6 September 2012 29
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
NOTICE PAPER No. 85
Thursday, 6 September 2012
BENDIGO REGIONAL SITTING
The President takes the Chair at 9.30 a.m.
ORDER OF BUSINESS
Pursuant to the order of the Council on 30 August 2012
At 9.30 a.m. Lord’s Prayer
(to be read by the Very Rev. J. Roundhill, Anglican Dean of Bendigo)
Proclamation
Cr Alec Sandner, Mayor, City of Greater Bendigo to address the House
Messages
Formal Business
Members’ Statements (up to 15 Members)
Government Business
At 12.00 noon. Questions
Answers to Questions on Notice
At 2.30 p.m. Government Business (continues)
At 6.00 p.m. Adjournment (up to 20 Members)
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
NOTICES OF MOTION
22 MR HALL — To move —
That this House notes the continuing unacceptable high levels of university offer deferral rates in regional and outer suburban areas and calls on the Federal Government to guarantee better income support for students required to live away from home.
205 MS LOVELL — To move —
That this House notes that, during Question Time on 15 September 2011, the Member for Northern Victoria and former Minister for Housing, Ms Candy Broad, MLC, made comments that led this House to believe that the position of Director of Housing is a Ministerial appointment, and further notes that —
(1) on 15 April 2005, the Governor-in-Council declared, by Order, that the Director of Housing would be a Declared Authority under section 104 of the Public Administration Act 2004, and further specified that the Public Service body head in relation to the Declared Authority, is the Secretary of the Department of Human Services; and
(2) the Minister for Housing at the time of the declaration was Ms Candy Broad MLC;
and calls on Ms Candy Broad MLC to fully explain why she was unaware of this important change during her administration.
342 MRS PETROVICH — To move —
That this House —
(1) condemns the Member for Bendigo West for failing to understand the schools in her electorate in view of her comments made on the Adjournment debate in the Legislative Assembly on 17 April 2012 where she repeatedly referred to the merger of Golden Square Primary School with Violet Street Primary School whereas Golden Square Primary School #1189 and Maple Street Primary School #5110 merged in 2010 to form Golden Square Primary #5531;
(2) notes that Golden Square Primary School, under the leadership of Barry Goode, has gone from strength to strength and should be commended for drawing two schools together into one proud community; and
(3) notes that this Government recognises the hard work of Barry Goode and the Golden Square Primary School community in this year’s Budget by committing $5 million to the redevelopment of the school.
[Notice given on 3 May 2012 — Listed for 16 days].
366 MR FINN — To move —
That this House condemns Mr Brian Tee, MLC, for his opposition to changes to Melbourne’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) in growth areas given that in the June 2010 debate to expand Melbourne’s UGB, Mr Tee supported a boundary expansion seven times greater than what is currently proposed and stated to the House that —
(1) "we need to maintain the investment and the focus, and that is about safeguarding future housing now; it is about making sure we are planning for the next 5, 10, 15 and indeed 20 years…";
(2) "the challenge for us is to find more space for housing for young families, or others who want to live in the suburbs, and this amendment is about getting that balance right…";
(3) "it makes sure that we have that competitive advantage in terms of affordable housing…";
(4) "families are for it (UGB expansion)… people who want to have affordable housing are for it…";
(5) "I think it is worth reflecting on the size of the growth and the land that will be available for those families… what is at stake here is some 43 000 hectares of land that will be brought inside Melbourne's urban growth boundary…"; and
(6) "for working families, what is at stake here is affordable housing…";
and further notes that Mr Tee was a Ministerial Adviser to the then Minister for Planning, Hon. Rob Hulls, who expanded Melbourne’s UGB in 2005 and 2006.
[Notice given on 19 June 2012 — Listed for 9 days].
380 MR O’DONOHUE — To move —
That this House —
(1) congratulates the Coalition Government for allocating $15 million in the 2012-13 Budget for the development and construction of Stage 2 works at Boronia K-12 College;
(2) notes the funding provided by the Coalition Government has secured the future of Boronia K-12 College, allowing the school to become a significant education leader in the local community;
(3) notes the Coalition Government has invested $2 million in the 2012-13 Budget for planning works for Officer Secondary College;
(4) congratulates the Coalition Government for placing the future Officer Secondary College and Officer Special School side-by-side, developing an education hub near the proposed town centre and placing education at the heart of the growing Officer community;
(5) condemns the previous Labor Government for failing to commit a figure to fund the Officer Special School; and
(6) condemns the Member for Bundoora, Mr Colin Brooks, for playing politics with some of the most vulnerable members of the community, by referring to the additional investment in the Officer Special School as a “cost blow-out”.
[Notice given on 14 August 2012 — Listed for 6 days].
387 MR ONDARCHIE — To move —
That this House notes that —
(1) Ms Jenny Mikakos and Mr Nazih Elasmar from the Northern Metropolitan Region each gave notices of motion on 15 August 2012 (No. 382 and No. 385 respectively), condemning the Baillieu Government for its failure to include any projects in Melbourne's north in its submission to Infrastructure Australia and failure to invest in any roads in Melbourne’s north;
(2) Infrastructure Australia has backed the Victorian Coalition Government's plan to build an east-west road connection for Melbourne;
(3) the Victorian Coalition Government is pushing ahead with the development of a business case for East West Link and is well advanced with the preliminary technical investigations started in May this year;
(4) drilling work to develop a rock profile for the section of the project that is close to CityLink began on 13 July 2012;
(5) work at seven sites along Alexandra Parade near the Eastern Freeway has already been carried out and further drilling is to take place around the Royal Park area and on local streets in Parkville and Flemington;
(6) it may be a revelation to Ms Mikakos and Mr Elasmar that the locations of CityLink, Alexandra Parade near the Eastern Freeway, Royal Park area and Flemington are all based in Northern Metropolitan Region; and
(7) the state Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition, Mr Daniel Andrews, in actively opposing this important project, have failed, as usual, in recognising the economic benefits and jobs generated.
[Notice given on 16 August 2012 — Listed for 4 days].
388 MRS KRONBERG — To move —
That this House —
(1) notes the importance of the proposed East West Link for the people of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs to connect to the M80 Ring Road, the Hume Freeway, Melbourne Airport and the north and west of the city;
(2) congratulates the Victorian Coalition Government on its commitment to the project;
(3) congratulates Tony Abbott and the Federal Opposition for their commitment to fund $1.5 billion for planning and construction of the East West Link in partnership with the Victorian State Government; and
(4) calls on the Labor Members for Eastern Metropolitan Region, Mr Brian Tee and Mr Shaun Leane, to act in the interests of their constituents and reconsider their opposition to this critical piece of infrastructure for Melbourne’s east.
[Notice given on 16 August 2012 — Listed for 4 days].
389 MR P.R. DAVIS —To move —
That this House —
(1) congratulates the Victorian Government on the recent announcements made by the Premier and Minister for Ports that will see the construction of a new container terminal at Webb Dock, upgrades at Swanson Dock and the consolidation of the import and export auto trade at Webb Dock;
(2) notes that these works will directly generate 1100 jobs and secure employment for many thousands of people across the state;
(3) notes the importance of the East West Link for the efficient and effective transportation of freight to and from the Port of Melbourne; and
(4) condemns the Australian Labor Party and its leader Mr Daniel Andrews for their opposition to the East West link and the jobs the project will generate.
[Notice given on 16 August 2012 — Listed for 4 days].
391 MR FINN —To move —
That this House —
(1) notes the importance of an alternative river crossing to the Westgate Bridge for the people of Melbourne’s western suburbs to access jobs and services and address crippling congestion on the Eastern and Westgate Freeways;
(2) notes the Victorian Labor Party has turned its back yet again on Melbourne’s west by opposing the East West Link;
(3) notes in the absence of any alternative river crossing, Melbourne is overly reliant on the Westgate Bridge and M1 corridor;
(4) congratulates the Victorian Coalition Government for its determination to deliver the important East West Link and notes the benefits it will deliver to the west;
(5) highlights comments in Hansard on 19 August 2008 by the Member for Western Metropolitan Region, Mr Martin Pakula, that ‘the Greens have told motorists in the middle and outer west to stick it - no new river crossings and no new roads for them. Car drivers in the west are to be punished, sacrificed on the altar of Green ideology’; and
(6) condemns the Australian Labor Party for its backflip and opposition to this critical infrastructure project.
[Notice given on 16 August 2012 — Listed for 4 days].
393 MR RAMSAY —To move —
That this House —
(1) thanks the Australian Workers Union (AWU) for its support of the East West Link;
(2) notes the AWU submission to the East West Link Needs Assessment Study (2008) stating ‘The East Link project could not be considered fully completed until the East West tunnel had been built. Without the East West tunnel, the Eastern Freeway would turn into a congested car park and will defeat the purpose of East Link’;
(3) further notes the comments of AWU State Secretary, Mr Cesar Melham, as reported in The Age on 20 July 2012: ‘It is just crazy not to go ahead with the East West Project…one electorate could not determine the best interests of the whole state’; and
(4) calls on Labor members of Parliament affiliated with the AWU, including Mr Ben Carroll, Mr Anthony Carbines, Mr John Eren, Ms Danielle Green, Ms Natalie Hutchins, Mr Frank McGuire and Ms Marsha Thomson, to listen to their union bosses on this critical project.
[Notice given on 16 August 2012 — Listed for 4 days].
394 MR O’DONOHUE —To move —
That this House —
(1) notes the construction of the East West link has broad support, including from the following:
(a) The Committee for Melbourne;
(b) Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI);
(c) Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV);
(d) Australian Workers Union;
(e) Former Premiers Bracks and Brumby;
(f) Infrastructure Partnerships Australia;
(g) Members for Footscray and Williamstown who said in their submission to the Eddington East West Link Needs Assessment Study (2008) ‘The road tunnel has the opportunity of linking the growth in the west to the growth in the east. That will have an important multiplier effect in terms of options and choices for residents on both sides of the city. With greater access and connectivity will come more local jobs and investments’; and
(2) calls on the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Daniel Andrews, to listen to his former and current colleagues and those stakeholders to reconsider his opposition to this critical job generating infrastructure project.
[Notice given on 16 August 2012 — Listed for 4 days].
395 MR ELSBURY —To move —
That this House —
(1) notes the importance of an alternative river crossing to the Westgate Bridge for the people of Melbourne’s western suburbs to access jobs and services;
(2) notes that Sir Rod Eddington’s East West Link Needs Assessment Study (2008) showed that more than 160,000 vehicles travel across the Westgate Bridge per day and that Victoria cannot afford to continue its over-reliance on the West Gate Bridge;
(3) notes that Infrastructure Australia has listed the East West Link among its national infrastructure priorities;
(4) condemns the members of the Australian Greens and the Australian Labor Party who purport to represent Melbourne’s west for their opposition to this critical project; and
(5) thanks the Committee for Wyndham for its support of this critical project.
[Notice given on 16 August 2012 — Listed for 4 days].
397 MR ONDARCHIE —To move —
That this House —
(1) notes the importance of the East West Link to relieving congestion on many roads and public transport routes in the Northern Metropolitan Region;