Suzanna Sheed
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Suzanna on the steps of Parliament House with hands folded looks away from the camera for a side profile picture

Sheed achieves victory for regional newspapers

February 23, 2022/in Latest News, Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has brought about a change in the Labor Government’s direction to slash government spending on regional newspapers.

The change came about as Ms Sheed questioned the Premier Dan Andrews about Labor’s
attempt to remove the government’s requirement to place public notices in local newspapers and instead use an online platform to host such information.

Mr Andrews said thanks to the advocacy of Ms Sheed and others the government would make an amendment to the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2021.

The amendment will retain the requirement to publish public notices in regional newspapers. This will ensure the government notices required under legislation such as those relating to permits, approvals, licenses, and many other matters will continue to be published.

Ms Sheed said today’s move by the Labor Government proved the effectiveness of independents in the Victorian Parliament and gave credit to the premier for listening to important regional issues.

“With the stroke of a pen the government could have wiped out the requirement to publish public notices in our local newspapers,” Ms Sheed said.

“The continuing loss of advertising has contributed to the closure of many newspapers and if this bill passed unamended, it could have been the last straw for many more.

“It is vital that public notices are accessible to everyone, especially in regional areas where such notices can have great impact on the community.

“I moved an amendment in Legislative Assembly when the bill was first introduced but this was unsuccessful.

“Together with other independents, I worked hard to persuade the government to make the necessary amendment, and today Mr Andrews heard our calls.”

ENDS

Media contact
Elaine Cooney 0447 820 466│elaine.cooney@parliament.vic.gov.au

Click Here for PDF Version

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0012-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-23 18:50:582022-02-23 18:50:58Sheed achieves victory for regional newspapers

Sheed asks for more monitoring of illegal logging

February 22, 2022/in Latest News, Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed is pleased that action has been taken on illegal timber harvesting in Shepparton but said more needs to be done.

Ms Sheed aired her concerns last year about large-scale illegal logging in Shepparton Regional Park and Lower Goulburn National Park, following several complaints by locals that their environment was being destroyed by illegal logging.

Shepparton residents told Ms Sheed that the illegal loggers were using chainsaws at all hours of the day and night to steal trees that would be sold as firewood in Shepparton and Melbourne.

Ms Sheed said Parks Victoria logged 244 incidents of illegal timber harvesting in Shepparton Regional Park and Lower Goulburn National Park, in the past two years.

“From a large number of incidents, only five people have been prosecuted for illegal timber harvesting activities within the Lower Goulburn National Park but none at Shepparton Regional Park.

“While this is quite a low number, a further seven prosecution briefs are currently being prepared against 11 people and 10 infringement notices have been issued.

“One person was fined $7,500 for the illegal removal of firewood and damage to wildlife habitat, and another was punished with a 12-month jail sentence.

“Four vehicles, five chainsaws, two trailers, two mobile phones, and more than five cubic metres of red gum firewood have been seized.

“While action is being taken against these criminals who are decimating our local environment and wildlife habitat, causing angst among nearby residents, and avoiding paying taxes, I feel that many are avoiding detection and not facing our courts.

“However, I am heartened that the targeted operation on illegal logging will continue to be led by the Conservation Regulator and Parks Victoria until the end of 2022.

 

ENDS

Media contact

Elaine Cooney 0447 820 466│elaine.cooney@parliament.vic.gov.au

Click Here for PDF Version

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_0713-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-22 13:26:072022-02-23 14:23:58Sheed asks for more monitoring of illegal logging
Suzanna Sheed Independent Member of Parliament for Shepparton dressed in business suit and holding papers stands in the Legislative Assembly and address parliament

Sheed calls for changes to Reform bill

February 14, 2022/in Latest News, Media Releases

Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed called for an amendment
to a clause in the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2021 that would be
harmful to regional newspapers and reduce the availability of information to the public.

The bill proposed that all state and local government public notices would no longer
be required to be published in the print media.

During a sitting of parliament on Thursday, Ms Sheed spoke about how the clause in the
bill would result in significant damage to the viability of regional newspapers and
moved an amendment to the bill.

While the amendment did not pass in the Legislative Assembly, Ms Sheed
commended the Liberals, Nationals and other independents for supporting her
amendment.

“I will not give up the fight to have this clause removed from the bill and will be
speaking to upper house members to submit a similar amendment, so the bill does
not pass in its current form,” Ms Sheed said.

During the debate, Ms Sheed highlighted the importance of the community knowing
about government decisions and used Greater Shepparton City Council’s decision to
look at selling the airspace above a city carpark for social housing as an example of
something of interest to a large portion of the community.

“Regional newspapers have suffered greatly in the past decade due to the increasing
presence of online media and the decline in print newspapers across our regional areas,”
Ms Sheed said.

“The impacts of a few paragraphs in this bill can be devastating, and I am here to say
that on behalf of regional communities something absolutely must be done about it.

“Where newspapers stop reporting on what happens at their local council meetings,
people become disengaged.

“Government notices that go into the newspapers, whether they be planning, tenders, or other will go onto one single internet site, and I think it is a really big mistake to think that everybody will have access to that site.

“It is often the older, retired people who are really watching for those notices. “They are on the ball, they are active community members, and they want to know what is going on, and if they cannot access it in the local newspaper, then how will they?”

ENDS

Media contact

Elaine Cooney 0447 820 466│elaine.cooney@parliament.vic.gov.au

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Capture.png 559 988 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-14 11:10:172022-02-16 11:17:35Sheed calls for changes to Reform bill
Suzanna on the steps of Parliament House with hands folded looks away from the camera for a side profile picture

REGULATORY LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (REFORM) BILL 2021

February 10, 2022/in Latest News, Parliament

Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (12:27): I rise to speak on the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2021. At the outset I would like to say that I do have some concerns in relation in particular to that aspect of the bill that seeks to amend the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1994. I will come to the reasons for that shortly, but to commence with I would like to move a reasoned amendment. I will do that now in the following terms. I move:

That all the words after ‘That’ be omitted and replaced with the words ‘this house refuses to read this bill a second time until the government conducts further consultation on the impact on regional newspapers of ceasing to publish notices in print newspapers’.

This is an omnibus bill, and it seeks to amend numerous other acts of Parliament, some of them quite significantly, but today I will mainly concentrate on the issue that arises because of this amendment that seeks to remove that requirement to publish notices in print media.

Just briefly, I will refer to a number of other amendments which are encompassed in the bill. During the pandemic temporary allowances were made for parliamentary committees, local councils and libraries to meet virtually, and this is now a process that will become permanent as a result of this legislation when it is passed. Another important element of this bill is giving regulators permission to offer fee relief in times of crisis. We have seen many instances of that during COVID, but often with a need to have particular legislation to do it. This will create a facility to enable organisations to step in more quickly and have some flexibility in that regard.

The problem that I have with this bill is really one that I have spoken about many times in this Parliament, and it is about the future viability of regional newsprint. It is an issue that is continually being brought to our attention in regional areas as more and more media outlets withdraw or close their doors. The changes in this legislation remove the requirement for Victorian government public notices to be published in newspapers—just to be published online. So the scheme is really one where currently statutory authorities and all sorts of bodies, including local government and the Victorian state government, publish these notices in the print newspapers.

There is now an intention to set up a single website and everything will go there and there will no longer be the need for the print to occur. It has been removed from the legislation. It is not even going to be a regulation that occurs. The very best that will come out of this is there may be a guideline set up by the minister wherein there can be certain circumstances where it goes in the print media also. It is virtually discretionary as far as my reading of the bill goes, and I think that is not good enough. Accessibility for our communities to this sort of information is extremely important, and I just draw on one instance as a situation that would give people an idea of how important it is. Just before Christmas Greater Shepparton City Council agreed to the situation where they would look at selling the airspace above a car park in the CBD. Now, there are a whole lot of people who are not happy with that and a residents association has been set up. This is only because our local newspapers were able to see a notice that was published, to write a story on it and to bring it to the attention of the public in a way that has allowed everyone in the community now to make submissions to local government, for and against, and to really create an atmosphere of people feeling that they have some say in government at that level, and indeed every level.

It really is important also because it takes away just some of the base income that regional newspapers have. In regional areas politicians advertise regularly in their local newspapers. I know they rely on that as well. It is part of our way of sharing with the community what we have been doing, what we are saying and what we are involved in on their behalf as their representatives. But more importantly, all those government notices that go out and into the newspapers that we see all the time, whether they be planning, whether they be applications for tenders, all sorts of things, that are really important—we are now looking at a situation where they go onto one internet site, and I think it is a really big mistake to think that everybody will have access to that site.

I draw attention to the fact that recently the Victorian government set up a power saving energy grant of $250, available to everyone. That was widely published—it was in newspapers, it was online and it has been extended now to 30 June, but there are so many people in our community who cannot go online and do what needs to be done to access that. So we have got our Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre in Mooroopna busy all the time asking people to come in and helping them fill out forms online to do these things, and quite a few of our community agencies are now engaged on behalf of these disadvantaged or elderly people who are not able to access the computers and the internet in a way that so many are. I do not think that is just a regional issue. I mean, if you do not use a computer on a regular basis, on a daily basis, then it can become difficult, it become hard to navigate, and there are many people in our community—not just the elderly—who are in that situation. But let me tell you that it is often the older, retired people who are really watching for those notices. They are on the ball, they are active community members and they want to know what is going on, and if they cannot access it in the local newspaper, then how will they?

Regional newspapers have suffered greatly in the past decade due to the increasing presence of online media and the decline in print newspapers across our regional areas. We have seen many of them close down. We have seen television stations removing their cameramen from our areas; the ABC used have a cameraman in Shepparton. We have seen WIN TV go to a weekly, whole-of-Victoria regional news bulletin; no longer does our area have its own. We are losing our stories. People are not telling our stories anymore and we are finding it really hard to share them, and this is something that has a really significant impact on every aspect of community life. WIN News also pulled out of Wagga Wagga, Orange, Albury, Bundaberg. We are seeing Sky News being streamed in. It is not local news. There is no capacity for them to do local news in the way that our smaller organisations have. So the impacts of just a simple few paragraphs in this omnibus bill can be devastating, and I am here to say that on behalf of regional communities something absolutely must be done about it.

Studies out of the UK and other countries indicate that where there is a loss of local media communities suffer a commensurate rise in corruption, political disengagement and heightened distrust in public institutions. Where newspapers stop reporting on what happens at their local council meetings, people become disengaged. Councils are not accountable. Councillors are not accountable. Council staff are no longer being held to account. For much of what happens it is really important that the light is shone on government at every level, and the removal of this simple aspect of bringing things to the forefront in people’s minds, of letting them know what is happening, what the government is advertising, what they are intending is, in my view, a major encroachment on people’s capacity to participate in society and really in a democracy.

So I have moved this reasoned amendment. I would think that any member in this place who represents a regional area would feel the same way I do. I think they know how important our regional news media at every level is, how much we have lost, what an impact it is having, and with the stroke of a pen we are being faced with a loss of security that was in the legislation and now will end up in some guideline.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0012-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-10 13:23:492022-02-23 13:25:07REGULATORY LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (REFORM) BILL 2021
Suzanna Sheed Independent Member of Parliament for Shepparton dressed in business suit and holding papers stands in the Legislative Assembly and address parliament

COVID-19 Vaccinations for MPs

February 9, 2022/in Latest News, Parliament

Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (12:29): I am pleased to rise and speak on this motion. I note that the last time a motion like this was before the house everyone supported the motion, and here we are now, a couple of months later, looking at an extension of it because of the circumstances we have found ourselves in. I think last December, when Parliament rose for the holiday break, we were all hoping that the changes to the laws that had been made may not even be required to the extent that they had been. There was a sense that perhaps we were moving forward from the delta strain. There was just a hint that omicron was on the horizon. Omicron unfortunately has gone wild over the last couple of months, and we have seen the impacts of that on our community. I think it is with great relief that so many in our community are vaccinated, because the impact has been much less in terms of serious illness and death than would have been the case were it not for vaccinations.

In my community so many people have been vaccinated. Shepparton has a very high rate of first and second doses of vaccination, and just today there is the launch of a campaign to really increase the numbers of those people attending to get their third dose of the vaccination. There is great support for vaccination in the community, and by far the overwhelming majority of people have supported it and have been vaccinated.

We saw the predictions in early January of the possible risks to our hospital system, and our health services saw quite an impact on those systems—just barely able to cope, with the furloughing of staff and so many staff away and so many people having difficulty coping—to the extent that these limits on elective surgery were required. It is probably salutary to note that of our hospital beds, something like 50 per cent of those hospital beds are being taken up by people who are unvaccinated. If 6 per cent of the population are unvaccinated and 50 per cent of the beds are being occupied by those who are unvaccinated, there is a real message in that. The importance of vaccinations is really spelt out by that sort of thing.

I think it is really important also to note that the processes around getting access to elective surgery have really been impacted by the overwhelming strain that was put on the hospital system. We have all had people contact our electorate offices—people who have been so negatively impacted by the delays in having surgery. So we have not come out of this. I respect the contributions that everyone has made in this place, coming at it from so many different angles, and they all have good arguments about it. There are many things that we are so tired of as a community. We so want to move on. We so want our freedoms back. We do not want this virus impacting on our community the way it has for the last two years. That overwhelming sense of tiredness with the way we have had to live is just right through our community, and people are looking forward to something different.

Without wanting to be negative about it, it was only days ago that the commonwealth chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, said that we may well be facing another surge of omicron as winter comes on. So we are not out of it yet. There are a lot of measures that still will be required from time to time, and we cannot hide from that fact. I am quite influenced by the fact that the chief medical officer of the commonwealth has really warned of that, and I think it will impact on decisions that are made at national cabinet and in our states going forward. Protection of the community is really the paramount consideration that has been at the forefront of governments across the country in determining what steps need to be taken in relation to the community and how we have behaved over the last two years.

Last week there were about 200 Victorians who died of COVID. Today we are told 20 people have died. Every week hundreds of people are dying in Victoria—a lot more across the country. We are not out of the woods—nowhere near it—and it is very important to think about the impact of that. We all probably know someone now who has had COVID. The omicron variant is rife in the community. Do we all know someone who has died? I do. In my community quite a few people have died from it. They are elderly people and they are vulnerable people; they are people who if they had not had COVID would not have died at that time. Their lives are very valuable to them and to their families. As hard as it is for some of these decisions to be made and to be complied with, it is being done for a reason, because those people are a part of our community too—the disabled, the children with autoimmune diseases, the elderly who are dying in large numbers still. We are becoming almost desensitised to the fact that that is the case.

If there were 200 people a week being killed on our roads, we would be taking extraordinary additional steps to address that. We all jump in our cars and put on our seatbelts without thinking about it. We are being asked to do something so much greater here at this time because we are in a worldwide pandemic, a once-in-100-year pandemic, something that is very frightening.

You only need to look back 100 years ago to see how devastating that was to communities across the world. No-one really knows how many people died then. The figures in the parliamentary report on that Spanish influenza pandemic say maybe 50 million. A lot of people in Australia died from it—soldiers coming home from war, people impacted in ways that we forgot about. We did not really put to the front of our minds that we might have a pandemic that would have the impact that this one has had. Well, we have, and we have really struggled as a community to deal with it. Vaccinations absolutely took the forefront as soon as vaccines became available, and they have been successful in reducing the severity of the disease for most people.

Late last year we passed legislation in this Parliament to create much more transparency, to take away the decision-making from the chief health officer alone and make him only a part of the story. We have a Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee, recently established and beginning to start its work, looking at the orders to see that the orders comply with the legislation that was passed last year.

There is an Independent Pandemic Management Advisory Committee just about to be established. That will be a panel of experts who will additionally be there to advise the government and our community about what they see as the best way forward and advise, no doubt, on measures that governments are taking and how effective they might be. I think we are all waiting keenly to see the appointment of that committee to work with other committees in our community, to work with government and to increase the transparency that has not existed in the past and which is now becoming apparent. As more and more opportunities are being put before the Victorian community to hear from experts, they will come to understand better why decisions are being made and why orders are being put in place in the way they are. And I think it will also lead to much more discussion about what is needed as we go forward. Do we need to have some of the things we have still got? What is a timely way to retire some of the orders that may exist?

These are all steps that are yet to be taken and will be taken, but we have a motion before us today that requires a decision today, and in the absence of any compelling reasons to change from that I will continue to support the motion.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Capture.png 559 988 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-09 13:22:192022-02-23 13:23:39COVID-19 Vaccinations for MPs

Constituency Question – Kialla West Primary

February 9, 2022/in Latest News, Parliament

Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (14:53): (6192) My question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the question I ask is: will the minister take steps to come and look at the situation at Kialla West Primary School and observe what is a very dangerous school crossing? Kialla West Primary School’s crossing is on the main highway from Melbourne to Shepparton. The speed limit goes very quickly from 110 kilometres per hour to 80 kilometres per hour and then quickly to 40 kilometres per hour just outside the school. Any unfocused driver could miss that sign in between very easily, and indeed that is probably what happened because just a short time ago there was a serious accident where a truck did not stop in time and ran into the back of a parent’s vehicle with three young children in it, one of whom ended up in a very serious condition in the Royal Children’s Hospital. It has been a problem for some time, and we have talked about it here. I have had the Minister for Education look at it as well. It really does need attention, and it seems to be a bit blocked at the moment. We need a solution. I would ask the minister to help.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/chuttersnap-O_boSKI5ZFY-unsplash-scaled.jpg 2560 1709 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-09 13:20:562022-02-23 13:21:49Constituency Question – Kialla West Primary
Suzanna on the steps of Parliament House with hands folded looks away from the camera for a side profile picture

Government Business Program

February 8, 2022/in Latest News, Parliament

Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (15:18): (By leave) I rise to speak on the government business program, and I have to say it is with some disappointment that we are starting a new year and we are still fixed in the ways of not having the opportunity for consideration in detail in this house. I think we all know that this is where the ministers sit—most of the ministers on most of the important bills that get debated in this house—and it is surely the role of ministers to step up and answer questions from the opposition, independents and Greens. There are no opportunities for this to happen in this house, and it really starts to make a mockery of what the role of an opposition is in a Legislative Assembly. It is very disappointing.

We do have three important bills before the house. The Health Legislation Amendment (Quality and Safety) Bill 2021 has some very important issues in it, including that notion of a duty of candour by hospitals to allow people to understand what may have happened to them and to have a full, detailed explanation of things that have happened to them in hospital and even an apology, and it sets up a situation where that can happen, among many other things.

The Livestock Management Amendment (Animal Activism) Bill 2021 has been on the table for a long time, and there are aspects of that where fleshing out some of the detail I think would be very useful for all sides of the house to better understand, because it will have a significant impact.

The Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2021 contains many small issues, some of which are incredibly important, and one may well relate to the future of regional newspapers. The planned removal of advertising in the printed form in newspapers may well lead to the reduction of advertising. Small newspapers depend enormously on government advertising to actually exist. We are losing our capacity to be heard in regional areas: newspapers are disappearing, regional radios are being soaked up by multinationals and television has almost disappeared, with WIN Television going and Prime television going. Very little coverage is left for anyone to tell the stories of regional people within their communities. These are really important issues that are here to be debated.

I think the opportunity for members on this side to be able to debate and have a say on these issues often only comes in consideration in detail, because here in this house we have no non-government business program—the only house in the Westminster system that does not provide an opposition with a non-government business program, and that is truly an astounding thing. I have stood up here every Tuesday to move a motion to remedy that, and I am not getting the support that is required. Here on this side the Greens certainly support me, and other independents do. I am yet to hear others speak up in support of such a fundamental change to bring back into the Victorian Parliament in this Legislative Assembly the sorts of democratic processes that we should have. So I oppose this for all of these reasons, but particularly that removal of the ability for us to do our job and for us to be able to address ministers, raise questions and get answers in what is really a very civilised fashion. You only have to see how that operates in the upper house and in other parliaments to see that it is the one opportunity that members get to really flesh out the details around a bill. It disappoints me to have to oppose this government business program, because the bills themselves are important and generally supported, but because of the lack of capacity to investigate and to ask questions, I will be opposing the government business program.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0012-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-08 13:17:482022-02-23 13:19:07Government Business Program

Greater Shepparton Secondary College

February 8, 2022/in Latest News, Parliament

Member Statement: School has resumed after the summer break, and I am happy to see students back in the classroom after two disrupted years. With the help of rapid antigen tests, it is hoped the spread of COVID will be controlled and education will be able to continue in the usual way. I congratulate all of the students in the Shepparton district on their resilience and flexibility in navigating their way through the past two years of schooling. It has truly been challenging.

The new Greater Shepparton Secondary College is being attended by 2223 students, and they are enjoying a world-class school with its wonderful and extensive new facilities. I have heard from many people and students how delighted and excited they were to begin term in a new school. There is plenty of space within the new school building and grounds for the children to socialise, know and use in their own way.

The $120 million Shepparton Education Plan has been a smart investment in the young people in our area, who did the best they could in substandard buildings with outdated facilities due to decades of underfunding in our region’s schools. The community has supported the development of this school, including the Committee for Greater Shepparton and Greater Shepparton City Council and so many of our businesses, who are now interactively involved with the school to provide students with the opportunities they may need to help them determine the sorts of pathways they will have into the future. We want to see all children leave school with a pathway, whatever that is.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GSSC-Opening-2.jpg 1670 2510 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-08 11:17:512022-02-16 11:37:30Greater Shepparton Secondary College

Question on Notice – Illegal Timber Logging

February 7, 2022/in Latest News, Parliament
Asked: 30 November 2021
Question on Notice

Ms Sheed to ask the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change — With reference to illegal timber logging in Shepparton Regional Park and Lower Goulburn National Park, Shepparton:

(1) How many incident reports of illegal timber harvesting has the Department of Environment, Land and Water logged for Shepparton Regional Park and Lower Goulburn National Park, in the past two years.

(2) How many times has the Department of Environment, Land and Water successfully prosecuted illegal timber harvesters in Shepparton Regional Park and the Lower Goulburn National Park, in the past two years.

Answer

Answered: 7 February 2022

Parks Victoria is the land manager responsible for Shepparton Regional Park and the Lower Goulburn National Park. In the past two years there have been 244 information reports of illegal timber harvesting activities across the two parks.

In the last two years five individuals have been successfully prosecuted for illegal timber harvesting activities within the Lower Goulburn National Park. One individual was fined $7,500 for illegal removal of firewood and damage to wildlife habitat and another was recently sentenced to 12 months jail with a non-parole period of six months. Items used by the offender as part of his unlawful timber harvesting operations were forfeited to the Crown. There have been no prosecutions conducted for illegal timber harvesting activities within the Shepparton Regional Park.

In March 2021 the Conservation Regulator, in collaboration with Parks Victoria, initiated Operation River Gum, targeting illegal firewood removal and associated activities within Shepparton Regional Park and Lower Goulburn National Park.

As a result of this targeted compliance operation, seven prosecution briefs are being prepared against 11 individuals. Four vehicles, five chainsaws, two trailers, two mobile phones and over five cubic metres of red gum firewood have been seized. Approximately 10 infringement notices have also been issued. It is expected these prosecutions will be heard in the Shepparton Magistrates Court in mid-2022.

Operation River Gum will continue to be led by the Conservation Regulator with support from Parks Victoria until the end of 2022.

Hon Lily D’Ambrosio MP

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change

Minister for Solar Homes

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_0713-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-07 15:43:002022-02-22 15:51:21Question on Notice – Illegal Timber Logging
Suzanna on the steps of Parliament House with hands folded looks away from the camera for a side profile picture

Sheed outlines Shepparton’s health priorities to minister

February 2, 2022/in Latest News, Media Releases

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has written to the Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley to highlight the region’s health priorities ahead of the upcoming State Budget.

Ms Sheed said the main budget asks were the funding for Shepparton’s Early Parenting Centre and Stage 2 of Goulburn Valley Health.

“The establishment of an Early Parenting Centre in Shepparton is long overdue,” Ms Sheed said.

“The Goulburn Valley Health Foundation now has approximately $1.5 million held in trust to contribute towards this important project and the business case is ready to be enacted.

“Shepparton missed out on Early Parenting Centre funding in 2020, but Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Frankston, Casey, Wyndham and Whittlesea were given $123 million.

“New parents have little support available locally after they start their families.

“Such a centre would make the world of difference to parents and allow them to adjust to parenthood in the community instead of travelling to Melbourne at such a busy time in their lives.“

Stage 2 of the hospital redevelopment is a substantial project, but planning has been done to allow for a staged development process, starting with the urgent infrastructure to accommodate sufficient mental health services for our community.

“The pandemic has taken its toll on everyone’s mental health, especially those who had previous mental health conditions, so it has never been more important to invest in supporting our community’s mental health care.

“In regional areas, where resources are stretched, mental health should be at the forefront of health funding in the 2022/2023 State Budget.

“Once funded, the works can begin straight away to give our community the mental health service it desperately needs and deserves.

“These two projects are vital to support our community in the long-term but also as we recover and rebuild our lives in the pandemic era.

“We also urgently need the $25 million Clinical Health School to help grow the workforce to meet Shepparton’s healthcare demand

“We need the Victorian Government to part fund Shepparton’s Integrated Cancer Centre, so our most vulnerable residents can receive the care they deserve in their own community.”

ENDS

Media contact

Elaine Cooney 0447 820 466│elaine.cooney@parliament.vic.gov.au

 

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0012-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2022-02-02 12:36:032022-02-08 12:39:14Sheed outlines Shepparton’s health priorities to minister
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