09 December 2009
Mr MORRIS (Mornington) — As it is the last sitting week of the year this is an appropriate time to reflect on events and the progress, or perhaps lack of progress, of the state.
The year opened with the annual statement of government intentions, headlined by the Premier as ‘a year of action and delivery’. Yesterday, 11 months on, the Leader of the House gave notice of a motion to read and discharge the order of the day relating to the annual statement of government intentions from the notice paper.
Yesterday also saw a flurry of activity to introduce bills promised for much earlier in the year but which will now not be debated until 2010 at the earliest.
We have not heard the promised Ministerial Statement on Mental Health or the promised Statement on Early Childhood Development. We have not seen the promised Green Economy Jobs Action Plan or the promised Blueprint for Regional Growth.
There has been a lot of discussion but no progress on a new Council of Australian Governments Agreement on Health Funding. The promised International Educational Strategy has turned into a damage control strategy. The promised Future Energy Strategy? No, that is still in development as well.
No wonder the statement of government intentions is to be removed from the notice paper.
What do we have instead? Fire danger signs that direct you to a website instead of providing information, a 70 per cent increase in assaults since the government took office, secret police files handed to private firm AquaSure, a child protection system at the point of collapse, to say nothing of the public transport system, soaring state debt, 40,000 more Victorians unemployed than in November last year — on it goes.
There is indeed much to be done.
Legislative Assembly 9th December 2009
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