Daily Archives: August 18, 2020

Read more about the article Members Statement- Malmsbury disfigurement

Members Statement- Malmsbury disfigurement

Through this Members Statement, I wish to raise my concerns about a recent incident, and the fallout from that incident, at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre in my electorate. Reportedly, this was also the latest in a series of around 30 serious assaults committed against staff and other inmates by this same offender. This elicits a number of questions, one being, what the implications are for the Government’s minimum sentencing laws for attacks on staff at Youth Justice Centres and other emergency workers.

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Read more about the article Members Statement- Border closure difficulties and anomalies

Members Statement- Border closure difficulties and anomalies

Today, I want to talk more specifically about some of the (many) everyday difficulties and anomalies it has generated. Among these are the innumerable problems associated with obtaining (and retaining) permits, especially for health professionals. Confusion likewise reigns for students and their families and, especially cruelly, for people trying to care for loved ones, including those with terminal illnesses and those going through pregnancy. The people of Northern Victoria are experiencing ridiculously bureaucratic, illogical and unequal treatment.

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Read more about the article Members Statement- Border restrictions and the terminally ill

Members Statement- Border restrictions and the terminally ill

The border restrictions imposed by the New South Wales Government continue to deliver personal and traumatic impacts to residents in Northern Victoria, denying people access to work, services and family. These communities have low - and in some cases no - cases of coronavirus, and the restrictions are completely disproportionate to the risk, serving absolutely no purpose than to delivery misery to families already under enormous stress.

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Read more about the article Adjournment- Coronavirus changes to court and bail arrangements

Adjournment- Coronavirus changes to court and bail arrangements

My matter is for the Attorney-General. Through it, I again want to express the concerns of Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party about the changes during the coronavirus period to court processes, and bail arrangements and conditions. Through this adjournment matter, the action I seek is that the Attorney provide me with key statistics reflecting the practical impact of these various changes.

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Read more about the article Adjournment- Suppression orders

Adjournment- Suppression orders

My adjournment matter is for the Attorney-General. It concerns the serial, continued use of suppression orders by Victorian courts. People are entitled to expect that the principles of transparency and openness will always be fundamental to the conduct of court cases in Victoria. The action I seek from the Attorney-General is that she provide an explanation of what remedies will be pursued by the Government in order to overcome the over-use of suppression orders and the courts’ failure to correctly notify the public about them in many cases.

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Read more about the article Adjournment- Therapeutic justice

Adjournment- Therapeutic justice

My adjournment matter is for the Attorney-General. It is about therapeutic justice.  This is a term that essentially refers to the use of non-traditional approaches to the sentencing of offenders. The Department of Justice Annual Report 2017-2018 cites funding of $1.1m over two years specifically for this. I ask the Attorney-General if she can indicate what the nature and results of that funding so far have been.

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Read more about the article Constituency question- COVID checking of bus and train passengers to Northern Victoria

Constituency question- COVID checking of bus and train passengers to Northern Victoria

My question is to the Minister for Public Transport and I ask the Minister what is being done to ensure that passengers on VLine bus and train services are complying with COVID restrictions when travelling from Melbourne to my electorate.

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