QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Tuesday, 28 May 1996 COUNCIL 117 Tuesday, 28 May 1996 to note the success of the grand prix in Albert Park, with $95.6 million worth of economic benefit 400 000 people visiting over four days and 31 000 interstate and overseas visitors. However, the two critical issues for the local community were The PRESIDENT (Hon. B. A. Chamberlain) took residential amenity and whether local business the chair at 2.33 p.m. and read the prayer. would benefit from the staging of the grand prix. Although many small businesses indicated great QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE economic benefit from the grand prix, a number indicated that they would have preferred higher returns. It gives me a great degree of pleasure today Crown Casino: probity investigation to announce the establishment of a task force to investigate ways of maximising benefits to local traders from the grand prix without jeopardising Hon. PAT POWER Oika Jika) - In light of the residential amenity in the area. The task force will be recent revelations by the police that they were chaired by the Honourable Wendy Smith, who has stopped by the Victorian Casino and Gaming an outstanding record in small business. It will Authority from fully investigating the role of comprise representatives of local government, Mr Lloyd Williams and his company, Dominion including the City of Stonnington and the City of Prop~rties, in relation to the probity of people Port Phillip. It will also include local traders and aSSOCIated with the casino will the Minister for representatives from the Public Transport Gaming now investigate this serious matter and Corporation, Tourism Victoria, the Office of Small report back to the house the outcomes of such Business and the Australian Grand Prix investigations? Corporation. 1 repeat: the task force will aim to produce a report that will maximise business Hon. R. M. HALLAM (Minister for Gaming) - 1 opportunities without jeopardising residential thank the honourable member for his question and amenity. It will produce a sound and sensible report suggest that if he is seeking a detailed report to the that will maximise business opportunity in the local house later on it would have been more appropriate area and will report to me by the end of August 1996. to put that question on notice. 1 am happy to take it on notice and 1 will report back in line with what he Employee Relations Commission: has asked of me. president 1 have seen the press report the honourable member Hon. T. C. THEOPHANOUS Oika Jika) - Will refers to and 1 for one do not regard it as a ~e Minister for Industry, Science and Technology ~evelation. It .is a press report and nothing more. The gtve the house an unequivocal assurance that he has issue of probity is treated seriously by the authority, full confidence in the president of the Employee and 1 have an assurance from it that the probity Relations Commission, Susan Zeitz, and has no process in this case was absolutely beyond reproach plans to tenninate her employment or that of any and that there is nothing at all in the press report. other member of the commission? Notwithstanding that, 1 am delighted to take the issue on notice and 1 will report in full. Hon. M. A. BIRRELL (Minister for Industry, Grand prix: economic outcomes Science and Technology) -I am somewhat surprised! Of course we have confidence in the appointments we make and the commissions we Hon. P. A. KA TSAMBANIS (Monash) - Will create. the Minister for Small Business and Minister for Tourism advise the house what measures she Port of Melbourne: charges intends to take to maximise business opportunities for local businesses during future grands prix to be Hon. N. B. LUCAS (Eumemmerring) - Will the held in Albert Park? Minister for Roads and Ports outline the significance of the government's recently announced 20 per cent Hon. LOUISE ASHER (Minister for Small reduction in wharfage charges in the port of Business) - I thank the honourable member for his Melbourne? question and for his ongoing interest in business in the constituency of Monash Province. It is important QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 118 COUNCIL Tuesday, 28 May 1996 Hon. G. R. CRAIGE (Minister for Roads and Melbourne's viability as the leading container port Ports) -I thank the member for his question and for in Australia. As further developments occur new his keen interest in reforms to Victorian ports. The facilities will be established by private operators, ports of this state are key links in the transport which will ensure that Melbourne ports will chain, particularly for the Victorian economy, and continue to be the best in Australia. the Kennett government is keen to continue pursuing port reform in Victoria. Aged care: reform The ports of Portland and Geelong have already Hon. M. M. GOULO (Doutta Galla) - 1 refer the been privatised and financial commentators and Minister for Aged Care to an article at page 5 of the business leaders have acknowledged the sales as a Australian of Thursday, 23 May, which states that the tremendous success. Even Michael O'Leary from the federal government plans to make aged care, Maritime Union of Australia has acknowledged that including nursing homes, the first programs to be the $30 million result was an amazing success - handed back to the states. Is the state government and 1 see Mr Power smiling at that because he agrees considering taking responsibility for commonwealth with Michael O'Leary wholeheartedly. How wrong nursing homes and hostels, and, if so, will the the opposition was when it told everybody the minister give a commitment to maintaining the government would get only $15 million for those existing number of nursing homes and hostel beds ports! and increasing beds to meet future needs? Will the minister assure older Victorians that there will be no In addition, charges at the port of Portland will be future reductions in the number of Victorian nursing reduced by 20 per cent up to the year 2000; and home and hostel beds? immediately after the Geelong sale, port charges were reduced by 22 per cent - another success Hon. R. I. KNOWLES (Minister for Aged story. Both those reductions will mean a return to Care) - 1 thank Miss Gould for her number of port users of $2.5 million per annum, so those two questions! Discussions have commenced between ports will be able to further increase their the commonwealth government and the states and productivity and competitiveness for the benefit of territories on ways of ensuring that the aged-care Victorian businesses. system is improved. One of the key features of those discussions is how to allow for the substitution of Users of the port of Melbourne have already services. An example 1 often use to highlight the benefited from the February announcement of a inadequacy of the present arrangement is that 50 per reduction in tonnage charges from 59 cents per gross cent of people in nursing homes are incontinent. tonne to 40 cents per gross tonne, a reduction of Their major problem is their inability, or the inability 32 per cent. The list of benefits goes on: the removal of their families, to afford incontinence aids. The of state tonnage duty in the port of Melbourne; an community gives those people a $36 OOO-a-year across-the-board reduction of 15 per cent in service yet we cannot afford the $2000 to $3000 it wharfage charges; and a further 10 per cent on top of costs to subsidise incontinence aids. By any criteria it that for Bass Strait cargo trade. The December 1994 is a stupid system, one that was developed by reductions have led to an annual reduction of governments at different levels and involved $17 million per annum to port users. different programs and program barriers - and those governments were not able to consider the Over the weekend the government announced an substitution of services. additional 20 per cent across-the-board reduction in wharfage charges for Melbourne port users, effective 1 commend Michael Wooldridge, the federal health from 1 July 1996. Based on 1995-96 levels, that will minister, and the new federal government for further decrease charges by $10 million per annum. recognising the need for fundamental reform in this To date there have been savings of $30 million per area. It has been on the agenda of the Council of annum for port users throughout Victoria - a Australian Governments for a number of years. The magnificent success story for the whole Victorian federal Labor government was initially enthusiastic economy. about reforming the system, but it lost heart. During the last 12 or 18 months of the former federal Labor Melbourne now has the cheapest container rates in government there was a lot of talk from Australia and is leading the rest of Australia in port Dr Lawrence, the former federal health minister, but reform. This is an outstanding success story. Price never any action. Dr Wooldridge has been quite reductions will continue to improve the port of visionary in putting these issues on the table. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Tuesday, 28 May 1996 COUNCIL 119 They are issues that the state and territory to support those who do not need access to nursing governments will be interested in because an care but who require access to resident care. increasingly ageing population means a continual rise in the cost of prOviding adequate aged-care Hon. T. C. Theophanous interjected. services. As the system is reformed all states will have an interest in ensuring that the risk of increased Hon. R. I. KNOWLES - Yes, in hostels it has; expenditure is shared by the level of government but given that you have raised the issue, that has the greatest capacity to meet that risk.