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Category: Speeches

Peninsula Planning – Sensible Controls or Lost Forever?

MR MORRIS (Mornington) (13:52:29) — I rise this afternoon to congratulate the Mornington Peninsula shire on the strong campaign they have launched against this government’s reckless disregard for our peninsula, its disregard for the amenity of peninsula residents and its disregard for the enjoyment the peninsula gives to the many thousands of people that visit each and every year. The villages and towns of the peninsula are under threat from as-of-right 11-metre height limits and a three-storey

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8 May 2018

Portable Long Service – More Costs, No Benefits

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (16:32:33) — As the minister and others have noted in this debate, this is certainly not the first time the Parliament has considered various provisions around long service leave. Firstly, and of course most famously, in 1953 there was the Factories and Shops (Long Service Leave) Act 1953. As was noted in the second-reading speech, the original intent was to provide a reward for service to one employer. The minister also referred to two other

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1 May 2018

Frankston Bus Interchange – Not fit for purpose

MR MORRIS (Mornington) My question is for the Minister for Public Transport. I recently received an email regarding the new Frankston bus hub. I quote from that email: I have been writing to the press and to Paul Edbrooke about the lack of shelter at the new bus hub at Frankston station. I think Mr Edbrooke is fed up with me and he has been no help whatsoever … Unfortunately no-one will admit that a mistake has

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27 March 2018

Protecting our Peninsula

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) — I rise this morning to make some comments on the Planning and Environment Amendment (Distinctive Areas and Landscapes) Bill 2017. This is not quite the bill as described in the second-reading speech, although it does bear a passing resemblance to it. I think, though, some of the claims in the second-reading speech about the impact of the bill and the protections it will provide are putting the best-case scenario on it. I certainly have

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21 February 2018

Mount Martha North Beach – Keep the Bathing Boxes

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) — I rise this afternoon to address the issue of Mount Martha north beach. This is an issue that has had a number of appearances in debates in this place previously. For more than a decade the beach has been subject to frequent inundation from the bay, resulting in considerable sand loss, damage to the cliff face and damage to existing bathing boxes. Sand renourishment has occurred — in excess of 10 000 cubic metres of

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20 February 2018

Seniors Travel Concessions in NSW

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) — I have a question for the Minister for Public Transport. The question relates to access for Victorian seniors to the New South Wales public transport system. Currently, two weeks prior to travel seniors are required to apply for a gold senior or pensioner Opal card, which is valid for 60 days only. After 60 days the card is locked out. Transport for NSW has approached all states and territories to ask that they allow

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20 February 2018

Labor Politics over Planning

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (09:50:29) — Yesterday the Minister for Planning proposed, in his words, ‘Landmark legislation to protect the Macedon Ranges’. While we do not yet know what is in the bill, its very existence highlights the partisan nature of this government’s planning approach. The government will act to provide planning protection for Labor seats, yet at the same time it has introduced policies that are leading directly to the destruction of the unique character of the

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14 December 2017

Mornington Peninsula Planning

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (15:40:13) — For almost 40 years the green break between Mount Eliza and Mornington has endured, but not without challenge. Only two weeks ago the trustees of the RM Ansett Trust advertised for expressions of interest for the remaining 22.3 hectares of land from Sir Reginald’s estate. The land is zoned green wedge in its entirety, yet amazingly it is described in the material as: … one of the last available green wedge land bank sites on the

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14 November 2017

Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill 2017

Mr MORRIS (Mornington)  — I am pleased to rise to make what I anticipate will be some relatively brief comments about the Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill 2017. While there are two substantive matters that are affected by the bill, it is pretty straightforward. I think there are only eight clauses in the entire bill. Essentially the first impact it has is to amend the Transport Accident Act 1986, and the second effect is to amend

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1 November 2017

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee: budget estimates 2017-18

Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (10:36:55) — I too, like many other members this morning, wish to make some remarks on the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee report tabled yesterday. Indeed, this was my seventh estimates process. I must say I think it is still a useful process despite a degree of dumbing down of some of the operations of the committee and despite, it has to be said, the refusal of the government to keep the

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1 November 2017