Sheed calls for urgent government action to support regional media

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has called on state and federal governments to support regional media to avert a major crisis in Australian society and democracy.

“Studies in the UK, the US and Australia indicate where local media closes, communities suffer a rise in corruption, political disengagement and a heightened distrust in public institutions,” she told the Victorian Parliament Wednesday (28 October 2020).

Addressing parliament on a Matter of Public Importance, Ms Sheed said audiences are also enriched by access to local news from journalists who live and work in regional communities.

“These journalists present multiple viewpoints to their audiences. This coverage allows the reader, watcher and listener to judge the merits of whatever argument is being made in context, rather than someone like myself simply dictating an opinion through media releases and social media posts.”

“I am connected and saddened by the loss of each and every local journalist.”

Ms Sheed said the multi-national social media and search engine giants were taking content and advertising revenue from rural media without adding value for communities.

Digital media giants “will never replace the local knowledge, curiosity and dedication to journalistic ethics of those employed in the media who live within our communities,” she said.

Ms Sheed said: “Local, state and federal governments should support local newspapers through advertising and they should be required to do so by law.”

But the 2020 Local Government Act has removed references to council requirements to publish in local newspapers, she said.

Ms Sheed said that the following steps can be taken to help save local regional media:

• Individuals can subscribe to their local newspapers in print and online, support local radio stations and news media rooms

• Local government should be required to continue publicly advertising much of its day- to-day operations, tenders, planning applications, changes to rates etc in local media

• State governments should, by law, support regional media through advertising

• Federal Government should should, by law, support regional media through advertising, provide tax breaks, review the Australian Broadcasting Act, and review the one-media-outlet to-market rule

• The threshold for access to public interest journalism grants should be lowered

Ms Sheed said: “The result of this ongoing contraction of media diversity in our regional areas will be that there will be less transparency, less access to information for those who are not deliberately going in search of it and ultimately less accountability. This denigrates our democratic processes.”

“To be able to participate you must first be informed and educated.”

ENDS

Media contact

Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267 │ jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Government delivers on requests from Suzanna Sheed to better support Shepparton

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The Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has provided the Premier with urgent advice that the government has acted upon to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak in Shepparton.

The Premier phoned Ms Sheed to ask what support the government could provide to Shepparton.

Ms Sheed requested:

• Bottled water for those in line for COVID tests

• For high-risk individuals to be prioritised in COVID testing lines

• For the government to open a testing location in Mooroopna, and • For vulnerable community members to be tested in their homes

Today the Victorian Premier said he would act on Ms Sheed’s advice, which had come from consulting with community members.

Ms Sheed has also spoken with the Minster for Health and last night received a briefing from the Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer.

“I will keep phoning government ministers over the coming days and continue to request what our community needs. I won’t be stopping.”

Ms Sheed’s office is still taking calls from constituents to hear their concerns, answer questions and compile a list of further actions that she can take to the government for rapid implementation.

“I want community members to contact my office so we can tell the government to do what is needed for the health and safety of everyone in Shepparton.”

“I will continue to work hard on the community’s behalf to ensure our community is protected,” Ms Sheed said.

ENDS

Media contact

Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267│jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Sheed welcomes Stage Three Funding for Shepparton Rail

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has welcomed the pre-budget announcement that stage three of the Shepparton rail line upgrade will receive $320m in tomorrow’s 2020/21 Federal Budget.

“This is fantastic and welcome news for our community. Stage three will ensure we can have 9 velocity trains run each week day between Shepparton and Melbourne. It will be transformational in many ways and set the scene for even more services in the future,” Ms Sheed said.

“In 2015 the All Aboard campaign took to the steps of the Victorian Parliament calling for better rail services for our region. Since then $356 million has been committed by the Victorian State Government to the Shepparton rail line with stage one providing 10 additional train services and 29 bus services weekly.

Just last month the contracts were signed for Stage two which will deliver the infrastructure for VLocity trains to travel to and from Shepparton for the first time, improving reliability and making journeys more comfortable for passengers,” Ms Sheed said.

Ms Sheed said that the community led campaign from the Shepparton District has been the important force that has made a strong case to both the state and federal government for better rail and it could not be ignored. “It has been our community’s strong advocacy which saw the Victorian State government fund stages one and two of this project and we now we have stage 3,” Ms Sheed said.

“This investment comes at a critical time for our region as our local economy has really felt the stress from COVID-19. It is so good to see our state and federal governments working together on these nation building projects. The Shepparton rail project will play an important role both at a national and state level to lead recovery and support employment in the region,” Ms Sheed said.

ENDS

Media contact Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267│jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Sheed Calls for Budgets to make Joint Investments in Regions

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says it’s time for the political parties to put aside their differences and work together to ensure the best and most appropriate projects are funded as governments put the final touches on their 2020/21 budgets.

“We need to build upon the bipartisan approach governments showed earlier in the year in dealing with the management of the COVID-19 health crisis. When the Federal and State governments came together in a National Cabinet we were able to respond quickly to the needs of our communities across Australia. It is important that governments continue with a cooperative approach when it comes to funding major projects which will provide jobs and assist our economy in what will no doubt be a long-term recovery,” Ms Sheed said.

“In my budget discussions with the Victorian Treasurer I highlighted the long-term major projects that need to continue to be funded and brought through to completion in the Shepparton District. While smaller capital works projects are on the funding radar, as they too will provide jobs at a local level, this is a time to look at the big picture and big projects that will provide long term investment and employment in the region.

It would be fantastic to see the Federal government come together with the state to fund stage 3 of the Shepparton rail line redevelopment. Our community’s strong advocacy saw the Victorian State government fund stages 1 and 2 and we now wait for stage 3 which will see 9 velocity trains run each week day between Shepparton and Melbourne. It will be transformational in many ways and set the scene for even more services in the future.

I have worked hard to make sure the Shepparton line upgrade is firmly on the Victorian government’s agenda and I would expect the unfunded third stage to be on their priority list of projects as they further discussions with the federal government.

I have long advocated for the building of the Shepparton bypass and I’ve been told that the business case will be completed by the end of this year. This will create a perfect opportunity for both the state and federal government to progress a major nation building project, joining our national highways through Victoria and up to the New South Wales border, and create many jobs in our region for years to come,” Ms Sheed said.

“There are many other important projects to be funded and regional Victoria should be included in the major recovery investments proposed by both State and Federal governments,” Ms Sheed said.

ENDS

Media contact

Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267│jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Sheed Calls for Easing of Restrictions in the Regions

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says she has written to the Premier throwing her support behind the calls from many others in regional Victoria to move towards an easinof restrictions in our regional areas.

In doing so she has pointed out that she receives communications every day from a range of community and business people who have been affected by current restrictions and are looking to reopen their businesses. Gymnasiums and fitness centres, dance studios and children’s play centres are now ready to open safely and are desperate to do so.

“Members of the clergy have contacted me directly and are most anxious to be able to meet with greater numbers of their congregation together again. Broadcasting of services has been difficult with so few people able to be present to arrange the broadcasts. Our churches provide a range of services and support to so many people in our community who have had to remain very isolated over recent months. To be able to attend larger gatherings and socialise again would be an enormous benefit to their physical, mental and emotional well-being,” Ms Sheed said.

“While Shepparton experienced an outbreak in early August with two clusters of coronavirus being identified, the decentralisation of contact tracing to GV Health meant that it was quickly brought under control and it is now weeks since we have had an active case in the Shepparton.

Business owners are ready to activate their businesses to the fullest extent possible and service their communities again,” she said.

Ms Sheed maintains that with school students now returning from remote learning back into schools many regional Victorians should be able to return to their offices and places of work.

“Here in regional Victoria we do not have many of the issues associated with multistorey buildings, lifts and escalators and other factors that are relevant in workplaces in Melbourne. It would be possible for many workers to return to their workplace and with COVID-19 work plans, to safely do so,” Ms Sheed said.

ENDS

Media contact

Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267│jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Sheed calls for more action on seasonal workers

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has called on the Minister for Agriculture Ms Jaclyn Symes to meet with fruit grower representatives in the Goulburn Valley to discuss their need to have access to seasonal workers for the forthcoming harvest. Ms Sheed took the opportunity during debate in the Victorian Parliament last Friday to discuss the deep concern local fruit growers have regarding their capacity to access an international workforce that is usually met with backpackers and Pacific Island workers.

“Growers have welcomed the funding announcement made by the Minister to address aspects of this problem, but they remain concerned that they will not have the labour force necessary in the time and quantity required to secure the harvest,” Ms Sheed said.

“The number of people in Australia on working holiday visas has almost halved since international borders closed, falling from about 140,000 to 73,500 earlier this month. Backpackers have continued to return to their home countries during the pandemic.

Similarly bringing in workers under the seasonal worker program from the Pacific Islands will have its challenges and it is important that both the state and federal government work together to ensure that enough workers can be accessed through this scheme and the necessary quarantine and flight arrangements put in place. Growers need to know now that they can enter into contracts with workers in these countries and that those workers can reach their destination to commence picking on our farms,” Ms Sheed said.

“A federal government inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker program has recommended that incentives be put in place to encourage young people graduating from school and turning 18 to work on farms and provide support to the agricultural and horticultural industries.

Hundreds of young people will be completing their final year of school in the Shepparton District in the coming months and it may well be possible to incentivise them to consider working over the summer months as fruit pickers, earning income prior to going to university or starting other work and educational opportunities,” Ms Sheed said.

Other Quotes:

“We have seen that already this year around 160 seasonal workers from Vanuatu landed in Darwin, as part of a trial program to fill a labour shortage for the Northern Territory’s a mango harvest.”

ENDS

Media contact

Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267 email: jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Divide the regions says Sheed

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says regional Victoria should be divided into sections for the purposes of assessing case numbers and moving forward on the regional roadmap handed down by the Premier on Sunday.

“It is unfair and unnecessary to include northern Victoria and some other parts of the state in the same category as, for instance, Geelong, a city which is so closely integrated with Melbourne. This will make it extremely hard for other parts of the state to achieve the 14-day average required to relax restrictions,” she said.

“I have been working hard on trying to find a plan for the regions. There is no use just complaining about it. We must find a reasonable solution. I have spoken with Stephen Duckett from the Grattan Institute and our local primary health network and I believe there is a better way forward,” Ms Sheed said.

“Dealing with the pandemic is primarily a health issue and we already have in place regional capacity to localise the response and achieve the lower numbers required region by region. Bringing on board the primary health networks already in existence across regional Australia will add to the resources available and ensure greater connection between health services, local government and other agencies. The Murray Primary Health Network has been in operation since 2015 and spans from Mildura in the north across to Albury and beyond, almost 100,000 km² comprising 664,000 people,” Ms Sheed said.

“We are hearing complaints from so many people across the state, but no one seems to have a plan. Shepparton was able to deal with a recent significant outbreak of coronavirus in its community because Goulburn Valley Health, our regional health service was given the power and the capacity to undertake contact tracing on a local level. Regional communities are well equipped to deal with issues such as this and devolving responsibility to a community level makes sense.

We have the systems in place to see regional Victoria divided into the Murray, Western Victoria and Gippsland Primary Health Network regions to bring together their communities to deal with this health issue.

I am calling on the Andrews government to immediately put in place the mechanisms required to further devolve contact tracing and other management of the pandemic response back into our regional health services so that they can work together with our primary health networks and other health providers to beat the virus and get our communities up and going again sooner,” Ms Sheed said.

Other comments

In the meantime, we have a worldwide pandemic on our hands. While Australia has escaped much of the devastation compared to other nations of the world, I believe here in Victoria we can do better. If we don’t tackle this problem at a local level, we will find ourselves bouncing in and out of restrictions for a long time. The Federal and the state governments have the capacity to bring together the resources we need to address the management of this virus on a region by region basis.

ENDS

Media contact

Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267 | jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Food production must be given priority

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Independent member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has welcomed the news that the Shepparton LGA has been removed from the list of areas regarded as areas of concern by the New South Wales Department of Health.

“This will make a significant difference to many agricultural workers in our region. On 17 August 2020 New South Wales public health orders were amended to establish a new permit category of “a person who is a critical service (agriculture) worker providing a critical agriculture service”.

However, at the same time Greater Shepparton LGA was classified by NSW as an area of concern and therefore not eligible for these permits.

“As I understand it, and the landscape changes continually, the removal of this area of concern classification will enable many of our agricultural workers to get the permits they need to travel across the border into New South Wales. Such a permit enables an agricultural worker residing within the 100 km radius of the border to be able to travel across the border zone,” Ms Sheed said.

“It is extremely disappointing to now see reports of the rejection of the National Agriculture Worker code, which was to be discussed at National Cabinet tomorrow”, she said.

“If we can’t get this right we will be in trouble. Food production must be given priority and rules put in place to enable this to occur. Every state in the Commonwealth should be working towards this and it is essential that our full food production capacity be maintained and supported. This virus is not going to go away soon, and a national code is a must.

I urge those National party ministers who are members of the Federal government and the New South Wales government to exercise their influence within their own governments to make this happen”, Ms Sheed said.

ENDS

Media contact

Jacqui Hawkins 0403 657 267 | jacqui.hawkins@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Sheed concerned by confusion over border permits

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed MP is seeking clarity for farmers and agricultural workers in the Greater Shepparton region regarding their eligibility to travel across the Victorian/NSW border.

“I’m disappointed by the current confusion and our local farmers and agricultural workers will be wanting answers,” Ms Sheed said.

“On Tuesday, following an announcement by the NSW government, we were left with the impression permits would be available on a case-by-case basis. Then suddenly yesterday, those from Greater Shepparton and Greater Bendigo had their eligibility cast into doubt.”

Liaising with the Victorian Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes, Ms Sheed has been trying to unravel what the rules are for affected constituents in the Greater Shepparton local government area.

“Since the borders closed my office has fielded many queries and stories of significant hardship. Farmers who cannot access their stock and land across the border in NSW. Farmers who cannot source their regular supplies of feed. Workers who cannot get to their employers’ farms,” Ms Sheed said.

“We have heard accounts of farmers being told to fly their stock and feed to Sydney to get it into NSW.

“While we all recognise the need for movement restrictions to overcome the spread of COVID-19, what is disappointing is the uncertainty many are operating under when the rules of these restrictions are not communicated clearly and effectively.

“To have news at the start of the week that permits will be granted only to be contradicted later in the week is causing unnecessary confusion for those operating in one of our most critical industries.”

Urging anyone affected to contact her office, Ms Sheed said she would fight to have every instance of hardship recognised by the Victorian and NSW state governments.

“Please contact my office if you have been impacted by either the closures or the confusion over permit eligibility. While we cannot guarantee to get you a NSW permit, we can guarantee your issue will be brought to Victorian minister’s office. We can guarantee that those enforcing these rules are aware of the impact they are having and I will fight for changes to be made where necessary.”

ENDS

Media contact

Myles Peterson 0467 035 840│myles.peterson@suzannasheed.com.au

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Sheed demands Aged Care support for region

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Independent Member for the Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has demanded the Federal Government audits aged care facilities in her electorate and establish the levels of preparedness in the event of a coronavirus outbreak.

“I’ve consulted widely with our aged care sector and I am not at all happy about what I’m hearing,” Ms Sheed said.

“Staffing is a critical issue. We could not fill all our local health positions before the pandemic and this situation has been greatly exacerbated by both the virus and the restriction measures.”

Many aged care facilities in the Shepparton District share staff and there exists little in the way of a reserve should a site’s workforce be required to isolate, according to Ms Sheed.

“We have more than 20 staff in isolation and any further loses in this skilled workforce will be felt across the region.”

The number of duty nurses in facilities has also reduced over the last decade placing extra pressure on the wider health system, according to Ms Sheed.

“We have an already stressed sector and as the tragic pattern in Melbourne and wider Australia has shown, once the virus gets into an aged care home the results are quickly tragic. We have seen four consecutive days of record deaths in Victoria with many of those deaths coming from aged care,” she said.

“I have contacted the Federal Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck and warned him in no uncertain terms of the perilous situation here in my electorate. I have asked that the minister audit our region as a matter of urgency and appoint a co-ordinator to oversee the task.

“Should an outbreak occur and our aged care sector buckle under the pressure as it has elsewhere, the Federal Government will have been well warned.

“These are some of the most vulnerable members of our community and I must speak up for them.”

ENDS

Media contact

Myles Peterson 0467 035 840│myles.peterson@suzannasheed.com.au

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

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