Tuesday, 15 August 2023

Ministerial responsibilities

Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (19:12): (287) My adjournment tonight is for the Premier as leader of the government, and the action I seek is that he directs his ministers to actually do their job and respond to the contributions raised in this place with factual information, not prewritten press releases. I have not been in this house long, and my community is very much pushing for answers on certain subjects. When I asked a minister about a rail issue in Bunyip – it was to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and it was about when the line duplication will be done for the line from Bunyip to Longwarry – the response I got talked about rail lines in Bairnsdale and Stratford. Bairnsdale and Stratford are a good 200 kilometres away from Bunyip – they are not even close – and the response was not even relevant.

The reason I am doing this adjournment tonight is because this is becoming a common thread with responses I am getting from ministers. I asked the Minister for Roads and Road Safety about access ramps in Drouin, and I got pretty much another press release talking about regional roads. It was not very relevant and stated that that is in the precinct structure plan. I know it is in the PSP – I live there, I do not need to have that reinforced to me. I have raised issues about water and regional development, and I am getting this common thread of press release responses that are not relevant to the question. Being that the Premier is the boss – he is the number one man – I would like the Premier to talk to his ministers and ask them to respond with factual responses. I have asked about roads and road funding, and I get blanket responses. I ask about many things, and I do not get responses that are relevant to the question. The Premier is the leader of the government. He is responsible for the standard of his ministers, and I ask that he ensures their answers to the questions are factual and relevant to what is asked by members in this place.