Wednesday, 29 May 2024

Sobering facilities

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:33): (546) My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Minister, why hasn’t the government released the final evaluation report that was due in August 2023 into the sobering-up centre trial based in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy?

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:33): Thank you very much for that question. It does give me the opportunity to correct the record, because there has been quite a lot of mischief and misinformation out there being driven largely by those opposite – very unusual! It is really important for the house to remember why these reforms were so important to implement. They were in response to a number of coroners reports. And of course First Nations Victorian people have been campaigning for decades, since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, to have a situation where public drunkenness was decriminalised, and that is exactly what our government has done. We conducted a number of trials of sobering centres, as those opposite are very well aware. The results of those trials were taken into account as we rolled out our public health response to public drunkenness. No longer will people end up in a police cell just for being intoxicated.

I did have the absolute pleasure of visiting Ngwala on Friday. I have also visited a number of the other services that are delivering important outreach and places of safety and in the case of Collingwood and St Kilda sobering centres for those Victorians who are unable to be reconnected with their family and with their loved ones. What those workers told me were incredibly powerful stories about the differences that their services are making, and in many cases that is about connecting them with other services to help them get their lives back on track. So you can appreciate my shock when I was leaving Ngwala on Friday to see Ms Crozier’s car pull up at the service and her start filming a community health service, an Aboriginal controlled community health service –

Members interjecting.

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, the minister is attacking me. I was actually going down to meet a resident opposite the centre, Ms Stitt, so would you like to apologise to the resident who has been in contact with your office about what is going on in her street?

The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Ms Crozier. That is a point of debate.

Ingrid STITT: The point I want to make about this is here is a person who is putting herself forward as the alternative health minister of our state, filming a community health service.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order. If I do not crystal-ball your point of order, Mr Davis, I will call you, but question time is not a time to attack the opposition or, as per a previous ruling, to ‘hop into the opposition’.

Georgie Crozier: On a further point of order, President, the minister is factually incorrect.

Harriet Shing: So move a motion.

Georgie Crozier: I will move a motion that question time is not a time, as Mr Davis said, to attack us – it is to answer the questions.

The PRESIDENT: I have already upheld that point of order – before he put it, because I crystal-balled it. I will call the minister back to the question.

Ingrid STITT: Thank you, President. I know that Ms Crozier is very sensitive about these issues.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, the minister is defying your ruling. This is not a time to attack the opposition, and she is back into it.

Georgie Crozier: On the point of order, President, the minister is misleading the house. I am not sensitive. I have said I went down to see a resident. I am happy to tell the minister –

Members interjecting.

Georgie Crozier: I am happy for the minister to speak to the resident about her concerns.

The PRESIDENT: Ms Crozier, you are debating the point of order. There is provision at the end of the minister’s answer to –

Georgie Crozier interjected.

The PRESIDENT: If we can bring some order to the house, I will call the minister.

Ingrid STITT: Thank you, President. I will make every effort to be orderly, as I most often am. I do think, though, that this highlights the priorities here.

David Davis: On a point of order, President –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: We are getting a bit loose. The minister responded in a few seconds, and I did glean where she was going anyway. Can people wait until I call them to do their point of order as well.

Ingrid STITT: Thank you, President. These are incredibly important reforms. I cannot think of a public policy area more deserving of bipartisan support than the health-led response to public intoxication. I will remain focused on supporting those incredible public and community health services that are providing support so far already to over 6000 Victorians – (Time expired)

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:39): The minister did not at all address the question. As I was saying, the resident I was visiting last week, down opposite the St Kilda site, was concerned about the trial and what is going on, so I will ask again: when will you release the report?

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:39): I actually did address Ms Crozier’s substantive question in relation to these matters. I explained – I know that they are having trouble grasping this concept – that following the trial, which was conducted in a number of locations, and the report that was conducted as a result of the trial, the responses from the trial were incorporated into the model of care that has been provided across the state. Ms Crozier can continue to conduct herself in this way and pursue grubby politics, but I will remain focused on making sure that these Victorians get the support they need in the community and right across this state.

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:40): I move:

That the minister’s answer be taken into consideration on the next day of meeting.

Motion agreed to.