Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Responses

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (17:24): I want to thank the member for Mornington for the question and for raising with me his concern about the number of young people being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Indeed we have seen an increase in the number of young people receiving that diagnosis, and research is currently unclear on why this may well be the case. However, bowel cancer is in many cases caused by a range of lifestyle factors. I want to be clear that I am not in any way indicating that individuals are responsible for this, but we do live in a world where it is harder to be able to eat good, healthy food every day. We live in a world where it is harder to get the amount of exercise that we really need to get in order to be healthy and well. So there are a number of structural issues that exist that mean that cancers like bowel cancer are becoming increasingly prevalent.

As I am sure the member knows, while we have a screening program in place here in Australia, it is currently only for people over 50. But I would say too – and I take this opportunity to let the member and others know – that we are very concerned about the low take-up of the bowel cancer screen. It is of course distributed to all Australians over 50. I have done the screen every second year when it arrives. It is simple and easy to do. We need to get over that ick factor that is associated with the bowel screen and just encourage our constituents to take up that opportunity. I also want to commend the member for his own fundraising and awareness efforts, which came to me in my Facebook feed. I did not automatically press delete. I actually read the member’s Facebook post in relation to this, and I commend him for it.

The member for Shepparton raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action that she seeks is that the minister join her to look at what the member claims are some substandard road repairs in her electorate. The member for Kororoit raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. She is seeking an update from the minister in relation to works that are underway on the Western Freeway, which is obviously a very significant road not just to the member herself and her constituents but indeed to all the Labor members that represent the western suburbs of Melbourne. The member for Pascoe Vale raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Local Government, and the action he is seeking is that he be updated on the community consultation requirements that local governments are subject to. He took this opportunity to express the dissatisfaction of many of his constituents with the Merri-bek council’s consultation methods.

The member for Warrandyte raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Police, and the action that she seeks is that she receive a briefing on policing of the Ringwood North shopping centre. The member for Ashwood raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Consumer Affairs on behalf of a local Probus club but on a matter, I am sure, which is a concern to many community groups. The action he is seeking is that the minister look to reduce fees for community groups like Probus clubs to change their constitution. The member for Brunswick raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Planning, and the action he is seeking is that the minister seek to amend planning provisions that require permits for small, sustainable renovations and upgrades for homes that have heritage overlays.

The member for Narre Warren South raised a matter for the attention for the Minister for Industrial Relations. The matter that the member raised is that he receive an update on the government response to the parliamentary inquiry into workplace surveillance, and I want to commend the member for all the work that he has done in a former life and as a union leader representing the interests of some of Australia’s and Victoria’s lowest paid workers – I am thinking of farm workers in particular but also workers in logistics and warehousing sectors. The member for Hawthorn raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Planning, and the action he seeks is that the minister join him to discuss the impact that planning changes being made by our government will have on his constituents of Hawthorn.

The SPEAKER: Minister, did you respond to the member for Footscray?

Mary-Anne THOMAS: The member for Footscray, the first one up on her feet, had a very simple and precise request for the Minister for Mental Health: that the minister join her in Footscray to see the site for a multidisciplinary response to the many complex mental health and other issues that some of the member for Footscray’s constituents face. My apologies to the member for Footscray.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, Minister. Thank you, members. Thank you to the parliamentary staff and clerks, as always. The house now stands adjourned.

House adjourned 5:30pm.