Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (12:12): I move:

That I introduce a bill for an act to amend the Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Act 2015 to categorise or recategorise certain hospitals for the purposes of nurse-to-patient and midwife-to-patient ratios and for other purposes.

Motion agreed to.

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:13): I seek a brief explanation of the bill.

 Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (12:13): The bill updates hospital categories in the act, supporting the government’s objectives of delivering safe, high-quality care, maintaining responsive nurse and midwife staffing arrangements and implementing evidence-based reforms. The changes will help ensure staffing requirements better reflect contemporary service demand and complexity across Victoria’s public health system.

Read first time.

Ordered to be read second time tomorrow.