South-West Coast electorate
Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (15:36): (232) My question is for the Minister for Health. The Port Fairy cemetery has been a victim of multiple break-ins. Mrs Maria Cameron, president of the Port Fairy cemetery trust, explained how they are desperately trying to upgrade their outdated shed, which they use to store the equipment donated by volunteers, such as shovels, mowers and hedge trimmers. The trust applied for a grant to repair their outdated shed to mitigate the risk of break-ins. The department’s response to the requested $39,000 grant was that it had received more applications than it could fund. These people are volunteers, who responsibly and respectfully bury our dead. This government manages to look at regional Victorians like Mrs Cameron in the eye and say, ‘Our government wasted billions of dollars on the Commonwealth Games, but your volunteers at the cemetery are not entitled to a $39,000 grant.’ As the minister responsible, why isn’t there adequate funding in place for cemeteries in this year’s budget so that these volunteers in South-West Coast can do their job without fear for the cemetery’s safety?