Governor's Speech 6 June 1985 COUNCIL 1 Thursday, 6 June 1'85 The PRESIDENT (the Hon. F. S. Grimwade) took the chair at 2.3 p.m. and read the prayer. GOVERNOR'S SPEECH Presentation of Address-in-Reply The PRESIDENT-I have the honour to report that, accompanied by honourable members, I this day waited upon His Excellency the Governor and presented to him the Address of the Legtslative Council, adopted on 1 May 1985, in reply to His Excellency's Speech at the opening of Parliament. His Excellency was pleased to make the following reply: Mr President and Honourable Members of the Legislative Council In the name and on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen I thank you for your expressions of loyalty to our Most Gracious Sovereign contained in the address you have just presented to me. I fully rely on your wisdom in deliberating upon the important measures to be brought under your consideration, and earnestly hope that the results of your labours will be conducive to the advancement and prosperity of this State. BRIANMURRAY Governor of Victoria Melbourne 6 June 1985 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE WORKERS COMPENSATION The Hon. A. J. HUNT (South Eastern Province)-On Tuesday I asked the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs whether he was able to give an undertaking on behalf of the Government that no deficits arising from the proposed workers compensation scheme would be charged to Victorian taxpayers and he indicated that he would take this matter up with the Treasurer. I now ask: Will the honourable gentleman give that undertaking on behalf of the Government? The Hon. E. H. WALKER (Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs)-Following the question to which the honourable member refers, I asked for information and a response from the Treasurer. I have as yet not received a response, but I hope to have a response shortly. CLEARING OF MALLEE LAND The Hon. B. P. DUNN (North Western Province)-The question I ask the Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands relates to Fl and F2 land in the Mallee area. In view of the fact that the Minister has departed from several recommendations of the Land Conservation Council and has set aside some of the agreements that were made with the previous Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands, the Honourable R. A. Mackenzie, on F2 land in the Mallee, I ask the Minister: Firstly, on whose advice is she now acting if it is not that of the Land Conservation Council; secondly, why is she now referring the F2 areas back to the Land Conservation Council when she has already departed from the council's previous recommendations and may selectively do so again; and, thirdly, is the 829 2 COUNCIL 6 June 1985 Questions without Notice Minister's eventual aim to stop all clearing on Fl and F2 land in the Mal1ee and to seek ways to limit clearing on private property? The Hon. J. E. KIRNER (Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands)-As the honourable member will know, the Land Conservation Council recommendations are recommendations to the Government. Decisions are made by Ministers of the time. I have already explained in some detail in the House why the Land Conservation Council recommendations, which date back to the mid-1970s, were unsatisfactory for decisions made on this area of land. There was not a proper flora and fauna survey on the pieces of land that I have decided to reserve. The Hon. B. P. Dunn-What about F2 land? The Hon. J. E. KIRNER-That is Flland. On the F2 land, as I said a moment ago, the previous review was carried out in the mid-l 970s. That is ten years ago. Proper ecological surveys were not done. I would imagine that Mr Dunn, who invited me to go to Nhill to open a Mallee farm enclosure, would have shared my concern for the future ofF2lands. I must say that I am really surprised at the National Party asking me to accept Land Conservation Council recommendations verbatim. Members of the National Party have not stopped asking me to vary Land Conservation Council recommendations on the Alpine National Park areas. When the National Party has a consistent view about conservation, I will be prepared to abide by it. NORTH WEST ONESTOP WELFARE CENTRE The Hon. G. A. SGRO (Melbourne North Province)-Will the Minister for Community Services advise the House on the future plans for the North West Onestop Welfare Centre in Coburg? The Hon. C. J. HOGG (Minister for Community Services)-The North West Onestop Welfare Centre-known as the NOW Centre-in Coburg, in the middle of the province represented by Mr Sgro, was established in the early 1970s in a partnership between the Federal and State Governments and non-Government services. It provided under one roof a range of services and was literally a one-stop place for people in need of assistance. Over the past decade or so, there has been a proliferation of services and there perhaps has not been a very clear commitment from the Federal Government towards the future of the centre. Therefore, it was with great pleasure last Friday that I met with the Honourable Brian Howe, the Federal Minister for Social Security, at the NOW Centre and reached an agreement with him for a further three years of Federal funding for the centre. At the same time, he and I believed it was important to establish a working group to review the accommodation needs of the centre-some have already been agreed on but more need to be reviewed and, more importantly, to review the types of services offered. It is significant that the Federal and State Governments are committing themselves to the NOW Centre, and it represents a unique experiment in co-operation between the non­ Government sector, which delivers human services, and the Government sector. FOWL PLAGUE The Hon. N. B. REID (Bendigo Province)-Is the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs aware that the New South Wales, Queensland and South Australian Governments have banned the sale of all frozen poultry from Victoria? Will the Minister explain the ramifications of that action and assure the House that there is absolutely no danger to human health from Victorian poultry? The Hon. E. H. WALKER (Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs)-There is no danger to human health from Victorian poultry-I cannot overstress that point. I have made that clear to the press and to all those who inquire about it. 830 Questions without Notice 6 June 1985 COUNCIL 3 It is true that other States have taken the precaution of stopping the transfer of poultry or poultry products between Victoria and other States for the period in which quarantine exists, which is quite common, while trade between the States has the slightest possibility of transferring the disease that exists in the Bendigo area. I understand the other States having taken that action. No doubt, it will be reversed when an assurance can be given that the whole matter has been cleared up, but that could be some weeks away. The Government is hopeful that there will be no further spread of the disease, and Mr Reid will also be hopeful of that as it is a serious issue in the province he represents. Verified cases of the disease have been found only within the area that was quarantined in the first instance. Tests have been conducted all around the State and there is no evidence of the spread of the disease elsewhere. The first property to be infected was large and it supplied other properties. Until an all clear is given, it is understandable that other States have taken the action they have. The Government hopes the circumstances will change as soon as possible. INCREASED ALLOWANCES FOR WATER BAILIFFS The Hon. W. R. BAXTER (North Eastern Province)-I direct a question to the Minister for Health who is the representative in this House of the Minister for Employment and Industrial Affairs. Bearing in mind the annual leave and loadings which were recently granted to water bailiffs at the behest of the then Ministry for Industrial Affairs, despite opposition from the Rural Water Commission of Victoria and the Public Service Board, will the Government agree to pay the $390 000 necessary to cover the backdating of the extraordinary benefits to 6 January 1983, especially as irrigators are already hard pressed financially? There is no way that the irrigators could have budgeted retrospectively to cover a cost which they had no idea was to be imposed on them. The Hon. D. R. WHITE (Minister for Health)-I look forward to taking up the matter about the economic plight of irrigators and the economic plight of the bailiffs-towards whom Mr Baxter does not display the same degree of sensitivity-with the Minister for Employment and Industrial Affairs to ensure that justice has been done on all sides, as I am sure it has. CHIEF JUSTICE'S LAW REFORM COMMITTEE The Hon. L. A. McARTHUR (Nunawading Province)-Will the Attorney-General advise the House of the action the Government intends to take to implement the recommendations of the Chief Justice's Law Reform Committee, which recommended some major changes to the system of civil justice in this State? The Hon. J. H. KENNAN (Attorney-General)-The House will be aware that the committee, chaired by the Chief Justice, delivered its report in November last year. It surveyed the operation of civil justice in all Victorian courts. The architect of the report was Professor Scott of the Institute of Judicial Administration in Birmingham.