Suzanna Sheed
  • Home
  • About
    • About Suzanna
    • Shepparton District
    • How Suzanna can help
  • Priorities
    • Agriculture
    • Education
    • Health
    • Infrastructure
    • Our Achievements
  • News
    • Media Releases
    • Blog
    • Parliament
    • Photos
  • Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Out & About with Suzanna
    • COVID-19
  • Contact
    • Request a
      Congratulatory
      Message
    • Subscribe to our
      newsletter
  • Menu Menu

New bridge for Toolamba needed now

October 29, 2018/in Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed is calling on the Victorian Government and State Opposition to fund a new bridge at Toolamba.

Ms Sheed said the existing historic bridge was no longer appropriate for the growing community and could continue to pose a safety risk unless replaced.

She said Greater Shepparton City Council had costed a new bridge at approximately $7 million and would require a significant financial contribution from the State.

“The Toolamba community has been in need of a new bridge for a long time, and while Council has played its role in paying for regular repair works, it’s time we found a longer term solution,” Ms Sheed said.

“The bridge has been closed for safety upgrades several times since last year, but more work is required to bring it up to an acceptable standard.

“It has already had its load capacity reduced to 2T and it needs major strengthening works to increase its capacity to at least 10T to properly and safely cater for through traffic.

Ms Sheed said each time the bridge was closed for repairs represented a major inconvenience for the Toolamba community.

“The shortest detour to the north of town is 37km when the bridge is closed, and 51km to the south,” Ms Sheed said.

“It’s just not acceptable to regularly subject people to a 45 minute detour when there’s clearly a need to fix the problem once and for all.”

Ms Sheed said she had been in discussions with the Toolamba Community Planning Group about the town’s vision for its future, and agreed a new bridge was the only real solution.

“The community is very clear on this – Toolamba needs a new bridge, not a replacement or upgrade of the current one,” Ms Sheed said.

“It’s important that we celebrate the town’s history by preserving the heritage structure while ensuring it has the modern infrastructure it needs to truly thrive.”

 

ENDS

Media contact

Riahn Smith 0419 138 978│suzanna.sheed2018@gmail.com

Click here for PDF version.

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 Sheed2018-10-29 01:51:232020-02-07 02:46:06New bridge for Toolamba needed now

Shepparton bypass – deputation

October 22, 2018/in Parliament

Members statement

It was great to have the opportunity to host a deputation from the Shepparton district yesterday to meet with the Minister for Roads and Road Safety at Parliament House.

I was joined by Greater Shepparton City Council mayor Kim O’Keeffe, CEO Peter Harriot, chair of the Shepparton Bypass Action Group Peter Johnson, general manager of Kreskas Bros Transport Peter Hill and Committee for Greater Shepparton CEO Sam Birrell to continue our advocacy for the much-needed first stage of the Shepparton bypass.
This is a huge project that will require federal funding on what is part of the Melbourne to Brisbane national highway. Stage 1 alone is expected to cost $260 million, but the value to the region is immeasurable. The Shepparton district is a powerhouse of agricultural production across dairy, horticulture and mixed farming. It is also a major centre for transport logistics and has one of the highest concentrations of food processing industries in this country within its boundaries.

Click here to view this record on Hansard.

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 Sheed2018-10-22 23:24:222020-02-07 02:48:35Shepparton bypass – deputation

Felicitations

October 22, 2018/in Parliament

Members statement

I arrived in this place four years ago knowing very little about the operations of Parliament, and all my staff were in the same position.

We have learned so much and achieved so much.

I would like to thank them for their incredible support to me in my electorate office, out in the community and here at Parliament. It has been a great privilege to serve on the crossbench here and be able to work with the government of the day to achieve amazing outcomes for the Shepparton district.

Click here to view this record on Hansard.

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 Sheed2018-10-22 23:20:152020-02-07 02:48:34Felicitations

Shepparton electorate – cancer centre

October 22, 2018/in Parliament

Constituency question

My constituency question is for the Minister for Health.

Minister, I have spoken many times in this place about the pressing need for appropriate cancer treatment services in the Shepparton district.

Today I would like to use my last question to ask the minister: will you commit to a comprehensive cancer centre with onsite oncology, radiotherapy and wellness services for our community?

I am constantly confronted with stories from people in my electorate who struggle to access radiotherapy therapy services when they fall sick. Last Friday I met with three constituents in Tatura who spoke of the immense challenge of driving to Bendigo for treatment, the toll it took on their health and the burden it places on their carers. Statistics show that distance from services is often a deciding factor in whether people actually choose to take on the treatment that they need. People in so many other regional centres now have full access to a full range of cancer services. People in my electorate deserve the same opportunity.

Click here to view this record on Hansard.

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 Sheed2018-10-22 23:18:132020-02-07 02:48:34Shepparton electorate – cancer centre

Shepparton solar farm applications

October 22, 2018/in Parliament

Question without notice

My question is for the Minister for Planning.

Minister, could you tell this house when you will be making a decision on the four solar farm applications referred to you by the Greater Shepparton City Council in February 2018.

It has been nearly seven months since you called in these projects and more than three months since the end of the Planning Panels Victoria hearings that took place in Shepparton.

I understand the panel’s recommendations were submitted to your office some time ago and that a final decision is now in your hands.

Mr Wynne (Minister for Planning)

I thank the member for Shepparton for her continued interest in renewable energy and indeed the ambitious targets that our government has for renewable energy: 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025.
I do acknowledge of course that these renewable energy targets will involve a mix of solar and wind energy, and I just want to advise the house of how we are travelling in that respect. In relation to wind, Ararat, Cape Nelson, Yaloak South, Kiata, Coonooer Bridge and Maroona represent $656 million worth of wind energy already built — 2300 construction jobs and permanent jobs in regional Victoria. Can I also indicate to the member that under construction are Murra Warra, Mount Gellibrand, Crowland, Salt Creek, Timboon West and Bulgana — that is just to name a few. That is $3.2 billion worth of wind energy under construction today. This is part of our mix to ensure that we do reach our targets of 25 per cent of energy by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025.
Turning to solar, as the member of Shepparton knows, I have in fact called in four planning permit applications at the request of the City of Greater Shepparton. They have been to an independent panel, as the member has indicated, and panel hearings were held in Shepparton in May. The report was provided to me in July, and obviously I will consider in detail the various provisions that are related to the planning panel’s report, because there is a degree of complexity. I will be considering the report in detail because there are a range of other emerging issues which will need to be addressed, particularly in relation to the use of agricultural land and irrigation land. I will give those matters proper consideration.

Supplementary Question

Minister, you have indicated that your department is in the process of drafting guidelines for the establishment of solar farms. Can you please advise what progress is being made and when these draft guidelines might be made public? While there is wide support in the Shepparton district for renewable energy projects, there can be no doubt that this region comprises high-value agricultural land that has had substantial recent investment in irrigation modernisation, so there are competing interests and my community is looking for guidelines to go forward.

Mr Wynne

I thank the member for Shepparton for her supplementary question. Indeed as part of the panel’s deliberations we are in fact developing new guidelines to support the future development of solar farms. They are obviously being prepared with input from specialist areas — obviously energy; the Minister for Agriculture; the Minister for Water obviously needs to be involved in these discussions as well — and when those guidelines are in fact completed, as you would expect, we will ensure that there is further consultation, particularly with the local councils through the Municipal Association of Victoria but also the Victorian Farmers Federation as well, who have a very acute interest in this.

I am also aware that the member for Mildura, in fact this morning, had a very interesting conversation with me, particularly around a couple of solar farm applications that he has got in his area, so these guidelines will certainly assist the Mildura council as well in their further deliberations on those permit applications.

Click here to view this record on Hansard.

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 Sheed2018-10-22 23:05:562020-02-07 02:48:33Shepparton solar farm applications

Regional Victoria

October 22, 2018/in Parliament

Members statement

Another parliamentary sitting week has arrived, and again there is a sense of deja vu.

Political party manoeuvring leaves little time to debate legislation and matters of public importance that we have actually been put here to discuss.

It is no wonder the public accuse politicians of living in a bubble.

The goings-on in this place are so far removed from the lives of real people, from the lives of regional Victorians.

In my electorate of Shepparton district constituents care about what is being done to improve schools, hospitals and transport connectivity. They are anxious about the extended dry weather conditions and fearful of the drought being experienced further north and in the east of our state. They are afraid it will reach them with devastating consequences if there is not enough spring rain. They want to know that significant shortcomings in water management through the Murray-Darling Basin plan that were exposed by the Productivity Commission last week will get the attention that state and federal governments owe to it. They want to hear politicians talk to them about their experiences and to offer them support and solutions. And let me tell you: beware the politicians who get swept up in the party politics instead of focusing on the people who put them here.
Regional Victoria is experiencing its strongest showing of independent challengers to the major parties, probably in history. People are disillusioned with the status quo and will show their hand on 24 November.

Click here to view this record on Hansard.

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 Sheed2018-10-22 23:02:172020-02-07 02:48:33Regional Victoria

Justice Legislation Amendment (Unlawful Association and Criminal Appeals) Bill 2018

October 22, 2018/in Parliament

Second reading

I rise to make a contribution on the Justice Legislation Amendment (Unlawful Association and Criminal Appeals) Bill 2018.

It is a bill that purports to reform the criminal justice system, with changes to police powers to respond to serious and organised crime and to Victoria’s appeals system.

Firstly, in dealing with this unlawful association bill, I have to say that I feel very concerned about the nature of this piece of legislation.

I note that in his second-reading speech the Attorney-General said that this was a bill that contains a range of important reforms to the criminal justice system. He concentrated really on the Criminal Organisations Control Act 2012 and said that this legislation will enhance the provisions of that act.
It has been sold to us as a bill that is being enacted to deal with organised crime, but the unintended consequences around this piece of legislation are what are so very concerning. There are a number of points I would like to make. I know that when laws of this nature were introduced into New South Wales the New South Wales Ombudsman did a report on them and talked about the unintended consequences there. The fact that children were targeted in such a way really caused concern about the legislation. Some 9000 notices were issued and 46 people were sentenced for consorting during the period that the Ombudsman looked at. Reporting on the laws, he found that 7 per cent of consorting warnings were directed at children — 13 to 17-year-olds — while Aboriginal communities were subjected to 40 per cent of all consorting provisions. More than half the consorting warnings given to women were given to Aboriginal women.
My electorate has the highest Aboriginal population outside of metropolitan Melbourne, and I fear for a community where we create laws that place these sorts of provisions in the hands of police at the level of sergeant. It is simply extraordinary that these sorts of notices, which have the consequences that they do, could be put into the hands of local police across the state with very little examination as to the impacts of those laws. Two-thirds of the 83 children in New South Wales aged between 13 and 17 years who received consorting warnings were Aboriginal, despite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprising only 2.5 per cent of the population. These are very concerning statistics, and they put a lie to the fact that this is about organised crime. Certainly I think we all want to see organised crime smashed. We want it dealt with. We do not want organised crime recruiting young people. But the reality is that these sorts of notices are not actually targeting that group of people, so the capacity for unintended consequences that I have referred to is really very great.
In information I have had from a local legal aid service, another example has been pointed out to me of where these notices are given. I am just going to read the two paragraphs:
Police and ambulance services were called to attend a location to search for two bushwalkers. The bushwalkers had contacted emergency services after becoming lost. Once the men had been found, police conducted checks and discovered that both men had convictions for indictable offences. One man had been convicted of drug supply (not cannabis) almost 10 years earlier. There is nothing in the police records to indicate continued involvement in the supply of illicit drugs and the only police contact since that conviction involved traffic matters. The other man had been convicted of common assault five years earlier and is described in police records as a ‘self-confessed cannabis user’. His police record also indicates concerns for his mental health. Neither man has ever been identified by police as a higher risk offender.
In speaking with the men individually, police were told that neither of them knew the other had been convicted of an offence. Police were also told that they were bushwalking and one man was showing the other man Aboriginal rocks and boulders in the area. The men were each issued with a consorting warning. Police recorded a suspicion the pair may be involved in cultivating cannabis although officers did not locate anything …
In any event it was seen as okay to give them a notice. This is not organised crime and it is not dealing with what a lot of the rhetoric around this legislation seems to be about, but it is targeting people who are perhaps more vulnerable in our community.
In today’s Australian, Chip Le Grand has published an article talking about the recent bail laws which came into operation in this state on 1 July 2018. The number of unsentenced prisoners now remanded in custody on criminal charges has leapt 60 per cent since the Bourke Street rampage that prompted the overhaul of those laws. We now see situations such as a 37-year-old mother of five spending 68 days behind bars on remand for stealing a handbag from Myer, only to be released on a good behaviour bond. A homeless man was jailed for stealing a packet of sushi. A 12-year-old boy was forced to spend a night in a police cell. Is this what we really want to see happen in our state? I do not think so.
If someone is charged with shoplifting, is bailed and is then caught with a small amount of drugs and has to go to jail, I do not think that is really what we want to see happening. Again, the rhetoric is so much around organised crime, around gangs — no doubt targeting African gangs, which seem to be so much in the news at the moment — but this is not the way we are going to solve the problems that we have with our disadvantaged communities, with people who are disenfranchised, with people with mental health problems or with children.
In in my electorate of Shepparton we are trying to deal with these problems on a community basis. We have a Sudanese community, we have a Congolese community, we have a significant African community and we have one of the most multicultural societies in Victoria. I have said before that we also have the highest Aboriginal population outside of Melbourne. These sorts of problems and the crime problem in our community are not typified by African gangs and are not typified by gangs going on rampages, so why is that? What is it that we are doing as a community that might be creating a different environment or creating opportunities for people?
I would like to just mention the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, a community-based organisation that received $3 million in a recent budget to continue with their work. They are working with young people in our community. They have established the Haven, which is just a place for kids to go after school and have a meal. Some 150 kids are registered from the Shepparton-Mooroopna area. They go there on weeknights and have a meal. Some do their homework. They hang out. They just wanted a place to go. They told the people who organised this Lighthouse project that they just did not have anywhere to go and that they wanted somewhere to go. Now they have somewhere to go.
The Bridge Youth Service in Shepparton works with young people aged between about 12 and 17, and there are so many other organisations in our community that work with young people to try and divert them from the sorts of issues that do arise in their families. We have some of the highest rates of young people in out-of-home care, but I have to say that as a community we are trying to do something about it. We are working on looking at these sorts of issues.
I just reflect on the fact that in Texas, a strong Republican state that you would expect to have a really strong law and order base, they have moved away from that notion of imprisoning everybody. They have moved to deliberately investing in early childhood and in mental health services in ways that are actually in the long run much cheaper than investing in the prison system, and they are starting to see results. We need to be looking at other ways and other opportunities to deal with the problems we have. We might think we have been doing it well, but we actually have not.
I had the opportunity to visit the Parkville youth detention centre about 18 months ago. Half the young people in that place are on remand, and there are only about 200 young people across the state. I ask the government to reconsider its position on this legislation.

Click here to view this record on Hansard.

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 Sheed2018-10-22 22:57:582020-02-07 02:48:32Justice Legislation Amendment (Unlawful Association and Criminal Appeals) Bill 2018

Sheed launches campaign to Keep Shepparton District Independent

October 22, 2018/in Media Releases

Formally launching her campaign to retain the seat of Shepparton District in the Victorian Parliament for a second term, Ms Sheed has outlined her significant achievements and vision for the future.

“For almost 50 years we were represented by one of the major political parties and were one of the safest conservative seats in the state. We suffered decades of neglect and fell so far behind not only Melbourne, but the other major regional centres,” Ms Sheed said.

“Four years ago our community stood up and said no more. Being proudly independent has delivered in spades for Shepparton District – we have achieved more than $600 million in critical infrastructure funding for health, education, rail and road projects.”

“$170 million to redevelop Goulburn Valley Health, $21.5 million to transform educational opportunities for our young people and a record $356 million to upgrade the Shepparton Train Line.  This work is underway and will bring our line into the modern era and make way for our nine VLocity return services a day from 2021.

“These projects are a reality, not a political promise, and they’re the essential building blocks for a thriving region where opportunity isn’t limited by the postcode you live in.”

Ms Sheed said while it was pleasing to see Shepparton District finally receiving the attention it had needed for so long, there was so much more to achieve.

“It is incredible to see how far our community has come in such a short amount of time – we are now firmly on the political map,” Ms Sheed said.

“Momentum is building but there is a lot more to do to be the very best city and region we can be.”

Ms Sheed said she was campaigning for a second term to not only see the delivery of projects already underway, but also to achieve even more for the Shepparton District.

“We need Stage Two funding to see our hospital completed with an integrated cancer centre so people can be treated closer to home.

“We need funding to complete the Shepparton Education Plan, for the Neighbourhood Schools Project and for a residential mother-baby unit to help families give their children the best possible start to life.

“We’ve started planning and early works for the Shepparton bypass, but we need funding for the first stage to deliver a second river crossing and improve the amenity and safety of our towns.

“It’s also vital we retain our strong voice on water policy to ensure our farmers and agricultural, processing and transport businesses have a sustainable future to produce the clean, green and highly sought-after food we are famous for.”

Ms Sheed said it was time to keep the foot on the accelerator to ensure the region was not forgotten or taken for granted again.

“No one was talking about Shepparton District at the last election and now we are one of the key seats to watch,” Ms Sheed said.

“The major parties are clamouring to win this seat with promises and pledges but they delivered little for our community. With an independent voice we made them sit up and pay attention.”

“Most politicians say they’re proud to represent their party – I’m proud to represent the people of the Shepparton District.  I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the community as an independent voice to achieve even more”.

 

ENDS

Media contact

Riahn Smith 0419 138 978│suzanna.sheed2018@gmail.com

Click here for PDF version.

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 Sheed2018-10-22 08:30:522020-02-07 02:45:38Sheed launches campaign to Keep Shepparton District Independent

Pages

  • About Suzanna
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • COVID-19
  • Get Involved
  • Home
  • How Suzanna can help
  • Media Releases
  • News
  • Newsletters
  • Our Achievements
  • Our Vision
  • Out & About with Suzanna
  • Parliament
  • Photos
  • Request A Congratulatory Message
  • Shepparton District
  • Subscribe to our newsletter

Categories

  • Blog
  • Latest News
  • Media Releases
  • Newsletters
  • Parliament
  • Uncategorized

Archive

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Get in touch with Suzanna

Share this page and show your support.

Subscribe

5 Vaughan Street, Shepparton
T 03 5831 6944
E suzanna.sheed@parliament.vic.gov.au

Keep up-to-date.
Follow us on social media.

Get in touch with Suzanna

Share this page and show your support.

5 Vaughan Street, Shepparton
T 03 5831 6944   F 03 5831 6836
E suzanna.sheed@parliament.vic.gov.au

Keep up-to-date.
Follow us on social media.

Scroll to top
Subscribe to our newsletter