MEDIA
Cautions Not Cuffs: Time to Make Existing Police Policy the Law
Cannabis has been prohibited in Australia for almost a century. It is a failed policy. Australians continue to consume cannabis and they always will. In 2024 Victoria police acknowledged this,…
Victory for Locals: VCAT Bins Filthy Dump Proposal in Hampton Park
Casey residents can breathe a collective sigh of relief – VCAT has upheld a decision to deny a contentious waste-transfer station in Hampton Park. Residents didn’t want it, the EPA…
Dandenong South Incinerator Has Residents Inflamed
Late last year Rachel Payne MP raised the rapid expansion of Waste to Energy (WtE) in Victoria in Parliament. Despite serious environmental and health concerns, enormous rubbish incinerators are either being built or planned in a so-called “ring…
Historic Win for Victim Survivors of Institutional Abuse in Victoria
On Tuesday the 17th of February, a Bill to introduce retrospective vicarious liability laws for victim-survivors of institutional abuse is expected to pass with bipartisan support.
FROM THE CHAMBER
Committee inquiry into Waste-to-Energy Infrastructure in Victoria
As a participating member of the Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Rachel raised several questions for the panel of stakeholders and industry experts during the final day of the…
YES to cautions, not arrests for possession
Rachel summed up her motion on police cautions instead of arrests for cannabis personal use possession. After listening to the evidence presented, the Legislative Council debated and ultimately agreed to…
Mandatory polystyrene recycling: Keep it off our beaches!
Rachel asked if the government would consider a mandatory take-back scheme for expanded polystyrene packaging, after data revealed an alarming amount of polystyrene found on beaches in Victoria’s south-east.
Cautions not cuffs: Personal use possession
Rachel presented a motion on police cautions for cannabis possession. In 2024, Victoria Police updated their operations manual to prioritise cautions over arrests, for individuals possessing small quantities of cannabis…
