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Category: Speeches

Premier, Reclassify the Mornington Peninsula – Adjournment

I raise a matter for the Premier. The action I seek is that the Premier immediately take any and all actions required to reclassify the Mornington Peninsula from metropolitan to regional for the purposes of the Government’s roadmap to re-opening. I also foreshadow that at a subsequent time I will be requesting that the Government reclassify the Peninsula from metropolitan to regional for all purposes. I make tonights request for two reasons.Firstly, the Mornington Peninsula

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18 September 2020

State of Emergency – If You Believe in Democracy You Must Not Support an Unconditional Extension

MR MORRIS (Mornington) (11:26): The Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (State of Emergency Extension and Other Matters) Bill 2020—a rather benign title for such a draconian piece of legislation—is a bill the like of which if it has not been seen before in this state certainly has not been seen since the Eureka rebellion. It is a bill that amounts to an effective suppression of democracy in this state. A bill that cements the executive authority

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4 September 2020

Relief Needed for Rock Lobster Fishery

MORRIS (Mornington) (22:57): (2699) I raise a matter for the Minister for Fishing and Boating, and the action I am seeking is that the minister provide significant financial relief for holders of rock lobster fishery licences. Those licensees have been significantly disadvantaged by the coronavirus pandemic, and they are now facing ridiculous hikes in their licence fees. By way of background, a lobster fishery access licence, which is what is required to commercially fish, is

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18 June 2020

What steps is the government taking to allow sailing to resume?

MR MORRIS (Mornington) (11:45): (2685) My constituency question is for the Minister for Fishing and Boating. It is on behalf of two constituents and the Mornington Yacht Club. The minister’s department has also received representations on this subject from Australian Sailing. While those engaged in sailing arguably are more exposed to fresh air than those engaged in almost any other sporting activity, there are some significant constraints from both practical and safety perspectives that prevent

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18 June 2020

A Drug Court for the County Court

MR MORRIS (Mornington) (18:06): It is a pleasure to join the debate this evening on the Justice Legislation Amendment (Drug Court and Other Matters) Bill 2020. Of course the centrepiece of the bill is, and most of the debate has been about, the creation of a Drug Court within the County Court of Victoria. But of when a bill is entitled ‘and other matters’, there are a range of other matters that are related in the

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16 June 2020

Boarding School Registration – Long Overdue

MR MORRIS (Mornington) (14:57): It is a pleasure to join this debate on the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Regulation of Student Accommodation) Bill 2020 which, while it does a number of things, is essentially about the registration of premises, according to the long title, ‘at which accommodation services are provided to students enrolled at or attending registered schools’, boarding schools. There are also some minor amendments relating to early childhood teachers and there are some

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16 June 2020

Small Business Under Siege – Andrews Just Doesn’t Understand

MR MORRIS (Mornington) (12:34): I am delighted to have the opportunity to make some comments on the Retail Leases Amendment Bill 2019, and I was interested to hear the member for Carrum’s comment about Choc Top in Mornington. It is interesting that they could not get anyone in the government to pay them any attention until they got on 3AW and got Neil Mitchell on the case. Funnily enough after that, suddenly the government were interested,

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5 June 2020

Wage Theft Bill – Cynical Exploitation of a Serious Issue

MR MORRIS (Mornington) (12:02): I am pleased to have the opportunity to make some comments on this Wage Theft Bill 2020. This is politics over policy. It is the government seeking to obtain a partisan advantage at the expense of the community. It is the government seeking to obtain a partisan advantage at the expense of the very workers that they purport to represent. The fact is this bill will not solve what is a very

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5 June 2020

Forest Drive and Uralla Road – Why Are We Still Waiting?

I have frequently raised concerns about the condition of Nepean Highway between Balcombe Creek and Forest Drive in Mount Martha. The volume of traffic using that stretch of the road increased enormously when Peninsula Link opened. During the term of the former coalition government, at my urging, the speed limit south of Balcombe Grammar was reduced. The then Minister for Roads initiated preliminary consideration of potential solutions. At the first sitting of the last Parliament,

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5 June 2020

SE Water Land Must be Protected

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (14:09): I rise today to acquaint the house with developments—or rather the lack of development—on the status of the abandoned South East Water land in Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza. The land was the subject of a planning scheme amendment, and it was expected to be rezoned to neighbourhood residential. The amendment went to a panel, which recommended the application of a general residential zone and the removal of the proposed environmental audit

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5 June 2020