Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (09:55): Can I first start by thanking the member for Pakenham for sharing her story here today. Many in the room may not know that I knew the member for Pakenham prior to coming into Parliament. Our first experience of catching up was when she was a volunteer as a firefighter out in Beaconsfield. Many would have known we had a political battle going at the time with the CFA, and I went out quite regularly and bagged the then Premier Daniel Andrews in that room and had my say. And then one day I walked in here and saw Emma, and she came up, gave me a kiss and I turned around and said ‘How are you going?’ and she said ‘Great.’ I said ‘What are you doing in the Parliament?’ and she said ‘I work for Daniel Andrews.’ I was not aware of that whilst I was bagging Daniel Andrews in that room, but she forgave me for everything I did.

But to hear her story now is something obviously that hits many people in Victoria, and FightMND is an organisation that we know does so much. We can do a small part in our communities. I note the member for Geelong said she may or may not go down the slide. I will go down the slide. I have been dared to go down as Donald Trump, but it will not happen – just letting everyone know. But I will be going down the slide at the Beaconsfield big slide this year on 6 June, and I invite the community to come along. Probably this year more than ever with the 10years and obviously with Neale Daniher doing so much over his time with what we have done with MND, I invite everyone out in the Casey and Cardinia community to come along on 6 June and join us at that slide and raise as much money as possible. I will get our other Labor members down there, and maybe we can go down as a Liberal and Labor combination on that slide.