Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

ADJOURNMENT
1666 COUNCIL Wednesday, 1 June 2011
the previous study; define how sediments, toxicants and
nutrients are transported and transformed; couple the
environmental conditions necessary for seagrasses and
mangroves and assess catchment remediation and
coastal protection on seagrass and mangrove recovery;
and predict future water quality conditions in Western
Port under changing climates and considering their
effect on biota.
Western Port is a Ramsar-listed wetland, a unique and
valuable ecosystem, and the surrounding area is a
biosphere reserve. The ecosystem in Western Port
consists of both intertidal and subtidal reefs, and soft
sediments, both bare sediments and vegetated ones such
as seagrasses, mangroves and salt marshes.
In terms of threats to Western Port, the major categories
are: water and sediment quality, hydrodynamic and
atmospheric variables, pest plants and animals, habitat
alteration and species removals, alteration of coastal
processes and cumulative impacts. Those threats
increase due to changing land use, such as aquaculture;
climate change, which leads to range expansions;
population growth, which leads to more recreational
boating, for example; port expansion, which facilitates
increased shipping; and marine pests.
Last year during the debate on the Transport
Legislation Amendment (Ports Integration) Bill 2010 I
said that any government contemplating further
industrial, commercial or residential development
around Western Port needed to put the health of the
ecosystem first. The Melbourne Water website states
that:
This review allows an updated and consolidated
understanding of Western Port natural research management,
environment protection, planning, on-ground works and
future research to better predict the vulnerability of Western
Port’s marine ecosystems to future changes in climate,
population growth and land use … and to better inform
government policy.
The final report of the review is not due to be released
until July. I call on the minister to put on hold port
expansion plans until the strategic knowledge review is
completed, thorough community consultation is
conducted and a long-term plan is developed which
puts the health of the Western Port ecosystem first and
foremost.
Children: Take a Break program
Ms BROAD (Northern Victoria) — I raise an
adjournment matter for the attention of the Minister for
Children and Early Childhood Development, Wendy
Lovell. The action I seek from the minister is that she
reconsider her decision to stop funding the Take a
Break occasional child-care program at the end of this
year, and that she take up the challenge of convincing
the Premier, Mr Baillieu, that the Take a Break program
should be a priority for the Baillieu-Ryan government.
As a first step I urge the minister to visit neighbourhood
houses in her electorate that are providing the Take a
Break program and take the time to listen to what
coordinators, staff, volunteers and parents have to say
about what affordable occasional child care means to
them. The Wallan neighbourhood house provides
occasional child care in new suburbs to young families
who are a long way from any extended family support.
It employs staff who have trained so that they now hold
the necessary certificates and diplomas, and it supports
students and volunteers to provide this much-needed
service.
The minister should talk to mothers like the mother
who takes her children to Murchison preschool for
affordable occasional child care but who is still
struggling to do the basics like making a postnatal
appointment with her doctor. Even better would be if
the minister could take the Premier with her.
The Take a Break occasional child-care program is
provided at more than 220 neighbourhood houses and
community centres across Victoria. It allows parents
and guardians to participate in activities, including
visits to the doctor, meeting people in their community,
recreational classes and voluntary community activities,
while their children socialise and interact with other
children in an early learning environment, which as we
know is crucial.
Stopping funding for the Take a Break program will
mean that families across Victoria will be unable to
access affordable community-based occasional child
care to undertake tasks that benefit the family. It will
also mean that staff will move away to take up other job
opportunities. I call on Ms Lovell to reconsider her
decision to stop funding the Take a Break program at
the end of this year and to take up the challenge of
convincing the Premier, Mr Baillieu, that the program
should be a priority for the Baillieu-Ryan government.
Planning: activity centres
Mrs PEULICH (South Eastern Metropolitan) —
The matter that I wish to raise is for the attention of the
Minister for Planning. It is in relation to the important
task that local government has in developing structure
plans for activity centres. What I would like the
minister to apply his very creative and able mind to is
how he can assist local government to improve the
quality of structure plans and the process by which they