Tuesday, 21 March 2023

Ministers statements: LGBTIQ+ support

Daniel ANDREWS (Mulgrave – Premier) (14:28): I rise to update the house on the fact that the government is in conversation with a number of different service providers who provide direct support and assistance – often life-saving support and assistance – to our trans community as a result of what occurred on the steps of this building on Saturday. We will work with those service providers, Switchboard and others, to see whether they need increased support, because what we know is that when we have shocking, awful, harmful displays like we did on Saturday, the number of people reaching out for support, often life-saving support, increases notably. So we will not leave those service providers short in the important work that they do.

While I am speaking about the events of Saturday I want to make it very clear that that was an ugly, evil, harmful gathering long before the Nazi salute was used. Fancy a group of people or anyone allied to them finding one of the most vulnerable cohorts in our community and then setting out with elaborate organisation and planning, real passion and indeed a sense of urgency, to make that vulnerable community’s lives even harder – to find the most vulnerable and then make their lives even harder. As if 15 times the self-harm and suicide rate was not enough – what do you want it to be, 20 times, 30 times? We stand with the trans community, with the LGBTIQ+ community, with every person who represents diversity in our community, because all too often they are the targets of those who do not have love and goodness in their hearts but something very, very different.

Can I just say as well: consistency is important. It is not good enough to say one thing on Joy FM and another thing on 3AW. It is not good enough to say one thing on Fitzroy Street and another thing on Spring Street. Either you are for equality or you are not. Either you are a member of this government or you are a Liberal.

Tim Bull: On a point of order, Speaker, it is disappointing that so early in this term there are so many outstanding questions that have not been answered within the time frame, and I would like to bring them to your attention to see if we can get the ministers to answer: question 76 to the Minister for Housing, question 74 to the Minister for Mental Health, question 73 to the Minister for Housing, question 72 to the Minister for Health, question 67 to the Minister for Housing, question 66 to the Minister for Housing, question 65 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 64 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 63 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 62 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 61 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 60 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 59 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 58 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 57 to the Minister for Agriculture, question 22 to the Minister for Emergency Services, question 21 to the Minister for Emergency Services, question 17 to the Minister for Child Protection and Family Services, question 16 to the Minister for Consumer Affairs, question 11 – I am getting there – to the Minister for Mental Health, question 9 to the Attorney-General and question 3 to the Minister for Education. I hope that we do not fall into the trap of getting so far out of date this term, and I ask you to bring those questions that are already outdated to the attention of the ministers.

The SPEAKER: I will bring those matters to the attention of the ministers that you referred to.