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SHEED CALLS FOR O’SULLIVAN TO BE SWORN IN

August 31, 2016/in Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has asked the Parliament to include a joint sitting in its Government program this week, to swear in Luke O’Sullivan to the Upper House.

“In the period between the last sitting of the House, and today, I have sought my own legal advice, my own Constitutional law advice on this,” Ms Sheed said.

“There are a few things that are unconscionable.  One is the fact that we have been without representation (in northern Victoria) for so long, when that could have so easily happened throughout June.  It starts to look like political game playing when we are put in a position where a preselection does not take place until July 31,” she said.

Damian Drum resigned from the Legislative Council on May 27, 2016.

“Another thing I regard as unconscionable is the fact we have a member of the Upper House (Gavin Jennings) out of the Parliament for so long.”

She said in her examination of the issue it was unheard of, for a minister to be removed from Parliament for such a long period, thereby depriving electors for their rightful representation.

In this case, the South Eastern Region has now been without its elected representative for more than three months.

“One of the important foundations of democracy is “representation”,” Ms Sheed said.

On Tuesday, in the Victorian Parliament, Ms Sheed said she had formed the view based on legal advice and research it’s now appropriate for a joint sitting of the houses of Parliament to take place and that the various issues had to be treated separately.

“It is now appropriate that a joint sitting take place and Mr O’Sullivan be sworn in, in the usual way.

“It is important we adhere to the Constitution and we do the right thing.

On the advice I have received I believe it would be the right thing for this matter to be dealt with throughout the week,” Ms Sheed said.

 

Ends

Media contact

Sueanne McCumstie 0428 743 880│sueanne.mccumstie@parliament.vic.gov.au

 

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https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2016-08-31 23:52:362020-02-07 02:45:35SHEED CALLS FOR O’SULLIVAN TO BE SWORN IN

GV MENTAL HEALTH INQUIRY CALLED

August 30, 2016/in Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says she’s pleased an Inquiry will be conducted into the delivery of services at Goulburn Valley Health, after raising concerns in Parliament today.

Ms Sheed called on the Minister for Mental Health, Martin Foley to immediately intervene, following allegations Goulburn Valley Health’s child and adolescent mental health service had “hit rock bottom”.

Ms Sheed said allegations appeared in the media last week, claiming a substantial loss of staff, resulting from a culture of bullying, intimidation and low morale.

“I am aware health professionals in the community have been raising concerns about the quality of care for a number of years. Attempts at advocacy and dialogue were ignored,” Ms Sheed said.

“However, these issues often raise questions relating to governance, supervision and the culture of an entire organization,” she said.

“Minister Foley said he was aware of significant staffing changes at the mental health service, through regular Department of Health and Human Service reviews, and has since asked for a review through the Independent Office of the Chief Psychiatrist.

“He said while he’s confident the delivery of the child and adolescent mental health service is at capacity, he acknowledged there are clear concerns regarding its performance on a wider scale,” Ms Sheed said.

Minister Foley said the Chief Medical Officer will be visiting Goulburn Valley Health tomorrow, as an Inquiry gets underway into the delivery of health services.

“This is to ensure there is a full investigation into the allegations made last week,” Ms Sheed said.

 “The Minister advised that the Inquiry will be dealt with by lawyer Susan Zeitz, who recently undertook a similar investigation at Ballarat Health.”

Ms Sheed’s question follows issues raised by the Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell in the Upper House recently about the performance of Goulburn Valley Health, in relation to its Emergency Department.

Recently released Victorian Health Services Performance Data showed that for the third quarter in a row GV Health’s Shepparton campus Emergency Department continued to be the worst performing in the State.

 “I have been concerned for some time that the publicly available data and issues raised directly with me by members of the community, suggests these problems are not just about the need for infrastructure but go to culture and governance issues also,” Ms Sheed said.

“I look forward to seeing the final results of the Inquiry.”

 

Ends

Media contact

Sueanne McCumstie 0428 743 880│sueanne.mccumstie@parliament.vic.gov.au

 

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https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2016-08-30 06:44:562020-02-07 02:45:35GV MENTAL HEALTH INQUIRY CALLED

NATIONAL PARTY MUST REPRESENT ITS VOTERS

August 18, 2016/in Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has called on the National Party to get back to its grassroots representation of country people, for which it’s known.

This call came on the back of a heated debate in Parliament overnight, calling for a joint sitting to swear-in the newly-nominated member for Northern Victoria Luke O’Sullivan.

“The capital and goodwill of the parties in this place are being continually eroded by this sort of debate and discussion. We are not getting on with the business of this place, and we are not representing the people of Victoria by engaging in all this argument.” Ms Sheed said.

“It will come as no surprise to me, to see Parliament populated by many more Independents after the next State election,” she said.

“Members have spoken about the fact that the failure to swear in the new National Party member to the other place will result in Northern Victoria Region in the Legislative Council being without representation.

“Well, it should be remembered that Northern Victoria Region has been without representation in the other place since May 27, 2016 and no attempt was made to fill that vacancy in June when it could have happened,” Ms Sheed said.

Ms Sheed said she feared the National Party, has lost touch with the region it represents.

“The single most broad-based issue that affects the people of northern Victoria is the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin plan on our Murray River-dependent northern communities.

So when do we hear debate and discussion about the Murray-Darling Basin plan in this place from those representatives? We never do. The only time I hear in this place about the Murray-Darling Basin and the social and economic impacts of it is when I ask the Minister for Water questions about it,” she said.

Ms Sheed said she won the seat of Shepparton District from the National Party almost two years ago, because the Party was absent when it came to the issues facing the electorate.

“Nobody understood what the issues were.

“The issues in our electorate included health; we needed a new hospital. Other issues were that we needed better rail services and the fact that we have some of the poorest educational outcomes across the whole of the state of Victoria.

Who is talking about that in this place (the Legislative Assembly)? Well, there is a deafening silence on so many of those things,” Ms Sheed said.

“I have sat here for nearly two years, and I find it outrageous that we have a National Party who sits in this place, who should be representing us and who, quite frankly, I would be happy to sit with if they did the job they were meant to be doing. I am not prepared to sit here and be silent any longer.

“You are all people who have been elected by your communities, you are capable of being good representatives and indeed you all have the skills to do it, but instead you sit in opposition with a city-centric party.

We have city-centric parties on both sides of this place, and the time has come for the Nationals to actually stand up and have a think about sitting on the crossbenches and about having the integrity and strength that it takes to actually represent the people and the electorates that you come from. The time has come for that.”

Ms Sheed has defended her decision to vote against the joint sitting overnight, calling for the Special Minister for the State to also be reinstated.

 “When it comes down to this particular debate, if we are depriving representation of a whole group of people in Northern Victoria Region of a representative for a period of time, I would say it is probably about the same length of time that the people of South Eastern Metropolitan Region have been deprived of their representative.

The penalty and the time has been done by Gavin Jennings, as far as I am concerned, and it is time for everyone just to get back on the job and start governing,” Ms Sheed said.

Ends

Media contact

Sueanne McCumstie 0428 743 880│sueanne.mccumstie@parliament.vic.gov.au

 

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https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2016-08-18 00:02:162020-02-07 02:45:34NATIONAL PARTY MUST REPRESENT ITS VOTERS

POLICE NUMBERS QUESTIONED

August 16, 2016/in Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has raised concerns over the lack of police resources at community stations in the electorate, in Parliament today.

“As I travel through my electorate, I am continuously met with constituents who are concerned with the lack of police in their towns,” Ms Sheed said.

“Just last week, I attended the Tatura Police Station, where I was faced with a locked office, and a sign, which advised residents to phone ahead, before presenting at the station."

“In an emergency situation, the sign advised residents to call triple zero, or alternatively contact the Shepparton Police Station.

“Residents need to be comforted by a high visibility of their local police officers on their streets and throughout the local district, and by knowing they can call on their local officer, at their local station in times of need,” she said.

Ms Sheed has called on the Minister for Police, Lisa Neville to publicly identify the number of police allocated to the Tatura station, and the percentage of their working hours the members dedicated to that community.

 

Ends

Media contact

Sueanne McCumstie 0428 743 880│sueanne.mccumstie@parliament.vic.gov.au

 

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https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2016-08-16 05:55:022020-02-07 02:45:34POLICE NUMBERS QUESTIONED

GMID STUDY OF BASIN PLAN IMPACTS IMMINENT

August 12, 2016/in Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says the initial findings of the GMID Socio Economic report are likely to show the impact of the Murray Darling Basin Plan has already had a demonstrably negative impact on numerous economic and social indicators across the region.

 “Without a timely change to Federal and State policy, the future of the GMID will be highly compromised” Ms Sheed said.

The Goulburn Murray Irrigation District Leadership Forum met this week with the consultants who were commissioned by the Forum to undertake the study.

“The initial findings sadly confirm what was anticipated at the Water Summit, held in Tatura in October last year.

 

“Under the current Murray Darling Basin Plan, we may struggle to meet our environmental water commitment, possibly forcing further government buyback schemes, which our community cannot afford,” Ms Sheed said.

“It will come as no surprise to people in our region if many of the findings of the MDB A’s own socio-economic study in the northern regions of the Murray Darling Basin are replicated in our area. Local communities have been telling the MDBA for a long time that the impacts are, and will continue to be serious and the studies are now showing this to be the case,” Committee for Greater Shepparton Chair, and member of the Forum David McKenzie said.

The meeting was also attended by Murray Darling Association Executive Officer Emma Bradbury, who applauded the GMID study, as an “informative starting point” to galvanise Murray Darling Basin communities.

The GMID Water Leadership Forum will reconvene on September 28, where the complete draft report is expected to be tabled and adopted.

It will be released at a second Water Summit, to be held in late October.

 

Ends

Media contact

Sueanne McCumstie 0428 743 880│sueanne.mccumstie@parliament.vic.gov.au

 

Click here for PDF

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2016-08-12 04:29:242020-02-07 02:45:33GMID STUDY OF BASIN PLAN IMPACTS IMMINENT

FUNDING NEEDED FOR DAIRY EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES

August 5, 2016/in Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has called on Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford to urgently investigate funding opportunities, for two locally-based programs to help dairy farmers get back on their feet.

It’s on the back of a more than $2.5mill boost to Victoria’s dairy support funding.

Ms Sheed says, while the new funding is welcome, it’s time for the Andrews Labor Government to progress a Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (CMA) employment program and the Workbook initiative.

“The circumstance of our dairy farmers in Northern Victoria is significantly more troubling than in other areas of the state, because of the serious impact of temporary water prices, and the roll out of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

“Quite a few dairy farmers are in a situation where they’ve had to lay off some of their staff, and in some cases, a husband and wife, or both, have had to find employment off the farm, to be in a position to maintain ownership of their property, and meet their current liabilities,” Ms Sheed said.

“The Goulburn Broken CMA, following approaches from both Murray Dairy and City of Greater Shepparton, has proposed an employment program, to be set up locally, to benefit people in these circumstances.

“It was a role successfully undertaken by the organisation during the SPC fruit crisis a number of years ago.

I am concerned funding allocations are being made to various programs, but there has been no indication as to the outcome of this initiative,” Ms Sheed said.

Funding has also been sought through the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP) and the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) for a long-term business planning tool for farmers, known as “Workbook”.

“This has been used in relation to the Goulburn Murray Water Connections project, and has been found to be a successful tool in assisting farmers plan their future,” Ms Sheed said.

“I urge Minister Pulford to support these initiatives, as the Shepparton District community continues to rally around the dairy industry in this difficult time.”

 

Ends

Media contact

Sueanne McCumstie 0428 743 880│sueanne.mccumstie@parliament.vic.gov.au

 

Click here for PDF

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2016-08-05 07:44:192020-02-07 02:45:32FUNDING NEEDED FOR DAIRY EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES

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