Wednesday, 4 March 2026

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:03): My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Minister, last month your own department told the Herald Sun of the CCTV cameras on Lennox Street:

… the cameras are ours and they are not operational …

There were previously CCTV cameras on Lennox Street but they were decommissioned in 2021.

Yesterday you told this house:

The cameras have not been offline … all cameras operating in the North Richmond Community Health site are currently operating and none have been offline.

Using your government’s own language when it has been caught out, did the department misspeak? Did you misspeak? Or are you just playing word games with the lives of North Richmond community residents?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (12:04): I thank Ms Crozier for her question and her ongoing interest in the medically supervised injecting room in North Richmond, a health service that is continuing to save lives and help people break the cycle of addiction. Yesterday, Ms Crozier, you asked me about CCTV cameras not capturing, in your words, an ‘incident’ outside the medically supervised injecting room, and I gave you a very concise and clear answer about the fact that the advice that I had was that those CCTV cameras at the North Richmond Community Health centre – in fact there are several cameras covering the North Richmond Community Health site – all cameras have been operating. None are offline. In the event that there is an issue –

Georgie Crozier interjected.

Ingrid STITT: The North Richmond Community Health security team is notified immediately if there is an issue with the camera, and this was not the case on the weekend of this incident that you continue to prosecute. In fact I can further advise the house that the incident that you referred to was indeed captured on the cameras at the North Richmond Community Health centre. Very helpfully, the North Richmond Community Health centre provided that footage to Victoria Police, and that footage will assist the police further with their inquiries.

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:06): Minister, can you explain why the department said, ‘The cameras are ours and they are not operational’?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (12:06): I thank Ms Crozier for her supplementary question. Ms Crozier, I cannot comment on articles in the Herald Sun and how those journalists source their inquiries and their –

Members interjecting.

David Ettershank: On a point of order, President, if the chooks could keep it down a bit, it would be lovely here in the henhouse.

Members interjecting.

David Ettershank: I apologise in advance. I am simply seeking to be able to hear the answer.

Harriet Shing: On the point of order, President, International Women’s Day is this weekend. For Mr Ettershank to refer to two female members of the Parliament as ‘chooks’ is an absolute disgrace. You should be required to make an apology to the house.

The PRESIDENT: On the point of order, Mr Ettershank can defend himself, but I was about to warn Mr Davis, who was very, very loud. Mr Ettershank can defend himself, and I will let him in a minute, but I do not think it was directed in that fashion. Mr Ettershank, if you want to.

David Ettershank: My comment had nothing to do with the speakers – it was just the wall of noise as we were trying to hear a response to that question. That was purely the context. If it was taken in any different manner, I apologise, but that was certainly and absolutely not my intention.

Harriet Shing: Now you withdraw, Mr Davis. Move a substantive motion, mate.

The PRESIDENT: I am not too sure what Mr Davis would withdraw from, other than being –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Being less loud would be very nice.

Ingrid STITT: I was in the process of saying that I am not in a position to give an opinion about an article in the Herald Sun. What I have is very clear advice –

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, the minister is misleading the house. I did not ask for an opinion, I asked why the department said, ‘The cameras are ours and they are not operational.’ I was not asking for an opinion, and I would ask you to ask the minister to come back and answer the question.

The PRESIDENT: I think the minister addressed that at the beginning of her answer. That is what my understanding is. You can call a point of order in question time if you do not believe it is right.

Ingrid STITT: Maybe I can deal with it in this way. Our government has made significant investments in the security and amenity of the entire precinct. In relation to the medically supervised injecting room and the advice that I have received from my department and from the service, all of the cameras are operating and operating quite well, it would appear, because they were able to capture the incident that Ms Crozier says she is concerned about and Victoria Police have been given that footage.