that same time. As members of Parliament, we

work closely with service providers who are at the coalface of this issue—providers who, as the Sacred

Heart Mission says, are there to offer those in need a welcome, a meal and friendship, especially those

young children who are without.

Action requires that we understand more than the numerical size of the issue if we are to work towards

a policy response. In its May report, The Changing Geography of Homelessness: A Spatial Analysis

from 2001 to 2016, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute found that homelessness is

becoming more concentrated in major cities, with two-thirds of homeless people living in a capital

city, up from just 50 per cent 15 years earlier. There has also been a significant shift with rough

sleepers, with half now living in the capital city, up from one-third 15 years earlier. The research also

showed that rates of homelessness were higher in poorer areas with weaker labour markets and areas

that are more culturally diverse. These findings show that the problem is centralising and has a

demographic aspect. The Council to Homeless Persons, which campaigns to end homelessness,

estimates that almost 41 677 households are on the social housing waiting list, which represents

82 500 individuals, of whom 25 000 are children.

In its report Social Housing as Infrastructure: An Investment Pathway the Australian Housing and

Urban Research Institute estimates that there is a social housing shortfall in Australia of

433 000 places. Victoria has a shortfall of 102 000 properties, which is why it is so heartbreaking to

see public housing properties sitting empty.

Public housing has long been a part of the Bayside community. Indeed Hampton is proud that many

homes, including the 16 public housing cottages in Koolkuna Lane, are part of our neighbourhood.

The Koolkuna cottages are well kept by government, with gardens that are maintained and have a

lovely English cottage feel. Yet despite the picturesque setting, of the 16 cottages, 15 sit empty. A

number of years ago this government turfed out residents when it hedged its bets on a major housing

development occurring at Hampton station. With no sign that the development will go ahead, the

15 cottages in the lane now sit vacant. And to add insult to injury, the government still regularly

maintains the gardens.

Sadly, this is the situation not only in Hampton. In 2017, to self-created fanfare, this government

announced that it intended to redevelop the public housing site in New Street, Brighton. Tenants were

then removed from the 127 apartments. As is the case in Hampton, a huge complex of public housing

sits empty. And despite promises to increase public housing at that site by 10 per cent, we know that

the redevelopment will see more public housing apartments but a reduced number of bedrooms in

each apartment—more front doors, but with no real increase in the number of bedrooms. Rather than



a broad expansion of public housing at the site, we will see almost 160 private apartments built there—

rather than generally increasing the public housing.

Despite the government’s disappointing management of public housing in my community, there are

incredible organisations in my region that are helping thousands of homeless Victorians rebuild their

lives. The work of these organisations genuinely takes your breath away. The Sacred Heart Mission

assists clients who experience extraordinary disadvantage and repeated episodes of trauma. The

mission’s CEO, Cathy Humphrey, has said to me directly that the mission is committed to making a

sustainable difference in people’s lives. Housing does end homelessness, but many of those who have

experienced trauma and disadvantage will also require support to stay out of homelessness

permanently. As the mission’s social policy officer recently put it:

Additional services or ‘wrap-around services’ are required to give people the support they need to stay in

housing. This individualised planned support could be focussed on improving mental health and wellbeing,

resolving drug and alcohol issues, building life skills, increasing connections with community and

contributing to society through economic and social inclusion …

The Salvation Army also aims to make a positive difference in the lives of people who experience

crisis and homelessness. The Salvation Army’s Upton Road accommodation and learning centre for

young people is a prime example of the difference that can be made.

The work of program manager Claire Edmanson and her team is commendable. The centre provides

a 24-hour staffed refuge that offers immediate accommodation and programs that build skills and

restore confidence. They are programs that cover health, dental care, family reconciliation,

employment support and assistance with obtaining rental accommodation. The program is run for up

to 10 weeks. To members of this place who are interested, this Saturday centre clients will be running

their monthly market, so I encourage you all to come along, buy a plant, grab a coffee or get a snag

and support the centre.

Similar services are also offered by the Galiamble Men’s Recovery Centre, which runs a highly

structured 24-hour residential alcohol and rehabilitation centre for men. The program, managed by

Mark Hammersley, runs for up to 15 weeks. The men, who recently used community facilities in

Elwood to paint, completed an exceptional public mural at the St Kilda Baptist Church in Pakington

Street. It is also worth mentioning just some of the other incredible service providers who offer

wraparound services: the 101 Engagement Hub, on Carlisle Street, managed by Paulo Reid, provides

daily programs, meals and support; Access Health; and the St Kilda Crisis Contact Centre, who

provide primary health care for people who are marginalised and may be experiencing homelessness.

But action on this issue will require more than the dedication of private services and not-for-profit

providers. The international lesson is that governments need to take a bigger step and leave a bigger

footprint in addressing this issue.

Britain is currently in the middle of a substantial public policy debate on how to take further action on

social housing. Britain recently marked 100 years since their Parliament passed the Housing, Town

Planning, &c. Act, which has become known as the Addison act. The act was the first in that country

to provide state funding for social housing. Effectively the act made housing a social responsibility.

Later acts would extend housing duties to local councils. There has been recent discussion in Australia

about whether our country should legislate a similar duty. That discussion was based on the Welsh

Parliament’s Housing (Wales) Act 2014, which created a legal duty for local councils to help find

accommodation for everyone that seeks assistance.

Most recent estimates suggest that in Britain 4 million households, or 9 million people, live in social

housing. Nearly one in five English homes are owned by housing associations or local councils. Prime

Minister Theresa May prioritised social housing and affordable housing. Early in her prime

ministership she announced that she would, and I quote, ‘start a rebirth of council housing’, by making

billions of pounds available to councils to provide social rent. In August last year that government

released the green paper A New Deal for Social Housing. Only weeks ago, before stepping down,



Theresa May announced the next step in that government’s social housing process. May announced

that the government will be releasing a plan and timetable for social housing reform in September,

which will include the creation of a stronger consumer regulation regime, the enhancement of tenants’

rights and a further boost to the supply of high-quality social housing.

Though Britain is currently dealing with many other issues, the imminent release of a social housing

reform package could generate substantive debate well beyond their borders. The package may shortly

provide policy ideas worth exploring in the Australian context. Canada has set a goal of reducing

homelessness by 80 per cent over 10 years and set out their strategy in the Reaching Home policy

which builds on the Housing First in Canada policy. Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Secretariat

estimates that between 150 000 and 300 000 individuals experience homelessness each year. These

and other international developments show that there has been a shift in government from managing

homelessness to being proactive and working towards preventing it through reportable measurement

and strategic planning. These are some of the lessons that our Parliament, and indeed this government,

could well consider. This is a genuine public policy challenge, one that requires more of our attention.

Mr HALSE (Ringwood) (15:23): I rise today to speak about the issue of homelessness in our state.

This is an issue that I care deeply about, that the Andrews Labor government cares deeply about and

that the Minister for Housing cares deeply about. I have had the opportunity to spend the past month

researching and discussing, with some of the biggest providers of homelessness services in our state,

this very issue. In particular I would like to thank Jenny Smith and Damien Patterson from the Council

to Homeless Persons; Jo MacDonald and Maddie Graham from Uniting and Wesley Mission; Ben

Frawley from Mitcham Community Meal; as well Shane Austin, Jeffrey Milne and my mother, Dr Elli

McGavin, from the Salvation Army, for taking the time to talk with me about homelessness services

and housing policy here in Victoria and across Australia.

I am particularly interested to speak on this topic today, just a few days after the end of Homelessness

Week, which saw organisations and interested parties across our country and state focus on the

circumstances of some of the most vulnerable individuals within our society. Symbolic focuses like

Homelessness Week give us, collectively, an opportunity to pause and reflect. It also affords us a

moment to consider what more we can do to overcome what has been dubbed a national disgrace by

numerous social welfare agencies and commentators. Indeed, as some have mentioned, the leader of

the Salvation Army’s Melbourne Project 614 on Bourke Street, Major Brendan Nottle, has made this

comment just recently. And I note that that program resides just a few hundred metres from where I

stand right now.

Can I say from the outset that people who are homeless are not lazy. They are people and citizens

without homes. They are so often the victims of speculative wealth. The statistics are stark. Tonight

approximately 116 000 Australians and more than 24 000 Victorians will go without access to a safe,

stable and secure place to sleep. It is important to note that these statistics, collected in the 2016 census,

likely under-report the total number of Australians and Victorians who are experiencing homelessness,

largely due to the challenges in methodology.

In my electorate of Ringwood 236 people are listed as experiencing homelessness on any given night.

They will be sleeping rough, couch surfing or residing in short-term or crisis accommodation. And

again, this is likely a conservative estimate. To be clear, the crises that lead people into homelessness

are numerous. They can be complex, and they are so often tragic. Some individuals will find

themselves suddenly homeless because of a relationship breakdown. Others are the victims of abuse,

of trauma or of family violence.

Many will be suffering from health complications, addiction and mental illness, most of which are the

effects of homelessness, not their cause. Still more will be thrust into homelessness after losing jobs

and being priced out of an expensive housing and rental market. All these people are deserving of our

respect, of dignity and assistance, and all are deserving of a place to call home.



Much public discussion of homelessness centres on the economic viability of housing solutions. While

we sit here in this chamber and spend hours arguing for or against investment in public, social or

affordable housing, many of the people who are most affected by this problem are rendered voiceless

by our system. This is unacceptable. As many of the providers have said to me and have noted, we

design our solutions in consultation with the homeless sector but often not with their clients, the people

themselves. We hear about academic studies but not lived experience. We publicly congratulate

ourselves for our empathy but walk past the people sleeping rough not 400 metres from where we

stand right now, often failing to acknowledge their existence. This reality becomes the norm: homeless

people have such poor health outcomes and die prematurely as a result of their circumstances that they

hardly rate a mention in our nightly news. But it is interesting that if the ASX 200 drops a percentage

point, we hear all about it. Homeless citizens are too frequently ignored, disposed of and treated as

societal trash.

Now we in the Andrews Labor government have been working, through the Minister for Housing, to

address the issue of homelessness. Our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan has seen record

investments in preventative measures and in supported housing for women and children fleeing

domestic violence. In addition, the most recent state budget included more than $200 million for public

housing. Make no mistake, this is a good start, and there is no doubt that these policies are saving lives

and will assist people into housing. But this alone cannot solve the crisis. It is now time to re-evaluate

our priorities, to re-imagine our solutions and to re-commit ourselves to addressing the challenge of

eradicating homelessness in Victoria.

It is my belief, after spending time with the people affected by this issue and those organisations which

support them, that we need to shift our approach away from trying to staircase people up the

convoluted servicing ladder and into housing. Instead we need to redesign our system around a

Housing First approach. Permanent housing should not be the end of a long drawn-out process to a

secure and safe home; it should be the beginning. This task is not easy but neither is it impossible.

When we look abroad we can observe that achievable and practical solutions are working to reduce

homelessness right now. I wrote recently that perhaps the best example comes from the Finnish city

of Helsinki, which has largely eliminated rough sleeping in just 10 years. Their bold Housing First

policy has resulted in the rate of homelessness falling by 35 per cent across the whole country.

Some will point out the differences between the Finnish setting and a state like Victoria, and they are

right: Finland is much smaller than Australia in both demographic and economic indicators. Yet when

we compare the state of Victoria to the nation of Finland, we start to see similarities. Finland has a

GDP of approximately A$420 billion and a population of around 5.5 million people. In Victoria, gross

state product—the state equivalent of GDP—measures just over A$400 billion and the state has a

population of just over 6.4 million people.

How did Finland manage to achieve such radical success in their homelessness policy? The answer is

disturbingly simple: they built houses. They built 3500 new or renovated housing units and provided

these units with few conditions. Tenants sign a contract and pay a sliding scale rent commensurate

with their income. Most importantly, these houses are not just living quarters but are connected to

essential service professionals like social workers, drug and alcohol counsellors and medical and

mental health workers. They provide a foundation upon which tenants are connected to employment

services and other programs that offer a helping hand when it is needed.

It is my belief that we would do well to reflect on these examples and others like them as we seriously

commit to address the issue of homelessness. I know that our government— (Time expired)

Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (15:33): I rise to address this matter of public importance. In

doing so I wish to recall some words that I used in my maiden speech contribution in this place in

December of last year when I said that, in my view, at its heart public service—the job of members of

Parliament—is a vocation and not a job, a vocation that is underpinned by a desire to serve other

people and to make our communities a better place, a vocation that seeks to treat others with dignity



and with respect and one that walks alongside individuals and families, encouraging them to be the

very best that they can be, because when individuals thrive, families are stronger and when families

are stronger, our entire community benefits.

In addressing this matter of public importance today as submitted by the member for Prahran, the

member for Prahran identified a number of matters that he wishes to be considered within this house.

They are that over 24 000 Victorians are homeless on any given night; that there are more than

82 000 adults and children waiting for housing on the Victorian public housing waiting list; the

Victorian Greens policy to build 80 000 new social housing homes over the next 12 years; and that the

Victorian government needs to invest billions in a big build of housing to end homelessness in

Victoria.

In addressing these matters as raised by the member for Prahran, it is obvious to me that there are some

omissions. I would have liked to have seen the member for Prahran also address the additional support

services that are required, not merely the housing requirement for people who find themselves in this

circumstance. But also I would have liked to have seen the member for Prahran address the matter of

an end to the cycle of dependency, because we know that when families are in these circumstances

and they are relying upon social housing and upon public housing, in some cases there develops a

cycle of dependency which, sadly, is generational.

In my research for this contribution today I looked at the Council to Homeless Persons website and I

found a very useful definition that the council uses when defining ‘homelessness’. They say that

homelessness is not ‘rooflessness’. A home means security, stability, privacy, safety and being able to

control your own space, and I agree with every single one of those sentiments. Providing someone

with a home provides them with an opportunity to be a full, functioning, contributing member of our

community.

During the course of this debate today, during the course of this discussion on this very important

topic, many members have reflected upon numbers and statistics. In my view it is important to put a

name and a face to those numbers and a name and a face to those statistics because the numbers that

we are talking about and the statistics we are talking about are our fellow Victorians. They are children,

they are mothers, they are fathers, they are brothers and sisters. They are people with names and

identities. They are people who, with the right support around them, can contribute to make our

communities better places.

I wanted to address briefly also in this contribution the scope and size of this particular issue. This is

an issue which affects society’s most vulnerable. Some 39 per cent of homeless people are 25 and

under, whilst a 28 per cent increase in homeless people aged 55 and over was recorded at the last

census. Fifty-eight per cent of those people who are homeless are male, and this is an ongoing

reflection, in my view, of the difficulty that our society has in grappling with mental illness and

isolation specifically, and sadly, amongst men. As the motion notes, there are over 24 000 Victorians

who are homeless, and they account for around 20 per cent of Australia’s total homelessness.

It is also important I think in this discussion that we are having today to reflect upon records. The

coalition, in my view, has a strong record in relation to addressing the circumstances we are speaking

about today. I commend a member of the other place, the Honourable Wendy Lovell, the former

Minister for Housing, for her contribution during the last coalition government. Under Wendy’s

leadership the number of upgrades to public housing stock increased. In 2010–11 it increased by

almost 2000—1975—dwellings. In 2011–12, some 1800 units of housing stock were upgraded; in

2012–13, some 1827; in 2013–14, some 1648; and in 2014–15, some 1720. So over the life of the

former coalition government there were some 8147 upgrades to existing public housing stock. But

there were also additional housing acquisitions made in that time: in 2010–11, some 3756; in 2011–

12, 2066; in 2012–13, 1928; in 2013–14, some 930; and in 2014–15, some 500. This totals around

8298 additional housing acquisitions during the period of the last coalition government.



The number of applicants on the Victorian Housing Register was also reduced, by some 6594. The

number of Victorian Housing Register priority cases has sadly increased from September 2014. At the

end of the last coalition government the number of priority cases, including those who were homeless,

those who were at risk, those were disabled and those with special needs, sat at 9900. But on most

recent figures, being June 2019, that number has increased by 127.5 per cent, or 12 733 priority cases.

Sadly in our own city of Melbourne, the most livable or near most livable city in the world, in 2014

there were some 142 rough sleepers counted on the streets of our city, and in 2018 some 210 rough

sleepers were counted on the streets of our city—an increase of 48 per cent. As I said at the start of my

contribution, we do reflect from time to time on numbers and statistics but it is important to remember

that every statistic, every number that I have mentioned is not simply a number on a page but an

individual that we desire to be, that we hope will be, a fully functioning and contributing individual in

our community.

It was interesting to note some of the causes that some services and agencies consider important or

contributing factors to homelessness in the state. According to a Brotherhood of St Laurence report,

upward fluctuations in the price of utilities as a result of in some cases unreliable energy means that

some people cannot remain in their current homes due to an inability to finance basic services.

Increases in land tax, I would suggest, will drive up rent, with many predicting that leaseholders can

expect an average increase of $20 to $30 in their monthly rent.

There are some other causes as well, but I want to, just in the time that I have left, if I may, address

what I would see as a potential way forward, because I wish to make a constructive contribution in

considering this particular topic raised by the member for Prahran. There is a possibility to review the

impact of land tax increases on the supply and availability of rental properties. There is potentially the

opportunity to review the impact of Airbnb and other parts of the sharing economy on the number of

houses and apartments made available to long-term, low-income persons. And potentially we could

review the efficiency of government placing new arrivals in Victoria’s already established suburbs as

opposed to developing new communities. This is an important topic, and I am pleased to have made a

contribution today.

Ms CRUGNALE (Bass) (15:43): I am pleased to speak today on this matter of public importance.

On any given night just under 25 000 Victorians do not have a safe, secure, stable place to sleep. The

types of such housing include severely overcrowded accommodation, supported accommodation,

rooming houses, couch surfing and rough sleeping. The highest of these is severely overcrowded at

36 per cent, and it goes down to rough sleeping at 5 per cent. I could speak here for a while reeling off

the statistics, the causes, the percentage of women, the percentage due to family violence, the

percentage of children, the percentage of our First Nations people, the percentage of youth—they are

all alarming, and as we move out of the metro area they tend to be higher and for the worse. Behind

these stats, though, are people, and people that are really doing it tough—people with children, people

with names and stories. Many have been turned away from services that are stretched, many more are

on social and public housing wait lists, and many do not even know where to go. It is distressing that

in 2019 homelessness is on the rise and social and public housing stock is falling as a proportion of all

our housing stock.

Our government spends a lot more than our federal counterparts—$648 million compared to

$406 million in the 2018–19 budget. I am thankful that we do. As a progressive government and state,

with major systemic reforms like those in family violence and now mental health, it is really time to

make an even bigger imprint. If we have people not travelling so well at all, then we are not well as a

community.

There have been some great recent initiatives and projects in the homelessness space, which the

Minister for Housing, the member for Richmond, spoke of earlier. There is Ozanam House, where we

joined the VincentCare partnership and contributed $10 million to the $47 million redevelopment. It

is now Australia’s largest accommodation centre for rough sleepers, offering 134 rooms and



apartments especially designed to support people’s recovery from homelessness. It has all those

wraparound services—dental and medical care. It just shows how addressing homelessness is about

more than just a roof above your head.

The Melbourne City Mission’s Frontyard Youth Services, which has an 18-bed youth facility in the

city, combines accommodation with services for mental health, alcohol and other drugs, disability,

health, family violence, legal needs and counselling, again all under the one roof for people under 25.

It even features two new sensory rooms to de-escalate emotional and mental stress and an animal-

assisted therapy program.

The most visible sign of homelessness is rough sleeping, and $45 million translates to an investment

in early intervention, the provision of stable accommodation as quickly as possible and supports to be

able to maintain that accommodation. This is part of our homelessness and rough sleeping plan.

We are increasing and renewing social housing stock. We established a $1 billion Victorian Social

Housing Growth Fund, which is funding a pipeline of projects to deliver more social housing and

unlock private sector investment. We are building more social housing and redeveloping ageing

supply. There is $341 million to renew and expand the public housing stock. We have funded

$17 million for seven leading homelessness organisations to run assertive outreach and supportive

housing teams. There are 75 access points across the state, made up of a network of over

100 community service agencies, delivering supports.

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System will bring more change to the table. We

have said from the outset that we will adopt all the recommendations. When I recently met with CEO

Jenny Smith from the Council to Homeless Persons she was very clear about calling for supported

housing options to be a priority in this commission.

Just last week in the west of Melbourne the tiny homes initiative made statewide news. This is a

$9 million project funded by philanthropists Launch Housing and the Victorian Property Fund. It was

Launch Housing’s idea. Already, six tiny homes have been built in the inner west on unused

government land, with a total of 57 planned.

Family violence is one of the single biggest drivers of homelessness and demand for social housing.

Our action has brought this hidden demand to light and for the first time. Hidden and unaddressed for

decades, too many women and children have been harmed and have died. Those escaping family

violence might even be more vulnerable if sleeping rough. I have met and spoken with women who

have taken to sleeping in their cars with their children. The Victorian government is not only taking

action to provide more housing for women and children fleeing family violence; we are helping keep

women safe in their own homes as well.

I can rattle off a heap of millions, but that is all too abstract for so many, and they sometimes seem to

be just markings on paper. But I stand here to talk about the practicalities of some of these initiatives

on the ground in my electorate. Whilst we are working to reduce homelessness, it is really all hands

on deck. Local council, the community, philanthropy, the private sector and governments all have a

role to play.

Local councils are starting to play a lead role, which is to be commended. Cardinia Shire Council had

their social and affordable housing strategy launch, which I attended, just the other day. Also they have

started building Built for Good homes for women and children in Main Street, Pakenham. They will

soon start building six houses on Storey Drive in Pakenham in partnership with Women’s Property

Initiatives and our $1.3 million in funds from the property fund—one more example of helping women

with children to get back on their feet in medium and long-term rental, with wraparound services onsite.

Bass Coast shire is entering the space now too, and I hope we as a government also join the partnership,

through our property fund at the very least, for localised solutions. We have more to do, and I am



determined to do what I can in this role for better long-term outcomes for our people in Bass and the

wider region.

Recent events around our electorate have brought people with lived experience, service providers and

councils together. At Apex Park in Wonthaggi, Erin Price, the state manager of the Salvation Army,

led an awareness day. She started by asking us to close our eyes and imagine someone homeless, in

whichever form mentioned earlier—someone we have seen, someone we know, someone we have

read about in the news, someone at risk, even ourselves. Having worked at a drop-in centre for people

dealing with mental health issues, this was not difficult at all. In fact the imaginings were really almost

like a school photo. In that school photo of people from those imaginings there was my sister, with a

red circle around her. Her death anniversary is actually next week. She in the last year of her life was

in and out of a variety of accommodation—rooming houses, hostels, hotels—all with one suitcase.

We spoke about caravan parks as well. Local services are actually now starting to document the

number of people—and they tend to be women and children—who choose not to go to caravan parks,

which are the emergency and crisis housing. In my inaugural speech I mentioned some of the

challenges we face as a community:

Mortgage stress, rental stress—our caravan parks—

as I just mentioned—

are our social, crisis and emergency housing …

options. I went on to say:

And, importantly, we need … In better social housing, because without the safety and security of housing

everything becomes so much harder. In new housing estates we need to mandate affordable social and

emergency housing.

In conclusion, homelessness makes our vulnerable even more vulnerable. As I mentioned earlier, if

we have people not travelling so well, we are not well as a community, and we are certainly not well

as a society. These are basic human rights—food, warmth and shelter. We are effecting change, and

we have a lot more to do, but if any political party has the will, the capability and the capacity—and

really it is our core values of fairness, inclusion and opportunity—it is Labor. This is what we will do,

because we have to.

Dr READ (Brunswick) (15:52): I would like to thank all 10 members who have contributed to the

matter of public importance debate this afternoon on what we believe is an important topic, particularly

the members for Ringwood, Bass and Sandringham, who have all made significant contributions, and

also the Minister for Housing, who outlined homelessness services and many vital organisations who

are doing their best, some of whom have been represented here today.

I have a confession to make: I knocked a glass of water over the member for Prahran about 30 seconds

before he had to get up and speak, which meant that I had nothing to tip over him when the debate got

a bit heated between him and the member for Essendon. But really what is good is that people are here

together, coming up with ideas that might be solutions. But I think we have got a long way to go in

this discussion. People have to get some things off their chest. It is important to attack one another a

little bit, get that off your chest.

My challenge to the Liberal and Labor members here is for one of you to put this on as a matter of

public importance next year. That is my challenge, because I think we should come back to this topic

in 12 months or so and see how far we have come. It is not an easy one—we are not going to solve it

all overnight—but I do not think we should run away from it.

I will return again to the comments that the minister made about a great many services that are all

doing a great job, and other members have outlined some of those. But they are all somewhat limited.

They are all limited in what they can achieve by the lack of housing stock. This is not the fault of any



one party or minister or anybody. I am sure we have all contributed in our way—fantastic services,

not enough housing.

Maybe we have been a little unfair to call the program in the inner-city estates, the public housing

renewal program, ‘privatisation’. Perhaps we need another word to describe the process, because we

get something out of it. We get new housing stock—roughly the same number of beds—but we do

wind up, once you do the sums when it is all done, with 70 per cent of the apartments in private hands.

It is a matter for debate whether we get value for money out of that. It may be something that we will

regret in 50 years time.

Another point I want to return to that was raised by several speakers is that you do not get a whole lot

of social housing for free. The question, though, is: is building social housing too costly? But it could

also be reframed to be: can we afford not to invest in more social housing? Investing in social housing

means investing in human rights and dignity but also means reducing demand for health and welfare

services, reducing crime and imprisonment. Just on a side note, there are now more Victorians in

prison than at any time in our history, and one in four prisoners was homeless in the month prior to

their imprisonment. So while government spending on public housing since 2011–12 has increased in

Victoria by 1 per cent, spending on prisons has risen by 90 per cent, and I am not sure that we are any

safer because of it. I am not sure that we are as safe as we would be if we had spent that money on

public housing. Successive governments have chosen populism over public housing.

So with the 8100, or whatever, in prison now, which is more per head of population than at any time

since almost the Ned Kelly era, the 1890s, 44 per cent of prisoners who are released are back within

two years. There is a kind of cycle for a lot of people of imprisonment, going out, often being homeless

and going back in again. Homelessness doubles the risk of reoffending and re-imprisonment within

the next nine months. It is hardly surprising.

Safe and supportive housing is especially important for women, who often find themselves in prison

for complicated reasons related often to their own lack of safety. Thirty-two of the women evicted

from the Gatwick Hotel when it was closed for renovation wound up in prison. Released prisoners

find it hard to rent. The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 does not prevent discrimination against

prospective tenants for a past offence. Victoria is still the only state without spent convictions

legislation.

This provides us with an opportunity. Prison is very expensive. It costs us $2500 a week to house

someone in a prison, which is more than the most expensive hotel, but we are building enough prisons

to accommodate an additional 3000 prisoners over the next four years. Given that 44 per cent of them

will be back inside within two years, we are spending a lot of money on very expensive

accommodation that could be redirected, redeployed, to public and community housing. So it could

well be that we are missing out, that we are losing an opportunity by not investing in that housing.

That is money that is not being spent on, say, psychiatric nurses or teachers or housing.

So if we look around the country and see what else is happening, I notice that the ACT Labor-Greens

government has just announced more supported housing dedicated to released female and Aboriginal

prisoners. They have identified this group as at very high risk of reoffending and re-imprisonment,

and they have set aside, quarantined, some public housing for that group. A PwC research paper just

out last week showed that providing basic accommodation to the most vulnerable 4 per cent in the

homeless population would save the government almost $12 000 per person per year in reduced use

of services.

I just want to touch on the member for Gippsland South’s point about the co-occurrence of drug and

alcohol problems, mental illness and homelessness, and I would add periodic imprisonment to that

group of co-occurring problems, sometimes referred to as a syndemic. He was wondering: does this

cause homelessness or not? Sometimes it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation—it is hard to know

and perhaps even pointless to try and find out to what extent the homelessness caused the mental

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illness or the mental illness caused the homelessness or the drug and alcohol problem. When you think

about it, if someone is homeless in freezing cold weather and unable to tolerate that, things like

substance abuse almost become a rational choice. It is hardly any wonder that many people struggle

to break free from a difficult cycle of homelessness, addiction and incarceration. So I think that our

emphasis at the moment on building more prisons and accommodating a growing prison population

is a broken model that we probably all want to reverse.

When the Age ran a series very recently on our exploding prison population I was really pleased to see

signs from our Minister for Corrections and also from the opposition that they are interested in justice

reinvestment, in redeploying these resources to things like housing and services instead of

imprisonment. Just on that point, the Council to Homeless Persons reported recently that many

people’s first episode of mental illness develops as a consequence of the stress and dislocation of

homelessness. It is not surprising that when you are homeless your mental illness does not get any

better. Even among those lucky enough to receive treatment, the council reported that over 500 people

are being discharged from acute mental health care each year into rooming houses, motels and other

forms of homelessness.

As reported by an earlier contributor to the debate, Victoria spent $83 per person in 2017–18 on social

housing, less than half the national average of $167. We are down to a level of 3.5 per cent of housing

units in Victoria being social housing, lower than 10 years earlier and lower than the national average.

One possible solution is inclusionary zoning, and we put this in our policy going to the last election.

So, for example, if someone wants to build a 100-unit apartment block, 20 per cent must be set aside

for social housing.

This sort of requirement is a way of boosting the social housing stock at no expense to the government.

In terms of land available for development, a recent University of Melbourne study identified

155 hectares of vacant or under-utilised public land such as single-storey neighboured centres or

council parking lots. Maribyrnong had the most interestingly.

I think there are solutions, and I think it is possible for us to have this debate again in 12 months time

and discuss more of them, and I conclude by putting that challenge to the house.

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Second reading

Debate resumed.

Mr WAKELING (Ferntree Gully) (16:02): I am pleased to contribute to the debate on the Flora

and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019 that is before the house. As I noted before the lunch break,

a similar bill was debated in this place about 12 months ago, and I had carriage of that matter on behalf

of the opposition in my then role as the Shadow Minister for Environment.

This bill that is before the house seeks to make a range of amendments to the Flora and Fauna

Guarantee Act 1988. One of the areas it is seeking to make changes in regard to is habitat conservation

orders (HCO). These will seek to replace interim conservation orders. Under this arrangement the

minister may make a habitat conservation order as a means of conserving, protecting or managing

critical habitat or any area of the state where a determination has not been made. This HCO process

will cease to have effect if a determination is not made within a 12-month period.

HCOs can be made for a range of important issues, which include conservation, protection or

management of flora, fauna, land or water; for the prohibition of any activity for land use or

development within the critical habitat or proposed critical habitat; for a requirement to obtain a permit

prior to any activity for land use or development within the critical habitat; and for a power to enable

the secretary to undertake any actions or works to conserve, protect or manage the critical habitat or

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the proposed critical habitat. An HCO cannot exceed 10 years after it takes effect, and the bill seeks to

introduce the right to review a requirement, prohibition or decision of the minister under an HCO

through VCAT.

The bill before the house seeks to amend the current act by making changes to the Scientific Advisory

Committee. This important committee’s membership will be expanded to a maximum of nine members

and no fewer than seven. It is maintained that all members of the committee will be scientists. However,

a new provision under this bill will require that a majority of members cannot be employed in the public

service. References to the now-defunct Conservation Advisory Committee will be omitted.

One of the other things which is very important is the changes with regard to the common assessment

method. The common assessment method is being introduced to align the cataloguing of threatened

species in communities with national and international best practice. We found there were often

challenges where different states had applied different rulings or principles when it came to the

assessment of threatened species and how they are identified in one state versus another.

Some concerns have been raised by stakeholders during consultation. These concerns relate to whether

they will have the resources and the capacity to deal with a larger set of threatened species. The

consultation process with stakeholders also suggested that there should be regular audits or reviews of

listings, including a quick and responsive listing, up-listings and a delisting process. I would ask the

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change and the government to ensure that they take

on board concerns of stakeholders in this area. It is important that we get commonality, but it is equally

important that the concerns that stakeholders have raised are assessed by the department and it is

identified if there is operational change that can take effect or if there are necessary legislative changes

that can be reviewed into the future.

In terms of enforceable undertakings, the bill, if enacted, will enable the secretary to enter into a written

undertaking with a person who has contravened or allegedly contravened a provision of the act or its

regulations. The bill will also require the secretary to prepare a biodiversity strategy that considers the

objectives and the principles of the guarantee and be put out to public consultation. The commissioner

for environmental sustainability will be required to report on the progress of this strategy in achieving

its targets in five-year intervals, and a review of the strategy must take place on the 20th anniversary

of the original strategy.

There is a greater focus on public consultation than applies under the current act. This legislation will

now allow for consultation with private landowners when conservation orders are being considered

for the protection of flora and fauna on private land. It is very important that that consultation occur

with landholders because concerns obviously have been raised in the past where there has been a lack

of consultation when decisions have been made about the operations of identified flora and fauna on

private land. So it is important that the consultation process is undertaken, and again I think it is also

important that once it has been implemented stakeholders have the opportunity to provide feedback to

the government on the way that process has been undertaken and if there are any changes or

consequences that need to be identified.

Also the act will be dealing with changes in regard to native vegetation removal. In terms of that, the

government has stated that it will not pursue the proposal to use this act to enforce changes with regard

to native vegetation clearing. I am advised that the bill will only affect native vegetation that is listed

as threatened or endangered through the common assessment method and will not affect non-listed

vegetation on private land.

The principal act has served the state well. It is important that we do what we can to protect flora and

fauna where it has been identified as requiring protection. Victorians love their public land. They love

their native flora and fauna. I had the pleasure recently to promote National School Tree Day in many

of my primary schools, where we managed to plant indigenous trees which had been grown in our

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community and plants that are from our community. The children were learning about the benefits of

that and understanding the importance of having that balance. I commend the bill to the house.

Ms WARD (Eltham) (16:10): I also rise with pleasure to speak on the Flora and Fauna Guarantee

Amendment Bill 2019 and the changes that we are going to make. We went to the 2014 election with a

commitment to review key biodiversity policies and controls including the Flora and Fauna Guarantee

Act 1988. I do not know about you, Deputy Speaker, but in 1988 I think my perm had been cut out, but

I was still wearing a bit of the New Romantic fashion, which had kind of gone out of style and grunge

was coming in—but the environment was as important then as it is now. People in this place have our

different political awakenings; for me was the damming of the Franklin River in 1983.

By 1988 a Labor government was showing real leadership in terms of how we could protect our

environment, and that we are continuing this tradition so many decades later is wonderful to see. In

our 2017–18 budget we allocated $86.3 million over four years to implement the biodiversity plan we

committed to in 2014, Protecting Victoria’s Environment: Biodiversity 2037. It includes specific

funding to implement the review of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and deliver on-ground action

which would contribute to achieving the objectives of the act.

And as I said in my opening remarks, we have seen that it is the Labor Party that is the party of reform.

It is the Labor Party that strives to achieve greater heights. It is the Labor Party that always realises

that we can always change, that we can continue to improve, that we can continue to grow and that we

can continue to make things better. We do not rest on our laurels. And when it comes to protecting our

environment, the Labor Party without doubt stands tall. We have helped protect this state and this

nation, whether it be saving the Franklin River, as I previously mentioned, preserving bird habitats on

Phillip Island or banning single-use plastic bags. We do not stop at just one issue when it comes to

protecting our environment. We do have a wide scope, and we have a very long history of delivering

for this state. My party has a strong tradition of delivering for this country when it comes to preserving

our environment. We are not afraid of change, and we are not afraid of reform. This act has not been

reviewed for decades, and I am pleased to see that we are revisiting it. We want to encourage

consideration of biodiversity across government. We are defining and broadening the concept of

critical habitat to better focus on preventing decline, while creating a more cooperative approach to its

management.

We know; we have seen the reports. We have seen the articles in newspapers; we have seen them on

our social media. We are all well aware of the changes that are happening with biodiversity, and we

know that we have a downward trend. We know that there are serious issues which must be addressed.

We cannot keep continuing down the same path and we must—it is imperative—make changes. We

also have to recognise and respect the original intentions of the bill, which include the roles

governments play across the board as well as the role that government can play in prevention—a role

that is needed more than ever today. I hope that Nillumbik Shire Council also heeds this emphasis on

prevention, including in relation to the changes to the green wedge management plan for the shire. I

heard the member for Macedon speak earlier about Macedon Ranges shire and the work they are doing

on their draft localised planning statement and their desire to protect the future of the Macedon Ranges

and their distinctive landscapes and valued non-urban areas. I trust Nillumbik will have the same

intentions to protect our distinctive landscapes, our deeply valued non-urban areas and indeed our

biodiversity.

What we value as a community and what we value in this state is key. Economic activity is important,

especially in a shire like Nillumbik, which is only 10 per cent urban. We value our economy and we

value our environment, and the two values can be managed harmoniously. Our economy will flourish

when the environment is managed well and with respect. Exceptional local community groups who

work hard to protect our local environment and amenity are vibrant, are flourishing in my community,

and I give them my thanks—groups such as the Eltham Community Action Group, which was Eltham

Gateway Action Group until they had so many jobs to do that they needed to expand their scope. They

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were created in the 1990s because the Kennett government wanted to sell our old shire office site on

Main Road, and ironically the Liberal councillors of the Shire of Nillumbik also tried to do this again

earlier this year.

I also want to pay homage to Sigmund Jörgensen, who played an important role in the Eltham

Community Action Group and the gateway action group and in fact in preserving our local community

identity and our local environmental identity. His passing is very sad for our community, but the role

he played in protecting the amenity of our community and what we valued will never be forgotten.

I also want to thank Friends of Nillumbik, the Green Wedge Protection Group, our local Landcare

groups, Friends of Diamond Creek and Friends of Watery Gully/Worialak Creek for all they do to

protect our natural landscape and biodiversity. The work they do in understanding our community

values is incredibly important, and the work they do to protect what we value is without measure. I

urge Nillumbik to include in their green wedge management plan the values and needs of our local

environment such as the importance of indigenous vegetation, habitat for wildlife and connectivity,

biodiversity, ecosystems and of course climate change.

Nillumbik, as a green wedge shire, has an important role to play in addressing climate change, and I

really do hope that they understand the importance of this and the role that they need to play in

addressing this issue as well as protecting our landscape, our environment and our biodiversity. I

encourage them to reaffirm the important role that the shire should and does play in conservation.

They can be real leaders in this space, and in the past Nillumbik has been. I really hope that this green

wedge management plan is not full of motherhood statements that are meaningless but is actually a

plan that will protect our green wedge—that will help our green wedge to flourish, to be protected, to

develop and to give local residents the environment that they really and truly value.

We have seen it be eroded, and we saw Nillumbik trying to erode some of this biodiversity and

environment last year when they wanted to sell off 17 reserves across the community. This was

stopped due to community outrage, and justly so because it was outrageous what they were planning

to do, just as it was outrageous to commercially develop the old shire office site to a multilevel hotel.

The fact that they have pulled back from this development too signals that they have recognised what

the community values, and I hope that their green wedge management plan also recognises what the

community values, which is our sense of place, which is our identification with our local environment,

which is our love for our tree canopy, which is our love for our indigenous wildlife and our vegetation

and which is our acceptance of the importance of biodiversity and the need for that to be protected.

Nillumbik needs to ensure our green wedge is protected—not degraded, not neglected and certainly

not eroded or indeed sold off. They need to give us a clear and concise statement and commitment to

our green wedge and its preservation. And I would like a clear indication from Nillumbik in their plan

as to how they will protect our biodiversity, for this government is showing leadership, it is showing

the way and it is showing the important role that governments—whether it is federal, whether it is

state, whether it is local—not only can but should play in protecting our environment and ensuring the

ongoing future of our biodiversity and in fact helping our biodiversity to become even stronger. We

do not want to see this downward trend. We do not want to see more of our landscapes eroded, where

our biodiversity becomes weaker. It needs to become stronger; it needs to grow more. It is the beautiful

pockets of land that we have in communities across Nillumbik that will help us achieve that goal, and

it is something that Nillumbik Shire Council needs to be proactive in. They need to show leadership;

they need to walk away from motherhood statements. They need to walk away from appeasement,

and they need to do what is right, which is to protect our local amenity, protect the green wedge and

stand up for the needs and the desires of everybody who lives within the shire. I commend the bill.

Mr NORTHE (Morwell) (16:20): It gives me pleasure to rise this afternoon to speak on the Flora

and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. Obviously this bill has been regurgitated in this term of

Parliament. I spoke on this bill, or a similar bill, in June of last year, as many other speakers did, but

just to recap: this bill is for an act to amend the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and to promote

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Victoria’s biodiversity by establishing objectives and principles of the act. It imposes additional

obligations to consider biodiversity in decision-making, improves transparency and accountability and

makes various other amendments to strengthen the act and to make consequential amendments to other

acts and for other purposes.

Previous speakers have referred to specific elements of the bill, and I will not be repetitive in going

over old ground. I will speak to the bill more generally but from a local context as well. As all members

have spoken about, the protection of our plants, our animals, our biodiversity is extremely important.

Those protections should be enhanced where possible. It is important from an attraction and tourism

perspective as well. I know from a statewide point of view this is vitally important, but also within my

community in the Morwell electorate protecting those particular animal species and plant species and

having that biodiversity is an attraction for locals and tourists alike.

As an example, quite recently I was able to visit Tarra-Bulga National Park, in my community. It is

just a fabulous destination—so pristine and beautiful. On a very cold Sunday I was just gobsmacked

to see the number of tourists visiting that particular area undertaking some great walks. It is just

beautiful scenery. I noticed a number of the visitors who were there at the time were actually

international visitors as well, having a chat to a few of the people who were there. They travelled vast

distances for the day. That is what such a beautiful place can do for communities—people will come

and visit. So from that perspective it is important to protect what we have.

The Morwell National Park is another great destination within the Morwell electorate. I will take the

opportunity to congratulate the management of those particular areas, through Parks Victoria but also

the friends of parks groups who do a lot of work on a volunteer basis and ensure that it is an attractive

destination for so many people.

As I mentioned in the debate on the previous bill, it is important that we do have a balance. Whilst it

is important that we protect plants, animals and biodiversity, it is also important that we have regard

for people, their livelihoods, their jobs and our communities. It is important that, for industries and

businesses that work within those particular areas, there are challenges that do arise. If I can give an

example, I guess the timber industry is one of those whereby on the one hand it is important to protect

certain species and animals, but on the other hand we have an industry, we have jobs and we have

employment. We know over time that there has been conflict—I guess that is an appropriate word. It

is how we find that balance between ensuring that we do have industries, we do have employment and

we do have jobs but also at the same time that we are not threatening our flora and fauna, our animal

species, and we are making sure that our biodiversity is protected.

I note that the minister in her second-reading speech said that the bill amends the act to ensure that it

is stronger and it can more effectively protect Victoria’s biodiversity in the face of existing and

emerging threats such as climate change. That is a fair enough statement; however, you do not want

to cut off your nose to spite your face, for want of a better saying. What I mean by that is that you do

not want to make the regulations and the legislation so onerous that they will potentially shut down or

reduce an industry, because it does not necessarily mean that you are going to improve your overall

environmental performance.

So for example, if there was to be onerous legislation or regulation towards a particular industry, in

this case the timber industry—and we can put those in place—but the demand for our timber and paper

products did not reduce, then basically those same products would have to be sourced from

somewhere. And generally if we see less timber harvesting in Victoria but still the same demand for

timber and paper products, then the likelihood is that those products are going to have to be imported.

They would be imported from destinations that have probably got less strenuous forestry stewardship

regulations and do not have the same environmental regulations and legislation we have here. When

you take into account, if that was to happen, the travel miles et cetera and less jobs, it would not

necessarily lead to an improved environmental performance. So we need to be careful of that.

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I think that we need to be careful in other areas too. Again, I know there are competing interests

sometimes, but one example that comes to mind is when the highway between Traralgon and Rosedale

was being constructed. I understand that you have to manage the environment, the tree species that are

there and the native vegetation, but against that a farmer lost a significant tract of land that was

compulsorily acquired, which was prime agricultural land. That had a massive impact upon that

particular farmer and his family. So again we have to consider not just the environmental cost but the

economic cost and social cost to industries such as farming and timber.

Again, the same thing happens with the quarry industry. We have a massive quarry industry in the

Latrobe Valley, and it is important from the context of a statewide point of view. We have Maryvale

Sand, Latrobe Valley Sands, Latrobe Valley Blue Metal and Matthews Quarries. They are all

prominent employers within my electorate, but they are also significant suppliers to the state of

Victoria. Credit to the government, there is some significant infrastructure investment going on in our

state at the moment. We need to ensure we have got that material supply continually coming through.

But what we are seeing at the moment is that some of those operations, some of those businesses, have

a very limited life. They are all trying to grow and expand at the moment, but they are being stifled

seemingly at first base.

What I would say on that point is, in my view, we have departments and agencies working in silos.

On one hand we are saying ‘Economic development and jobs—wow, this is fantastic’, but on the other

hand the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) are saying, ‘Well, we’ve

got all these problems over here’. We have to resolve these issues. It is not that they cannot be resolved,

but we have to find a way to make sure that we are all working together for the best outcome for not

only that industry and the workers but also from an environment perspective. But that is not happening

at the moment, and those projects are being stifled. Again, I say that we should be making sure there

is a balance going forward and that we are not impacting upon people, we are not impacting upon

livelihoods and we are not impacting upon communities. We have to consider those as well as the

environment.

The reality is that if we do not resolve those issues, what will happen is Victoria will have to import

material from other states, which is only going to lead to higher costs and a worse outcome for the

environment. I know that is what none of us in this chamber want. So just to wrap it up, I am not

opposed to the bill as it stands. There are some good provisions ensuring we have those protections

for animals, plants, biodiversity and the environment, but we also at the same time should not forget

people, jobs, communities and families who could be impacted by decisions related to this legislation.

Ms HALFPENNY (Thomastown) (16:30): I also rise to speak in favour of the legislation before

us, the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Bill 2019. In June last year I spoke on the very same

legislation, although there have been some minor technical amendments made in the 2019 bill as

opposed to the 2018 version. As I understand it, these are small changes such as improving grammar

and also changing some dates because we are dealing with the legislation another 12 months on.

That 2018 bill did pass the Assembly. It did not pass the Legislative Council because of the

filibustering, the delays and really the irresponsibility of the opposition in trying to thwart legislative

change that the Andrews Labor government, the previous government, wanted to make. In fact in this

case we did give an election commitment to update this legislation to strengthen and further improve

the protection of native habitat for both flora and fauna.

As I said, this legislation resulted from an election commitment, but also there was consultation on

and an extensive review of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. There had really been no

updating or review of that legislation for something like 30 years, so the bill we are debating today is

the culmination of the review, the consultation and investigation of what really needed to be done to

both modernise this legislation to bring it up to the modern times and of course to strengthen it so that

we ensure that we are playing our part as one part of a very big world in order to preserve biodiversity

as much as possible. We know there is a whole lot of evidence and we have seen the research about

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the need for biodiversity and to ensure that we preserve it not just for the health of the environment;

in order for human beings to live in this world we need biodiversity and we need to preserve the

environment and all the species that are contained within it.

I suppose I am a little bit different from the member for Eltham, which is a more established electorate.

The Thomastown electorate now really is part of a growth corridor and that brings also many other

challenges in terms of the native flora and fauna that live within the growth corridor. There is strain

and pressure on various species as a result of the increase in population, the greater human footprint

and the need to build roads, houses, footpaths and other infrastructure that impacts on the environment.

There have been a number of other examples in the northern suburbs. In Thomastown of course

everybody knows about the growling grass frog. That was an endangered species of frog. It is good to

know that it is now only threatened to be endangered, so there is a slight improvement in the situation

of the grass frog. While a lot of the residents of Thomastown roll their eyes, have a bit of a laugh about

the growling grass frog and pooh-pooh all the lengths we go to in order to preserve it, it has also been

an educational experience. Now people know what it is and I think pretty well most would have

sympathy for and support making sure that we preserve the living things in the environment.

The growling grass frog is a slight success story in that its numbers have improved, but of course there

are a whole lot of other flora and fauna—such as the golden sun moth, the matted flax lily, the curly

sedge, the striped legless lizard and the plains wanderer—that are still threatened in this area and we

want to make sure that we preserve them.

There has been quite a bit of work done by previous Labor governments. There is a whole grassland

nature reserve around Craigieburn and the North Epping area. I am told there has been an increase in

the abundance of wildlife and native animals and that the numbers have been restored at this nature

reserve. We also have a whole lot of overlays and conservation requirements when it comes to building

infrastructure. This is where I guess it becomes very frustrating. One of the other changes in this

legislation is to make sure that public authorities, when they are taking any action or doing anything,

take into account the preservation, restoration and prevention of extinction of native flora and fauna.

That is in the Victorian legislation. There is also federal legislation.

I think we would have to say that the Labor government is doing a much better thing in terms of what

the member for Morwell was talking about. We are supporting industry and development as well as

strengthening the protections for native flora and fauna. A good example is in Thomastown where

there is a major road that has been delayed for a number of years, since 2014, due to the inefficiencies

of the federal government in providing the environmental approvals. One could be saying, ‘but that is

because of the frogs or the environment’, but in actual fact it is not. It is because of the red tape of the

federal government in not providing the staff and the resources in order to look at and protect the area

and do what is needed to ensure that the road can go ahead but that it is done in such a sensitive way

that it will preserve or at least not further threaten species such as the growling grass frog. On the other

hand, in terms of the Victorian requirements, they went ahead and have all been okay and they have

not delayed the project. As a result there is going to be some further land purchase that will be part of

further reserves in order to protect grasslands and also things such as frogs and lizards.

In terms of this legislation, as I was saying, there are a number of areas that it is actually changing and

improving. There are stronger penalties in the event that the legislation is breached. There is also the

requirement for public entities to factor in what they are doing. The flora and fauna guarantee is of

course about guaranteeing that we will maintain and keep our flora and fauna not just for the present

day but for the future generations and for the health of people as well as the health of the environment

in which we live, and of course neither can be seen in isolation. The health of one is very much

dependent on the health of the other.

In strengthening this legislation and updating it we are also ensuring that we are acknowledging and

taking into account serious problems such as climate change. We on this side of the house do not deny

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it—there is such a thing, and there are very few people now who would deny it, but there are some I

think on the other side of the house who still have their heads in the sand—and so this sort of legislation

acknowledges that this is an issue and that we have to address a lot of future challenges and a lot of

things in the future to ensure that we have a place that is habitable into the future.

As I mentioned, this legislation is very important. I believe most people in the electorate of

Thomastown would support the protection of flora and fauna. We all want places that we can go not

just to enjoy in a recreational sense but also to know that we are preserving them for the future and

hopefully also bringing back some of the threatened species so that they do again become things that

are regularly seen rather than something that someone can go their whole life without actually viewing

even though they live in an area that was once traditionally seen as an area for that particular frog or

lizard or grass.

This legislation also gives much greater recognition to traditional owners and respects their views and

input in terms of how we can restore the biodiversity and restore populations of species as well as

prevent their further decline. So it is another piece of legislation that really is looking at Victoria in a

very open and progressive way to make sure that we have a state that is here for the future and for

future generations to be proud to be part of—a very important area of concern.

Mr CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (16:40): It is with some pleasure that I rise to speak following

the fine contribution from the member for Thomastown. It is really only ever Labor governments that

take our responsibilities for being custodians of our land seriously. It is very difficult to think, across

any Parliament in Australia—whether it be in Victoria, the commonwealth or any other state or

territory—of any significant environmental legislation that the Liberal Party can absolutely claim that

they own. It is almost impossible. I have scratched my head and found it very difficult to come up with

any meaningful examples of the Liberal Party taking the conservation of our very unique, very historic

and very old landscape seriously in any way.

And I was very glad to hear the member for Thomastown’s contribution just prior to mine, where she

took the Parliament through not only some very local examples from her own electorate but,

unfortunately, also the political delay tactics of the Liberal Party in the Legislative Council in the last

Parliament around this issue.

I very much want to put on record my profound thanks for the work of the Cain government for putting

in place the previous legislation that set out very strong public policy for the protection of our very

unique landscapes. That legislation very much set in place much stronger regulations about protecting

our flora and fauna and our very unique ecosystems that we have—not only in Victoria, we have very

unique ecosystems across Australia. Now in reflecting on the very unique conversations that I have

had with my electorate, I very much know that my communities are very concerned in a broad way

about protecting and preserving our biodiversity and leaving our environments in as strong a state as

possible for future generations. The previous legislation, which was struck in 1988, was profound

legislation, it was thoughtful legislation, but of course our scientific understanding of how we preserve

our landscape, how we preserve our biodiversity and how we protect our flora and fauna has changed.

And indeed the science has evolved, and it is now time that we as a Parliament introduce new public

policy through legislation that recognises some of those very unique challenges.

I suspect, back in 1988 when the previous act was drafted, that the public and indeed those that were

responsible for drafting that act back then had very little understanding of the science behind climate

change, because it was such a new concept in the 1980s. We know that humanity has had a dramatic

impact on our environment. That impact is profound and this new legislation starts that journey of

recognition of that, particularly in terms of the impact on our flora and fauna.

Now, when I think about that in the context of my seat, of the landscape in which my communities

reside, I immediately think of the consequences of sea level change, particularly in terms of some of

our very unique estuarine systems throughout my part of the world, and particularly the Connewarre

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wetlands. The Connewarre wetlands are, of course, internationally recognised under the Ramsar

convention for the very unique habitat that they provide to migratory waterfowl. Sea level rise will

change those watercourses dramatically. That will change the capacity of that landscape to carry the

very unique flora and fauna within that landscape. My communities are very conscious of that. They

are very informed about that. They want to see parliaments throughout Australia recognising those

types of unique challenges and putting in place comprehensive legislative reform that sets a profound

obligation on governments and on communities to put in place the necessary arrangements to protect

and to enhance our biodiversity and our landscapes—to ensure that those landscapes can be protected,

that they can be enhanced—so that they can respond to some of the challenges not faced by those

responsible for providing the legislative instructions to the drafters back in 1988, when the science did

not recognise what we now do.

It is with some profound pleasure that I rise today to make my contribution on that. We have in Victoria

unique landscapes, we have unique biodiversity, we have unique flora and fauna, and we as a

Parliament need to recognise that. As I indicated earlier, when I reflect on the contributions made by

various political parties across various parliaments in Australia on this, I can see example after

example of the Labor Party recognising these challenges, legislating for these challenges and putting

in place the necessary public policy to ensure that we can preserve our landscapes, preserve our

biodiversity and preserve our flora and fauna. It is through Labor reforming governments that we strive

to do this, and I am of course very pleased to have made my contribution.

It is one thing to think about these things and to care about these things, but very much in a local

context I also want to make an observation that my communities not only think about them—think

about their landscapes, think about their biodiversity and think about where they live—but they also

show on-ground direct leadership. They get involved in programs that have been set up—again by

previous Labor governments—around Landcare and Coastcare, because they do not just want to think

about it; they actually want to be activists. They actually want to make a meaningful, practical example

in restoring our landscapes. What comes to mind of course are our very active Coastcare groups, who

spend many, many hours along the South Barwon coastline removing introduced species from sand

dunes and restoring native vegetation to provide new habitat for our native species. Their hard work

has been recognised by Labor governments making grants to Landcare and Coastcare to support their

efforts. It is my great pleasure to commend this bill to the house.

Ms KAIROUZ (Kororoit—Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation,

Minister for Suburban Development) (16:50): I move:

That the debate be now adjourned.


Ordered that debate be adjourned until later this day.

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BUDGET PAPERS 2019–20

Debate resumed on motion of Mr DONNELLAN:

That this house takes note of the 2019–20 budget papers.

Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) (16:50): As I mentioned yesterday, this budget is terrific for Victoria and

for my rapidly growing electorate. The challenge we have in Yuroke is to ensure that the established

suburbs have the infrastructure to support many more residents than they were initially designed for

and planned for and to also establish infrastructure in our newest communities. I am incredibly proud

that the Andrews Labor government has recognised this challenge and is responding with the

investment in infrastructure that we need. Primarily these needs fall into three categories—not

surprisingly, education, health and transport. In regard to education this government is providing the

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biggest investment in the state’s history and the biggest investment in local schools in my community,

and it shows.

We went to the 2018 election committing to open six new schools in Yuroke over the next four years,

and this budget honours that commitment. This not only provides the infrastructure we need, but by

announcing the rollout over the next four years it gives families the opportunity to plan their children’s

education and provides peace of mind that those schools will be there when they need them. It was

terrific to be joined by the Minister for Education to open the first of these schools, Aitken Hill

Primary, earlier this year. Principal Peter Hansen and his team are doing a terrific job working through

the challenges of a new school, as are student council president Peter Brookshaw and his team in their

supportive roles. This school is in a really exciting part of Craigieburn, with much new infrastructure

on the way. It is adjacent to the Aitken Hill Community Centre, which this government supported with

a $1.6 million contribution, as well as the upcoming Craigieburn softball centre, also supported by this

government with a $1.5 million contribution. It is around the corner from the Aston Recreation

Reserve, which is a terrific precinct and home to the newly opened Aston reserve pavilion, also

supported by this government with a $2 million contribution.

I mention these sporting facilities because not only are they terrific complementary facilities in this

precinct but also because the contributions to them were from the Growing Suburbs Fund, and I am

thrilled to see that fund continued in this budget.

Also in this precinct is the next of the six schools to be opened, being Craigieburn South Secondary

College, which is due to open next year and was supported in this budget by an additional

$10.8 million to complete stage 1 of the school. I recently met with the newly appointed principal,

Colin Burke, who will do a terrific job. Seeing the build now well underway I am really excited about

what this school brings to our community.

Following this is Greenvale North West Primary and Merrifield West Primary schools, both to open

in 2021. Both of these schools will service rapidly growing areas and will greatly reduce the pressure

on local schools that are experiencing enrolment pressures. Greenvale North West Primary will be

located in Greenvale Gardens Estate and will provide a much-needed second government primary

school for the Greenvale community. Adjacent to that primary school will be the Greenvale West

Integrated Children’s Centre, which is supported by a $1.6 million contribution from this government.

It is another important facility supported by the Growing Suburbs Fund.

Merrifield West Primary, to be located in the Merrifield Estate on Donnybrook Road, will be the first

school in this rapidly growing community, which is currently home to around 3000 residents in that estate

alone, with many more in adjacent estates. I know that local residents are excited about opening Kalkallo

Common Primary and Greenvale Secondary in 2022. Greenvale residents have campaigned for many

years for this secondary school. I was thrilled to announce with the Minister for Education that a re-

elected Labor government would deliver this school in 2022, and that is exactly what we will do.

As with all growing communities, health infrastructure is very important to Yuroke residents. In

September 2016 a free nursing service from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm was set up in Craigieburn at one of

the first of five 24-hour supercare pharmacies that this government rolled out. This service has been

welcomed by the local community, and I am thrilled that Craigieburn will also be home to one of the

first of 10 new community hospitals across the state, with planning funds provided in this budget. This

is a really exciting project for my community, and I look forward to working with the recently

announced Craigieburn Community Hospital consultative committee, who will help to ensure that the

community hospital is reflecting the needs of our community.

There are also many statewide projects and programs in this budget that will greatly benefit Yuroke

residents. I am incredibly proud of the government’s rollout of free dental care for all public primary

and secondary schools, bringing back dental vans and saving families around $400 a year per child in

dental costs. This is a massive program, and it will not only ensure greater dental health for our

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children, it will also save parents the need to take time off work for appointments and it will free up

the public dental system so more adult treatments can be provided.

I am also thrilled that this budget continues our commitment to the school breakfast program by

expanding the program from 500 schools to providing both breakfast and lunch in 1000 schools. In

Yuroke there are currently four primary schools running this program—Willmott Park, Roxburgh

Rise, Mount Ridley and Craigieburn South—and I look forward to seeing more schools included,

because we all know the enormous benefits that come from this program. We are also fortunate locally

to have the Salvation Army running breakfast programs at Craigieburn Secondary and Aitken Hill

Primary, and I do want to congratulate them on the terrific work that they do.

This budget not only extends this important school breakfast program for students, but it also invests

over $20 million so girls in government schools will be able to access free tampons and pads. This is

an Australian-first program that will mean that the menstrual needs of girls in our schools are not a

distraction or a barrier and that financial circumstances do not determine whether appropriate sanitary

products are available when they are needed. I am incredibly proud of this program, and I know that

it will have a tremendous impact on the lives of many girls at what can be a difficult time.

While all these projects are being undertaken we continue to deliver on the many projects that are

currently underway. This includes the 745 new car parking spaces for Craigieburn. We have already

provided an additional 55 spaces at the station and over 100 new spaces in Potter Street, and this is the

largest car park expansion in the state’s history. The Craigieburn CFA station relocation will provide

a more appropriate home for our hugely respected local firefighters. The additional Craigieburn

ambulance station and the Craigieburn North SES unit are both in the planning stages, and I look

forward to providing updates to the community as these projects progress. The Donnybrook to

Craigieburn bus service will commence in December this year and will provide the first public

transport service to our pioneers in the northern part of my electorate. To say residents are excited

about this new route is an understatement. And of course there is the Craigieburn Road upgrade, with

construction beginning next year. This long-awaited upgrade includes duplication from Mickleham

Road to the Hume Highway, and it will improve safety and traffic flow on a road that was designed to

cater for a couple of thousand residents but is now feeling the strain of over 28 000 vehicles per day.

As I said at the outset, this budget is great for the people of Victoria and it continues to deliver for my

electorate of Yuroke. I congratulate the Treasurer for what is again a terrific budget and one that

delivers on the commitments that Labor took to the November 2018 election.

Ms BLANDTHORN (Pascoe Vale) (16:58): It is with great pleasure that I finally rise to speak on

the fantastic Daniel Andrews Labor budget. This is a great budget that delivers for all of Victoria, and

it is certainly a budget that delivers for my community in Pascoe Vale. It delivers a $1 billion surplus

in 2019–20, with surpluses averaging $3.4 million a year over the forward estimates. It includes a new

dedicated $150 million Victorian Jobs and Investment Fund, and I certainly understand that in my

community, a community that is very much transitioning in terms of the jobs and investment and

industries across that community, that fund will be most welcome. There is a continued investment in

major infrastructure projects, such as North East Link—again something that is important to the people

who live in the northern suburbs that I represent—and Melbourne Airport rail link, which again, given

our proximity to Melbourne Airport, is of great significance. But our infrastructure investment will

average $13.4 billion a year over the forward estimates. There is $205 million to increase train and bus

services, and my community is certainly interested in the provision of train and bus services. There is

$150 million for the Car Parks for Commuters Fund, and certainly one of the core issues for my

community was the upgrade of the Merlynston station car park, which is part of this fund. There is

$162.8 million for 10 more locally built E-class trams. We have a number of tramlines that service our

community, and the provision of services and the quality of those services again is of the utmost

importance to the people who use those trams in my community.

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There is $231 million for TAFE and training, including $57 million to upgrade and rebuild TAFE

facilities and campuses across the state. Again in a community that has a large number of people

working in industries where they are trained in TAFE, this is a most welcome investment. Just last

week I was having a conversation with a group of Iranian refugees who were talking to me about the

importance of TAFE services being available to asylum seekers and refugees. Certainly the

improvements—and I guess the advancements—we have made in the way we deliver TAFE and

training in Victoria has opened up opportunities for people who have sought asylum here in Australia

and for refugees who are here in Australia.

This budget invests more than $880 million to begin the rollout of 15 hours of subsidised kinder

programs for all three-year-old children by 2029. It invests $26.1 million to extend the Australian-first

school readiness funding initiative to three-year-olds, supporting children to get the most out of kinder.

This aims to have children in a position ready to start school. It ensures that no child will be left behind.

This budget also invests a record $1.82 billion to roll out the next phase of the school building boom,

which is creating thousands of new jobs and ensuring that every child, wherever they go to school, has

the opportunity to be educated in first-class facilities that are close to their home. The budget funds the

construction of 13 new schools to open in 2021, with another four opening in 2022. There is

$402 million for school infrastructure in non-government schools. Indeed an announcement during

the recent state election that the Premier made at the Corpus Christi Primary School in Glenroy, which

in this budget received $1 million towards the upgrade of their facilities. Indeed this is the primary

school that the Premier himself attended—I think until grade 3. There is $58 million to expand the

school breakfast clubs program and $209 million for public housing, delivering on our promise to

build 1000 new homes over the next three years.

These are just a few of the highlights that are important from my perspective, from the perspective of

the community that I represent. But this budget is a good budget for Victorians and it is a fantastic

budget for the community of Pascoe Vale—for the people who live in Glenroy, Coburg, Hadfield,

Pascoe Vale, Pascoe Vale South, Coburg West and Moreland. This budget is delivering for our

community.

If I could just in the time I have available talk about probably the three most common themes that

come through my office, but certainly the three most common themes for our community in this

budget, the number one being transport. Roads, rail, bike paths and pedestrian paths are extremely

important to the people that I represent. In the lead-up to the last state election we announced that we

would invest over $11 million in removing the dangerous and congested roundabout at the intersection

of Gaffney and Sussex streets.

Mr Richardson interjected.

Ms BLANDTHORN: It will be gone, member for Mordialloc; it will be gone. Work has already

begun, and we are very much looking forward to this being a fully signalised intersection. It should

have always been a fully signalised intersection. Certainly at the point at which the council allowed

for a massive Coles to go on the very corner of the intersection something should have been done

about the fact that the traffic signal there was inappropriate for the volume of traffic that comes through

that intersection. It is a very exciting announcement. It was hard fought for by me and the community.

We collected hundreds and hundreds of signatures on petitions. My office was constantly contacted

by people. In particular I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Sarah Jefford and her

neighbours. Sarah well and truly harnessed the support of the community to effectively work with us

to get this outcome. Sarah, who often works from home, has told me numerous stories of occasions

when she has had to attend accidents, including some where people have been quite severely injured.

To be able to work with her to achieve this outcome, to get this investment to build a safe intersection

for the 35 000-odd cars that go across that intersection is a great outcome.

I would like to also mention the level crossing removal projects. Again, we are an area well serviced

by public transport. We have both the Craigieburn line and the Upfield line. From Bell Street to

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Moreland Road we will be replacing those level crossings with elevated rail. This presents a great

opportunity. It is a difficult project because the rail corridor is extremely narrow. Certainly at the state

election we promised, and this budget funds, additional level crossing removals between Bell Street

and Moreland Road at Reynard Street and Munro Street. It will be an elevated rail for the entire section.

This presents a great outcome for our community and will help people cross these dangerous and

congested roads.

We have recently announced that the solution for the Glenroy level crossing removal project will be a

trench. This is also a great outcome that will service this community extremely well. As part of the

Upfield level crossing removal, but also in their own right, we have also announced that this budget

will fund upgraded bike and pedestrian paths, particularly the Upfield bike and pedestrian paths. Again

as a community that embraces cycling, where the number of cyclists is ever increasing, this is a great

outcome. This will be a fantastic bike path for our community. For cars, for bikes, for trains, for trams

and for pedestrians this budget is delivering in my community.

Could I also take a moment to mention school investment. I referred earlier to the overall number of

$402 million in capital funding for Catholic and independent schools. This is a great project and a

great program that allocates money to Catholic and independent schools, which often spend a lot of

time fundraising to provide for their matched funding. In my community of Pascoe Vale St Oliver

Plunkett Primary School and also Mercy College at Coburg have previously benefited from this. In

this budget Corpus Christi Primary School also benefits from this allocation.

We are also upgrading our state schools. Glenroy College will receive over $9 million for a rebuild.

This will be a fantastic injection into what is a great school community that just needs a little bit of

support to improve its facilities. The budget will also provide $1 million for the development of the

second stage of Pascoe Vale South Primary School’s new school hall.

My colleague the member for Yuroke mentioned the extension of the school breakfast clubs program.

This is a great program that many schools in my electorate have benefited from over time. Certainly I

was very pleased to see that the $58 million to expand this program in this budget extends the program

to Glenroy Specialist School, which is an amazing school serving children with very special needs

with great care and dignity. Also for Glenroy College, Pascoe Vale Girls College and Pascoe Vale

North Primary School this is a very welcome extension of this program.

In the time I have remaining I would also just like to mention that this budget delivers for our

multicultural communities. One of the things I love most about the communities that I represent is that

people come from every corner of the globe, from every walk of life and are of every age. This budget

allocates money to the Anatolian Alevi Festival and also $50 000 for the upgrade of the Oak Park

Soccer Club’s facilities. As much as this is a project for the sporting club, it is also an allocation that

will very much benefit the Kurdish community in my area, who largely frequent the Oak Park Soccer

Club. For them their soccer club is not just a place where they play soccer but a place where their

community comes together and shares food, tradition, music and culture. From the youngest of their

children to their elders, the community very much sees the Oak Park Soccer Club as fundamental to

their community, so that is a great win for them.

I would like to also mention the grants for seniors multicultural groups. We have lots of ageing seniors

multicultural groups across our electorate, particularly our Greek and Italian groups, who were

amongst the first migrants in our area, but also increasingly other communities as well, including, as I

said, the Kurdish community and many others who will benefit from these $4000 grants to

multicultural seniors groups.

This budget delivers on transport, it delivers on schools, it delivers on multiculturalism in my

community and it delivers across the state the services and the programs that all of our constituents

rely on the state government for. It is with great pleasure that I commend the budget to the house.

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Mr WAKELING (Ferntree Gully) (17:10): I am pleased to speak on the take-note motion on this

year’s budget. Can I firstly start by providing some commentary with respect to the way in which this

budget has treated—or not treated—the residents in my electorate, the residents of Ferntree Gully and

the residents of Knox, because unfortunately my community has broadly been ignored by this budget.

One can start by looking at this budget with respect to one of the critical areas of government delivery:

the upgrading of education infrastructure. Unfortunately again we have a state budget where the capital

works program of major projects that are identified in the budget papers does not list a school within

the Ferntree Gully electorate for five years in a row. It is actually quite shameful that children in my

community are being singled out compared to children in other communities. All children deserve the

opportunity to be educated in the best facilities. There is no justification by the Premier or the

government as to why children in my community are being ignored compared to children in other

communities.

This was expressed to me loud and clear when I recently met with many of my government school

principals, who expressed their great concern about the lack of investment in schools throughout our

electorate—schools like Fairhills High School, which desperately needs a capital injection. In fact the

opposition has been constantly calling for the injection of funding for stage 1 of that school. This was

committed to by the opposition when it was in government back in 2014, to be funded at the 2014

election. It recommitted to a funding commitment of $9 million at the 2018 election. On both

occasions, at both elections, this government sought not to make any commitment to that important

school. Again that community has been left out—disregarded—by this government in this budget.

It is the same with Scoresby Secondary College, a great school in my community that I share with the

member for Rowville. The principal there is doing a fantastic job. She was brought in specifically to

drive change in that school. I pay credit to her and her staff for the work and the outcomes that they

have achieved. Again, that school is doing what it can without a capital injection. It certainly behoves

this government to listen to their needs and concerns. Wantirna South Primary School is another

important school in my electorate that has been crying out for an indoor facility so the children have

somewhere to play in an indoor setting, like other schools have. This was committed to by the Liberal

Party at the last election but was not matched by Labor and there is no investment in this year’s budget.

Another important issue in my community relates to the intersection of Burwood Highway and

McMahons Road and Clyde Road in Ferntree Gully. This is a very significant intersection with lots of

traffic, but with the prevalence of unit developments occurring within the Ferntree Gully community,

particularly around McMahons Road, plus the soon-to-be developed housing estate on the old quarry

at the end of McMahons Road, there is even greater pressure being placed on that intersection to enable

people to enter and exit that estate safely. More importantly there is significant danger as people are

seeking to turn right into McMahons Road from Burwood Highway, with people exiting a slip lane.

There have been many near misses and accidents, and the community is crying out for a solution. My

community want traffic lights. I have called for traffic lights. I support traffic lights. This government

has not been willing to commit to those traffic lights. They were not funded in this year’s budget, and

I will continue to advocate on behalf of my community for that important intersection to be upgraded.

Sporting facilities, sporting ovals across my electorate have not received any funding. We certainly

had identified at the last election that sporting ovals across the electorate are vital to the football, cricket

and soccer clubs that use those facilities. They need to have further injections of investment on top of

investments that the council and the former coalition government have provided. This government,

again, has not provided any funding to my community.

Blind Creek is a very important environmental part of my community, and I congratulate the work of

the Friends of Blind Creek Billabong and also the Friends of Koolunga Native Reserve, who do a

fantastic job in upgrading and maintaining that important part of Knox. There is a need for a further

injection of funds to upgrade not only the tree planting along that area but also to remove weeds. I will

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be continuing to call on this government to invest in Blind Creek to ensure that our environmental

assets are upgraded and we can get on with removing weeds throughout that stretch of Blind Creek.

The Ferntree Gully railway station—clearly there is a further need for upgrade to the station. We had

previously advocated for the construction of some additional car parking, which was delivered over

the past few years, and we had sought additional funding to provide for shelter on the city-bound

platform. The government has not provided any funding. The federal government, through local

member Minister Tudge, has provided funding to provide car parking at that station, which has been

well received by my community, but there is certainly a need for additional investment.

Just to make some commentary in regard to some of the portfolio areas for which I have responsibility,

looking at the portfolio of workplace safety, this budget will be remembered not so much for what it is

investing in workplace safety but for what it is taking out of workplace safety. What the budget has

delivered with regard to the dividends of WorkSafe—which are there to be invested back into workplace

safety, to provide benefits for employees and to provide benefits for employers who have made those

contributions—is in fact that $700 million of that fund is going to be raided by the state government to

fund its cost blowouts on a range of projects like the North East Link, which has blown out from

$5 billion to $15.8 billion. So we actually have a situation where to prop up their budget the government

is taking $700 million out of WorkSafe, money which is there to provide workplace safety and to provide

improvements, so rather than reward employers for the hard work they have done in terms of making

contributions by providing them with reduced premiums, the government has seen fit to raid that fund of

$700 million. That is clearly a grave concern when it comes to the WorkCover portfolio.

In terms of industrial relations, the budget provides a very interesting contribution of $1.3 million to

provide for ‘Building positive public sector industrial relations’. That is code for the government

having to bolster its own resources to deal with some rather bruising industrial relations enterprise

bargaining agreement negotiations. We have already seen that start to play out—the tram union has

indicated today that they will be proceeding with industrial action. The train drivers have identified

that they will be potentially taking industrial action. We have doctors that are potentially taking

industrial action because the failure to adequately fund hospitals throughout the state is resulting in the

non-payment of enterprise agreement provisions. Doctors are going to be taking the unheard-of action

of potentially going down the path of industrial action, something I am told has not occurred since the

1980s. We have also now heard that the Police Association Victoria and also ambulance officers will

not be agreeing to or are not supportive of the government’s wage policy.

The government’s wage policy is 2 per cent, and the Premier is telling public servants, ‘You need to

only put up with a 2 per cent pay rise’ while at the same time the Premier is marching through the

streets of Melbourne supporting the union movement’s call for significant pay rises. What in fact has

happened is the public sector union has taken the Premier at his own word and said, ‘Well, if you’re

willing to march through the streets of Melbourne and call for the CFMEU and other unions to push

for significant pay rises, we expect you not only as Premier but as our employer to do the same’. So

there is no way the union movement is going to accept the government’s 2 per cent wage rise when

the Premier has made it very plain and very clear that he not only privately supports significant pay

rises but is prepared to take the unprecedented step of marching shoulder to shoulder with union

leaders through the streets of Melbourne in their calls for big pay rises. I will just say this: I do not

remember John Brumby as Premier taking that action, I do not remember Steve Bracks taking that

action, but this Premier has seen fit to march through the streets of Melbourne shoulder to shoulder

with union leaders, telling them, ‘I publicly support your push for big pay rises’.

I tell you what: the Community and Public Sector Union, the Australian Education Union and every

other public sector union have said that, seen that. They have got the clip and they have now come out

and they are expecting the Premier to do the same, and that is going to result in industrial action. That

is going to result in school students being affected by potential tram strikes shortly, people travelling

to and from work are going to be impacted, and again where is the Premier? Is the Premier picking up

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the phone trying to intervene to resolve this dispute? Absolutely not. The Premier has been missing in

action, not prepared to take any action.

If I can come to my portfolio of ageing, this government, with the centralised banking program of

moving banking services to New South Wales through Westpac, has impacted on aged-care providers

throughout regional Victoria who utilise the Bendigo Bank and have in fact gained community

benefits from using those community bank services. That is going to impact on these providers. When

the minister was asked at the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) about the impact,

his response was that there was no impact on aged-care providers, but in an amusing situation for the

minister he was then immediately slapped down by the bureaucrat sitting beside him, who had to

intervene and stop the minister by saying that in actual fact there is an impact and the government is

actually creating a fund to try to alleviate the impact on those organisations. So we had a minister who

did not know his portfolio and did not understand the impact of his own government policy, and it was

left to an unnamed bureaucrat to step in and save the minister from himself during that PAEC hearing.

Can I say that in regard to child protection we have had a significant increase in substantiated reports

of child abuse, and this is coming at a time when foster carers are leaving the sector in droves. These

are hardworking volunteers, these are people who give up their time to care for children who are

vulnerable, who need our protection, who need our support. Instead of the government attacking foster

carers, they should be working with foster carers and providing the support they need, because many

of them feel vulnerable, many of them feel that they are not rewarded, and that is why they are leaving

the sector. I call on the Premier, I call on the minister to take action to deal with these issues because

our children deserve better. There are vulnerable children—they need our protection, and it behoves

this government to show some leadership to fix this crisis and ensure that they do whatever they can

to help children in need.

Mr FREGON (Mount Waverley) (17:25): I rise to speak on the motion to take note of the 2019–

20 budget papers, and I do so with great pride, knowing that the Andrews Labor government is

delivering for all Victorians. We are delivering on all our promises. We promised on education, we

are delivering; on jobs, we are delivering; on transport, we are delivering. Did I mention jobs? Lowest

rate ever, thank you very much—almost full employment. I mean, it is excellent, and we are delivering

for all our community.

I want to acknowledge the work that the Treasurer, the Assistant Treasurer, the Parliamentary

Secretary to the Treasurer and the Premier of course are doing on this budget, and the whole

government. Working together, we are delivering for the people of Victoria just as they elected us to

do. So I congratulate the Treasurer on delivering his fifth consecutive surplus budget, and Victoria is

definitely in good hands.

Now I will talk about education. Talking about giving kids the best, I am proud to speak on a budget

that is delivering on all its promises to the people of Mount Waverley and more. This is a budget about

delivering especially for education, which is my highest priority for the people of Mount Waverley.

This budget has a high focus on education covering from three-year-old kinder right through to free

TAFE.

In my inaugural speech I made a promise to my constituents. I promised that as long as I am here

education will be my number one priority. Just as the Andrews Labor government stands by its

promises, I do too. We are the Education State. My electorate of Mount Waverley and district is known

for its quality public schools, something my constituents and I take great pride in. As I met with local

schools in 2018 during my campaign, I saw firsthand how our government schools are, as I have said

before, a victim of their own success. Funding for facility upgrades and expansions is needed as they

struggle to keep up with the high demand for enrolments that has come about from people moving

into our area to send their kids to these great schools. I know that is why I am in a great electorate, and

nine years ago my wife and I chose Mount Waverley to call our home because it is a great district in

which to live and a great place to raise our three kids.

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In my campaign travels one school that certainly stood out as being in need of support from the

Andrews Labor government was Brentwood Secondary College. It is a great school which delivers a

very high level of education to its students, but its relocatable buildings are buckling under the pressure

of ever-rising student enrolments. Those from our area would also be aware that Brentwood was the

location of a fire in one of those relocatables earlier this year, damaging two of their portables in their

VCE centre.

The good news for Brentwood and its students, parents, staff and everyone else in the community is

that Labor is delivering on its promises for better education with a commitment of $4.6 million, thank

you very much, to make sure that the students at Brentwood Secondary College have the learning

spaces they deserve by delivering a completely rebuilt VCE centre.

Since being elected in November last year I have been a strong advocate of this fantastic school, and

I would like to give a quick shout-out and thankyou to the Minister for Education for visiting

Brentwood with me to help announce this funding initiative to the school. Thank you also to the

principal, John Ballagh, for his warm welcome and for showing me and the minister around the school.

We met with some of the hardworking VCE students at Brentwood as well as viewing the buildings

to be replaced. I would like to give a special thanks to the Brentwood school captains, Cindy Tran,

Jake Hume, Michael Alepidis and Rachelle Dixon, for assisting in showing us your wonderful school,

and I wish you all the best in your final year of VCE. Something Brentwood Secondary and I have in

common is we are both celebrating our 50th year. Earlier this year we celebrated this milestone with

a notable alumnus of the school and a previous member for Mount Waverley, the Honourable Maxine

Morand, and I hope we have done her proud with our achievements for Mount Waverley in this

budget.

Brentwood’s $4.6 million is part of a massive record investment of $1.8 billion in schools all around

the state. We understand the value of investing in education, as it is investing in our future generations.

As I have said before, I come from a family of educators—my wife, my mother and my mother-in-

law all being fantastic teachers. I understand what $4.6 million means for a local school community,

and it is not just about the classrooms, it is not just about the halls—it is about what they do after hours,

it is about sharing those resources with the community.

Another important initiative is investing in the smiles of our students. Thanks to the Labor government,

all Victorian public primary and secondary students will receive free dental care, and if you have seen

those smile vans rolling down the street—you cannot not see them, that orange is fantastic—they are

a great initiative. This investment will save Victorian families around $400 a year per child in dental

costs. Supporting the dental health of growing young Victorians and supporting the back pockets of

Victorian families—how good is that, seriously!

There is more though: TAFE and jobs. We are looking after students young and old with our promise

to fund 30 000 new free TAFE training places. We promised to rescue TAFE, and we did. We have

invested $1.3 billion into rebuilding our TAFE system—after it was left to slide—ensuring students

can get the skills they need for the jobs they want.

Earlier this year we were lucky enough to have the Premier out to Mount Waverley, and I invited him

to visit our Holmesglen Waverley campus and see how great the free TAFE initiative has been for the

students studying in my electorate and Victoria-wide. When meeting the certificate IV in education

support students we asked who in the class was only able to study their course in 2019 because it was

free, and many of those in the class raised their hands. Because of our free TAFE rollout more than

25 000 students have enrolled in free TAFE courses—92 per cent more than this time last year. We

are also seeing an increase in women studying male-dominated courses such as agriculture, building

surveying and cybersecurity.

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Students over the age of 30 are making up 47 per cent of our free TAFE enrolments, which means that

people are given the opportunity to reskill and enter new careers. Over a quarter of our free TAFE

courses are being studied in regional Victoria, boosting our great regions.

This budget’s historic investment in the skills sector of Victoria means that not only are we supporting

Victorians in studying and upskilling, but we are making sure they are supported in finding jobs. We

are delivering $8.8 million to expand Jobs Victoria, including the Jobs Victoria Employment Network,

to help even more disadvantaged jobseekers find work with additional training and support.

With the Labor government’s Major Projects Skills Guarantee, our promise that apprentices and

trainees will make up at least 10 per cent of the workforce on Victoria’s major projects, we have

created thousands of opportunities for apprentices. We understand that support is needed during their

studies to ensure apprentices can finish their apprenticeship and gain a trade. With all our major

projects ongoing or coming up, I feel confident that Victorian apprentices will have many jobs to

choose from. I note that our Suburban Rail Loop, which will cross the heart of our Mount Waverley

district, recently went to market for registrations of interest, a project that will create 20 000 jobs.

You would think that was all we had done on education, but it is not. There is more, and it is not a set

of steak knives. For those wanting to go into early childhood educating or to update their qualifications,

we are helping to reduce financial barriers for students and encouraging enrolments. We have

introduced early childhood education to the list of free TAFE courses. As an added benefit this will

support the Labor government’s rollout of universal, subsidised three-year-old kinder. Recognising

the big job we have ahead of us in rolling out three-year-old kinder, I have been reaching out to all of

my local kinders and preschools. From my experience sitting on preschool committees, I understand

all the countless hours and dedication that go into making sure our local preschools and kindergartens

run smoothly. I have thoroughly enjoyed over the past few months meeting with my local preschools

and kindergartens and especially meeting with all the amazing educators who work there. It was

important to me that I heard from these educators about how they were feeling about the upcoming

changes and what changes need to be made to how things currently run ahead of our rollout. I thank

all the hardworking educators who have taken time to speak to me, and I look forward to working

closely with you and your committees in the coming years. The investment into three-year-old kinder

is an investment into the education of our youngest Victorians. It is important that every child gets

every opportunity to have the best start in life, and I am proud to be a part of a government delivering

such an important and crucial initiative.

This year’s budget also understands that with the introduction of more children into our kinders we

will need to upgrade the kindergartens we currently have. There has been $473.2 million allocated

towards building, expanding and improving kindergarten and early childhood education facilities in

preparation. Thanks to an $882 million budget investment we will ensure that every three-year-old can

access at least 5 hours per week of subsidised kinder by 2022, eventually increasing to 15 hours per

week. Research shows how beneficial early childhood education is for children. I have seen it. I have

had three kids go to three-year-old kinder, and you can see the growth in that 12 months. It improves

socialisation, speech skills, learning and development. Early childhood education sets kids up for the

best start with their schooling, and it is great to see that the Andrews Labor government’s investments

go beyond just investing in primary and secondary schools by also assisting children and their parents

through early childhood education.

At the beginning of this year I had the honour of opening the brand-new playground at Highmount

kindergarten. This was only possible with the inclusive kindergarten facilities grant of $114 000. In

fact last week the member for Mordialloc as Parliamentary Secretary for Schools and I opened up

Essex Heights—

Mr Richardson: Yes, it was fantastic.

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Mr FREGON: How great was it? It is great that kids come home and they play their video games,

but having them outside learning in their environments and having an inclusive area for all to enjoy is

just another aspect of the wonderful things that we do. It is another example of the great work this

government is doing in the early childhood space and in understanding the importance of upgrading

facilities for our kids

We move on to sports. I am very happy to share that this government is fulfilling one of the promises

I took to the election—and there were not that many, to be fair—of $150 000 to fund the master plan

for the redevelopment of the Mount Waverley Reserve. We had such great state promises. I did not

need that many local ones, but this was one that was very important to me, and we got it. Our local

sports clubs contribute so much to our local communities, encouraging health and fitness, creating

lifelong friendships and getting involved in the local community. The three clubs that play on this

reserve—Waverley Blues Football Netball Club, Mount Waverley Cricket Club and Mount Waverley

Tennis Club—have all worked tirelessly to come together to make this master plan happen. It is clear

to me that each of these clubs are passionate about giving their players the best, and I am proud to be

able to help them deliver. The three clubs have also been working hard to grow their numbers,

including the Waverley Blues, who now have under 14s, under 16s and senior women’s football

teams. I cannot wait to see where all of our clubs go in the next four years.

I want to acknowledge all of the club presidents, committee members, coaches, players, families and

volunteers who have come together to make this important step possible. Of course it would be remiss

of me not to name the presidents who put in all the countless hours. To Stephen Pewtress of the Blues;

David Grossman of the cricket club; and Andrew Rydell, the past president of the Mount Waverley

Tennis Club: thank you for all your time. I cannot wait to see your shared vision for Mount Waverley

in its entirety.

But is not just about that area of Mount Waverley. We also got the Glen Waverley Hawks $50 000 for

their scoreboard. Graham Dancey has been holding this job with the old scoreboard for many long

years in the cold, in the wet, putting up the numbers. Now he does not have to. When this scoreboard—

the electronic one—comes in, he can sit there in a nice warm space. I hope Graham is happy with that

change; I am pretty sure he is. I would like to give a shout-out to the Glen Waverley Hawks senior

captain, Mitchell Potts, and the senior boys, Ben Sullivan, Dan Eastman and Evan Pickering, for

coming out when we announced the $50 000 for their scoreboard. I hope to see some good wins on

the board next year. This year is pretty well done, but they are on and up, so we have got to watch out

for them. Also a big shout-out to Gary Hocking and all the guys on the committee.

But it is not just about sports—and I am running out of time. There is so much to this budget—I am

just not going to have time to get to all of it. What have we got? We have got energy. We have got

Solar Homes—a fantastic project. We have got the Suburban Rail Loop. I am a little bit excited

because it is coming through us, and it is going to be great. What else have we got? We have got car

parks in Jordanville. I am running out of time; I am having to skip through pages here. We have got

40 of them coming. This is too much; I am just not going to get it all done.

In conclusion, I am proud to stand here and know that we are prioritising education, sports, transport

and every ministry we have got in this place, and we are doing it and delivering.

Ms ADDISON (Wendouree) (17:40): I am so pleased to rise today to talk about the many great

benefits that the Victorian state budget will bring to the electorate of Wendouree. From Brown Hill to

Alfredton, from Redan to Mount Rowan and all the suburbs in between, this is a great budget for

Ballarat. I wish to congratulate the Treasurer on the 2019 Victorian state budget, a budget that keeps

the promises we made to the people of Wendouree and across Victoria as well as delivering a surplus.

We are funding the projects that Victorians voted for and the projects that we need as we continue to

grow. This budget speaks of the values and aspirations of the Victorian community. The Andrews

Labor government has an exciting and ambitious agenda for the Wendouree electorate, with further

upgrades to schools and sports reserves, investment in health care and very important upgrades to

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some of our busiest roads to ensure that we keep Ballarat moving. Members of our community will

benefit from all the investments that are coming out of the statewide announcements, from school

dental vans to our Solar Homes packages, and I am very excited about Melbourne Airport rail, which

Ballarat passengers will be able to access at Sunshine.

Victoria is the Education State, and the recent state budget is great news for Ballarat students. This is

our biggest schools funding budget ever. As a former teacher I am committed to ensuring that every

student gets the best out of their education. As part of the massive $1.8 billion investment in schools

around the state, Ballarat has done well. Mount Rowan will receive $3.6 million to complete their

amazing 21st century redevelopment, building on more than $12 million that has already been

provided for that important school in my electorate. There is $650 000 just to start the planning and

early works for a new gymnasium at Delacombe Primary School. Urquhart Park Primary is delighted

to be receiving $1.5 million to replace an older building with a new architecturally designed permanent

modular building, and there is $800 000 for further upgrades to Ballarat High School.

The budget also prioritises important funding for our health services for our community, because every

Victorian deserves quality health care wherever they live. We as a government are investing for

500 000 extra appointments with medical specialists for patients in regional Victoria. This is good

news for Ballarat patients.

The Andrews government—this is one of my favourite announcements out of so many—will establish

a new parenting centre in Ballarat as part of a $213 million budget investment, which will help make

sure that mums and dads can get the advice they need, including support with sleeping, feeding and

extra care for babies with additional needs. This is so important because it will mean that new parents

can get the support they need close to home. They will not have to travel to Melbourne when they are

sleep deprived and anxious about their little one. I remember what it was like during those first few

months with a newborn, and I am sure this will be most appreciated by new parents.

This budget is also great news for business in Ballarat and our local economy. It is a win for local jobs

because this budget again cuts tax for businesses, with the payroll tax-free threshold to be increased

by $50 000 to $700 000 by 2022–23. I know that Ballarat is a great place to do business, and we want

to encourage more businesses to come to our part of the world. That is why the regional payroll tax

rate will be cut to 25 per cent of the metropolitan rate by 2022–23 so that eligible regional businesses

continue to benefit from the lowest—the lowest—payroll tax rate in the nation.

And there is the Wendouree West recreation reserve. This budget delivers big-time for the people of

Wendouree West. The community have been crying out for an upgraded facility at their local

recreation reserve, and I am delighted that the recent budget will deliver this project. The Andrews

Labor government is delivering a bigger, better Wendouree West reserve, with $7 million—$7 million

for one reserve—allocated in the state budget. But this is not just any reserve. This is a passion project

of mine because I know the community will benefit greatly from the new sporting and community

facilities. We are talking about a new pavilion, a community hub, new soccer pitches, and lighting for

night games, as well as basketball, skate and BMX facilities for local kids. Not only will this deliver a

great sporting facility, but it will include great community spaces.

The investment will go towards the new Wendouree West Men’s Shed and a new ReCranked Shed.

This is wonderful. ReCranked is a service which takes unwanted bikes, fixes them and gives them

back to the local community. The redevelopment—it is going to be amazing; I will invite you all there

as soon as we have got it all done—will include a new inclusive, accessible play space for local kids,

new barbecue shelters for local families and a brand-new dog park.

With this investment we are going to make a strong community even stronger. We are also upgrading

the Alfredton Recreation Reserve, with $3.7 million to be invested to ensure local sporting clubs have

the facilities that they deserve. Improvements will also be made with extra parking and storage space

for clubs to keep their equipment safe, precinct fencing and a new digital scoreboard. This will be

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welcomed by the Ballarat Football Netball Club players, coaches and supporters. A bigger, better

Alfredton sporting precinct will benefit the Ballarat-Redan Cricket Club, the Ballarat Memorial Sports

Bowling Club, as well as other local schools—including my former primary school, St Thomas

More—and community groups that use the reserve. With so many young families choosing to live in

Alfredton and get involved in local sport, it is fantastic to see the Andrews Labor government

delivering the facilities our community deserves.

But with this budget there is more, and we are lighting up Lake Wendouree. Lake Wendouree is an

iconic walk, a place for exercise and a place for families. We are lighting up the lake with a $2.5 million

upgrade not only to the Steve Moneghetti Track at Lake Wendouree but also by providing some lights

around Victoria Park so people with their dogs and their kids can enjoy Victoria Park as well. This

new investment will see lighting and safety upgrades around both running tracks so you can walk, run

and jog all year round.

The budget also includes $11.8 million to boost community participation in sports in Wendouree,

including extra funding for stage 2 of the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre. I had the privilege of

opening BSEC two weekends ago on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events—a

$25 million six-court stadium. But we have got extra money. We are going to do further things with

stage 2 for outside courts, for learning and also conditioning spaces to make Ballarat basketball even

better. It is just great.

But the thing about Ballarat is that we are not just about sport; we love our arts and culture as well.

That is why this budget is delivering $10 million to Her Majesty’s Theatre. In this great state budget

the Andrews government is providing $10 million towards the urgent repair of our beautiful 143-year-

old theatre, the oldest theatre on mainland Australia, to make sure that future generations can enjoy

this beautiful theatre. The upgrade includes the restoration of walls, ceilings and floors, the installation

of lifts to improve disability access and the extension and improvement of foyer spaces.

This budget has so many other great initiatives that will benefit the Ballarat community, including the

fact that we are putting power back in the hands of Victorians, with $1.3 billion to install solar panels

or solar hot-water systems on 770 000 homes over 10 years. I am also pleased that our solar package

will be expanded to people in rental properties. We have done so much as a government to support

people in rental properties, and this is a further example of how we are governing for all Victorians.

We want to make sure that everyone can take advantage of this fantastic solar package. So I am really,

really pleased that so many people around Ballarat who rent will not be denied the opportunity for

solar power.

Then we have the dental program. We saw such beautiful faces at Box Hill the other night on the news

with the Premier and Minister Mikakos talking about the Smile Squad—how fantastic. As a mother

of two girls, I know dental bills can be very expensive. I can see some people around the house

nodding. We know that the cost of living is increasing. We know that some families have to make the

choice of whether or not they can get the kids to the dentist. We are going to take away this choice.

We are going to say to kids, ‘You are going to the dentist, and guess what? The Smile Squad will

come to your school’.

It is a really great initiative as well for working parents. Often it is really difficult for mums and dads

to get out of work because the only dental appointment they can get is at 11.30 on a Tuesday. Parents

actually have to leave work to go and pick the kids up from school to take them to the dentist and then

return them to school. This initiative is great for productivity. We are going to see more and more

parents being able to stay at work because the dentist is coming to their kids. That is so important.

There are no excuses—there is no excuse that you cannot afford the dentist, and there is no excuse that

you cannot get the kids to the dentist—the Smile Squad will come to you. It has been really great

talking to a lot of parents at different state schools in my electorate because they are not only thrilled

about the hip-pocket savings they are going to get from the Smile Squad, but they know that it is going

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to be better for overall health. I believe that the number one reason for inpatient admissions to hospital

after emergency is because of dental issues in a hospital. So the savings that we are going to make

across the economy are very significant. As you can see, I am so excited about the dental program,

and I know that families across Victoria will be as well.

There is so much that we can talk about in this budget, but there is an additional point that I also wanted

to make, and it is about the $120 million that we are allocating for treaty. Treaty is very important for

us as a state and for reconciliation to occur. I am very pleased that this budget includes $110 million

for us to move forward with the process of treaty. Once again this is a government whose budget is

reflecting our values, and our values are about respect and inclusion. Our treaty process is all about

that. That is what is at the centre of treaty: respect and inclusion. I am really pleased that this budget

delivers for that as well.

Whether it is improvements to healthcare provision in my community or across the state, whether it is

improvements to education or whether it is improvements to roads, I am very excited about the nine

intersections that are going to be upgraded across Ballarat—across both electorates, including

Buninyong and Wendouree. In some of our growth areas in the west of my electorate, where we have

got growth of new suburbs, we are going to be putting in traffic lights and extensions to roundabouts

to ensure that we keep Ballarat moving. With huge population growth in those suburbs we are planning

for the future because we want Ballarat to continue to be a wonderful place to live and a wonderful

place to work. That is why we are investing in our roads.

Roads, education, health care and three-year-old kinder. I am delighted about three-year-old kinder

because three-year-old kinder means that kids are going to be more school ready. We know that

parents want to send their kids to three-year-old kinder but there are financial barriers. We are going

to address those financial barriers and say that three-year-old kinder is accessible to all young

Victorians. That extra year of kinder is going to make such a difference when it comes to those students

being school ready. When we send kids off for their first year of prep, having done two years of the

kinder program is going to mean that they are more independent and that they are ready for school. It

is so important that they are learning and they can get the most out of their learning altogether.

These are the things that we said we would do. These are the promises that we made to the Wendouree

community. These are the promises that we made to the people of Victoria, and we are keeping these

promises and we are delivering for all Victorians. I have already been out and about talking to people,

and this budget has been so well received across my community, but I just cannot wait to start seeing

some of these amazing infrastructure projects taking shape and Ballarat being an even better place to

live and work.

Ms KILKENNY (Carrum) (17:55): I am honoured as the member for Carrum and a very proud

member of the Andrews Labor government to be able to rise to speak on the budget motion. This

budget, the fifth budget delivered by our Treasurer, is another true Labor budget. It is fair, it is balanced,

it is positive, it is forward-looking, it creates opportunities and it sets up Victoria for the future.

This is a budget that invests in, funds and supports all the things this state needs to continue to be the

strongest performing state in the nation. Our economy and economic growth is outperforming the rest

of the nation. We are leading on jobs and we are leading on policy and action. We are now seeing

other states and territories looking to Victoria as the lead on progressive policies, on infrastructure

planning, on investment and construction, on climate and energy and renewables, on education, on the

prevention of family violence, on mental health and on equality. Of course, most importantly, this

budget continues the Andrews Labor government’s unwavering emphasis on investing in the most

important part of our great state, and that is our people.

I congratulate the Treasurer and his team for their tireless work in delivering another budget, a surplus

budget, that continues this state’s extraordinary contribution to national economic growth, and I

congratulate our Premier for his leadership in making sure that the Andrews Labor government

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continues our tradition, our value, our belief and our purpose of keeping our promises and honouring

our commitments to the people of Victoria.

It was back in 2014 that this government set an ambitious plan for Victoria. We did this because

Victorians deserve it. The people of Victoria deserve a government that is focused on and committed

to making Victoria a healthy, prosperous, fair, compassionate and strong state, and every year we have

continued with that same resolute determination, that same sense of purpose, never wasting a day and

getting on with it so we can keep getting things done. We are doing this for all Victorians, and when I

say all Victorians I mean all Victorians. From the very beginning this government’s agenda has been

one of equality.

Starting with our littlest, one of the centrepieces of this budget is a $1.5 billion investment in the new

Footscray Hospital. I raise this because investment in our hospitals, our health services and all of our

health workers is what Labor does and does well. Every single Victorian needs and deserves access to

world-class health facilities and services. It is one of the cornerstones of a good society and therefore

a good government, and it is what sets us apart from those opposite.

It is crucial that our health services and our health facilities keep up with population growth, and they

must be built where those population centres are. Access to health services is vital. Families in our

booming western suburbs are going to get the world-class hospital they need and deserve. And of

course over on my side of town, in what will be of enormous benefit to my constituents, is the

$562 million upgrade at Frankston Hospital—the 11-storey redevelopment. My constituents will

benefit from world-class health care close to home, which will include new maternity wards as well

as 120 new hospital beds and new operating theatres. There will be two floors dedicated to mental

health, a new oncology ward and an oncology day clinic. And because every Victorian deserves

quality care wherever they live, we are investing in 500 000 extra medical specialist appointments for

patients in regional Victoria. We will also be recruiting more than 500 new nurses and midwives as

well as planning for 10 community hospitals.

We are making sure that new parents are supported, with a comprehensive package of new parent and

early childhood supports for every Victorian family. We are building seven parenting centres,

including one in Frankston, to help new parents with a range of critical services, including day stays,

longer residential stays and more support at home following the birth of a new bub. Making sure that

new parents are getting the advice they need, including support with sleeping, feeding and extra care

for babies with additional needs, is such a practical support, with real potential to make such a profound

difference in the lives of the newborn and their families. We want to help support new parents with

the challenges they could face, like postnatal depression, isolation, stress and navigating a child’s

behavioural, mental and physical development. And of course this includes this government’s baby

bundle—a free bundle of essentials for all first-time parents, designed to give new babies an equal first

start in life. These contain products and information focused on safe sleeping, feeding and healthy

development, as well as books.

Now, I mentioned books, and I cannot stress this enough: reading to our kids from day one, even

before day one, is one of the best things we can do for their little brains and their development. We

know, because the experts tell us, that 90 per cent of a child’s brain development takes place in the

first five years. Everything we do in those first five years helps set them up for life. You may think

nothing is getting through to them. Just on this, I remember when my son, Rafferty, was born and it

felt like groundhog day for so many days, and then when he was three months old I had to return to

work. I remember coming home absolutely exhausted from work and the last thing I felt like doing

was reading to him, but read to him I did. It might have been unconventional—sometimes it was legal

cases; it might have been cot instructions, cooking recipes, manuals, anything—but the thing is that it

is important. Those first five years matter. And you may not see the results, you may not see the

outcomes, for years and years, but they are there. It is the foundation for life.

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We know that access to quality early childhood education sits right at the heart of this. One of the

centrepieces of this year’s budget is the investment we are making to start the rollout of subsidised

three-year-old kindergarten across Victoria, and I could not be prouder. Victoria is leading the nation.

This year’s budget includes $881 million to begin this historic rollout, and that rollout will see, starting

next year, up to 15 hours of subsidised three-year-old kinder in six local government areas, and

enrolments will be opening soon. In 2021 a further 15 local government areas will be included in the

rollout, and in 2022 we will make sure that right across the state every three-year-old Victorian will

have access to 5 hours of subsidised kinder, scaling up to 15 hours by 2029.

We are doing this because it is the right thing to do, and the growing body of evidence is now firmly

behind this. Children who attend a quality preschool or kindergarten program experience long-lasting

effects. The improvements for these children in their early childhood intellectual, social, emotional

and dispositional performances extend right throughout their school years and right throughout their

life. So this is such a smart investment. And I would like to take the opportunity to really acknowledge

and celebrate all of the extraordinary people who are our educators and our teachers in early childhood

education in my electorate and right across the state of Victoria. These incredible, extraordinary,

committed and dedicated people are actually profoundly changing the lives of our littlest Victorians,

and to them I say thank you.

And we are going to need so many more of them. We know that teachers and educators will be the

backbone of this reform, so this year’s budget includes $92.4 million for more scholarships and

incentive programs to encourage young people, people returning to the workforce or indeed people in

other sectors to consider a career in early childhood education. We have $28.5 million for free TAFE

for two early childhood qualifications. There will also be more mentoring opportunities for

professional development and upskilling opportunities to retain those already in this wonderful

profession. And to make sure that the benefits of two years of play-based learning before school reach

as many children as possible I want to really encourage people from our culturally and linguistically

diverse communities to consider taking up this offer, becoming teachers and educators themselves and

helping to make our kinders even more culturally inclusive.

And of course we are going to need more kinder facilities, so this year’s budget includes an initial

$473 million for early childhood infrastructure. To achieve this we are going to be working closely

and collaboratively with the sector to invest in almost 1000 new and expanded kindergarten facilities.

In fact over the next decade this government will commit almost $1.7 billion towards the construction

and expansion of kinder facilities to meet the increase in demand for kinder.

But our investment in our young people does not end there. We are also funding school readiness

programs. This is equity funding for kindergartens—every single kindergarten—and this funding is

permanent. We all know that the earlier the interaction the better the outcomes for our children, and

this funding is already being used for outreach workers, counselling and welfare, speech therapists,

occupational therapists and breakfast at kinder.

Talking about breakfast, we are also expanding our very successful school breakfast clubs program.

Over 7 million school breakfasts have already been served, and this year’s budget will add another

500 schools and ramp it up to cover free lunches in some areas. So many schools and hundreds of

students in my electorate already benefit from the Andrews government school breakfast program,

and I must say it is an absolute joy to visit breakfast clubs in action and see the kids munching away

on their vegemite toast and sharing a cup of Milo with their friends before the school day starts.

On the subject of schools, since 2014 we have been rolling out upgrades to so many local schools in

my electorate. Already we have invested more than $33 million into school upgrades in the Carrum

electorate since 2014, but notably we did not actually go to the election promising to do those upgrades.

We just spoke with the school communities and then got on with the work of upgrading them. I am

delighted that this year’s budget funds even more school upgrades in my electorate. The wonderful

school community at Skye Primary is going to benefit from a $7.8 million upgrade. St Anne’s Catholic

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Parish Primary School in Seaford will get $1 million, which is going to help make an incredible

difference for the caring school community, and Patterson River Secondary College will receive

funding to start planning its transformational $8 million upgrade.

Still on schools, in an absolute Australian first, girls at all government primary and secondary schools

will have access to free tampons and pads. This is such an important and practical initiative. Not only

will this save money for families but it will help to reduce the stigma, worry and anxiety for so many

girls at school. And how about that Smile Squad? The first fleet of dental vans has just hit the road

ahead of schedule. Once fully rolled out these bright orange vans will be providing free checks and

dental treatment at every Victorian primary and secondary school, saving hundreds of dollars from the

family budget every year and freeing up more than 100 000 places for adults in the public dental health

system annually.

In another really important and meaningful initiative, both of my government secondary schools,

Carrum Downs Secondary College and Patterson River Secondary College, have been allocated

funding to recruit a mental health practitioner. This important program builds on our other major

investments in student health and wellbeing, including the Victorian anti-bullying and mental health

initiative. A young man named Lachlan lost his sister to suicide last year. It has nearly destroyed him.

She was in year 11, and I want to make sure that there is help for people like Lachlan’s sister. So

health, education and our young people are just some of our priorities—Labor priorities.

But of course there are so many more, like our halving of camping fees at state and national parks

throughout Victoria and funding to build more than 30 new campgrounds and upgrade 30 more. We

are seeing a boom in camping across Victoria, with so many families getting outside, spending quality

time together away from technology and enjoying our beautiful parks. Camping brings other rewards,

contributing more than $2 billion to our tourism industry and supporting more than 20 000 jobs.

Now being from Carrum I could not but mention infrastructure. In this area alone the Andrews Labor

government is setting an incredible pace and momentum. My electorate has been sharing in the

benefits of significant infrastructure upgrades and is in the midst of so much more. Last year we

removed the level crossing at Seaford Road. In so many ways this has been absolutely life-changing.

And this week, as part of this government’s social enterprise strategy and also driven by significant

community demand for recognising Indigenous culture in our local projects, four Aboriginal artists

are starting work and creating history by painting Aboriginal designs on the concrete underpasses and

pylons. This comes on top of our yarning circle that we recently opened at Carrum on the southern

ramp to the Patterson River from the Karrum Karrum Bridge.

In other big and life-changing projects, earlier this year we completed the duplication of Thompsons

Road between Carrum Downs and Cranbourne. Soon works will start to remove the roundabout at the

notorious intersection at Frankston-Dandenong Road and Thompsons Road. Our next promise to

residents in my electorate is to double Hall Road between McCormicks Road in Carrum Downs and

Western Port Highway. This will see upgrades to several other intersections, making them safe for

motorists. We will be upgrading roundabouts along Western Port Highway, including at Hall Road

and Ballarto Road. Traffic lights are coming to the intersection at Ballarto Road and Lyrebird Drive.

In June when we launched the brand-new 760 bus service from Seaford to Cranbourne via Carrum

Downs the bus driver told me that the Andrews government’s promise to signalise this intersection

had made her and so many bus drivers very happy, and I am very glad to hear that. I know from

doorknocking this area and speaking with residents about this intersection that they see this as an

absolute priority.

We are removing the level crossings at Carrum and revitalising this beautiful area. Important work

also continues to support victim survivors of family violence and to bring about an end to family and

gendered violence, our biggest law and order issue that is facing Victorians.

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This is another great defining Labor budget. This is not just a financial document; it is a moral one, it

is a fair one and a budget that gets things done. We believe in taking action, making change and

improving the lives and opportunities for all Victorians. I commend the budget to this house and to all

Victorians.

The SPEAKER: Order! Before calling the member for Eltham, I would like to acknowledge the

presence in the gallery of Senator Raff Ciccone and also a former member of the other place, Marg

Lewis.

Ms WARD (Eltham) (18:10): As I rise I will of course quote the highly esteemed member for

Essendon and say, ‘How good is it?’. How good is it to be a part of another Andrews Labor

government budget?

Ms Thomas interjected.

Ms WARD: It is indeed really good, member for Macedon. It is very good, because yet again we

have a budget that delivers—a budget that delivers for our communities and a budget that delivers for

our state. This is just a terrific budget, and it is great to be able to keep talking about it. I am sure the

member for Essendon will join with me in wanting to continue to talk about this budget. I do recall

yesterday that there were some members of the opposition who were saying, ‘What is there to talk

about on this budget?’. There are a lot of things to talk about on this budget. It is the budget that keeps

giving; it really does.

Our economy is strong. We heard from the Treasurer today that unemployment continues to decrease.

This is a sign of a healthy economy, and it is a sign of a government that is getting things done, that is

building things, that is creating a healthy economy and that is creating jobs. This is what the people of

Victoria love, and that is why they re-elected us. Economic growth has been above trend for several

years, averaging 3.5 per cent a year since 2013–14, the strongest of all states and well above the

national economic growth of 2.6 per cent over this period. In fact Victoria is pretty much the only

good-news story the national government has got. I am glad you all agree with me.

Government infrastructure investment is projected to average $13.4 billion a year across the budget

and forward estimates. I want to talk about new capital investment, and I know that this is something

that is of interest to you, Speaker, because you share this with me. We are pretty happy about the North

East Link. We are pretty happy that this road is funded, and we are pretty happy that the Victorian

government is building it. They are going to build a good road and a good road that will deliver across

the north-east but will also help the rest of Melbourne get moving and will help those coming from

our regional and rural areas to also move around the city. They will not have to drive through the city

to go to their destinations; they can go around—a great benefit to them.

Connecting the M80 ring-road at Greensborough to the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen Road is terrific. I

know that those opposite keep grumbling about this road. Well, they clearly do not actually drive along

suburban roads and they do not understand how important this road is. It is absolutely important. It is

needed and it is going to help with economic growth, because—guess what—this road actually

delivers a financial benefit, unlike other dud projects that have been projected and have been

conjectured about by those opposite. This is a real road that has real economic benefits. It does actually

give taxpayers value for money. It gives us an outcome. It is not just building roads. There is financial

benefit from this road. It is not, ‘I need to find something urgently; quick, let me look in the bottom

drawer and pull out—I don’t know—someone’s brain fade from a couple of years ago’. No, it is an

actual, much-needed road, and I am glad that it is getting built and I am glad that this government is

funding it.

It will cut travel times by up to 35 minutes and remove significant volumes of trucks per day from

local and arterial roads. Of course this includes roads in my community. It is going to get 16 000-odd

vehicles off Fitzsimons Lane. I can tell you, Speaker, as a regular user of that road it cannot come soon

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enough. I know you feel exactly the same way, with 19 000 vehicles going off Greensborough Road.

I am sure you are thrilled about that. And 13 000 will come off Manningham Road—of great benefit

to people living in the Bulleen electorate.

The project will create more than 10 000 jobs, and as I said at the beginning of this speech, that is what

this government is about. We are about making jobs.

The SPEAKER: I hate to stop the member for Eltham in the middle of her speech, but the time

has arrived for the joint sitting to choose a person to hold the seat in the Legislative Council rendered

vacant by the resignation of the Honourable Philip Dalidakis, to elect three members from the

Victorian Parliament to the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and to elect three members of

Parliament to the board of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. I will now ask the Clerk

to ring the bells to call members to the joint sitting. The Assembly will resume after the joint sitting

has concluded, and the bells will ring again at that time.

Sitting suspended 6.15 pm until 6.25 pm.

Ms WARD (Eltham) (18:25): Thank you, Acting Speaker Edbrooke, and it is great to see you back

in the chair because I know you share with me this joy in the Andrews Labor government’s state

budget for this year; fantastic budget that is.

Now where I left off was I was about to launch into the Hurstbridge line upgrade stage 2, which is a

fantastic $547 million development. I can see the member for Yan Yean raising her arms in joy, and

the minister responsible herself, the member for Bendigo East, is also enjoying this upgrade. I thank

her for her support of my train line. The member for Yan Yean and I have been working on this for

quite some time and we are thrilled that 4.5 kilometres of track will be duplicated across our two

electorates, improving our train services, creating more train services and helping to get more people

around on our train line. This, coupled with the North East Link and the upgrade to Fitzsimons Lane,

will transform traffic in our communities.

We will also have a bigger and better station at Greensborough, and there will be improvements to

Montmorency station. Importantly we will have a dedicated express bus service to the city while works

are underway, recognising the importance of helping people in my community get around. We have

got across the city $150 million to add more car parks, and the member for Yan Yean and I will both

benefit from this fund. We are looking forward to additional car parks being put into our electorates.

I will use this opportunity to segue into a criticism of Banyule council, who think it is a great idea to

put parking meters around the train station at Greensborough. We want to build car parks and they

want to make it harder for people to park near train stations: a ridiculous policy, and I thank everybody

from my community who has signed my petition opposing it.

Acting Speaker, I know that you have got plenty of money invested in your local schools, and—snap,

right back at you—so have I, and I am thrilled about it. In the budget we have invested $862 million

towards building 15 new suburban schools and upgrading 42 more across our suburbs. I know the

member for Yan Yean also benefits from this investment. A further 32 schools will receive funding to

begin planning for the next stage of upgrades. In our community that includes Diamond Valley

College, which is just outside of my electorate, but a number of kids within my electorate are zoned

to go there. It is a great local school, and I know that they will be thrilled about those improvements.

At Eltham North Primary School we have already got the architect appointed to redevelop their

facilities and improve their toilet block—looking forward to that.

I have to tell you, what I am most thrilled about is the money that we are investing into Research

Primary School, my old primary school where, I am sad to say, the library—among other facilities—

is exactly as it was in the 1970s when I went there. To be able to completely transform this school,

which is what we will be doing—

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Mr Foley: 1980s, surely?

Ms WARD: Oh, I thank the minister for his kindness but no, I was at primary school in the 1970s.

But I thank him for that indulgence.

Research Primary School is going to be transformed and this is terrific for this community. It is a small

community. It is basically a small country town and the school and the footy club are both pivotal

points. With the CFA, they are the three pivotal points that help link this community together. I am

thrilled that this government through its lifetime has invested substantially in the CFA, the Research

cricket club and the Research footy club. Upgrades to the pavilion there are just amazing and now we

are capping it off with this massive investment in Research Primary School. It is going to be brilliant.

I am also excited about the planning that has been funded in this budget for the next school upgrades

for my area. This includes what is going on at Greensborough College, which I know the Speaker, the

member for Bulleen, is thrilled about and importantly, Montmorency Secondary College’s basketball

courts. We have also had the architect appointed there. This massive investment in building three new

courts at this terrific school, which we have just rebuilt with $14 million—I have got over

10 000 people in my community each week participating in basketball—is very much needed.

They will join up with the two existing courts. We will have a fantastic complex that I know the Eltham

Wildcats, amongst other basketball teams, will really enjoy. I know that the excellent principal of

Montmorency Secondary College, who recently celebrated 50 years in education and who is a

basketball nut, Allan Robinson, will be thrilled when these courts are built. St Helena Secondary

College will also have a massive upgrade to their facilities. That school has done exceptionally well

out of this government, with stage 1 of their sports precinct already delivered and stage 2 underway,

and now we have these facility upgrades.

We have also got $402 million to build, expand and renovate our state’s non-government schools.

This includes $1 million for St Thomas the Apostle Primary School, fantastic plans for which are

already underway. This school is going to look terrific, and it is a great boost for that community. The

member for Yan Yean and I both share students at this terrific school. Not so long ago we went and

had a visit to see what their plans were and they looked fantastic. It was great to see how well underway

they already are.

We have also got a $2.8 million investment for planning for the next generation when it comes to

health. In my area this includes a new dedicated children’s emergency department at the Northern

Hospital, which is fantastic. As we know, the Royal Children’s Hospital is always under intense

pressure because of the attachment that everybody in this community and everyone in this city has to

that hospital. The Austin Hospital is often under the pump with children’s services, so to have that

additional support for the Northern Hospital is terrific.

What is really exciting, Acting Speaker Edbrooke—and I know that you are also excited about this—

is the rollout of the 10 community hospitals across our communities. The committee in my area has

already been appointed. I look forward to working with these terrific community-minded people, who

cover a diversity of people across my electorate. We will be working together to create a hospital that

really responds to the needs of my community and ensures that there is terrific community

engagement, participation and ownership of this terrific concept of a community hospital. We had one

in Diamond Valley many years ago, which was privately operated. To have one that now belongs to

our community, a true community hospital, is going to be terrific.

I am also very excited about the $8 million for the Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre. I thank

Steve McCabe and Joe Crupi, who were on the board for a very long time, for their advocacy and hard

work in securing this funding. It has been very difficult to work locally with Nillumbik Shire Council

to try and get the funding for this much-needed upgrade to the sports courts to make them competition

grade for basketball and really help all of the sports clubs and participants at that facility. To have been

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able to find this money to help Nillumbik council achieve this vision and outcome is something I am

very pleased about, and I know the member for Yan Yean joins me in that. I look forward to working

with Nillumbik speedily and well in order to achieve this.

I am also really thrilled, and I know these guys are too, with the $1 million in the budget for upgrades

to the Lower Plenty football club pavilion. This will also help Lower Plenty Netball Club and the

Lower Plenty Cricket Club. Lower Plenty football club is a terrific club. This weekend they again had

their amazing service for Vietnam veterans to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day and the

anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. They are a terrific, community-minded club. They are the senior

club for Research Junior Football Club and they are a fantastic group of people. The service on the

weekend was just lovely. To be able to deliver for them a facility that recognises their community

involvement and their participation, that gives them the facility that they deserve is something I am

really happy about, and I cannot wait to see how this progresses.

Also, I am very excited about my pocket parks. As you would probably have heard, I have spoken a

number of times about Nillumbik’s ill-conceived plan to sell off 17 reserves and open land across

Nillumbik, the majority of which were in my electorate. To be able to reverse that decision and now

have state government money being invested in pocket parks in my community to show how much

we value open space, and to show real leadership across our community and also to show Nillumbik

leadership, is terrific. I really look forward to working with the minister, the department and Nillumbik

to create these pocket parks.

What is also much needed in my community is an off-leash dog park. It is a community that loves

their dogs. I have to say I love mine. He is, at 13 years old, possibly not going to really embrace the

off-leash dog park that we will create in Eltham, but I know that there will be a lot of other dog owners

who do. These off-leash dog parks should not be underestimated. They give our dogs a very safe place

to congregate, to hang out, to check each other out and to do all the other things that dogs like to do.

To be able to have that socialisation of dogs and also give another link to the community where they

can talk to each other, share their dog stories and hang out with each other is an important part of

community building. I really welcome this initiative—and I thank the minister for her leadership in

this space, because these off-leash dog parks being rolled out across our city are going to be fantastic.

Of course there are so many other things that are going to advantage my community and communities

across the state. Whether it is three-year-old kinder funding, whether it is the Smile Squad, whether it

is the ongoing level crossing removals, whether it is the ongoing support of the Growing Suburbs

Fund, there is not one corner of this state that will not receive benefits from this government, and there

is not one corner of the community that will not benefit from this budget. It is wide-scoping, and it is

wide-scoping because this is a government that believes in government. The Labor Party understands

the role of government, and we understand the role that government needs to play in investing in

communities—and this includes infrastructure, this includes programs, this includes ensuring that our

kids have got great educational opportunities, that we have got readily accessible health care, that we

have got ambulances that turn up on time and that we have got a healthy fire service. This is a terrific

budget. It delivers for our community again. It helps create prosperity in our community again, and it

also helps our communities to grow and be the best communities that they can be. I support this budget.

Ms EDWARDS (Bendigo West) (18:36): It is a great privilege to rise as the member for Bendigo

West for the budget reply. The budget this year, obviously, has been very well received in my

electorate, and as I like to say, Bendigo is indeed the capital of regional Victoria, with apologies to my

colleagues in Ballarat and Geelong. But Bendigo is more than just Bendigo, and when I looked at the

budget when it came out I thought, ‘Wow, this is not just about Bendigo the city; this is about Bendigo

and the region that surrounds Bendigo’. Our regional communities that make up parts of Bendigo

West—such as Castlemaine, Maldon, Newstead and some of our small communities—are such an

integral part of our region. Bendigo is of course the main city, but there are many communities that

will benefit from this budget. One of the great things about this budget is that it has been building on

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what we committed to over our last term of government. Many great announcements have been made

and delivered since then.

One of the most exciting things for my electorate is the investment in funding for the new Bendigo

law courts. This is something that has been lobbied for for a very long time by our community—not

just the legal community but indeed the broader community. A $152.4 million investment will deliver

a multijurisdictional regional headquarter court facility for Bendigo and the wider region—again, as I

said, we are supporting the wider region, not just Bendigo. It will feature eight court rooms, two

hearing rooms, two mediation suites and 16 custody holding cells. This is a really important

investment, and when we look at the rise in family violence across our region—and I have a daughter

that worked in child protection—the old law courts, beautiful as they are in their beautiful, historic

building, are no longer fit for purpose. There are issues around security and protection for, particularly,

women and children.

This is going to be a fantastic new rebuild. It is on the old TAFE site, and together with our previous

announcement of $60 million in a new TAFE building on that site as well, together with the new

GovHub that is going to be built in Bendigo, this will completely revitalise the centre of Bendigo, and

it will attract and support people from outside of Bendigo as well. So on top of the free TAFE courses

there is also going to be a brand-new TAFE building, the GovHub of course and now the new law

courts, which will commence very soon. Of course the free TAFE courses that we announced some

time ago are going amazingly well, with oversubscription, really, to many of the courses, but of course

that is important because we know that TAFE is a pathway to a really good job.

I was really, really pleased to see in the budget that there was funding for two schools in my electorate

that have long lobbied hard for support. One is Marong Primary School, which is in a big growth area

of my electorate. Marong is going to see its population increase substantially over the next few years,

and the enrolments at that school will probably double in the next five to 10 years.

So Marong Primary School was the beneficiary of $6.4 million in the budget to upgrade the school, to

deliver a new multipurpose performing arts centre, to repurpose block C for outside-of-school-hours

care and to reconfigure office space for a general purpose classroom and staff lounge. But really

importantly there is a beautiful old building on the Marong Primary School site which is the original

primary school, which is heritage-listed, and there is funding within that $6.4 million to actually restore

that building to make sure that it is able to be used by the school. When I visited the school to announce

that funding—they were given planning money some years ago, so this was really exciting news for

them—I have to say the smiles on the principal’s face and the teachers’ and the kids’ faces were just

so good. They were so excited to receive that funding. I look forward to that being delivered over the

next little while. It certainly is shovel-ready to get on with.

The other school in my electorate, which is down in Castlemaine, is Winters Flat Primary School,

which received $2.92 million to replace some of the older buildings, which contained asbestos. They

are going to get a new modular building. This school has been extremely successful over recent years,

winning the Premier’s Sustainability Awards in the environmental area. It has got great programs for

kids. There are a lot of kids at that school from disadvantaged backgrounds, but they have this

wonderful program. They have got a community garden, and they really are a sustainable school. They

have introduced a lot of new measures that were leading the way for primary schools in that space, so

I am really pleased that Winters Flat Primary School was able to receive that funding.

There is a small town in my electorate that members have probably heard me speak about previously,

and that is Newstead. Newstead for some years now has been working towards being 100 per cent

renewable. Renewable Newstead has been something that I have been supporting now for quite some

time, and I was really pleased that they were allocated $1 million to get the final stage of that program

up and running. This will mean that that town will be a completely—100 per cent—renewable energy

town. It really did set the mark originally for other towns to be able to go down that path, so Renewable

Newstead really was a leader in its field when it started. We look forward to the delivery of that project.

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It has enormous community support and is something that I think that community is really, really

proud of, so I am really pleased that we have been able to support that community with that additional

$1 million.

One of the great announcements in this budget was around health. I was really pleased to announce,

together with the Minister for Health, my colleague the member for Bendigo East and the Premier, a

$60 million investment in a new day rehabilitation centre at Bendigo Hospital. The old hospital site is

going to be the location of that rehabilitation centre, and of course we were really thrilled to be able to

deliver the new world-class Bendigo Hospital, which is up and running and absolutely fantastic. It has

got 372 inpatient beds, 72 same-day beds, 11 operating theatres, an integrated cancer centre and a

bigger maternity unit, which two of my grandchildren have been born in already. It is just an amazing,

amazing hospital. The new rehabilitation centre on the old site will bring together a whole range of

health services, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work, speech therapy, prosthetics

and orthotics, clinical psychology and neuropsychology. These are currently spread out over the whole

hospital in different locations. It means that central Victorians—again, not just from Bendigo but

people living in our regions—will be able to access a team of health professionals all in one place, and

that will help them to recover from things like accidents, injuries and medical conditions such as

strokes and heart attacks. Included in that is the demolition of the old east and north wing tower

buildings where the current rehabilitation centre is, and that will open up all of that space—it will be

a greenfield space—for patients and staff at the hospital. This is going to be an amazing transformation

of the old hospital site, and we really, really look forward to that getting underway. We expect that to

be completed by 2023.

On top of that of course is the regional specialist appointments. That was also announced in the

budget—a $136 million investment to deliver an extra 500 000 appointments. That is 27 000 more

appointments for Bendigo and regional people in the future. This is a huge investment, and it will

make a big difference to people in my communities who currently may have to travel to Melbourne

or even beyond—Sydney sometimes—for those specialist appointments. So having them in Bendigo

means 27 000 more appointments. That is an extraordinary number of additional specialist

appointments.

Of course while I am speaking about health I cannot not mention the school dental vans, which began

rolling out just this week. This is a big, big change. I can remember when my kids were little that we

had public dental health in our schools and we had the dental vans, and then they disappeared. They

are back. This will make a huge difference, particularly for families who cannot afford to take their

children to the dentist, and I was one of those parents back in the day. So this will make a huge

difference to them.

I also wanted to add on top of that—because we are talking about children in that respect—the

importance of the three-year-old kinder rollout. Again, this will make a big difference to children across

my electorate. Having access to kindergarten at three years of age will make a big difference. We know

how important education is. We know how important it is for young children to have access to education

programs early in life and that the outcomes for those children are so much better later on.

One of the things I am really passionate about is access for children with disabilities to good education.

This budget had $180 million to assist approximately 5400 extra students with high needs to attend

mainstream government and specialist schools, and that is through the program for students with

disabilities. A school in my electorate, Kalianna School, has been fully funded now to be rebuilt. Stage 1

has opened. The Premier visited recently to have a look at stage 1 and to see stage 2 underway, which

will be open later on this year—an amazing transformation of that school. But the important thing is

not just about the structure of the schools; it is about what you can actually put into those schools.

So there is $18.4 million in this budget in extra support for students with disability and additional

needs, including outside school hours care, for which Kalianna is one of the pilot schools, equipment

for schools and improvements to make buildings more accessible. There is $10 million for

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playgrounds, outdoor sensory areas and quiet spaces to make our schools more inclusive, and there is

$9.9 million to assist eligible Victorian school students with a disability to travel to and from school.

These are massive investments in students who we know need additional support, and I am really

proud of those investments. I am really proud of the investment that we have made in Kalianna and

the rebuild of that school, and I am really proud of the investment in access to additional programs for

students with disabilities and special needs.

Of course on top of that is the $33.6 million for local councils and other eligible providers to build,

expand and improve local kindergarten facilities. Co-location is the way to go, and I have a

kindergarten in my electorate that is right now looking at applying for that co-location funding to build

a new kindergarten. So I am really passionate about that and hopeful that they will be successful. There

is also $1.6 million in the budget to help meet the needs of children with a significant disability as part

of the kindergarten inclusion support program.

There is $6 million to upgrade our agricultural colleges as well. Certificate III in shearing has been

added to the list of free courses.

There is so much in this budget that I am not going to have time to do it all, but I did want to say that

one of the things we are very passionate about in our region is supporting our small businesses. That

is why this budget included tax cuts for businesses, with the payroll tax-free threshold increasing by

$50 000 to $700 000 by 2022–23. And of course the regional payroll tax rate will be cut to 25 per cent

of the metropolitan rate by 2022–23 so that eligible regional businesses continue to benefit from the

lowest payroll tax rate in the country.

We are also putting power back into the hands of Victorians, and our solar panel installation, solar hot

water system and battery storage program for 770 000 homes—a $1.3 billion investment—is going

gangbusters.

I did want to quickly mention making sure that our parents are supported as well, and one of the things

we also announced was a new parenting centre in Bendigo—a child- and mother-baby unit. This will

mean that parents of newborns will have a place to take their young babies if they are suffering or

having issues with sleep. It will deliver a range of critical services including day stays, longer

residential stays and more support at home. These are critical investments in Victorian families, and I

am really proud that this budget has been able to deliver so much not just for Bendigo but for the

regional communities that surround Bendigo. It is one that we can all be very proud of as Labor

members and as members of the Andrews Labor government.

Mr J BULL (Sunbury) (18:51): I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to speak on the

Appropriation (2019-2020) Bill 2019, which is of course the budget, and am delighted to join many

colleagues tonight to reflect on what was a terrific Andrews Labor government budget. I am very

excited to hear some of the contributions from other members on the budget. I will make a concerted

effort to be in the house to listen to the outstanding contributions from not just yourself, Acting

Speaker Edbrooke, but also a number of other members, particularly new members in the house, who

this government is particularly proud of, who were elected last year and who of course are working

hard each and every day in their communities to deliver for Victorians.

As you know, this is a budget that is focused on delivery, that is focused on delivering for all

Victorians. It of course sets out that big, bold, positive agenda for the great people of Victoria, an

agenda that we took to the 2018 election and was overwhelmingly endorsed and supported by

Victorians.

Acting Speaker, this budget is about people, it is about delivery and it is about getting things done. We

are delivering on our promises, delivering for the people, not just in my electorate but in your electorate

and right across the state—major investments in transport, in health, in education, in community

infrastructure and in sporting clubs.

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The budget was outstanding for the state, but it builds upon a record investment for the past five years

of change—of making Victoria fairer, stronger and healthier. I am particularly pleased with a number

of announcements that were included in this budget. I am certainly conscious of time tonight. There

are literally pages of good information contained in the budget, but I just want to highlight a few, and

in particular the $6.6 billion to remove the 75 level crossings across the state by 2025. I am absolutely

delighted and thrilled that one of these level crossings is in Sunbury, and I am particularly excited to

be able to see that crossing gone for good. I remember fondly my first place of employment, IGA in

Sunbury. I would get on the Razor scooter and head down the road at 5.30 in the morning to do the

shift before school, and I would always get stuck at the level crossing thanks to the early-morning

train, but soon enough this level crossing will be gone. It is going to reduce congestion, it is going to

save lives and it is going to create jobs, and I am very, very pleased with that.

Further to this is the $2.1 billion to transform train services to Sunbury, upgrading every station along

the Sunbury line and enabling of course the rollout of the new high-capacity Metro trains. This will

help cut travel times and provide capacity for an extra 113 000 passengers during the peak. This is an

outstanding project, a really exciting project. This is state changing.

There is $2 million for planning for those 10 community hospitals across the state, including upgrades

to the Sunbury Day Hospital, turning the Sunbury Day Hospital into the Sunbury community hospital.

This is terrific, and is something I am incredibly pleased to be a part of as the community consultative

committee chair. This is just outstanding for the community. There is genuine excitement about

upgrading this health service, giving local families the best opportunities that they could have, and I

am particularly excited about that.

On top of this there is $1.3 billion for our Solar Homes package, the rolling out of solar panels, solar

hot water, solar batteries to 770 000 homes across the next decade, reducing power bills and helping

the planet. This is a terrific thing and very exciting for the local community.

Something that may have an impact, certainly on my little one, in future years is the $882 million

rollout to ensure that every three-year-old has access to at least 5 hours of kinder per week, subsidised

of course, and scaled up until 2022. It is a terrific announcement and something that builds upon that

intrinsic and, I think, passionate value of the Education State. Lifelong learning, Acting Speaker

Edbrooke, is something that I know you are very passionate about, something that I know many

members in this house are very passionate about. This is a really important and terrific announcement,

and it is wonderful that it is contained in the budget.

There is $321 million to bring back dental vans, saving families in local communities a significant

amount of money in dental costs. We have heard just this week in the recent announcement, I believe

on Sunday, about the significant health improvements and significant health outcomes from early

intervention when it comes to oral hygiene and oral health, which is particularly important. I am

absolutely delighted that this is another Andrews Labor government policy announcement and

something that is going to make a difference to many people’s lives.

All members of this house will understand what it means to meet with your sporting groups, to have

that opportunity to hear about upgrades to local clubs where change rooms need upgrades—footy,

soccer, rugby, cricket or cricket clubs—whether they need better lights or better facilities. All of us in

this house, I think, no matter which side of the fence we are on, hear about and understand the

importance of those upgrades. I am delighted that the budget provided $2 million for the massive

upgrade of Boardman Reserve, committed to before the election and able to be delivered, and

$1 million to Langama Park, committed to before the election and delivered in this budget. It is

absolutely outstanding. I am particularly thrilled that both of these commitments are in the budget and

both of them can now be planned and be delivered.

Schools have been a very proud opportunity for this government’s delivery in my local community. I

am absolutely delighted that $3.1 million was contained in the budget for Gladstone Views Primary,

ADJOURNMENT


which was committed to before the election. The Premier and I had the opportunity to visit the school

prior to the election, and there is $3.1 million in the budget—an outstanding commitment—that is

going to make the school a much better place. All of the teachers, parents and friends are working very

hard to achieve their very best, but this is going to make a big difference.

There is $250 000 to upgrade Gladstone Park Primary School as part of a $2.5 million upgrade as

committed to before the election. This is important planning work that needs to be done, and I am very

hopeful that in the next budget the remainder of the funds for this school will be delivered. I look

forward to working with the school and the Victorian School Building Authority to get the best

outcome for Gladstone Park Primary School. On top of that is the creation of the new 1000-hectare

Jacksons Creek super park, which is going to make a real difference to local families in my community.

From a state perspective, this builds on strong economic management—five years of above trend

growth and a significant surplus. In a win for local jobs this budget again includes tax cuts for

businesses, with the payroll tax-free threshold to be increased by $50 000 to $700 000 by 2022–23. It

is very welcome news, I believe, and a significant announcement.


Adjournment

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is:

That the house now adjourns.

MOOROOLBARK LEVEL CROSSING

Mr HODGETT (Croydon) (18:59): (932) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister

for Transport Infrastructure and relates to a very important project in my electorate, the removal of the

level crossing on Manchester Road, Mooroolbark. The action I seek is for the minister to facilitate a

briefing for me by the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) so I can clarify a number of issues

and concerns that have been raised by the Mooroolbark traders and members of the local community.

As I am sure you can appreciate, my office has been inundated with telephone calls and emails from

concerned residents and business owners in Mooroolbark who are in desperate need of certainty and

reassurance on the way in which this project will delivered and how it will impact them. Every single

person I speak to is in agreeance that this level crossing has to go, but the way in which the project is

orchestrated needs to be done correctly and sensibly to minimise the impact to local business and to

achieve maximum benefit for the local community. I will list the main issues raised with my office,

and I will await your positive response and attention to these matters before the level crossing removal

projects are commenced in Mooroolbark and Lilydale.

There is a new development taking place at Kinley estate which will create over 3200 new homes for

over 8000 new residents and which is located directly between Mooroolbark and Lilydale stations and

was once earmarked for a new railway station called Cave Hill. Now that sky rail is already on its way,

it would only make sense to plan for and build a new station at Kinley estate and to duplicate the rail

line between Mooroolbark and Lilydale to plan for the thousands of extra passengers needing to use

the public transport services in the area. My constituents would like to know if the design plans have

catered for this at all.

Another matter that locals want to see addressed is the current rail bridge crossing over Mooroolbark

Road at the intersection of Hull Road that due to poor design only allows for single-lane traffic flow

under it at all times, making traffic congestion terrible at all times of the day. Local residents would

like to know if the crossing over Mooroolbark Road will be incorporated in the sky rail plan for the

area to free up this traffic nightmare and allow for another lane to be added to the road passing under

the rail bridge. There have been many questions as to whether the existing railway station building at

Mooroolbark is heritage-listed, and I recently clarified this with Heritage Victoria. My constituents

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would like to know whether or not the existing station will remain as is or if it will be relocated, and

if so, where to. The local community would like to have a say in this. Mooroolbark commuters were

thrilled to learn of the 450 new car parks to be built at Mooroolbark station, and they are seeking

clarification on whether or not they will be free car parking, or if there is to be a parking fee, how

much commuters will be required to pay.

Finally, local traders, business and home owners are already feeling the pinch of the introduction of

the 12 new taxes by the government and would like to know if they will be subject to a betterment

levy simply because of where their home or business is located. Can the minister rule this out? I

implore the minister to take on board all of the aforementioned concerns and suggestions, and I look

forward to providing my concerned constituents with the clarification they are seeking.

Finally, Minister, I draw your attention to the conflicting information published about the community

drop-in sessions being run next week. The LXRP website has one set of dates and times for

Mooroolbark and Lilydale, and the advertisement published in the Maroondah Leader has opposite

dates and times for the two sessions. Can I ask that you urgently sort this out and inform local residents

before the first session next Thursday night?

GROWING SUBURBS FUND

Ms RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (19:02): (933) My adjournment matter this evening is for the

Minister for Local Government in the other place, and the action I seek is for the minister to support

Casey council throughout the next round of the Growing Suburbs Fund to ensure our community has

the opportunity to benefit from future projects like that at the Marriott Waters family and community

centre in Lyndhurst. I was recently able to attend the opening event at the Marriot Waters family and

community centre, which has been funded through the Andrews Labor government’s Growing

Suburbs Fund, and the children were sparkling. I do not need to tell members of this house how vital

centres such as this one can be, both for families and the broader community.

The need across my electorate of Cranbourne is felt acutely. We are one of the fastest growing areas

of Victoria, and this means there is a growing need for the support of community centres like this one.

In the last 12 months the number of babies born in Casey has increased by 5 per cent to over 5 200.

This family and community centre is just one example of the benefits the Growing Suburbs Fund has

brought to the area I represent. Our population is booming in greater Melbourne’s outer reaches,

putting strain on the facilities that are there and creating the need for new ones. The Growing Suburbs

Fund builds the community facilities, playgrounds, children’s centres, sports facilities and community

spaces that are urgently needed.

Melbourne is one of the most livable cities in the world. It is projects like the Marriott Waters family

and community centre that will keep it this way. I look forward to receiving an update from the minister.

KANIVA CHEMICAL WASTE DUMP SITE

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (19:04): (934) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Energy,

Environment and Climate Change. The action I seek is that the minister urgently and immediately

direct the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) to take action and clean up Victoria’s

largest ever illegal toxic chemical waste dump, located near Kaniva in western Victoria, and to tell the

Kaniva community when this will be completed. Earlier this month locals were appalled to learn

through the media that Kaniva was home to an illegal dump of 50 million litres of toxic chemical waste

buried just 60 metres from underground waterways. Even worse, the government had known about

this massive toxic waste dump but had kept it secret from the Kaniva community for an entire year. It

is simply unacceptable that the government took a year to brief not just locals but even other impacted

government bodies, including the West Wimmera Shire Council and the Wimmera Catchment

Management Authority. This is an absolutely unacceptable situation for any government agency, and

the minister must accept her responsibility for this disgraceful neglect and refusal to address what

could amount to a massive environmental disaster for our region.

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Further, when the EPA finally conducted a community meeting in Kaniva, locals were appalled that

it appeared that the EPA had not even set foot on the property to ascertain the full scope of the dump.

The EPA could not even tell locals how the chemicals are stored, what the chemicals are, how the

waste will be removed safely or even how long it will be before it will all be removed and disposed of

appropriately. It was stated to me by a producer with land near to the dump that the EPA were more

interested in showing off their drones than actually getting on with cleaning up the mess. We do not

need meetings to show off drone technology; we need immediate action to clean up the mess at Kaniva

before this toxic waste leaks into waterways and threatens our crops, our reputation as a clean growing

region with supreme-quality grains and the health of our people and our stock.

At the very least the community deserves to know when the government will clean up the toxic waste

dump, particularly when the owner of the property is well-known to the EPA. It is my understanding

he already has huge clean-up bills, fines and clean-up obligations outstanding from at least nine

additional huge waste dumps in Melbourne. The government are delusional if they think the owner of

this property has any inclination to clean up the Kaniva waste site when he has not done so for other

known waste dump sites or that he has the capacity to do so safely. The minister must recognise the

extremely threatening situation this enormous waste dump poses for our region. Just because we are

far from Melbourne that does not mean we are less important, and I refuse to accept our region being

treated as the state’s toxic waste dump. I demand that the minister step up now and take action to clean

up this mess. I therefore ask the minister to urgently and immediately take action to clean up Victoria’s

largest illegal toxic chemical waste dump, in Kaniva, to tell the community when this site will be

cleaned up and to save our waterways and our land from disastrous contamination before it is too late.

STRATHAIRD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Mr MAAS (Narre Warren South) (19:07): (935) The adjournment matter I wish to raise is for the

attention of the Minister for Education and concerns Strathaird Primary School in Narre Warren South.

The action I seek is that the minister join me in my electorate to visit Strathaird Primary School to inspect

their commitment to environmental sustainability through their environment trail project. Strathaird

Primary School’s environment trail connects all of their sustainability projects together, as it rings around

the school grounds. Students, teachers, parents and visitors can walk the trail to see the established

endangered ecosystem garden and frog pond, solar panels, rainwater storage tanks, water collection at

drinking taps, composting for garden beds, vegetable and bush tucker garden, various waste collection

systems and children’s discovery garden too. Strathaird has taken a really proactive approach to tackling

climate change and caring for the environment with a sustainability curriculum program which teaches

how everyday activities impact on the environment and how these impacts can be reduced, from turning

off lights while not in the room to data analysis of water, gas and electricity usage.

Strathaird Primary is a model school for the future and shows how we can all utilise renewable energy

to power our everyday activities and how we can reduce and recycle the waste that we produce.

Strathaird Primary have further plans, including the extension of their children’s discovery garden and

the installation of more water-saving measures. The environmental lead of Strathaird Primary School

should be followed, and the work of their principal, Julie Kennedy, should be acknowledged, as she

proudly educates the next custodians of our planet. I hope the minister can visit Strathaird Primary

School with me and see firsthand the excellent work that is being accomplished there.

ANTI-SEMITISM

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (19:09): (936) My adjournment matter this evening concerns the disgraceful

anti-Semitism being directed at the federal member for Kooyong. The action I seek from the Premier

is for him to fund greater public awareness campaigns of the evils of anti-Semitism. In so doing I call

on the Premier to publicly denounce the anti-Semites who are attempting to remove Josh Frydenberg

from the federal Parliament. On 18 May the people of Kooyong spoke. Emphatically endorsing Josh

for the fourth time, they rejected the extreme views of the Greens and the seat-shopping, perpetually

useless candidate Oliver Yates. Julian Burnside and the Greens failed dismally. Yates is a serial seat

ADJOURNMENT


shopper and an attention seeker from Sydney who campaigned full-time for months after being shown

the door by Macquarie Bank. He got less than 9 per cent of the vote. The hole Yates has dug for himself

gets bigger by the day as other Independents like former MP Cathy McGowan and Zali Steggall

distance themselves from him as it is revealed he sought to take Frydenberg to the High Court over

citizenship issues.

While it is well known that author of The Holocaust Denier and renowned anti-Semite Trevor Poulton

has been seeking out a Kooyong resident to take Frydenberg to court, it has only recently been revealed

that Poulton was in contact with Yates’s Kooyong Independents Group and that Yates himself sent

out an email seeking to, and I quote, ‘recommend candidates for referral to the High Court’. Poulton

got the signature he wanted from GetUp! and Lighter Footprints member Michael Staindl, a man who

tells journalists to ‘eff off’ and gets escorted by police out of events for civil disobedience. He is also

a person known to Oliver Yates, with Yates admitting, ‘I know Mr Staindl through his community

work’. So despite Yates proclaiming he is not behind the citizenship challenge to Frydenberg, the facts

tell us a different story. Yates has been exposed as a nasty liar.

As New South Wales Shadow Treasurer, Labor’s Walt Secord told the New South Wales Parliament

in a powerful speech the other week that the vicious, scurrilous and deeply offensive case against

Frydenberg was quite deeply rooted in anti-Semitism. We should not be surprised by Yates’s

involvement in such an anti-Semitic push. Yates’s father has denigrated Zionism as ‘an international

terrorist organisation’ and has likened Australian soldiers to ‘Israeli Zionist agents’. It is fair to ask

whether this vicious, nasty, anti-Semitic paranoia has passed down the family line.

Yates, Staindl, Poulton and Burnside should be called out and condemned for digging up the great

evils of the Holocaust and cloaking their anti-Semitism in constitutional opportunism and

environmental radicalism. Josh Frydenberg is, after all, being singled out as the only member of the

federal Parliament being challenged over his citizenship. As Treasurer of the commonwealth he is the

most senior Jewish politician in Australia’s history. The Jews have made a massive contribution to

this state and nation, from Sir John Monash, Sir Isaac Isaacs and Sir Zelman Cowan to our current

Governor, Linda Dessau. Yates and his fellow travellers should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

HAZEL GLEN COLLEGE

Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (19:12): (937) The adjournment matter that I wish to raise tonight is for

the Minister for Education. The action I seek is for him to strongly consider the submission by Hazel

Glen College to the Inclusive Schools Fund. Last week I met with the principal of Hazel Glen College,

Anthony Stockwell, to discuss how the college and he as its principal can manage the 100 specialists

who attend Hazel Glen College each week. For those in the house who are not aware, Hazel Glen

College is the largest school in the country, so it has 100 specialists attend each week, mainly in

relation to provision of disability services for children who have now qualified for the national

disability insurance scheme (NDIS). While we all welcome the fact that these students are getting the

support that they need, with such a large number of specialists it is a really difficult task to manage

that many people coming and going and indeed to manage the building spaces for those specialists to

be able to work with the children.

As soon as I saw the Inclusive Schools Fund applications opening I thought that this was indeed the

ideal sort of project that could support Hazel Glen College in enabling these specialists to continue to

attend the school. A number of parents had contacted me at the beginning of this term to say that the

school had suspended some access by these specialists to the school because they were unable to

guarantee duty of care. Particularly in relation to if there is an emergency lockdown or something like

that, it is incredibly difficult.

I know that the minister and the school really want to ensure that children who are getting support

through the NDIS are able to have this during school hours so that it does not actually disrupt

inordinately parents’ lives. The NDIS was actually introduced by a Labor government but supported

ADJOURNMENT


by both sides of politics so that parents would not have to give up or interrupt their day jobs in order

to have their children attend specialists. I think in speaking to the principal we were able to work

through some of the issues around being able to have spaces for these specialists to perform their

duties, but it is still having a system to manage access and egress that is what is most important. So I

urge the minister to support Hazel Glen College for their application to the Inclusive Schools Fund.

SHEPPARTON EDUCATION PLAN

Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (19:15): (938) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education,

and the action I seek is that he broaden the Shepparton education plan to provide a technical school in

Shepparton for the benefit of all schools in our region. The Shepparton education plan is being

implemented. The planning is well advanced for the transition phase that will take place over the next

two years. The plan commences in 2020 with a new curriculum, greater professional training for

teachers and greater opportunities for secondary public school students.

It has been obvious to many in our community that we needed to take drastic steps to improve the

educational outcomes of children in the Greater Shepparton region. This is not just about providing a

bigger and better building for our students, but it is about improving the curriculum, the standard of

teaching and access to alternative and extended educational opportunities for those who need and want

them. We know that many young people in regional areas do not have the opportunities and therefore

the aspirations that those in metropolitan regions have. It is essential to change this so that our young

people know that they can study and dare to achieve and to gain the goals and careers that they want.

During the period of 2015–18 some 10 technical schools were announced and delivered across

Victoria. We saw such a school built on the campus of La Trobe University at Bendigo. I visited the

Yarra Ranges Tech School at Lilydale, and there is no doubt this is a very high-tech institution that

provides expanded educational opportunities beyond what we have previously seen in the secondary

school setting. These technical schools are not the traditional trade schools for those students who

aspire to trades and the like. They are high-tech schools offering subjects like robotics, 3D printing

and computer sciences.

One of the outstanding benefits of having a tech school is that once established it will be available to

all schools in the region, whether they be primary, secondary, state, Catholic or grammar schools.

Students in all schools receive the option to be exposed to these high-tech educational opportunities.

In our region La Trobe University, the University of Melbourne and GOTAFE are ideally placed to

partner with such a tech school.

The 10 tech schools that have already been opened include locations in Ballarat, Geelong, Gippsland

and, as mentioned, Bendigo. Greater Shepparton is the obvious next region to receive such a school,

and I believe such an investment in our community will provide great opportunities for future

generations of students. Our local industries are forging ahead and are crying out for workers skilled in

developing high-tech industries, including the fields of agricultural automation, food and fibre

production, engineering and information technology. Minister, I ask that you deliver a high-tech school

and an education hub in Greater Shepparton as an important part of the Shepparton education plan.

HEALTH SERVICES

Mr HAMER (Box Hill) (19:18): (939) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health and

Minister for Ambulance Services in the other place, and the action that I seek is for the minister to visit

Box Hill Hospital to meet the hardworking staff and update us on the health initiatives of the Andrews

Labor government. Although I was not in this place when the Andrews government was first elected,

every Victorian knows that the incoming government was met with a crisis in the health system when

it came to government. The former government was at war with paramedics, elective surgery waitlists

were blowing out and ambulances were ramping at major hospitals across the state. Victoria is a better

place today because those days are behind us. Elective surgery waiting lists are at an all-time low while

ambulance response times for the most serious emergencies are the best on record. This matters to my

ADJOURNMENT


electorate because they need to know their local hospital and ambulance service can provide the care

they need when they most need it. I thank the minister for her commitment to health services and look

forward to her response.

GEOFF WATT MEMORIAL ATHLETICS TRACK

Mr BLACKWOOD (Narracan) (19:19): (940) I raise a matter for the Minister for Tourism, Sport

and Major Events, and the action I seek is that he provide funding for the installation of a rubber

athletics track at the Geoff Watt Memorial Athletics Track in Warragul. Geoff Watt tragically died

during a training run at Mount Erica in 1969. He was a major force behind the Warragul Amateur

Athletics Club, he was the first to run up and down Mount Kilimanjaro and he is also the father of

Kathy Watt, our Olympic cycling champion. The legacy of Geoff Watt lives on through the Little

Athletics club, with the help of many parents and supporters who work tirelessly to provide

opportunities for our younger generation to participate in this great sport.

At the end of the 2018–19 season the club had 137 athletes registered with approximately a 50-50 split

between male and female, ranging in age from 5 to 14. The Warragul Little Athletics club was one of

the few in Victoria to have kept consistent numbers and it has increased registrations over the last two

seasons.

This facility also hosts the interschool and school sports in March and April each year for over 27 local

schools. All schools in the Baw Baw shire use the Geoff Watt track individually as part of a cluster or

as part of the Warragul and district carnival. The Warragul triathlon club also uses the track during

summer months. The benefits of having a very strong little aths club in Warragul should never be

underestimated, especially in this day of inactive screen time becoming a problem for young people

and a worry for parents. The leadership shown by Stuart Dalton and Lisa Aubrey is exceptional. Their

commitment is supported by a proactive group of parents also dedicated to the wellbeing of the people

in our community.

This track gets an enormous amount of use all year round and it is very difficult to maintain and keep

in a safe condition for competition, especially during the winter months. Add to this the enormous

population growth our region is currently experiencing, and the increased demand that will be placed

on the Geoff Watt facility means that maintaining a natural grass surface in a safe condition all year

round is becoming impossible. I strongly urge the minister to show some consideration for the young

people in our area and the wonderful parents dedicated to their welfare by joining with Baw Baw shire

to provide funding for a new all-weather athletics track.

SALVATION ARMY CARRUM DOWNS COMMUNITY SUPERMARKET

Ms KILKENNY (Carrum) (19:21): (941) My adjournment matter is for the Treasurer, and the

action I seek is for the Treasurer to join me on a visit to the Salvation Army in Carrum Downs to see

their community supermarket and food relief service in action.

The Salvos run an incredible support program each week, providing food and personal and household

items to vulnerable people and families in my community. It is run like a supermarket, and each week

it supports up to 250 people. It is also a place for people to have a cuppa, connect with others and talk

with volunteer counsellors who can link people in with other support services. Earlier this year I was

delighted to announce funding of $10 000 from the Treasurer’s Community Support Fund to support

the continuation of this vital program, and I would like to acknowledge and thank the Treasurer for

his support. It is going to make such a difference to so many local families, many of whom just simply

find themselves short in any given week and cannot afford food.

I want to thank and acknowledge all the volunteers at the Salvos community supermarket who put in

hours of work to help others in our community. A special mention goes to Meaghan Grist and Sarah

Newman, whose love for our community is inspiring. I would also like to acknowledge all the schools

and organisations and individuals in my electorate who, during Homelessness Week last week,

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answered my call to donate food and other items for the Salvos supermarket. The response has been

nothing short of overwhelming. Thank you to Seaford Primary School, Seaford North Primary School,

Skye Primary School, Belvedere Park Primary School and Seaford Park Primary School. Thanks also

to the MA Centre and ashram in Carrum Downs and to all those individuals who popped into my office,

even on the weekend, to make their donations.

RESPONSES


Planning) (19:22): The member for Croydon raised a matter for the Minister for Transport

Infrastructure seeking to arrange a briefing on a range of detailed questions that he has in relation to

the Manchester Road, Mooroolbark, level crossing. I will make sure that the minister is aware of that

request.

The member for Cranbourne raised a matter for the Minister for Local Government relating to support

for the Casey City Council Growing Suburbs Fund and the importance of that fund in the local

community. I will make sure the minister is aware of that.

The member for Lowan raised a matter for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change

asking her to take action in relation to a significant toxic waste dump that has been located at Kaniva.

I will make sure the minister is made aware of that; I am sure she will be aware of that matter.

The member for Narre Warren South has raised a matter for the Minister for Education relating to

Strathaird Primary School, asking that the minister visit to look at what is a very significant number

of environmental projects that the school has got in place. It sounds like a fantastic school that has

great leadership.

The member for Kew raised an important matter with the Premier in relation to the question of anti-

Semitic motivations by some people seeking to undermine the federal Treasurer. I say to the member

for Kew that we as a Parliament absolutely repudiate any suggestion of anti-Semitism, as he knows.

Indeed all of us have been deeply troubled, particularly by appalling activities surrounding

Mr Frydenberg vis-a-vis the graffitiing of his campaign billboards and so forth with swastikas. This is

not the Victoria we know, and we as a Parliament have always stood up in an absolutely bipartisan

way and said that there is no tolerance whatsoever across this Parliament for anti-Semitism. I will

make sure that the sentiments of the member for Kew are advised to the Premier accordingly.

The member for Yan Yean raised a matter for the Minister for Education in relation to Hazel Glen

College. She is always a huge supporter of public education and the Inclusive Schools Fund, and I will

make sure that the minister is aware of that.

The member for Shepparton raised a matter for the Minister for Education pertaining to the Shepparton

education plan and seeking that that plan be broadened out to include the provision of a technical

school offering. We understand the importance of technical schools—not the traditional tech schools

that we have understood in the past; they have a much broader offering. I will make sure that the

minister is aware of the member’s advocacy in relation to that.

The member for Box Hill raised a matter for the Minister for Health seeking that the minister visit Box

Hill Hospital and that she provide an update on a number of important initiatives that have occurred

at that critical health facility.

The member for Narracan raised a matter for the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events in

relation to the Geoff Watt athletic reserve at Warragul, seeking funding dollars for the installation of

an all-weather athletics track, and I will make sure that the minister is aware of that.

Finally, the member for Carrum raised a matter for the Treasurer seeking that the Treasurer visit the

Salvation Army Carrum Downs community supermarket. As we know, the Salvation Army do a

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brilliant job right across metropolitan Melbourne. This sounds like a brilliant project, and I am sure

the Treasurer will be delighted to attend at a time of convenience.

And that, Deputy Speaker, is the adjournment. That is a wrap.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Minister. The house now stands adjourned until

tomorrow.

House adjourned 7.27 pm.

JOINT SITTING OF PARLIAMENT


Joint sitting of Parliament

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL VACANCY

VICTORIAN HEALTH PROMOTION FOUNDATION

VICTORIAN RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING FOUNDATION

Members of both houses met in Assembly chamber at 6.17 pm.

The Clerk: Before proceeding with the business of this joint sitting, it is necessary to appoint a

Chair.

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier): I propose:

That the Honourable Colin Brooks, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, be appointed Chair of this joint

sitting.

He is willing to accept the nomination.

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition): I second the nomination.

The Clerk: Are there any other proposals? There being no other proposals, the Honourable Colin

Brooks, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, will take the chair.

The CHAIR: Order! We will begin proceedings with the vacancy in the Legislative Council.

Under the Constitution Act 1975 this part of the joint sitting must be conducted in accordance with the

rules adopted for the purpose by members present at the sitting. The first procedure therefore will be

the adoption of rules.

Mr ANDREWS: I move:

That the rules of procedure which are available on the table be the rules of procedure for this part of the joint

sitting.

Mr M O’BRIEN: I second the motion.

Motion agreed to.

The CHAIR: The rules having been adopted, I remind everyone, including visitors in the gallery,

that you may not take photos. I now invite proposals from members for a person to occupy the vacant

seat in the Legislative Council.

Mr ANDREWS: It gives me great pleasure to propose:

That Mr Enver Erdogan be chosen to occupy the vacant seat in the Legislative Council.

He is willing to accept the appointment if chosen. In order to satisfy the joint sitting as to the

requirements of section 27A(4) of the Constitution Act 1975, I also advise that Mr Erdogan is the

selection of the Australian Labor Party, the party previously represented in the Legislative Council by

Mr Dalidakis.

Mr M O’BRIEN: I second the proposal.

The CHAIR: Are there any further proposals? As there are no further nominations, I declare that

nominations are closed. I declare that Mr Enver Erdogan has been chosen to occupy the vacant seat in

the Legislative Council. I will advise the Governor accordingly.

We will now proceed to the election of members to the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. I

advise members that the rules set out in joint standing orders 19 to 22 and 24 now apply. I invite

proposals from members with regard to three members to be elected to the Victorian Health Promotion

Foundation.

JOINT SITTING OF PARLIAMENT


Mr ANDREWS: I propose:

That Sarah Connolly, Bridget Vallence and Andy Meddick be elected to the Victorian Health Promotion

Foundation.

I am assured reliably that they are willing to accept the nomination.

Mr M O’BRIEN: I second the proposal.

The CHAIR: Are there any further proposals? As there are only three members proposed, I declare

that Sarah Connolly, Bridget Vallence and Andy Meddick are elected to the Victorian Health

Promotion Foundation.

Our last agenda item for this evening’s joint sitting is to elect members to the board of the Victorian

Responsible Gambling Foundation. While joint standing orders 19 to 22 also apply to this joint sitting,

there is no joint standing order to cover the nomination of members to the board. Therefore the first

matter is to consider the adoption of rules.

Mr ANDREWS: I move:

That the rules for nominations which are available on the table be adopted.

Motion agreed to.

The CHAIR: I now invite proposals from members with regard to three members to be elected to

the board of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.

Mr ANDREWS: I propose:

That Maree Edwards, Tim McCurdy and James Newbury be elected to the board of the Victorian Responsible

Gambling Foundation.

They are again willing and able—very keen, in fact—to accept the nomination.

Mr M O’BRIEN: I bet they are willing to accept the nomination, and I second the proposal.

The CHAIR: Are there any further proposals? As there are only three members proposed, I declare

that Maree Edwards, Tim McCurdy and James Newbury are elected to the board of the Victorian

Responsible Gambling Foundation.

I now declare the joint sitting closed.

Proceedings terminated 6.22 pm.