Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (16:27): I am pleased to rise to speak somewhat briefly to the Police and Emergency Legislation Amendment Bill 2020. This bill does a range of things, as the previous speakers have mentioned and talked to: expanding the definition of the designated places for PSOs; enabling someone who is in jail for one reason to be questioned by the police and moved within the police station to be questioned on another offence; and certainly changing some of the abilities for sheriffs to serve applications for family violence, as well as amending some of...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (15:29): This year has been, it does feel—many of the days feel—like groundhog day, particularly as we are coming back to debate the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2020, which amends the legislation we debated in March, earlier this year.

Although, it was quite different last time we debated it. It did not go to a vote. In fact the whole chamber supported the bill. And frankly, I am not sure what has got in the water. I am sure our wastewater testing could probably...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (14:40): I rise to speak to the Liberal Democrats motion on opening schools for term 4. And as Dr Cumming said, put it on its merit. Yes, I will—it has no merit. Seriously, for anyone playing at home today, just remember: this does nothing. This has zero effect whether it passes or not. This has nothing. It may get a few more Facebook likes—

Ms Mikakos: I’m going to quote you in future.

Ms PATTEN: Taking that up, Ms Mikakos, Minister, when I put something forward—I will put forward a bill,...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (15:40): I would like to rise to speak to the COVID-19 Commercial and Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment (Extension) Bill 2020.

As we know, in March 2020 we saw businesses across this state closed, and it was not their fault, nor was it the fault of anyone. It is a virus, it is a pandemic, and we have all been learning to deal with it. We have all been learning to work with it, but it is hard.

I know that many of us will...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (17:19): I rise to speak and make some brief comments on a petition that was tabled by Mr Ondarchie yesterday. It was a petition calling on this Legislative Council to call ‘on the Andrews Labor government to reverse the decision and not put an injecting
room in our area’.

This was in regard to the announcement and the recommendation from the expert panel reviewing the supervised injecting room in North Richmond. There was a recommendation from them that a second centre be opened and be located in the...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (15:17): I will obviously be very brief. I too would actually like to congratulate a lot of the workers at DHHS who have been working incredibly hard during this time.

There is no road map for a pandemic. We do not know the pathway. However, mistakes have been made, things have been mishandled, problems have emerged and there have been issues at all levels.

But it does not mean we do not need quarantine. You know, we had Ms Crozier voting against the...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:53): I move:

That the bill be now read a second time.

You may not realise it, but to get a job as a youth worker at Dorset Primary School or Craigieburn Secondary College—or many other public schools across Victoria—you have to be a Christian.

That is what the job advertisements say.

This is religious discrimination, it is happening in the Victorian public school system, and it is happening now.

The Victorian Department of Education and...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (10:59): Just before I start, I have a memory of Mr Finn talking about his time on the school bus with the sticky seats and the shorts! With that visual, I am quite happy to support Mr Barton’s motion to further explore how we can better use the school bus program. I do not think Mr Barton would mind me calling it the bus-sharing motion.

Mr Barton interjected.

Ms PATTEN: Ridesharing-on-a-bus motion. But I must say when I looked at the motion I thought, ‘Hang on, we’ve done...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:28): I do think it is disappointing that we are here with the same temporary orders. I was hopeful at the last sitting that we would have been able to progress adequate ways for us to meet in a more fulsome way.

I am pleased and I have no reason to doubt that the government does want to sit and that the government does want to progress its legislative agenda. In fact we have nine bills sitting on our notice paper today. But I do express some...

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (14:01): Pursuant to standing order 23.29 I lay on the table an interim report from the Legal and Social Issues Committee on the inquiry into homelessness in Victoria, and I include its appendices. I move:

That the report be published.

Motion agreed to.

Ms PATTEN: I move:

That the Council take note of the report.

It is good timing to be introducing this interim report in the week of homelessness. This interim report I think really is...