The end of the year is a busy time for everyone.  There are many AGMs and events throughout the electorate.

My staff attended the following meetings/events during the week:

• GV Health AGM
• Family Care AGM
• Launch of the Shepparton PSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Violence Police Protocols held at Rumbalara on Harmony Day.

Sometimes the work we do at Parliament house is routine in terms of legislation. This week the very serious topic of family violence was given a central focus with the joint sitting of both houses of the Parliament. Rosie Batty addressed all parliamentarians and her message was profound. Rosie’s clear message was that the scourge of family violence must be addressed and we must face the fact that it is a gender issue. I was very moved by the address from Rosie Batty and others who addressed the Parliament, as were many other members of Parliament. It was an emotional day.

During parliament, I used my question without notice to ask the Minister for Mental Health to continue to fund the Perinatal Emotional Health Program at Goulburn Valley Health despite the Federal government ceasing of funding their share in July 2015.  “Our position continues to be that if the commonwealth government returns to the table to reinstate the 2009 long-term national partnership on mental health, particularly perinatal mental health, this government’s commitment is in the current budget to be supported, and that commitment stands,” Minister Foley told Parliament.

My supplementary question was also to the Minister for Mental Health where I asked him to commit to supporting the establishment of a mother baby unit in our region.   Minister Foley said he was more than willing to work with me on this issue.

I used my adjournment debate to ask the Attorney General to take necessary steps to ensure that our community is provided with adequate and appropriate alternative court accommodation for all courts to function in Shepparton in the two years until the new court is completed.  I pointed out that the proposed relocation to Wangaratta means local lawyers, prosecutors and litigants will be put under further stress for at least two years.  There is also no adequate or regular public transport between Shepparton and Wangaratta.  The Attorney General has 30 days to respond to me.

After parliament it was back to the electorate for me.

On Friday I attended a meeting of the Goulburn Valley health Foundation of which I am one of the trustees. The foundation plays an active part in fundraising and the management of trust funds on behalf of the hospital. 

 On the same night it was great to attend a joint dinner of lawyers and accountants at the Connection. This was a fundraiser but was also designed to bring to the attention of our local lawyers and accountants the role they might be able to play in raising awareness about bequests and gifts to the GV Health Foundation.

It was a pleasure to attend the Mooroopna Fire Brigade presentation dinner on Saturday night at the Mooroopna Fire Station. I so enjoy these events where I get to meet the volunteers who do all the hard work on the ground. It was great to see that there are so many women firefighters in the Mooroopna contingent and indeed the firefighter of the year award went to a young woman. People Supporting People were represented and congratulated for the great work they do in feeding volunteers when they are attending to emergencies such as bushfires.

The week ended with a wonderful event entitled “Picnic for Peace”.   Ronni attended the event and expressed to me how uplifting it was.  The purpose of the event was to gather to promote peace, positivity, hope and unity in light of many sad events around the world.  Thanks to Liz Arcus, People Supporting People and the other organisers for putting this event together in record time.

Have a great week!

Suzanna

Where has this year gone!   There are four more weekends until Christmas and I have not done any of my shopping. There are only two sitting weeks left of Parliament before the end of the year also. We are very busy in the electorate with important meetings and events still coming up. The past week has been no exception with a very busy week in my office and the electorate more widely.

We are eagerly awaiting the Minister for Public Transport to release the results of the Regional Development Network Plan workshops held throughout the state in July.  The All Aboard Shepparton campaign has raised state-wide awareness of the poor rail service Shepparton endures, but there is much to be done.
I am urging all to respond to the RACV On Track survey up until 30 November.
This survey aims to support advocacy for further improvements to the state’s rail network, by pin pointing the issues of highest concern to train travelers. The more data we have, the stronger a message we can send: racv.com.au/ontracksurvey

During the week, I attended many events.  Some are included below:

• I was invited to speak at the Association of Independent Retirees (AIR) morning tea on Monday.   AIR are a group that works to advance and protect the interests and independent lifestyle of Australians in retirement.  Thanks to Bill Bovaird for his invitation. It was great to speak to them and also to answer a wide range of questions which show how politically aware this group is.

• The first GV Health Community Advisory Group held their first meeting at the hospital on Monday night.   We have a diverse and impressive group of community representatives and I look forward to working with them.  
• On Wednesday I met with a local group of parents with concerns about provision of services in disability support houses here in Shepparton. I attended Orrvale Primary School to speak with 100 grade 5 and 6’s about the role of the state government and local MP’s.
• I also attended the Greater Shepparton Council 2015 Community Leadership Program graduation at the Carrington.   This is the second year that the Council has run the program in partnership with Regional Development Company. Graduates spoke about their experiences and learnings in the program. This is a worthwhile initiative that provides growth opportunities for the benefit of our community.
• After the graduation, travelled to Numurkah to speak at a women’s cancer fundraiser.  “The “Girls Night in 50’s dress” was organised by local women. It was  great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed myself while meeting many new people.
• The Probus Club of Mooroopna held a breakfast in the park at Ferrari Park on Thursday morning.  There was a great turn out on a beautiful morning before a very hot day.
• I met with a local mental health worker to discuss her proposals for a long-term therapeutic residence for troubled adolescents in the area.
• Regional Bowls Manager, Joshua Thornton visited me to introduce himself, discuss his role and how we can work together with local bowling clubs.
• Peter and I visited the Twilight fair at the lake on Saturday evening. There seems to be an opportunity for events such as this for families to socialise in a community setting on a Saturday night on a regular basis.
• On Sunday, Peter and I attended the opening of the Shepparton Search and Rescue new extended facility. They were successful in obtaining a $100,000 VESEP Grant to build a new storage facility for their non-urgent response equipment and a new administration area in their main building.
• I spoke with the Minister for Agriculture who told me she would visit Shepparton to look at the hail damage that has occurred in a number of pockets across our area. I have been in regular contact with Fruit Growers Victoria about the issue and possible protective solutions.

I personally met with many constituents during the week.  Some of the issues raised are confidential. 

If you are on Twitter, you can follow me @SheedSuzanna.

Remember to listen to me on the radio on Tuesday morning.  My segment should be on between 7 and 8 am on 3SR with Locco.

Remember that Thursday 25^th of November is White Ribbon Day.  Rosie Batty will be addressing both houses of Parliament on that day and I hope to be given the time to speak on family violence in Parliament. Two of the men in my family will be attending the White Ribbon Dinner with many other men at the GV Hotel on Monday night.

Have a great week.  I am glad a cool change came to the region. 

Suzanna

I was in Parliament during the past week. The week ended with the awful news of the Paris terrorist attacks which has shocked us all. I was in Melbourne on Saturday night and saw the buildings lit up in solidarity with the French people at this time. Our thoughts are with all of those affected by these terrible events.

My capable staff represents me at some important local events and keep me updated when I am unable to attend. It was a wide-ranging list of events across a diverse range of interests we have throughout the 3200 square kilometres of this electorate.

My staff attended the following events:

• The “Female Genital Mutilation” (FGM) professional development session on Tuesday held at St Paul’s African House.  This forum was organised by The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District and GV Health.   The panel consisted of an inspirational speaker, Ms Khadija Gbla who was brave enough to share her own story of FGM.   You can read more by visiting her website:   www.nofgmoz.com.
• On Wednesday, my staff attended the wreath laying event at the Shepparton Cenotaph in honour of Remembrance Day where Mr Peter Dealy OAM was the guest speaker.   Mr Dealy is from Numurkah and is a Vietnam veteran.  I attended the State Remembrance Day Service at the Shire of Remembrance in Melbourne.

• Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre and Primary Care Connect held a “Therapeutic Justice Program Launch” on Thursday at the Old Court House in Shepparton.   This is an innovative and collaborative approach to help people with complex health and related legal issues to minimise their chance of re-offending.  You can read more about this program here: http://gvclc.org.au/category/therapeutic-justice/
• On Friday, I attended the Lighthouse Project launch at the Italian Club to hear the results of the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project – 1000 Conversations, Youth Sector Mapping and Volunteer Program Review and our plans for collective action.  It was good to hear the results of the work done to date and ideas for the future.
• After that, I was honoured to attend the 11^th annual Ganbina awards night where I was asked to present awards to Indigenous graduates at all levels assisted by Sean Armistead, secretary of the Ganbina Board. It is great to see the success of these young people and how Ganbina has assisted them in remaining involved in their school activities.
• Over the weekend, my office attended the unveiling of a monument to commemorate where the Shepparton Synagogue was located from 1913-1966 on the corner of Doyles Road and Poplar Avenue.    In 1913, eight Jewish immigrant families settled in Shepparton.    Many of them contributed to the early fruit growing industry.   After WWII, about 60 more Jewish families lived in the area.   However, over time many families moved with most going to Melbourne.  A few past residents of Shepparton have ensured that the memory of the Synagogue will remain there forever by organising this monument. 
• We also attended the commemoration and wreath laying ceremony to honour the German and Australian War Dead at the German War Cemetery in Tatura.  This cemetery has recently been listed in the Heritage Victoria Register.  To learn more about the cemetery and internment camps, go here: http://www.taturamuseum.org.au/prisoner_of_war__internment_camps.html

During parliament, I had many meetings with cross-benchers and organisations.    

• I met with the Department Of Health for a briefing on the GV Health Community Advisory Group.  Our first meeting is at GV Health on Monday 16 November.    Members of the group have received the agenda for that meeting as well as dates for subsequent meetings.
• I caught up with Simon Clarke who is the CEO of Westside Circus.   They recently secured a $10,000 grant from the Community Safety Fund to deliver The Altitude Program in Shepparton.  This is a pilot project that uses the experience of learning circus to engage and inspire the participants.   You can read more here: https://westsidecircus.org.au/?page_id=7765

On Thursday, I used my members’ statement to advise the Parliament about the Water Summit held on 28 October in Tatura and organised by my office, Greater Shepparton City Council and Committee for Greater Shepparton.  You can read my full statement here:   http://hansard.parliament.vic.gov.au/isysquery/16e6e6a0-309a-4dc8-8a44-b43fe957c592/1/doc/

I also spoke on the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2015.   You can read the bill here:  http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/static/www.legislation.vic.gov.au-bills.html and you can read my speech here: http://hansard.parliament.vic.gov.au/isysquery/2bf96b25-15a9-4ede-a443-0a2a6c02088d/2/doc/.  This bill seeks to establish a 150-metre "safe access zone" around clinics offering legal medical treatments including terminations to women.

My office dealt with a wide range of constituent issues during the week.  Some were: grants for mobility scooters, grants for Defibrillators for those not for profits not recognised by Sport and Recreation Victoria, issues with Melbourne trams and the confusion of the free tram zone area vs the paid tram zone area and an interest in more welding courses in the area to help improve youth unemployment statistics.

Also, if you know anyone that isn’t on Facebook but would like to know what I am up to, please let them know that I am on the radio fortnightly. They can listen to 3SRFM with Locco every second Tuesday morning.   I am on next on the 24^th November usually between 7 and 8 am.    I also have a monthly update in the Shepparton News and the Country News summarising some of my activities. My most recent update appeared in Friday, the 13^th November edition of the Shepparton News. 

I am looking forward to the week ahead back in the electorate.

Suzanna