Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:39): (1780) My constituency question is for the Minister for Education. My constituent is a parent at Coburg High School. They ask why the following non-government Catholic schools have received capital funding since 2019—St Fidelis School, St Paul’s Primary School, Penola Catholic College and St Francis de Sales—whereas Coburg High School has not received any capital funding. While Coburg High School has grown exponentially over the last six years and has a population of 1250 students—well in excess of any nearby inner-north secondary school—Coburg High has only two permanent specialist rooms, resulting in an under-entitlement of six...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (13:18): My question is for the Minister for Workplace Safety and relates to medicinal cannabis. As I raised with you in the house earlier this year, and you confirmed, 90 per cent of medicinal cannabis patients are being denied remuneration for reasonable costs resulting from their injuries when those costs relate to medically prescribed medicinal cannabis. This is despite it working and despite these patients having exhausted all other treatment options. Where we as a state have an office for medicinal cannabis, where we have a medicinal cannabis industry development plan and where the government’s own...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:50): (1753) My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety and relates to the Bell Street bridge in Coburg. Local residents have welcomed recently announced traffic-calming treatments at this location but remain concerned about pedestrian safety. Their concerns include: footpaths that in some places are narrower than 1 metre in width, contrary to Australian safety standards; no separation between the bridge footpath and traffic; and slope guttering that makes the kerb easy for cars to mount. Slip lanes at both ends of the bridge are extremely dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, and unfortunately the...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:05): My question is for the Attorney-General. The Crime Statistics Agency has shown that between 2012 and 2018 the number of women entering prison increased from 333 to 825, with a percentage increase in women entering prison on remand and a percentage decrease in women entering under sentence. In fact the criminal justice inquiry also heard that 70 to 90 per cent of incarcerated women have experienced sexual abuse, family violence and trauma. Remand numbers post the 2018 Bail Act 1977 changes have worsened still, showing that the bail reforms predicated on protecting women are actually working...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:41): (1715) My constituency question is for the Minister for Resources and relates to the proposed quarry in Beveridge in my electorate. I have recently sat down with local community members who highlighted their concerns that the quarry will bring dust, noise, congestion, pollution and vibrations and be a significant eyesore. They say it will irrevocably tear a hole right in the heart of their community. I note that the minister recently confirmed in this chamber that this issue very much falls within her responsibilities as she has the resources portfolio. So my constituents ask: will...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:33): My question is for the minister representing the Treasurer and relates to tax exemptions for religious organisations. Currently the Duties Act 2000 provides an exemption for transfer duty to a corporation or body established for a religious purpose. Further, it provides an exemption from transfer duty for the so-called charitable purpose of the advancement of religion. Whereas exemptions for land tax look specifically at use and only apply to land used exclusively for charitable purposes, the exemption for transfer duty is much broader. As we know from media reports, Catholic Church properties reportedly include offices, residences, car...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:36): My question is for the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. After the terrifying fall of Kabul to the Taliban thousands of Afghan refugees were welcomed into Victoria. Many have been staying in temporary accommodation in my electorate, including a group of journalists who fled the Taliban, to whom this question relates. These highly educated and hard-working refugees are proficient in multiple languages, including English. They have worked for media companies such as Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle. It would be a mistake to waste their knowledge and skills when their communication proficiency would be an asset to...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:03): My question is for the Minister for Higher Education. Last week I met with the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in relation to their state budget submission. One of their policy ideas that they presented to me was to provide financial support to internationals students so that they can pick Victoria over other states and countries. We know that internationals students are vital to hold up our education sector but, as we have also seen, vital to our hospitality sector, vital for an injection of spending and vital to tourism. So my question is:...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:57): (1656) My constituency question is for the Minister for Housing, and it is in regard to the quality and safety of public housing sites in Glenroy. My office has actually received a number of complaints from residents around that area about the poor quality and safety of the three separate public housing sites on Daley Street and Isla Avenue in Glenroy. There have been reports of fires and squatters moving into the damaged and degraded units. The situation seems to be becoming increasingly volatile, and it is posing risks not only to the community but to the...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:32): My question is for the Minister for Workplace Safety. Last week I met with a really beautiful man called Warren Brown, whose arm was really sadly very badly crushed in a workplace accident a number of years ago. He is like many other patients on workers compensation, who are meant to receive payment for reasonable medical costs resulting from their injuries, but they are being uniformly denied remuneration for legally prescribed medicinal cannabis by WorkCover. This is despite having full state and federal approvals and having exhausted all treatment options, including opioid analgesics and ketamine treatments. They...