SARC Alert Digest No. 15
Nov 16, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:33): As a member of the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee I take great offence at Mr Davis’s description of the work we did. But I would also just like to note that the Liberal members of SARC are rarely there.
Mr Smith, certainly we have not seen him for quite some time, and Mr Burgess, I would have to note, was relatively silent on this bill.
SARC discussed this bill and scrutinised this bill for 2½ hours. The report reflects that scrutiny, and I would suggest that if the opposition wants to play a role in...
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (15:44): I am pleased to rise to speak on this legislation. Let us just remember—and let us be really clear—that if our government and this Parliament had done nothing about COVID, then our health system would have been overwhelmed and thousands of Victorians would have died, gasping for air, many of them doctors and nurses, many of them friends or family. I have no doubt that everyone in this chamber probably knows someone who has had COVID, is experiencing the effects of long COVID or is immunocompromised and is frightened by COVID. I have no doubt...
Liquor Control Reform Amendment Bill 2021
Oct 28, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (17:27): I am not going to speak for long on this bill, because I think everybody has fully acquitted the legislation and there is no point repeating those words. So I would like to just focus on the amendments that I am proposing to this legislation, and they actually go to some comments that Mr Quilty just made in regard to some the restrictions on advertising.
Fiona Patten’s Reason Party amendments circulated by Ms PATTEN pursuant to standing orders.
Ms PATTEN: My initial amendment deals with alcohol advertising, as I mentioned. It is the use of the word ‘sexual’...
Terrorism (Community Protection) Amendment Bill 2021
Oct 28, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (11:16): I rise to make a few comments on this legislation. I do not often say it, but I tend to agree with Mr Quilty, unusual as that may be. I think he does make some good points. This is concerning legislation, and certainly I also echo a number of the points that Dr Ratnam made in her contribution about this.
This kind of pre-emptive action does not work. It is not based on any evidence, and I think it has actually the greater threat of further radicalising people, of further isolating people. And it is that...
Public Accounts and Estimates Committee reference
Oct 28, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (10:41): I am pleased to rise to speak on Mr Limbrick’s motion, and I am pleased to see that Mr Limbrick is enjoying some of his freedoms at the moment. It looks like he is at an early opener nightclub going by the red lights that we are seeing, which are bathing him in a beautiful slightly pink colour. We are seeing those freedoms and whoever thought that we would be broadcasting into Parliament from a nightclub. But this has brought us many unusual things, this year.
I do not actually have a problem with the Public...
Covid-19 vaccination
Oct 14, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (19:46): It is very sad that we are all not as perfect as the Liberal Democrats. I mean, what did we do without them before this? I do not know how we managed without Mr Quilty showing us the light. How on earth did we get on? I do not know. No, that is right, we did manage to pass legislation without them.
Members interjecting.
Ms PATTEN: That is right—we did manage to pass legislation. Now, I have been trying not to get angry. In fact I really did not want to speak on this, because I just...
Inquiry into the Closure of I Cook Foods
Oct 14, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (16:00): Pursuant to standing order 23.29 I lay on the table the second report from the Legal and Social Issues Committee on the inquiry into the closure of I Cook Foods Pty Ltd, including appendices, transcripts of evidence, extracts of proceedings and a minority report. I move:
That the report be published.
Motion agreed to.
Ms PATTEN: I move:
That the Council take note of the report.
The first inquiry that we did into the closure of I Cook Foods was a self-referred inquiry. That was an investigation into the case of listeriosis that related to the death of Mrs Jean Painter...
Timber industry
Oct 13, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (20:32): I am pleased to have this opportunity. I thought I had quite a few people in front of me. I am really delighted to get up and speak on this motion, and I am supportive of this motion. I am very interested to see what these documents say—as much as Mr Bourman is, and I am sure Dr Ratnam is also interested to see these documents—because I think it is important that we understand how this transition is going to happen, why we need 10 years for the transition and what we are going to...
Gas exploration
Oct 13, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (19:05): I am pleased to rise and support this motion. I think this motion is in many ways about recognising that we are in a climate emergency. It is recognising that we have to do things differently. I acknowledge a lot of the government’s comments about the actions that they are taking, the projects that they have underway, but it just grates when you still say ‘But drilling for gas is still okay. We are doing great things’—and I actually do not doubt that. I actually think that Victoria is ahead, and I think the Minister...
Firearms and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2021
Oct 12, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (21:53): I am pleased to rise to speak to this omnibus bill on firearms, control of weapons, sex offenders registration and Victoria Police. I support much of this legislation. I certainly support responsible gun ownership, and I think that many parts of this bill go towards that and go to rectifying issues that possibly could have been rectified some time ago. But I cannot support the further bedding down, the further trampling down, in relation to firearms prohibition orders. As we said back in 2018, these completely trample on fundamental human rights. Once a firearm prohibition...