Monthly Archives: August 2020

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.

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.

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.

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.

My question is to the Minister for Coordination of Jobs and I ask the Minister as to what practical actions will the Government be taking to provide new, urgently needed assistance to the snow industry and businesses within during the covid period.

My question is to the Minister for Coordination of Jobs, Precincts and Regions – COVID-19. I asked the Minister what further actions will be taken to support sole traders, including in tourism, in desperate and urgent need of help in my electorate.

The action I seek from the Emergency Services Minister is that she participate, with me, in an online meeting with CFA volunteers from my electorate. I request this because volunteers continue to express to me their considerable frustration and disenchantment with the implementation of Victoria’s fire services restructure. CFA volunteers are feeling increasingly undervalued, unappreciated and disillusioned.  They also believe that Victoria’s until-now longstanding volunteer firefighting model and ethos is in danger of collapse. 

As a result of the staggering recent decision to close the Victoria-New South Wales border for the first time in over 100 years, there are now thousands of residents in our electorate of Northern Victoria who are being prevented from attending work each day.