Traffic congestion
Aug 21, 2018
MS PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (14:51:12) —
My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. One of my constituents is a resident of Mill Park and is deeply concerned about traffic congestion in our northern suburbs.
Whittlesea, at the top of our electorate, has experienced rapid growth. The municipality is now bigger than Geelong, with 60 babies being born each week and 150 new residents moving into the suburb of South Morang itself each month. Point blank, transport infrastructure has failed to keep up with this rapid growth.
As much as sustainable public transport is desirable, the pragmatic reality is that residents of the...
Dental health funding
Aug 21, 2018
MS PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (14:26:06) — My question is for the Minister for Health represented by Minister Mikakos. The Victorian Oral Health Alliance estimates that only 16 per cent of those eligible to receive public dental care actually receive it. In my electorate, at Your Community Health in Darebin the wait for eligible adults seeking general dental care is 22.8 months, and the state wait time is 19.7 months, which is a 67 per cent increase since 2015. The result of these wait times is avoidable deaths, induced illnesses including periodontal-related coronary disease, stroke, vascular disease and pancreatic cancer. The avoidable downstream cost to the health system...
Drug Harm Reduction
Aug 9, 2018
MS PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:35:23) — My question is for the Minister for Mental Health, represented by Minister Mikakos. On 6 August this year Coroner Audrey Jamieson reported in relation to the tragic overdose death of Samuel Jack Morrison. In her report she noted that, and I quote:
Advocating for establishment of the North Richmond Community Health (MSIC) has been the central focus of coroners' heroin harm reduction efforts over the past two years. However, if this MSIC had been operating when Mr Morrison was still alive, I suspect it would not have had an impact on the risk of his dying from heroin-involved overdose.
She went...
Number 86 Tram
Aug 7, 2018
MS PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (14:37:47) — My constituency question is for the Minister for Public Transport. My constituent is a member of the tram 86 campaign group which rallied today at the last stop of the number 86 tram line. Their proposal is to extend the tram line to South Morang to address congestion and a heavy reliance on vehicular traffic in our north. The May 2016 budget included funding for a feasibility study into this proposal. My constituent asks: what was the outcome of that study, and when will the report be publicly available?
Directed to: Minister for Public Transport
ANSWER:
A feasibility study into extending...
Public Housing
Aug 7, 2018
MS PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (14:22:20) — My question is for the Treasurer, represented in this house by Minister Jennings. There are 24 800 Victorians who are homeless and over 80 000 are on public housing waiting lists. In looking at creative solutions to this, I note the success of build-to-rent schemes in overseas jurisdictions, which provide affordable, long-term and flexible rentals. In fact Australian superannuation funds right now are investing in build-to-rent developments in the United States and Europe. The reason they are not investing here is that our tax system disincentives this type of product, stripping away the margins that would be attractive to investors...
Epilepsy Foundation and the NDIS
Jul 25, 2018
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:08:05) — My question is for the Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, represented by Minister Mikakos. Somewhat arbitrarily the Epilepsy Foundation has historically been funded from the disability budget rather than the health budget. With Department of Health and Human Services disability funding set to cease in less than 12 months time and be redirected to the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS), people living with epilepsy stand to be adversely affected. Only 5 to 20 per cent of people living with epilepsy will be eligible for the NDIS, meaning that 80 per cent of clients currently accessing services through the...
Working with children checks
Jul 25, 2018
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:51:03) — My constituency question is for the Minister for Police. My constituent is a father of young daughters and is concerned around the protection provided to his children by the working with children checks and certificates. He points to Victorian Bishop Peter Hollingworth as an example. He stated to me that the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard evidence that Bishop Hollingworth allowed confirmed paedophile John Elliot to continue in his role as rector at Dalby, and rape was also alleged against him.
Bishop Hollingworth had to stand down as Governor-General and as a patron of...
Youth alcohol and drug treatment
Jun 22, 2018
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:04:03) — My question is for the Minister for Families and Children. Minister, we know that alcohol and other drugs (AOD) treatment for young people works. Research indicates that each dollar spent on AOD treatment returns $8 in future savings to health and justice-related services. In another study it was found that residential rehabilitation achieves savings of over $200 000 when compared to prison. Residential rehabilitation is cheaper than prison and achieves better outcomes in reducing offending and improving health. Treatment means fewer young people are dependent; it means fewer overdoses, fewer deaths and a reduction in drug-related crime. I...
Seniors ID
Jun 21, 2018
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:34:54) — My constituency question this week is for the Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, and I would like to thank Dylan Cutifani, who has been working in my office, for the question. We spoke to a constituent who is 82 years old, is trying to sell her house and has been told that she requires three forms of ID: her birth certificate, a Medicare card and a licence or passport for photo ID. She has never had a passport and gave up her drivers licence 10 years ago. Since then she has found herself without a valid form...
Ministerial Accountability
Jun 20, 2018
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:01:36) — My question is for the Special Minister of State and relates to government transparency and accountability — something I know he is very keen on. Other Australian jurisdictions, including Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT, have policies of open ministerial diaries, where information about the Premier's and the ministers' movements and meetings is published online. They are open and accountable to the public. In a parliamentary term where we have had a lot of ethical breaches — and I feel that we have been dogged with this from both sides of Parliament — and in a week where...