MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — In exercising the right of reply I thank all speakers on this bill before the house. As many speakers have indicated, this is not a controversial bill. It is a bill that is a result of court decisions, and its purpose is to encapsulate greater efficiency and practice…
Ordered that second-reading speech be incorporated into Hansard on motion of Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills). Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Incorporated speech as follows: This bill implements the government’s commitment to expand the range of matters that may be included in an…
Ordered that second-reading speech be incorporated into Hansard on motion of Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills). Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Incorporated speech as follows: This week marks the eighth anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires of 7 February…
Ordered that second-reading speech be incorporated into Hansard on motion of Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills). Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Incorporated speech as follows: The Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 (CMIA) abolished the Governor’s pleasure system, establishing…
Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Incorporated speech as follows: This bill illustrates the government’s ongoing commitment to improving and updating the consumer protection framework in Victoria. It will amend several acts within the consumer affairs portfolio to improve their operation, clarify their requirements…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I rise to speak about the enthusiastic response of western Victorian residents and industries to the Andrews Labor government’s funding for roads in the south-west — a response to calls for road upgrades and maintenance for well over a decade. In the past month the Andrews Labor…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Corrections) — As part of the Andrews government’s response to the Harper review into the post-sentence management of serious offenders, on 13 February I announced that Labor will build a 20-bed secure facility to house Victoria’s most serious adult offenders near Ararat. The facility will be located next to the Hopkins…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I rise to congratulate two very different high achievers in my electorate of Western Victoria Region. Henty’s Daniel Lutz, just 24 years old, is one of 12 young farmers from across Victoria to receive a government scholarship of up to $10 000. These scholarships go towards agricultural…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of joining the member for St Albans in the Legislative Assembly, Natalie Suleyman, and the member for Footscray in the Legislative Assembly, Marsha Thomson, to announce $10 million of Andrews Labor government funding for a brand-new world-class training facility at Victoria…
Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Incorporated speech as follows: The government takes very seriously its responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of our community, children. Child safety is everyone’s responsibility. This bill proposes amendments to the Child Wellbeing and Safety…
Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Incorporated speech as follows: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit onshore unconventional gas activity in Victoria, to legislate a moratorium on onshore conventional gas activity until June 2020, and to prevent the state being the subject…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — This morning I launched a new, united TAFE Victoria brand. It is a new initiative that will position TAFE as delivering modern, contemporary qualifications that are available to all Victorians. This will enable TAFE institutes to retain their individual appeal so they can increase the effectiveness and range…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I rise on behalf of the government to provide a right of reply on this very important bill. I start by paying tribute to and acknowledging those who have been murdered, particularly those in the police force. I also wish to send my condolences to their families and…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I rise to advise the house that the Andrews Labor government is putting people first with a multimillion-dollar boost to Victoria’s TAFEs. Over the past fortnight I have visited TAFEs across the state to announce some of the $89.4 million boost in funding to ensure that they are ready…
Ms TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Incorporated speech as follows: The main purpose of the Justice Legislation Amendment (Parole Reform and Other Matters) Bill 2016 is to strengthen our sentencing and parole laws to further enhance community safety and protection. As outlined in the…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I wish to exercise the right of reply on behalf of the government. The Andrews Labor government respects people’s right to religious expression, but not at the cost of equality. The inherent requirements test for employment will ensure a fairer balance between the right to equality and the…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I am pleased to rise to exercise a right of reply on behalf of the government. I think it is timely to reflect on exactly what this bill is before us. Firstly, the birth certificate reforms do not compromise the integrity of the Victorian births, deaths and marriages…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I rise to sum up on the matter that was before the house before the dinner break, which is the Working with Children Amendment Bill 2016. As previous speakers have mentioned, the Working with Children Act 2005 was passed by the Victorian Parliament in 2005 under former Attorney-General…
MS TIERNEY (Minister for Training and Skills) — I rise to make a very short contribution in relation to this bill, given that the description of what this bill intends to do has been covered extensively by previous speakers. The main purpose of the bill is to restrict the use of community correction orders (CCOs) for…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — I rise to congratulate two outstanding educational institutions — Warrnambool Primary School and Maryborough Education Centre — and their exceptional staff, most notably Warrnambool’s Jacqui Gore and Maryborough’s education support staff team. Both schools and Jacqui were recipients of 2016 Victorian Education Excellence Awards. The student bodies in these schools are very different,…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — This afternoon I am very pleased to stand here and support the Traditional Owner Settlement Amendment Bill 2016. I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we stand today, the Kulin nations, and I pay my respects to their elders both past and present. This bill is…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My constituency question is directed to the Minister for Emergency Services, Mr Merlino, in the other place. Last Thursday I had the opportunity to visit Carisbrooke and Charlton and to sit down with residents and emergency service members to talk about the impact that the recent floods have had on those communities.…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My adjournment matter this evening is for the minister responsible for WorkSafe, Robin Scott, the Minister for Finance in the other place. In June a farmer died in my electorate of Western Victoria Region as a result of a quad bike accident. The farmer, in his 60s, died as a result…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — I rise to speak about the exciting work of an innovative group in my electorate, Geelong Sustainability, whose efforts culminated in Sustainable House Day Geelong on 16 October. This open house gave an opportunity to see inside 14 houses and gardens designed, built, renovated or retrofitted with sustainability in mind across Geelong, the…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — I am pleased to rise this morning to speak on the Land (Revocation of Reservations — Regional Victoria Land) Bill 2016. Permanent reservations can only be revoked by an act of Parliament, and for this reason we are proposing the revocation of permanent reservations over four areas of Crown land in regional…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. It is in relation to the growing population of koalas in the south-west of Victoria, and in particular in the Portland region. For some time communities in and around Portland have been drawing my attention to the growth in…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — On Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the Warrnambool fire station along with Rohan Luke, acting assistant chief officer of the south-west region; Paul Marshall, Warrnambool Country Fire Authority station officer; Richard Bourke, operations manager, district 5; Craig Lapsley, emergency services commissioner; and Lance Baillie, life member…
MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My constituency question is for the Minister for Veterans. In June this year the minister announced three grants programs — the Victoria Remembers grant program, the Anzac Day Proceeds Fund and the Anzac centenary community grants program. The Victoria Remembers grant program helps communities make personal connections with the centenary of World…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My constituency question is for the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place, James Merlino. Last week I visited the flood areas of Dunkeld, Casterton and Coleraine and attended a discussion between members of the local community and local emergency services. Flooding across western Victoria over the past months has impacted…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — The bill before us today will amend the Estate Agents Act 1980 to introduce new measures to address the issues of underquoting in the sale of residential property in the state of Victoria. All of us know someone who is buying a house or wanting to buy a house. I know…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — I rise today to acknowledge the tragic closure of the Ford Broadmeadows and Geelong plants last week. The consequences are yet to be fully realised across the state, but the effects are immediately felt by the workers involved. They have to rebuild their lives, as do the communities who so heavily…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My member’s statement relates to the ongoing impact of the record-breaking spring rainfalls in western Victoria. The shire communities of Glenelg, Southern Grampians and Buloke, among others, are dealing with the lasting effects of flooding after two major September rainfall events, each a 1-in-20-year event. They produced emergency situations to which the…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My question is for the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place. The minister is more than aware of the impact that the floods are having on a significant number of assets in western Victoria and in particular the damage to and destruction of our roads. My question to the minister…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — I rise to speak on the National Domestic Violence Order Scheme Bill 2016, and as the previous speaker has outlined and indeed the contributions in the other house have outlined, it is to provide a national recognition scheme for family violence intervention orders, family violence safety notices and other domestic violence orders.…
On Monday morning I had the pleasure of attending the site of the new Bannockburn P–12 school for the turning of the first sod. I want to thank all those who attended — students, teachers, parents and school councillors — for braving the weather to come out to help turn the sod. Construction is due to be…
On another note, I had the pleasure last Sunday of attending the official opening celebration for the Banyul-Warri Fields recreation zone along with members of the Torquay community, Surf Coast council representatives and other dignitaries. The Andrews government contributed $50 000 towards the project. The recreation zone was developed for people of all ages. It has…
Monica Hayes, a friend and constituent in western Victoria, passed away on 26 August. Monica was a community activist extraordinaire, an outstanding exemplar of commitment and advocacy in her communities — in Essendon when she was a councillor and mayor, and on the Bellarine from 2001. Monica was a social reformer and an agent of change, especially…
My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education, James Merlino. It is in relation to the Doctors in Secondary Schools program that has been recently announced. As I understand it, this $43.8 million program was definitely an election commitment that was made by us prior to coming to government. The reason that we have undertaken…
My constituency question is for the Minister for Emergency Services. Since late last week the towns of Coleraine and Casterton have been inundated with heavy rain, causing severe flooding. The Glenelg River rose to about 6 metres yesterday morning, with more rain predicted this week. Already we have seen 14 homes across the two towns impacted by…
The highly successful Port Fairy Folk Festival has been operating for 40 years under the helm of its founder, Dr Jamie McKew, who has now handed over the reins to the new director, Caroline Moore. In 1977 Dr McKew — and the Geelong Folk Club — saw the potential for something special for the booming folk music scene in this…
My constituency question today is directed to the Minister for Women, Fiona Richardson. Recently the minister and I attended the Victorian gender equality strategy consultation in Warrnambool, held at the Lighthouse Theatre. The consultation was a chance for people from all walks of life to contribute their ideas and priorities for how the strategy should…
Can I also indicate that I speak on this with great pleasure, because it is so unusual for this house on a Wednesday to have a discussion that, one, is heard and I think also is seriously meaningful in a collegiate sense. I think across the board, regardless of our political flavours and colourings, the…
I am pleased to make a statement on the Cancer Council Victoria Annual Report 2015. I note from the outset that as a result of the Cancer Council Victoria’s conversion to a company limited by guarantee on 1 October 2015, the financial reports are for the period 1 January to 30 September 2015 only. The cancer council continued…
The Andrews Labor government is leading the way to create job opportunities and drive economic growth across regional Victoria. Before the 2014 state election Labor committed to creating 100 000 full-time jobs in the first two years of government, and we are on track to deliver that commitment and deliver it ahead of time. Data released in…
My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place. It is in relation to fire safety in my electorate of Western Victoria Region. Fire season is fast approaching, and it is important for all people across the state to be prepared. Fire brigades within my electorate and across the state…
It will be of no surprise that my question also is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Luke Donnellan. I do recall that I raised the issue of the state of roads in the south-west prior to the winter break. I am pleased that Mr Purcell also raised it again today, and I am…
Last month I had the pleasure of announcing $323 000 worth of Andrews Labor government funding for yet another road safety improvement project on the Forrest-Apollo Bay Road. This funding will address a history of run-off-road crashes, near misses and head-on collisions due to the curves along these roads, by installing guide posts, curve alignment markers,…
On another note, I was delighted to represent the Minister for Mental Health in Warrnambool last month at a wellbeing service provider forum. The forum was a chance to have a discussion with key figures in the mental health sector in western Victoria regarding the unique circumstances facing farmers in regional Victoria who may be…
On a final note, I wish to thank the Surf Coast shire and local members at Modewarre as well as the state government for providing moneys to revitalise the Mount Moriac Reserve at Modewarre with resurfaced tennis courts, the addition of basketball and netball rings and the creation of an open play space — — The ACTING…
Tonight my adjournment matter is for the Minister for Training and Skills, Steve Herbert. I take this opportunity to thank him for ensuring that learning and further education are again at the centre of the state’s priorities in Victoria. The point I want to raise is the issue of the countless number of people who…
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August, Vietnam Veterans Day, I am pleased to congratulate two students from western Victoria who have been selected to take part in the 2016 Vietnam history study tour. The students, Lauren McIlveen of Camperdown College and Georgia Perris of Horsham College, are among…
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My constituency question today is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Luke Donellan. The state of some of the roads in south-west Victoria has been an issue in those communities for a long time and has had significant media coverage. Mr Ramsay interjected. Ms TIERNEY — Taking up Mr Ramsay’s interjection, I highlight the fact that…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Women in the other place, who is also the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, and it is in relation to empowering women across Victoria. Gender inequality affects women in all areas of their lives. In terms of the Victorian workforce, the participation rate…
I congratulate members of the Colac community, who are thrilled that their outdated 1930s police station will be replaced thanks to a commitment by the Andrews Labor government to spend $11.7 million on a new complex — a new police station that the previous government talked about but could never deliver. Colac residents have long recognised the…
On Sunday, 12 June, I had the pleasure of representing the Minister for Families and Children at the official opening of the Lorne and District Men’s Shed. Over 200 people attended the launch, which is an example of the support the Lorne community has for its men’s shedders and the shed’s importance in the community. These facilities…
On another note, the new regional youth hub in Warrnambool held its first official event last week, boosting opportunities for local young people to participate in the community. The Andrews Labor government is providing $450 000 over two years for the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) to operate the new centre, which will be co-located…
My question is for the Minister for Training and Skills, and it is in relation to an announcement the minister made in my electorate last Friday. In another welcome boost for Gordon TAFE in Geelong, the minister announced that $5 million of the Andrews government’s TAFE Rescue Fund would go towards the $10 million redevelopment of the…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Families and Children and Minister for Youth Affairs, Ms Mikakos. As the minister is aware, there has been a surge in the growth of child protection notifications across the state, with the Auditor-General highlighting that the number of children in out-of-home care has grown by 60 per…
National Reconciliation Week is a time for Australians to reflect on our shared histories, a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and a time to think about how we can positively contribute to closing the gap for the benefit of all Australians. This year’s reconciliation week took…
I rise to speak on the recent repatriation of the bodies of 33 Australian service personnel who were previously interred at the Terendak Military Cemetery in Malaysia and at the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. Under the arrangements in place at the time of their deaths, unless families were willing to pay £600 to have the…
I take this opportunity to speak about an important industry in Victoria that is responsible for hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the state. This week thousands of construction workers voted overwhelmingly to support a new enterprise bargaining agreement for the construction industry that will result in a complete modernisation of this…
With the 100th anniversary of World War I and the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan this year, along with a number of other annual and one-off events, there is an unprecedented number of highly significant commemorative services that are set to take place during the remainder of this year and the next few years. Recently…
My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Agriculture and is in relation to assistance provided by the Andrews government for dairy farmers in Victoria in light of the recent milk price cut. This morning I had the opportunity to give a members statement on the milk price cut and the devastating impact it is…
Victoria is the largest milk producer in Australia, and the south-west of Victoria boasts some of our best dairy country. In no uncertain terms, dairy is the backbone of agriculture in south-west Victoria. The recent milk price drop and the circumstances by which it came about have been devastating to the industry and those who…
I congratulate local sporting clubs in Warrnambool and Colac as they have been instrumental in fundraising and applying for grants to help improve their facilities and build their capacity to be even more successful. A $100 000 grant from the community cricket program was awarded for Warrnambool’s Brierly Reserve master plan to improve the reserve’s water supply…
This morning I rise to pay tribute to the Vietnamese War veterans amongst us in our community as well as the Australian Vietnam veterans, who have paid an enormous price — physically, emotionally and financially — for many, many decades. I, like so many others in this chamber, have not been directly involved in war. However, as…
I rise to make a contribution to this important debate. Can I say that as long as I can remember there have been complaints, allegations and sustained criticism levelled against the local council in the City of Greater Geelong. Indeed issues have been reported quite widely in the Geelong Advertiseras well as in the metropolitan…
I rise to speak this evening on the Health Complaints Bill 2016. This bill seeks to modernise and streamline the framework surrounding dealing with health complaints in this state. In doing so it also gives the newly created health complaints commissioner the powers to deal with health service providers that do not come under commonwealth…
I rise to speak on the upgrade of facilities at the Birregurra Recreation Reserve, which will serve the Birregurra netball and tennis clubs. On 30 March I had the pleasure of meeting with representatives of the tennis club and the football and netball club as well as councillors and officers of the Colac Otway Shire to…
My constituency question this afternoon is directed to the Minister for Training and Skills, Mr Herbert. It is in relation to the Warrnambool campus of Deakin University. It comes as no surprise to anyone in this chamber that its ongoing viability has been an issue for a long, long time, and it has been canvassed in…
My members statement today is to acknowledge Harmony Day, which took place on 21 March. Harmony Day is a celebration of the multiculturalism and diversity which makes our nation what it is. It is held in conjunction with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The central message of Harmony Day is…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Public Transport, and it is in relation to VicTrack’s work in refurbishing disused but historical train station buildings. Last week I had the pleasure of representing the minister in Dunkeld to officially open the newly refurbished Dunkeld train station building, following a $360 000 refurbishment funded…
My adjournment matter is for the attention of the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence and is in relation to the Royal Commission into Family Violence, which is due to deliver its recommendations on 29 March. As the minister said in her ministerial statement in the other place yesterday, this will be the most significant report…
My constituency question is for the Minister for Sport. Over the last few months I have been having meetings with players and officials of the Torquay netball club. I have gone down and had meetings on site with them as well, where they have shown me that the current facilities do not by any measure…
I speak on the issue of women’s participation in sport. Particularly over the past few years we have seen some exciting new developments. In 2015 we saw the first televised women’s AFL game between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, which in terms of viewer ratings was more successful than the Adelaide-Essendon men’s game that same…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Regional Development. On Saturday I had the opportunity to go to Simpson to open its new community hub. It was a fantastic day, and it is a fantastic project that has been five years in the making. I took the opportunity to go to Timboon,…
I rise to give my congratulations to some particularly special local achievers in my electorate. The Geelong Awards for People with a Disability, run by local service provider Karingal and the City of Greater Geelong, took place at the fantastic new Geelong Library and Heritage Centre earlier this year. Some exceptional individuals were recognised in…
My question is to the Minister for Training and Skills. In recent years we know there has been a crisis in the jobs and skills area in western Victoria, in part stemming from cuts to the Gordon Institute of TAFE in Geelong and the South West Institute of TAFE in Warrnambool, Portland and Hamilton, coupled…
I am pleased to rise this afternoon to speak on the Transport Accident Amendment Bill 2015. As a government we are totally committed to promoting road safety and we applaud the work of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and the work it does in seeking to educate drivers and to promote shifts in driver behaviour,…
It is with great pleasure that I rise this morning to speak on the Kardinia Park Stadium Bill 2015, because it is an important piece of legislation that is going to contribute to the Geelong community and the Geelong economy. But before I go to the specific aspects of the bill, I would like to…
My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Training and Skills and is in relation to the Stawell physics laboratory in my electorate. Last November this government committed $1.75 million for the Stawell Physics Lab through the Labor government’s $500 million Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, to be built in Stawell’s existing goldmine. The lab will be…
In an age where we are seeing and feeling the effects of human-induced climate change more and more, investment in renewable energy generation is more crucial than ever. Furthermore, with a number of Victorians out of work and struggling to find new employment, especially in the skilled manufacturing sector, anything which promotes and grows employment…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Acting Minister for Police in the other place, and it deals with police custody officers. Under the previous government there were significant issues that arose as a result of the overcrowded prison system. That being the case, this government has made it a priority to put significant…
I rise to speak on the Bail Amendment Bill 2015. This bill serves several purposes. Firstly, it serves to strengthen measures to promote community safety by adding safeguards to the Bail Act 1977 to shift the onus onto serious offenders, especially those with a history of breaching bail, to prove why they should be given…
It is a pleasure to stand here and make a contribution in relation to the Road Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 before the house this afternoon. As previous speakers have highlighted, this jurisdiction has been a world leader in terms of road safety when it comes to the introduction of the mandatory wearing of seatbelts, random…
I rise this morning to pay tribute to Dick Gray, who passed away last month. Dick Gray was a working-class warrior and a proud union man who had three main loves: his family — his wife, his two girls, his sons-in-law and his grandchildren — the Geelong Football Club and the union movement. Dick grew up in…
My adjournment this evening is a matter for the Minister for Families and Children, and it is in relation to a matter that was raised in question time today. It is in respect of kindergarten funding. It is clear that when children are born their brains are actually much the same; it really does come…
This afternoon I would like to make some comments in relation to the Auditor-General’s report that was tabled in December 2015 on the east–west link (EWL) project. In fact it was tabled in this place on 9 December last year. The Acting Auditor-General, Dr Peter Frost, notes in the letter to the Presiding Officers accompanying the report,…
My constituency question is for the Minister for Education in relation to the School Breakfast Clubs program. I am very pleased that the minister has seen fit to provide funding for breakfast clubs in 36 schools across my electorate of Western Victoria Region. I understand it is a $13.7 million program. I believe this will improve the…
On Christmas Day, on what should have been a day of joy, family and celebration, residents of Wye River and Separation Creek were instead faced with fear and danger as fire tore through their communities. As a result of the fire, 118 homes were lost — 98 in Wye River and 18 in Separation Creek. Over 2500 hectares were burnt…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education in the other place, and it is in relation to the Warrnambool Special Developmental School in the south-west of my electorate. Prior to the 2014 state election Labor acknowledged that the Warrnambool Special Developmental School was long overdue for a new home. Originally built…
I wish to begin by agreeing with the last part of Ms Patten’s contribution — that is, I believe that this issue is primarily a health issue. But what we have before us tonight is a series of amendments that actually deal with crime. If we only focus on law and order, then we are not dealing…
My constituency question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations, and it is in relation to the MV Portland vessel and its 38 Australian seafaring crew. The MV Portland has been carrying alumina from Alcoa’s Kwinana plant to its smelter in Portland for 25 years. In the past, both through its smelter and through the use of…
I rise to speak on the Education Legislation Amendment (TAFE and University Governance Reform) Bill 2015. I am extremely pleased to make a contribution with respect to this bill because it is an election commitment that the Labor Party took to the last election. I recall when the former government brought a bill into the…
Last Friday I also joined the Minister for Education at Winchelsea Primary School. During the recent by-election in the Legislative Assembly electorate of Polwarth, members opposite had a keen interest in Winchelsea Primary School. Unfortunately I think that was more to do with the Liberal Party trying to save face. After four years of the former…
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting children, parents and teachers at Colac East Kindergarten to announce a significant grant from the Andrews Labor government to build on this already fantastic sector. Under the Labor government’s $50 million investment in the early childhood sector, Colac East Kindergarten will receive just under a quarter of a…
My constituency question is for the Minister for Industrial Relations and is about the Andrews government’s inquiry into labour hire and insecure employment. I am aware that hearings for this inquiry began this week in Mildura and that subsequent hearings are scheduled to take place over the coming months, including in Geelong in December. This…
At the centre of the Place de la Republique in the French capital of Paris stands a bronze statue of Marianne, the personification of the French Republican. Holding an olive branch in her right hand, and with her left hand on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, Marianne personifies the values of…
I am pleased to rise to make a statement on the I am pleased to rise to make a statement on the Young Farmers Finance Council — Annual Report 2015. The Young Farmers Finance Council was created to encourage the establishment of young people in farming. It assists young people who have demonstrated an interest in…
Given the excitement around the Melbourne Cup you could have been forgiven for not noticing another woman, Kerryn Manning, creating her own history. She became the first woman to win New Zealand harness racing’s premier cup, the New Zealand Trotting Cup (group 1) in Christchurch. Ms Manning hails from Great Western in my electorate, where the welcome…