Thursday, 8 February 2024

Responses

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (17:30): I welcome the opportunity to respond to members in the chamber at this time. To the member for Gippsland East, who raised with me the concerns that his constituents are experiencing in getting their imaging done in a timely way – particularly at Bairnsdale health but also at other health services in the Gippsland region – I do know that the world is facing a bit of a global shortage of radiologists at the moment. It really points to the need for us to think perhaps a little differently about the way in which we can ensure that people in rural and regional Victoria are not disadvantaged by the tyranny of distance, which sometimes plays into the difficulties that we have in getting the right people at the right place in terms of the healthcare workforce. I very much look forward to looking into that and trying to resolve that issue with you, so I thank you very much for that question.

My colleagues the member for Albert Park and the member for Mordialloc both asked me to attend their electorates to meet with their constituents and to hear directly from them about women’s experiences of pain in our community. There is no doubt whatsoever that since the day I joined with the Premier and the member for Northcote – also the Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health – to announce this first pain inquiry we have absolutely been inundated by women in our electorates and communities who at last feel that their voices are being heard and that their experiences will be believed. So I absolutely welcome that opportunity. I will work, obviously, with your offices and my office, and if I am not available for some reason, I will also work with my parliamentary secretary to ensure that one or the other of us is there with you in your communities. That is something we very much look forward to.

The member for Caulfield raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and he requested that the minister join him to meet with locals regarding the Queens Avenue redevelopment. The member for Pascoe Vale, always a passionate advocate for his community in this place, asked that the Minister for Public and Active Transport visit his electorate to see firsthand the absolutely positive impact that this government’s commitment to boosting transport infrastructure in his electorate has had – the way in which the public transport system is working for his community – but also just to have that opportunity to talk about what the next steps might well be in servicing the people of the Pascoe Vale community.

The member for Gippsland South had a question for the attention of the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place, and the action that the member seeks is that the minister liaise with her federal counterpart – and indeed, I suspect, with other ministers around the nation – on ways in which the disaster recovery funding arrangements could be amended to recognise that the increasing natural disasters in this state and across Australia do have a really significant impact and perhaps the existing framework is no longer fit for purpose. I am sure the minister will welcome the opportunity to do that.

The member for Kew had a question for the Minister for Education. The action that the member sought is that the minister release the teacher supply and demand reports for 2022 and 2023. I will refer that matter to the minister. The member for Frankston, like me, is a passionate supporter of the scouting movement. The member has asked that the Minister for Youth join him to see the fantastic upgrades to the South Frankston Scout hall. I am sure the Minister for Youth will look forward to doing that. The member for Warrandyte has raised a matter for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The matter that she raised is that the minister take action in relation to the Five Ways intersection. The member for Bayswater raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Housing. The action that the member sought is that the minister join him at the Knox social housing project but also take the opportunity to visit with the member and hear from him about his real commitment to social housing and delivering for the people of his community.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Stay classy, Victoria. The house now stands adjourned.

House adjourned 5:37 pm.