Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

MEMBERS STATEMENTS
Tuesday, 31 May 2011 COUNCIL 1541
last night’s edition of the ABC program Four Corners,
which exposed the inhumane and cruel treatment of
Australian animals that are exported live and subjected
to cruelty in the slaughterhouses of Indonesia. The
footage was horrifying and extremely disturbing.
I welcome the decision announced today by the federal
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry,
Senator Ludwig, to halt the trade of live animals to
facilities identified in the footage and his action asking
orders to be prepared that will enforce the complete
suspension of live animal exports to the facilities
identified in the evidence gained by Animals Australia.
I also welcome his decision to appoint an independent
review panel to investigate the complete supply chain
for live exports up to and including the point of
slaughter.
As I said, this disturbing and horrific program exposed
the extreme cruelty and inhumane treatment of animals
that are exported live and slaughtered in Indonesia. This
cruel and inhumane treatment of our live-exported
animals has to stop.
Bill Roycroft
Mr RAMSAY (Western Victoria) — I also rise to
acknowledge the sad death of Bill Roycroft on Sunday
at Camperdown, aged 96. It was with great fondness
that I remember working and riding with the Roycroft
family as I jackarooed up at Hexham in the early 1970s.
I know his love of livestock and horses was
representative of many farming families across western
Victoria.
As has been said, Bill was most famous for his first
Olympics, when he led the Australian team in Rome to
a gold medal, despite riding with some serious injuries
that he had suffered in competition the day before. He
competed in four more Olympics with his sons and
achieved further medal success. I understand that he
became Australia’s oldest medallist and oldest Olympic
competitor at the age of 61 years, when he won the
bronze medal at the Montreal games. He remained
actively engaged in his sport, and his legacy is among
the most inspiring and tenacious in Australian sporting
history.
Ballarat: soccer facility
Mr RAMSAY — On another matter, I also
acknowledge the Minister for Sport and Recreation,
Hugh Delahunty, who made a very important
announcement in Ballarat on Friday which fulfils an
election commitment by providing $2 million in
funding for stage 2 of the Ballarat regional soccer
facility. Soccer fans in Ballarat and surrounds were
extremely excited and had looked forward to that
announcement. I congratulate the minister on making
the announcement, and I congratulate everyone
involved in the project.
City of Banyule: volunteer awards
Mr ELASMAR (Northern Metropolitan) — On
11 May, together with some of my parliamentary
colleagues, I attended the Banyule community
volunteer awards dinner, which was held at The Centre
Ivanhoe, the former Heidelberg town hall. The mayor
of Banyule, Cr Peter McKenna, welcomed everyone
and presented the awards to all the wonderful people
who have given freely of their time to help those who
are less fortunate than themselves. Banyule City
Council has demonstrated a commitment to building
stronger communities, promoting active citizenship and
recognising volunteering as an essential element of a
vibrant, healthy and connected community. I
congratulate the volunteers of Banyule.
Ilim College: facilities
Mr ELASMAR — On another matter, I was
delighted to participate in the official opening of the
new science and language building, multipurpose hall
and other staff and student amenities of Ilim College in
Dallas. Held on 17 May, this occasion was also
attended by federal and state parliamentarians together
with officials from the Turkish-Australian community.
The new buildings will provide first-class teaching
facilities that will enable the college to further enhance
its already excellent record of academic achievement.
This will ensure that Ilim College graduates make their
mark on Australia and in doing so make a better life for
themselves and their families for generations to come.
Milos Todorovic
Mrs PEULICH (South Eastern Metropolitan) — I
take this opportunity to welcome a couple of people to
Melbourne, Australia. Firstly, I welcome Milos
Todorovic, a father of three and grandfather of four. He
is a survivor of a Second World War children’s
concentration camp and is a resident of the Republic of
Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He also happens to be
my uncle — my mother’s brother — who sits in the
gallery today.
Eric Zupon
Mrs PEULICH — The other person I welcome to
Melbourne is Eric Zupon, a graduate intern who is
doing some time in my office and will subsequently