Rachel asked a question on behalf of a Cranbourne constituent. Rachel’s constituent raised concerns over the proposed redevelopment of the golf course into more than 1,000 new homes, due to its proximity to an active landfill and proposed waste transfer station site.
Rachel asked the Minister for Corrections to ensure secure funding for theatre programs to engage vulnerable and marginalised community members. Programs including Somebody’s Daughter Theatre and Nobody’s Fool Theatre assist individuals to break cycles of abuse, addiction and disengagement. These programs are in desperate need of funding to continue producing positive outcomes for their participants.
Rachel asked a question on behalf of a constituent. Waste company Veolia have recently received a $1 million fine for breaching environmental guidelines at the Hallam Road landfill in Hampton Park. As a Hampton Park resident who has been affected by odour pollution from the landfill site, Rachel’s constituent asked what the Minister for Environment would do to ensure these breaches do not reoccur.
Rachel asked if the government would commit to implementing safety measures at a road accident and near miss hotspot on the South Gippsland Highway.
Rachel asked about family violence aggressor misidentification. With reforms underway to address misidentification of the predominant aggressor in family violence intervention order applications, Rachel inquired about data collection to track the prevalence of occurrences and success of proposed reforms.
Rachel asked if the government would consider bringing back a drug infringement trial that was previously proposed in 2022. With the guidance of an expert panel and working group, the drug infringement trial would have seen those caught with small quantities of drugs referred to education and/or treatment rather than incarceration. Not unlike the recommendations from the inquiry into cannabis law reform, this proposal has since been abandoned.
Rachel asked a question on behalf of a constituent, who supports residents with disability at a Supported Independent Living (SIL) facility in Noble Park. With state funding for SIL set to run out at the end of this year, the future of accommodation and employment for these residents and their support workers is uncertain.
Rachel questioned Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes on the cost of continued cannabis criminalisation. Rachel noted that enforcing criminalisation costs Australia $4.66 million per day, while failing to legalise facilitates a booming black-market trade.
On behalf of a constituent, Rachel asked the government about staffing cuts to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission.
Rachel called on the Minister for Police to decriminalise cannabis. Violent crimes have taken precedence in allocation of police resources. However, cannabis arrests are still occurring, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people statistically overrepresented. Decriminalisation would ensure that police resources can be prioritised where they are most needed.
