Thursday, 15 August 2019

 Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:32): My question today is to the Minister for Local Government. Minister, as you will be aware, the North Richmond Community Health centre had to accommodate for the injecting room, which required programs such as the playgroup having to move. My question specifically relates to the local government services provided at the centre by the City of Yarra. A number of concerned North Richmond mothers have informed me that they are refusing to go to the North Richmond Community Health centre as they do not feel safe when addicts are leaving the injecting facility or due to the crime which is occurring around surrounding streets. They instead are requesting to go to other maternal and child health centre services within the City of Yarra. I ask: how many mothers have made that request?

The PRESIDENT: I am not too sure if it falls under his portfolio, but I call the minister.

 Mr SOMYUREK (South Eastern Metropolitan—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Small Business) (12:33): For a start, it is not my question, but if I can just sort of take this opportunity—

Ms Crozier: You can take it on notice.

Mr SOMYUREK: No, if I can just take the opportunity to outline what my responsibilities are—

Ms Crozier interjected.

Mr SOMYUREK: No, I do not mean it sarcastically. The Constitution Act 1975 clearly states that local government in Victoria is a distinct and essential tier of government responsible for and accountable for its own governance, the actions it takes and the decisions it makes. Underpinning that is the fact that they are democratically elected by the people, so they have a democratic mandate to be self-governing entities. Part of that is that they are responsible for their own operational matters, so I cannot, in an ad hoc way, get involved in the operational matters of any government.

Ms Crozier interjected.

Mr SOMYUREK: No, I am not. I am explaining to you what my role as local government minister is. My role as the local government minister—and what I do have a mandate for—is to lead the local government sector and to regulate the local government sector. In other words, I could have just got up and said this is not a question for the Minister for Local Government, because I do not have operational purview of any council. I am actually doing you the courtesy of explaining what my role is so we do not waste the time of this house on a weekly basis with questions that relate to the operational matters of councils. There are 79 councils in this state, and I do not want to stand here every week answering every operational challenge that each council has. That is why I have spent 2 minutes explaining to you what my role as the local government minister is.

 Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:35): That was a pathetic answer in relation to the specifics I was asking, and the minister avoided the question he could have taken on notice in relation to his responsibility as the Minister for Local Government. I ask in my supplementary: Minister, given the concerns of those mothers within the North Richmond catchment area and their requests, will you provide the City of Yarra with additional funds for other centres to be able to manage the increased demand generated by those requests?

 Mr SOMYUREK (South Eastern Metropolitan—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Small Business) (12:36): My explanation was not pathetic. It was actually educational; that is the word that I would have used. So I stand by my answer. I do sympathise with the question, but again, I stand by my substantive answer.