Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I would like to rise to briefly speak about the Family Violence Protection Amendment Bill 2017. As many of the other speakers have quite rightly pointed out, the statistics regarding family violence are just simply staggering. Noting the increase in reports of family violence I hope is a reason that Ms Fitzherbert touched upon the fact that the stigma around family violence is finally coming off our shoulders. We can speak more openly about family violence. We understand that we are not alone — women, predominantly, are not alone — in family violence. The...
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I move:
That the Council take note of the report.
I am very pleased to present the Electoral Matters Committee's report on its inquiry into electronic voting. As many members will recognise, this is a very current issue and certainly one we have all discussed at the pub or around the dinner table. The committee received 34 written submissions, which is the second highest number of submissions the Electoral Matters Committee has ever received. I would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who made those submissions.
The committee had to consider two competing forces as a...
Fiona continues to support small businesses
May 2, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I was actually quite pleased with this bill. I did not mind it much, really. It seemed to be doing some good things. Early in my term of being elected I met with Geoff Browne. I was not aware of a lot of the work that the Victorian small business commissioner was already doing. This bill expands on that, and I am more optimistic, I think, than my friend Mr Ondarchie on where this will take us and how this will help the 556 000 small businesses in Victoria, that make up 97.6 per...
Call for 17yo driving age – Committee speech
Mar 22, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I move:
That the Council take note of the report.
The reference for this inquiry came from Mr Purcell, who asked that the committee investigate the impacts of lowering the probationary driving age in Victoria, including assessing the link between the driving age of 18 and youth unemployment in regional areas, and the correlation between a lower probationary driving age and the road toll. The committee was also asked to review the adequacy of transport infrastructure and services available to young people in regional Victoria.
We received over 100 submissions from a broad range of stakeholders, including government departments, road safety...
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I rise to speak to the Wrongs Amendment (Organisational Child Abuse) Bill 2016. I will not restate the purpose; I think it has been canvassed very well by the previous speakers. But in addressing child abuse the effect that this most abhorrent epidemic has had on our community is literally unquantifiable. As survivors of institutional sex abuse speak out — and we have been hearing it over the years, and certainly it has been on our TV screens most recently — usually they are speaking out after decades of painful, secretive silence. There is a terrible consistency in...
A waste of a motion?
Mar 8, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I rise to speak on the motion moved by Ms Springle on behalf of the Greens. Equality is a founding plank of my policy platform, and I stand in a strong position and have a strong record on anti-discrimination issues. At this very moment I have two motions on the notice paper calling on the government to strengthen Victoria's anti-discrimination laws, and I will continue to fight that good fight.
I am appalled by Pauline Hanson and One Nation. I think they trade on disunity, division and fear, and they have no place in this multicultural country that...
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I am very pleased to rise to speak to this motion and I am very pleased that e-petitions will become a reality in the Victorian Legislative Council — and hopefully in the Victorian Legislative Assembly in the not-too-distant future. I have to note that the motion that I put on the notice paper last year was almost a replica of a 2009 Legislative Assembly motion after a Legislative Assembly committee had strongly recommended e-petitions, so it is certainly something that this Parliament has been grappling with, possibly somewhat unnecessarily, for many years, but in 2017 it is...
Retirement housing sector, a fascinating inquiry
Mar 7, 2017
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I too would like to say a few brief words about the inquiry into the retirement housing sector. It was a fascinating inquiry. It is probably just the beginning of many in addressing this fast growing sector of housing requirements. Seeing the variety of retirement housing as part of the inquiry also highlighted the complexity of finding regulation and legislation that meet the needs of that very diverse and growing sector.
We heard during the inquiry that there is a huge housing shortage, and that is only going to grow. This inquiry started out by looking at...
Supporting a ban on Fracking – The Resources Legislation Amendment (Fracking Ban) Bill 2016
Mar 7, 2017
Second Reading
PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I am very pleased to rise to speak on the Resources Legislation Amendment (Fracking Ban) Bill 2016. I will not restate the purposes of the bill, because I think they have been covered in great detail and very well by previous speakers.
I have always supported a ban on fracking, and I note that everyone, with the exception I think of Mr Somyurek, agrees with that position. The Sex Party has had a policy on it since its inception but we did not have a policy on conventional gas, so this has been a really interesting process for...
Second Reading
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I thank all the contributors here today. I understand that time is of the essence, so I will be incredibly brief. I do appreciate everything that everyone has said. Even Mrs Peulich and I do agree on one thing: that this is not going to solve everything. This is just one part of saving lives. Yes, we desperately need more treatment and we desperately need more treatment beds, but this bill is simple. It is about saving lives. I started on the road of developing this bill after a young mother of two children died in...