Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Questions without notice and ministers statements

School road safety

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): My question is to the Premier. Last week I visited Epsom Primary School, located in the Premier’s electorate. In 2000 the now Premier flagged traffic safety issues at Epsom Primary. Twenty-four years later the Premier has done nothing to fix the issue. In that time three students have been hit by vehicles, and it is only a matter of time until there is a fatality. Why is the Premier putting the Suburban Rail Loop ahead of the safety of schoolchildren in her community?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: I will not tolerate this level of noise in the chamber. Members on their feet will be heard in silence. Members will be ejected without warning.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:04): I am so delighted to have a question from the Leader of the Opposition about the great, strong, proud Epsom community that I am so proud to represent in this place. The Leader of the Opposition referenced discussions I have been having with that school community during the entire time I have been a member of Parliament. Of course when the Leader of the Opposition –

David Southwick interjected.

Jacinta ALLAN: Hang on a minute, Deputy Leader. The deputy leader is interjecting that we have done nothing. Let me make this very clear: when the Leader of the Opposition visited –

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: Settle down. When the Leader of the Opposition visited Epsom Primary School he was visiting a brand new school. I was so incredibly proud to have worked incredibly hard with the former education minister James Merlino to secure the planning, the funding and the delivery of this outstanding new school, and during my time –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Bentleigh can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Bentleigh withdrew from chamber.

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was about traffic safety.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, I was listening carefully to the Leader of the Opposition. It was very clear to me that the question was about Epsom Primary School, which the Premier knows very well, having represented that area now for some 25 years and delivered a brand new school.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Pakenham can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Pakenham withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: Further to the point of order, Speaker, the question was specifically around safety of children at the school after 24 years of inaction, and I would ask the Premier to deal with that specific question.

Ben Carroll: On the point of order, Speaker, Rulings from the Chair, page 155:

Answer relevant if related to question’s preamble. If a question comes with a preamble, that preamble does form part of the question and the answer can be relevant to the question by being relevant to the preamble.

Hansard, 2007, Speaker Lindell.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant, but I do remind the Premier about the specific question.

Jacinta ALLAN: I am absolutely coming to that point because of course I visit Epsom Primary School on many, many occasions. Being the proud local member of this great local government school, I visit there regularly during the year. It is a polling booth on election day as well. I visit the school many, many times, and over the last 25 years I have been proud to represent this community.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Nepean can leave the chamber for half an hour

Member for Nepean withdrew from chamber.

Jacinta ALLAN: This is a school community that has grown considerably. We have invested in a new school building, and we have also been working with the local government and the federal government and with the department of transport on how we make local road network improvements to support this great, growing school community.

I do not want to make an assumption about the Leader of the Opposition and how he travelled to the school, but let us assume, for example, he would have gone straight through the centre of Bendigo and up Napier Street, which of course has had a significant upgrade, a duplication, thanks to the work of a Labor government and a strong local Labor member, might I say.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, 2½ minutes into the answer the Premier has not yet spoken about safety of children around the school.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant. The Premier needs to be reminded also, before the Premier continues, about the specific question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Absolutely, but of course context is important. As the Leader of the Opposition would know, context is important. This is a growing school community, and over that time I have worked with the local government to get traffic light works reconfigured on that road, alongside the department of transport. Right now we are doing detailed planning work with the support of $600,000.

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: Ask me all day, every day about my community.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Narre Warren North can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Narre Warren North withdrew from chamber.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): As a result of Bendigo council cutting six school crossing supervisors and calling on the state government to fund them as they are on state government roads, the member for Bendigo West told the Bendigo Advertiser recently she is ‘open to a conversation’ about what the state government will and will not fund, including school crossing supervisors. Will the government take over funding school crossing supervisors on state government roads, or will Bendigo schoolchildren be left to cross busy state roads alone?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member of the Tarneit can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Tarneit withdrew from chamber.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:11): It appears I may have to provide some briefing advice to the Leader of the Opposition, because of course state government and local government already jointly fund school crossings. You know what, I would absolutely be delighted to continue to have a conversation with the great, strong City of Greater Bendigo about how we continue to put investment into the great, strong City of Greater Bendigo, whether it is into our schools or into our road networks or into our big beautiful new Bendigo hospital. I will continue to work hard every single day for my community, and I hope the Leader of the Opposition asks me a question in this place every single day about the great community of Bendigo and the community of Bendigo East that I represent.