I take this opportunity to congratulate Grace O’Dwyer, a 15-year-old Ballarat schoolgirl, on her remarkable win at the prestigious Stawell Women’s Gift on Easter Monday. Grace achieved the time of just 13.40 seconds in a race that was clearly special for her and her family, with her father Peter O’Dwyer a veteran of the Stawell Gift.…
I rise to speak on the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Child Safe Schools) Bill 2015. I take the opportunity in my introductory remarks to congratulate the members of Parliament on the Family and Community Development Committee in the previous Parliament who inquired into and reported to the Parliament on this very important issue. I…
I rise to speak on the Veterans and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2015. I am very pleased to make a contribution, particularly given the timely nature of the passage of this bill in the lead-up to the remembrance activities that will occur in relation to Gallipoli later this month. I also take this opportunity to…
Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney today encouraged students who have achieved their training goals to nominate for the 2015 Victorian Training Awards. Now in their 61st year, the Awards celebrate the achievements of Victoria’s training system and recognise collaboration and innovation by students, teachers, employers and training providers from across the state. Ms Tierney…
Small business operators in the Warrnambool area can access free mentoring, support and information about Victorian Government services when the Small Business Bus visits on Thursday 9 April 2015. Minister for Small Business, Adem Somyurek, said the Andrews Labor Government is doubling its mobile support for small business with a second Small Business Bus now…
Labor Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney today announced that unfair basic camping fees enforced by the previous Coalition Government at Victoria’s camping sites will be scrapped ahead of the Easter break. The fees imposed under the Coalition made camping expensive for families, affectedschool camps and buried Parks Victoria in red tape. From now on,…
Labor Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney today announced that unfair basic camping fees enforced by the previous Coalition Government at Victoria’s camping sites will be scrapped ahead of the Easter break. The fees imposed under the Coalition made camping expensive for families, affectedschool camps and buried Parks Victoria in red tape. From now on,…
Indigenous artists across the state are invited to be part of the 10th anniversary of the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards. Minister for Creative Industries, Martin Foley, today called for entries to the awards, which have grown from strength to strength since being established by the Victorian Government in 2005. The Member for Western Victoria, Gayle…
Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP today welcomed the Andrews Labor Government’s $3.2 million commitment to ensure the funding of Victoria’s 68 Landcare facilitator positions for another four years. Facilitators perform the vital role of building community capacity, assisting communities to deliver local action, facilitate effective participation in Landcare activities and enable groups to…
Member for Western Victoria has encouraged community groups to apply for grants of up to $25,000 to address local road safety issues. The latest round of the TAC’s $1 million Community Road Safety Grants program is open to not-for-profit registered groups who can identify a road safety issue and come up with a project to overcome it.…
The Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney has welcomed the $12.5 million start of works of Pioneer Road in Waurn Ponds this week. Motorists and pedestrians will be the big winners from the upgrade of Pioneer Road by reduced congestion, improved access in and out of the busy shopping and recreational precinct, as well as…
The Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney has welcomed the $12.5 million start of works of Pioneer Road in Waurn Ponds this week. Motorists and pedestrians will be the big winners from the upgrade of Pioneer Road by reduced congestion, improved access in and out of the busy shopping and recreational precinct, as well as…
I rise this evening to make a statement on the Auditor-General’s report on the results of the 2013–14 audits of public hospitals. I begin by saying that this report outlines severe concerns regarding the financial sustainability of many public hospitals in this state. It covers the previous financial year and the effect this has had…
My constituency matter today is for the Minister for Education and it is in relation to the Bob Pettit Reserve in Jan Juc. The Bob Pettit Reserve is a much-loved and much-used piece of open space for children playing, walking dogs, fitness activities and formal competition sport, amongst other things. The minister will recall that…
On Wednesday, 11 March, the Premier and the Minister for Industry were at Deakin University to announce the new Geelong defence procurement office. The procurement office will boost our defence industry and ensure that Victoria gets its fair share of defence work through marketing the skills and capacity of Victorian and Geelong manufacturing as well as…
The Horticulture Farmer of the Year Award went to Hayden and Jasmin Findlay, whose organic food production at Ravens Creek Farm is raising the bar for demand of clean green food. I look forward to hearing more about their continued leadership in the western Victoria agricultural community.
There is no denying the importance of food production on our ability to produce high quality food in a competitive environment, but it is very tough. Farmers day in, day out, deal with a whole range of factors that are beyond their control, but many still have the energy to be at the forefront of…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education, James Merlino, and it is in relation to the Portland National School building, which is located on the Portland Primary School site. It is of architectural significance as one of only around 23 surviving examples of early National School buildings constructed in Victoria between 1851…
I rise to speak on the Summary Offences Amendment (Move-on Laws) Bill 2015. The bill is essentially about restoring the rights that were taken away from Victorians by the previous government. The move-on laws introduced by the previous government were a direct attack on the democratic rights of Victorians, and I argue they were completely…
On Friday, 29 February, I was one amongst many who opened the Bunjil lookout at Maude in my electorate. Many, many hours of work have been put into this project by Maude and Steiglitz community members, and significant money was contributed by local and state governments. It is a wonderful local cultural asset and tourist area…
I take this opportunity to acknowledge two women in Western Victoria Region who were recently inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll for Women. The first of these is Delma Clapp of Warrnambool. Delma Clapp is the founding member of Emma House Domestic Violence Services — the first women’s refuge in Warrnambool. Her voluntary work in the…
I rise to speak on the Wrongs Amendment (Asbestos Related Claims) Bill 2014. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this very important piece of legislation. As the previous speaker mentioned, this is a particularly important issue to me and has been for a very long time, including when I worked for…
The Andrews Labor Government has completed $2.5 million of road safety improvementson Winchelsea-Deans Marsh Road, which will address a history of run-off road crashes. There had been nine run-off road crashes between July 2007 and June 2012, resulting inone fatality and multiple serious injuries on the 22.5km Winchelsea-Deans Marsh Road. These improvements will address the…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Training and Skills, Mr Steve Herbert, and is in relation to South West TAFE. A couple of weeks ago the minister and I were fortunate to meet with industry leaders at the Warrnambool campus of South West TAFE to talk about their skill and training…
I rise to make a second contribution on the Victorian Auditor-General’s report entitled Additional School Costs for Families, which was tabled in the Parliament in the last sitting week. As I said in my statement in the last sitting week, the report indicates the enormous cuts the previous government made to Victoria’s education system. These…
My constituency question is to the Minister for Education, and it is in relation to the government’s election commitment to build a P–12 school at Bannockburn. I was pleased to see Premier Andrews announce the tendering process for the school on the 5 February. That is an important step towards the implementation of our election…
With the beginning of the university year upon us, many Victorians will be excited to start a new phase of life, while others will be returning for another year to achieve their chosen degree. However, along with that excitement, there are many students who are very nervous about the Abbot federal government’s plans for university…
On Saturday, 28 February, tens of thousands of people will converge around Pakington Street, Geelong, to celebrate the 33rd Diversitat Pako Festa. Pako Festa is the largest free celebration of multiculturalism in Australia. People attend the festival and enjoy cultural performances, activities, food from all over the world and artists from all walks of life.…
My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Energy and Resources, Ms D’Ambrosio, and it is in relation to the renewable energy target (RET) and the renewable energy industry. To give some background, the RET was established in 2001 to ensure that 20 per cent of Australia’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2020. Since…
I am very pleased to stand here this evening and speak on the Back to Work Bill 2014. This bill was tabled just prior to Christmas and is the foundation stone that Labor members brought before the Victorian public because we understood that Victorians were hurting. We understood that the level of unemployment in this…
I rise to pay tribute to Wendy Eleanor Pearl, who died late last year. The massive attendance at the mass of thanksgiving held at St Francis Xavier Church in Corio on 30 December 2014 was an indication of the deep love and widespread respect in which Wendy was held by the people of Geelong and…
My constituency question is for the Minister for Education and is directed through the Minister for Training and Skills, Mr Herbert, in his capacity as representing Minister Merlino in this chamber. It is in regard to the current structure and role of regional offices within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Over the…
Small business operators in the Torquay area can access free mentoring, support andinformation about Victorian Government services when the Small Business Bus visits on Tuesday 17 March 2015. Minister for Small Business, Adem Somyurek, said the Andrews Labor Government isdoubling its mobile support for small business with a second Small Business Bus now delivering valuable…
The Andrews Labor Government will strengthen bridges along major regional freight corridors through the Stronger Country Bridges Program. $35.8 million in funding will be fast-tracked to strengthen 48 bridges in regionalVictoria, which will reduce transport costs for freight and increase productivity. Members for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford and Gayle Tierney today announced that $2million would…
Four years of savage cuts to our TAFE system under the coalition government left South West TAFE on its knees and in deficit. However, the staff and management of this great institution are celebrating once again after the Andrews Labor government committed $4 million in rescue funding last week. Under the coalition government funding was slashed,…
This afternoon I would like to make a contribution on the Victorian Auditor General’s report on additional school costs for families. In short this report examines whether funding adequately supports the delivery of free education in this state, whether schools appropriately manage parent payments to support free instruction and whether the Department of Education and…
Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP has welcomed the Andrews Labor Government’s VET Funding Review following the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services released on Friday. The Report showed Victoria spent just $9.36 per hour on vocational training in 2013 – thelowest of any state or territory and down from $11.36 in 2011. The…
My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education, Mr Merlino, and relates to school attainment and retention rates in south western Victoria. As the minister would be aware, the completion of secondary school has become more influential in determining the opportunities a young person will have available to them now and in the…
A community forum will be held in Hamilton to hear from locals, experts and law enforcement about ways to combat the drug ice. Member for Western Victoria Region, Gayle Tierney MP, said that the forum is one of nineteen that will take place across the state by mid-April. “If we want to stop this drug…
The Andrews Labor Government is rebuilding Victoria’s struggling TAFE system, with South West TAFE Institute of TAFE receiving a $4 million boost from the first $20million of the emergency TAFE Rescue Fund. Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert said the emergency funding was the startof the Labor Government’s work to rebuild public TAFE institutes,…
A community forum will be held in Horsham to hear from locals, experts and law enforcement about ways to combat the drug ice. Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP, said that the forum is one of nineteen that will take place across the state by mid-April. “If we want to stop this drug then…
A community forum will be held in Hamilton to hear from locals, experts and law enforcement about ways to combat the drug ice. Member for Western Victoria Region, Gayle Tierney MP, said that the forum is one of nineteen that will take place across the state by mid-April. “If we want to stop this drug…
The Andrews Labor Government is rebuilding Victoria’s struggling TAFE system, withSouth West Institute of TAFE to share in the first $20 million of emergencyfunding to save campuses at risk of collapse. New figures have revealed the extent of damage of the Coalition’s cuts to TAFE,with forecast losses of $71.8 million across the sector for 2014.…
The Andrews Labor Government is rebuilding Victoria’s struggling TAFE system, with South West Institute of TAFE to share in the first $20 million of emergency funding to save campuses at risk of collapse. New figures have revealed the extent of damage of the Coalition’s cuts to TAFE, with forecast losses of $71.8 million across the…