Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

QUESTIONS ON NOTICE
Wednesday, 1 June 2011 COUNCIL 1625
kindergarten were destroyed in a fire. It was a tragic
blow to the Toolamba community.
Parliament was sitting that week, and the story of the
fire at the primary school and the kindergarten was
mentioned in Parliament and certainly heavily covered
by the press, but the minister had had no contact with
the kindergarten for over a week. I had been in contact
with the kindergarten as a local member, but the then
minister had not contacted the kindergarten. I rang the
minister’s office only to find that one week after the fire
she was unaware the kindergarten had even burnt
down. The former minister blamed a staff member for
not having read an email.
The former government then embarked on a series of
misleading remarks in the media that led the
community to believe the kindergarten was to be
replaced as part of the rebuilding of the school, but the
former government failed to commit any funding to the
rebuilding of the kindergarten. In fact when we came to
government it had left no money for the funding of
children’s facilities in the budget.
I am pleased to announce that last Friday I stood in
Toolamba with the community and announced that the
Baillieu government would commit $450 000 to the
rebuilding of this kindergarten. Combined with the
insurance money covering the former kindergarten, this
forms the bulk of the money needed to rebuild the
kindergarten. There will be a small shortfall, and we are
hopeful that local government will chip in to pick up
some of that shortfall. I will certainly be working with
the Toolamba community to ensure that this
kindergarten is rebuilt. This pledge is a testament to the
Baillieu government’s commitment to the future
education of Toolamba’s children.
QUESTIONS ON NOTICE
Answers
Ms HARTLAND (Western Metropolitan) — I have
a number of questions overdue — 598, 599, 600 and
235. These are well overdue, and we have faxed the
minister’s office.
Hon. D. M. DAVIS (Minister for Health) — I will
take those four questions back to the minister to ensure
that they are answered.
Ms BROAD (Northern Victoria) — Under standing
order 8.11 I request an explanation from the Minister
for Health in relation to questions on notice 612, 613,
614, 615, 616 and 617 for the Minister for Environment
and Climate Change. Notice was given on 7 April. It is
now well past the 30-day limit, and I request an
explanation as to why an answer has not been provided.
Hon. D. M. DAVIS (Minister for Health) — I will
likewise take those to the Minister for Environment and
Climate Change and seek a detailed explanation as to
why he has not brought them forward.
Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) — On the
same issue, question 161 tabled on 3 March this year
has been the subject of eight phone calls to the relevant
minister’s office, which is the Minister for Police and
Emergency Services. Question 165, first tabled on
22 March, has been the subject of six different phones
calls to the office of the Minister for Energy and
Resources. The last email that we received yesterday
said it will be ready when it is ready. I have now raised
both of those questions three times with the Leader of
the Government.
Hon. D. M. DAVIS (Minister for Health) —
Likewise, I will take those back to the relevant
ministers and seek a response and answers for the
questions.
Debate resumed.
GOVERNMENT: ELECTION
COMMITMENTS
Mr DRUM (Northern Victoria) — I take great
pleasure in rising to contribute to the debate on
Mr Viney’s motion about respective budget promises.
At the forefront of my contribution I have to be very
clear. In relation to questions about whether we
budgeted for our pre-election commitments, the fact is
that nobody believes the Labor Party anymore. Nobody
believes the previous government in the way it goes
about making these claims, because when it comes to
the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre,
everybody in Victoria understands that whilst the
former Premier, Mr Brumby, was very happy to have
his photo taken with Olivia Newton-John, when it came
to the actual truth of the funding there was a
$45 million shortfall. We are missing one vital
ingredient for the whole cancer centre, and that is the
entire fit-out of the inside of the building.
Now that Victorians understand the way the previous
government used to operate, it is a bit rich that
opposition members come into this chamber and start
questioning the government about whether it is properly
funding its election commitments. I am sure that every
member on the coalition side of this house has a whole
raft of promises that were never funded in their