Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (10:07): Today marks International Overdose Awareness Day. As the coroner reported, 500 Victorians died from an overdose in 2020–21, so today my heart goes out to the friends and families of those poor people who died from an overdose. Let us not forget that countless other people—thousands of other people—have…
Ms PATTEN: I would also like to let members know about another film that is coming to their inboxes very soon, Some Happy Day. It was filmed in St Kilda and directed by another wonderful Victorian, Catherine Hill, and it follows the life of two people sleeping rough in St Kilda. This film has…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (10:02): I would like to congratulate the team at the Melbourne International Film Festival on another successful year—in fact their 70th year. I also want to alert members to a really terrific film that premiered at MIFF last weekend called Under Cover. It was produced by Adam Farrington-Williams and the wonderful Sue Thomson,…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (10:31): I do not know about others, but the last six weeks has been pretty busy. I was invited to Europe, Poland exactly, to share what not to do in regard to tobacco harm reduction. We used to be good on harm reduction and in some areas we still are:…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:47): I would like to congratulate Victoria Street Alive!, a terrific initiative in North Richmond. It has been run by the tireless Judy Ryan and Greg Hordacre, who have just been working so hard behind the scenes. Victoria Street Alive! opened the inaugural medically supervised injecting room artists exhibition, My…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:45): Last week was International Face Equality Week, and this year’s theme was ‘Face equality is a human right’. I was really fortunate to meet with Carly Findlay OAM, writer, speaker and appearance activist, who highlighted the Face Equality International report, and I would encourage all members to have a…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:55): On 20 April, also known as 4/20, around the world people gather peacefully to have picnics to rally for cannabis law reform. This has been happening in Melbourne for decades. This month, when people went down to Flagstaff Gardens to peacefully rally around drug law reform and call for…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:58): I have been asked to use my members statement call on members and to encourage members to remember Bob Keeper. Father Bob has relaunched his Bob Keeper appeal for this Easter, and this year he is hoping to expand his open pantry project, which is out at Banksia Gardens…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:50): Medicinal cannabis is the only prescription medication that if taken by a patient excludes them from driving. It is not because it is more dangerous. In fact with many CBD medicines that is quite the opposite. It is because of stigma and misunderstanding—like the misunderstanding that the average medicinal…
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:50): I was very pleased to attend Her Place on Monday, and this was part of International Women’s Day. Her Place is actually a museum. It is in the old Menzies building. It is down on Clarendon Street, and it is a beautiful little hidden gem. But I was there…