Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (13:10): My question was for the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, but I am going to redirect it now, as there is not one, to the Minister for Health. It comes from several brothel operators in my electorate of Northern Metro.

Brothels are closed. They have been closed during the pandemic, and that is rightly so. But as other sectors are given guidelines for opening, and despite repeated attempts for clarification from both consumer affairs and the health department, guidelines for brothels remain unclear....

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:25): My question is for Minister Tierney, representing the Attorney-General. On 19 April 2020 the Attorney-General announced via media release that:

Victorian organisations Who do not sign up to the National Redress Scheme will risk losing government funding …

Despite a 30 June 2020 deadline for institutions to join the scheme, 49 non-government organisations operating in Victoria are still yet to sign up to the scheme—which provides redress for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

Can the minister advise, with two...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:21): I would like to ask a question, thanks President, and I would like to ask a question of the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, representing the Attorney-General.

As the minister would be aware, Victoria is the only state in this country without a spent convictions scheme despite some of the other states having schemes for over 30 years and despite the fact that I introduced a spent convictions bill in February 2019.

The government referred that bill to an...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (13:06): My constituency question is for the Minister for Education. A number of constituents have raised with me the matter of the amount and quality of hand sanitiser in our local schools in Northern Metro, and in particular in Brunswick. Some schools in this region have complained that they simply do not have enough product to go around, while parents have raised concerns about the quality of the sanitiser available. Department of Health and Human Services calls...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:35): My question is to the Minister for Health. There seems to be a great deal of confusion right now in relation to the medication ibuprofen. We have been hearing stories circulating, particularly in the UK and in France, saying that it is dangerous to take if you have the coronavirus. In fact they are saying things like it could have grave and serious side effects. We know that people do take ibuprofen or paracetamol to bring their temperature down when they have got flu-like symptoms, and obviously older people are quite commonly taking ibuprofen regularly....

 

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (13:10): My question is for the Minister for Public Transport. A recent RACV survey found South Kensington station to be the worst train station in Victoria—rated by commuters.

The biennial survey saw commuters calling out safety concerns and complaining of a lack of shelter and lack of parking as their key gripes. The station scored just 2.48 out of 10, the lowest score recorded by any station since the survey began in 2013.

The station has been completely neglected over the last 15 years. My question is: what is the minister doing to ensure that upgrades are made...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:54): My constituency question is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan. An active community group in my electorate called the Upfield Corridor Coalition have been widely supportive of the Level Crossing Removal Project in their area; however, they do have some concerns. These concerns are centred around the design for the new Coburg station. The current design has no access on the northern side of the station, meaning that half of the commuters will have to cross busy Bell Street for access, which means that the level crossing itself is very much underutilised. This is...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:39): My question is for the Minister for Health and concerns the closure of the catering company I Cook Foods. Dr Brett Sutton, who was the acting chief health officer at the time and ordered the closure, has stated that he was satisfied from the report of an authorised officer of the department’s food safety unit that the food being prepared, sold or otherwise handled at the premises was unsafe. However, I Cook Foods was never given a copy of that report. I understand that FOI requests were refused in relation to obtaining these documents and...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:24): Keeping with the theme, my question is for Minister Jennings. Last night on the ABC’s 7.30 report there were serious concerns raised about the hugely popular social media app TikTok. TikTok is a Chinese-owned organisation that is proven to have significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Some of Australia’s top cybersecurity experts are concerned about how much data users hand over, and the Australian Defence Force has now barred TikTok from all work devices. The Premier is an enthusiastic user of TikTok and other social media apps, so I ask the minister: given the apprehensions around...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:39): My question is for the Minister for Workplace Safety. My constituent Cameron badly damaged his foot after a workplace accident last year and is unable to attend work for some time. In order to be paid his salary he is forced to visit his local doctor at least every 28 days and have a form signed stating he is unable to work. This is then sent to his insurer, who then processes it and sends it to his employer. The current WorkCover system requires a three-pronged process between the GP, the insurer and the employer. If there...