Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:43): My question is for the minister for the digital economy. In the last few months we have seen an extraordinary rise in the value of cryptocurrencies, led by the continued heights that the most popular currency, bitcoin, has achieved. Today one bitcoin is worth over A$65 000. I have asked the government before about its intentions towards new forms of digital payments and was told by former Leader of the House Mr Jennings that the government was keeping an eye on this space. Minister, given the greater acceptance of digital currencies in the community, is...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:37): My constituency question is for the Minister for Agriculture. My constituent, a greyhound owner, has a question on behalf of the thousands of greyhounds in my electorate—ruff! Under Victorian law greyhounds must be on a leash in public areas, making it very difficult for owners to responsibly give their beloved speedsters some freedom to run. My constituent points out these restrictions are a little rough. Well over 1000 former racing greyhounds are adopted out every year through the Greyhound Adoption Program, with that number steadily increasing. Given the growing popularity and specific needs of this...

  Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:17): My question is for the Minister for Local Government. At the beginning of this month you announced the Gender Equality Advisory Committee, which among other things will drive the implementation of the Australian-first Gender Equality Act 2020 across local government. I think you spoke more about it, if I am right, in your ministers statement this week. Local government is a massive employer of women, but many of the services that they provide are contracted on a short-term basis. This leads to job insecurity and knowledge loss through job churn. Can the minister explain what...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:44): My constituency question is for the Minister for Creative Industries. The Butterfly Club is a small theatre in the Melbourne CBD. Currently industry restrictions are written in such a way to limit their capacity to 75 per cent of the auditorium. They are also imposing a limit of one person per 2 square metres in their foyer. In practice this limits the capacity of the Butterfly Club and similar theatres to the size of their foyers, because the 50 per cent quotient will always be lower than the 75 per cent limit of their...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:33): My question is for the Attorney-General. The Public Accounts and Estimates Committee’s inquiry into the Victorian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic found 39 985 fines had been issued to people in Victoria for breaches of the COVID-19 rules. 2806 of those fines have been paid in full and 4869 were withdrawn. How many unpaid COVID fines issued have now been converted to criminal charges?

Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Resources) (12:34): I thank Ms Patten for her question. There is a little bit...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (11:20): My question is to the Minister for Workplace Safety and relates to Central Pier in Docklands. A recent article in the Age revealed that Development Victoria, the agency in charge of Central Pier, knew for quite a few years that the 100-year-old structure was at extreme risk of collapse, before it was shut down abruptly.

The Federal Court documents show that prior to the shutdown on 28 August 2019 Development Victoria had been warned that the pier risked catastrophic failure but delayed acting in an apparent attempt...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (11:54): My constituency question is for the Minister for Planning. The MCG Trust, the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Yarra Park trust have changed the regulations for the precinct around the MCG known as Yarra Park to ban amplified sound. Yarra Park is an entertainment precinct. Under these changes it will be impossible to have entertainment. All the outdoor events that could have been hosted in a COVID-safe manner cannot go ahead. These events bring in millions of dollars of investment. We need investment in outdoor events to help rebuild the...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (11:14): My question is for Minister for Local Government. When it comes to regional rates policy, governments of either colour have issued reports, reviews and recommendations but really taken very little action. In last Saturday’s edition of the Sunraysia Daily the editor wrote a column where he spoke about his sister, who lives in Box Hill. Her property is worth twice as much as his property on the outskirts of Mildura, yet she pays half the rates. So a person with a modest property in the most isolated part of the...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (11:54): My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. Last year I joined the City of Whittlesea’s nightmare commute bus, and a nightmare it was—2 hours and 12 excruciating minutes from Wollert to the CBD.

The fragmented Edgars Road has been a crucial missing link in Melbourne’s north for decades. A 1-kilometre stretch between Cooper Street and O’Herns Road, as I understand, is near completed but is currently the only part of this much-needed project that has begun.

My...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (11:17): My question is for the Attorney-General. Prior to the 30 June deadline for organisations to sign up to the national redress scheme, the Attorney-General said, and I quote, it is ‘just not acceptable’ that institutions do not sign up:

We will be making it a condition of contracts with the Victorian Government that institutions that have got a liability when it comes to institutional sexual abuse join the redress scheme.

Ms Hennessy said funding was in jeopardy, including grants and funding to deliver...