Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

ADJOURNMENT
Tuesday, 31 May 2011 COUNCIL 1589
thousands of people using this main road every day,
and it is just not up to the job. Sneydes Road is another
one that is not up to the job. We have thousands of
people endeavouring to go about their daily lives — to
get to work and get home after work, to go to leisure
activities on the weekend or to go shopping at the
shopping centre — and they cannot get around with any
degree of ease because of these difficulties.
I believe that we as a state government need to sit down
with Wyndham City Council and come up with a traffic
management plan which will see a significant injection
of funding, which is clearly needed, to bring many of
these roads up to scratch to allow this new and growing
suburb the sorts of access and livability that so many
other suburbs of Melbourne take for granted. Over
11 years the former government did nothing —
absolutely nothing — and that is why Point Cook is
struggling with the mess it is in today. I believe we
have an obligation to fix the mess Labor left.
Australian Paper: environmental accreditation
Mr LENDERS (Southern Metropolitan) — The
matter I wish to raise on the adjournment tonight is for
the Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Peter
Walsh. It is in regard to the possible loss of Australian
Paper’s international certification. A couple of weeks
ago I went to the Maryvale pulp mill and met with
representatives from Australian Paper with whom I
talked about the many challenges they are facing in
manufacturing, given the strength of the Australian
dollar and the issue of public acceptability of the paper
manufacturing industry generally — what they called
the concept of ‘social licence’.
These are big issues, but what have we heard from the
minister? We have heard that he has threatened 45 jobs
in the Yarra Ranges if the Shire of Yarra Ranges
continues its ban on Reflex paper. However, we have
heard nothing from him regarding Australian Paper’s
potential loss of its international environmental
accreditation, which is probably one of the biggest
threats to manufacturing in this particular area. The loss
of the Forest Stewardship Council accreditation would
force Australian Paper to either abandon its public
commitment to the FSC process or move its sourcing
from native forests to the more pricey plantation timber.
Australian Paper’s problem arises because the FSC
rules have been tightened since its certificate was issued
five years ago. Under the new rules Australian Paper
must consult with stakeholders over logging in high
conservation value areas. Australian Paper’s certificate
expires on 26 July, so it has very little time to reach
consensus with the environmental groups. I ask the
minister to take action and work with Australian Paper
to get its accreditation renewed rather than running
around threatening jobs in Yarra Ranges shire. While
he is at it, perhaps he might also speak to the Minister
for Roads about getting the Morwell bypass finished,
because when I went to visit Australian Paper it took
me an extra 20 minutes to get there because the road
was closed.
Health: palliative care
Mrs COOTE (Southern Metropolitan) — My
adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for
Health, the Honourable David Davis, and it is to do
with palliative care. The ending of people’s lives is a
very sensitive time for a whole range of reasons — not
just for the health professionals who care for the people
in such circumstances but also for the counsellors and
other ancillary health professionals who deal with the
families and with a whole range of issues. These are
very special circumstances involving very special
people.
I know that when the minister was in opposition he
spent a lot of time listening to the health professionals
in palliative care and hearing about some of the unique
challenges people in and around this sensitive and
challenging area have to deal with. They are certainly
not easy things to discuss and consider, but nonetheless
it is important that they are handled properly and
sensitively yet professionally.
As I have said, the minister has been particularly
cognisant of this part of the health sector, and I know he
has a particular interest in it. Certainly in Southern
Metropolitan Region he has been particularly involved
in speaking to a number of the palliative care agencies,
and I know he has also dealt with some of the peak
organisations. My adjournment request this evening is
that the minister inform me of when the guidelines for
palliative care will be implemented.
Lyndarum: children’s centre
Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan) — My
matter for the adjournment tonight is for the Minister
for Children and Early Childhood Development, and I
am very pleased she is in the house to respond to my
matter. The former Labor government invested greatly
in the early childhood sector, including kindergartens,
maternal and child health centres and early childhood
intervention services. One of the most innovative
approaches within this investment was the
establishment of new children’s centres which brought
together a range of different services for young
families, including kindergarten programs, child care,