This week in State Parliament – 18 August 2016
In State Parliament this week, Liberal and Nationals MPs highlighted the Premier’s failure to condemn or act against the repeated abuse and bullying of public servants, Ministerial staff and his own Ministers by the firefighters union boss, Peter Marshall, in stark contrast to the Premier’s calls for others to stand up to bullying wherever it occurs.
We also continued to expose the ongoing delays, costs and harm being caused to the CFA and its volunteers by the Premier’s sell-out to the firefighters union.
We condemned the government’s illegal refusal to hold a joint sitting of Parliament to allow a new Nationals MP to take his seat in the Legislative Council to fill a casual vacancy, conduct that a former Labor leader in the Legislative Council said should see the government held in contempt by the Victorian public.
We also condemned the government’s blocking of “no body, no parole” reforms in the Legislative Assembly without even allowing debate, even though those reforms had been passed by the Legislative Council.
We demanded answers over reports that key responsibilities have been removed from the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Fiona Richardson.
We also questioned the government over reports of growing delays and soaring costs in repairing the Metropolitan Remand Centre after the last year’s prisoner “smoking bans” riot.