Sydney Road congestion
Jun 8, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My constituency question is for the Minister for Public Transport. A few of the businesses near my electorate office in Sydney Road have met with me and said that they are very concerned about proposals circulating in the media to permanently remove on-street car parking from Sydney Road and replace it with platform tram stops, wider footpaths and separated bike lanes. Parking is very difficult. Customers are coming in and out of their stores as well as driving to their specific stores. I ask the minister: is she giving serious consideration to this proposal, and if...
Harm minimisation? I don’t think so
Jun 8, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My question is to the Minister for Training and Skills representing the Minister for Police. Just weeks ago police hit the streets with sniffer dogs as part of so-called Operation Safenight. Then over the weekend there was the announcement that new no-reason stop-and-search powers will apply to music festivals. These measures are billed as harm minimisation. Experts and music venue operators are desperately warning that, far from harm minimisation, these policing policies are directly increasing risk, and that is what is happening. People are now using substances that are far more potent and not detectable by sniffer...
Do Protective Service Officers have too much power?
May 26, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My question is to the Minister for Corrections representing the Minister for Police. The Minister for Police on Tuesday announced new powers for protective services officers (PSOs), including powers to arrest a person who has breached their parole and powers to conduct searches for illicit drugs. The Law Institute of Victoria has stated:
We believe PSOs would need additional training and higher skills to enable them to have the power to arrest a person who has breached their parole, conduct searches for illicit drugs …Noting that PSOs only really receive 12 weeks training, can the minister detail what additional...
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My constituency question is to the Minister for Planning. My question relates to a very controversial site in Fawkner, which is the old Nufarm factory site. I have had a number of constituents ring me believing that it is filled with carcinogenic chemicals and that it is probably a very unsafe site, so it came as quite a surprise to see that the site was being marketed as a residential development site, particularly seeing as it is still zoned as light commercial. It appears that the land is going to become a residential development at some...
Fiona puts pressure on roadside Drug Testing
May 19, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My question is for the minister representing the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Ms Pulford. The Transport Accident Commission's (TAC's) latest drug-driving campaign features a young man, completely in control of his vehicle, driving his grandmother home after Sunday lunch when he is subjected to a drug-driving test. His grandmother looks on as the saliva test returns a positive result. The press release announcing the ad says that the new campaign aims to educate the community that drugs can remain detectable long after the impairment effects have passed, sometimes even weeks after the substance was consumed....
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I have recently been contacted by constituents regarding the significant concerns amongst traders and patrons of the historic Queen Victoria Market because of the lack of transparency surrounding the project. It appears the City of Melbourne wants to repurpose the market as a supermarket-style food precinct rather than support its current model as a fresh food working market for all of Melbourne.
Traders and the public support renovating and refreshing the market but do not want it to lose its character, and they feel that message is not being heard, particularly as they feel shut out of...
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My question is to the Minister for Corrections, representing the Attorney-General. It has been reported this week that young Victorian schoolgirls are being unlawfully forced into marriage in record numbers, with authorities investigating dozens of child bride and forced marriage claims. I think we should call it what it is: this is child abuse. Despite numerous amendments to the Crimes Act 1958, why does the act include the defence of consent to sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16, indecent act with a child under the age of 16 and other child...
Naloxone is unavailable too often
May 3, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My second question is for the Minister for Families and Children, representing the Minister for Mental Health. In response to my supervised injecting centre bill and the coroner's related recommendations around a medically supervised injecting centre, the minister announced in February a $1.3 million package to subsidise the cost of naloxone. I am advised by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia that since naloxone has been available across the counter, there have been persistent issues with low wholesaler stock and naloxone is regularly unavailable. What is the government doing to guarantee the supply of naloxone across...
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My question is to the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, and it is an issue that has been raised with me by a number of legal businesses in Melbourne. A ministerial advisory committee is established under section 67 of the Victorian Sex Work Act 1994 to advise the minister and assist with regulation and control of the sex work industry; liaison with Victoria Police; referring investigations to WorkSafe, the tax office, immigration et cetera; and developing educational programs and sex health information. However, despite these incredibly important functions of the Sex Work Ministerial Advisory Committee,...
Will gov listen to experts?
Mar 22, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My question is to the Special Minister of State. The purpose of parliamentary committee inquiries is to investigate issues before the Parliament and to help inform the legislation we are to vote on, but there is a trend of pushing ahead with bills despite committees being yet to hand down reports. Reforms to the taxi industry and new laws on synthetic drugs are just two examples where the government is pushing ahead with legislation despite parliamentary committees still hearing the views of experts and diligently investigating the issues. Given the government's approach...