Speaker, this month I joined over two thousand Victorians who gathered at Federation Square in Melbourne to stand together in solidarity for justice, peace and unity in Cyprus.

My adjournment is to the Minister for Public and Active Transport.

I ask the Minister to arrange a briefing between myself and the Department of Transport and Planning, regarding timetabling and frequency of train services on the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines which run through my Electorate of Northcote.

My question is to the Attorney-General in the other place, and I ask: what is the most recent information on the anti-vilification reforms being undertaken by the Victorian government?

These reforms intend to strengthen protections for Victorians against discrimination and hate speech and ensure there are responsive criminal and civil legal avenues to address the harm caused by vilification.

I rise to speak in support of the 2024–25 Labor state budget. It is a budget that has Labor values at its core, values that as a government we have always stood by and always will stand by: camaraderie, helping each other out, not leaving anyone behind and backing one another – backing one another to drive progress and prosperity in our state.

Earlier this month I welcomed the Minister for Public and Active Transport to the Northcote electorate to see and discuss some of our important local transport projects. Starting at Farm Road in South Alphington, we met with local advocate James Thyer to discuss the Alphington link to the Darebin Yarra Trail, a critical project funded by the Victorian Labor government.

Victorians rightfully expect their councils to be high functioning, efficient, transparent and accountable entities with an embedded core ethos of acting to the benefit of their communities.

They expect their councils to govern with integrity, to behave appropriately and to put the community’s interests first and foremost.

My question is to the Minister for Environment, and I ask that he visits the electorate of Northcote to see our new container deposit scheme reverse vending machine in action.

My question is to the Minister for Ageing, and I ask what supports are available to older residents of Northcote?

I am delighted to rise in support of this bill, which provides for some very important reforms to the taxation landscape for commercial and industrial property in Victoria, namely moving away from stamp duty towards a more efficient annual tax for these properties.

Over the last year the Thornbury Primary School (TPS) community has been hard at work. Together students, parents, carers, educators and staff have been getting together with architects AOA Christopher Peck to develop and endorse their exciting plans for the school’s major modernisation.

I begin with a huge congratulations to Northcote Primary School, which over the weekend celebrated 150 years. It was fantastic to join their school fete and even contribute a photo of my own to the historical archive: a snap of me as a prep student with my teacher Wendy. 

My question is to the Minister for Environment, and I ask: when can my community expect to see further drop-off locations for the Victorian container deposit scheme?

I rise in support of this bill chiefly because it represents another critical step in the Allan Labor government’s work to ensure every Victorian has access to fair and secure housing.

My adjournment is to the Minister for Carers and Volunteers, and I ask that the minister joins me in Northcote to visit with our wonderful network of neighbourhood houses. The inner north is home to a hardworking and tight-knit community of neighbourhood houses run by a mix of staff and volunteers.

What an exceptional occasion we have before us today with the bringing forth of the Constitution Amendment (SEC) Bill 2023, a bill that holds within it the promise of a brighter and more sustainable future for our state: one in which energy is returned to the hands of Victorians, where our energy sector is rapidly transformed to deliver us our target of 95 per cent renewables by 2035, where 59,000 clean energy jobs are created through monumental wind and solar projects, where profits are reinvested in the people, where our state is propelled towards net zero in the next two decades and where we as Victorians do our bit on the global stage to safeguard our climate.

Speaker in Northcote we’ve hit the ground running with some major milestones kicking off the year.

My question is to the Minister for Public and Active Transport in relation to the Alphington link project. I ask the minister to update my community on what steps are being taken by the government to deliver on our commitment to build a safe connection for Alphington residents to the Darebin Yarra trail.

My adjournment is to the Minister for Education, and I ask the minister to join me in Northcote for a tour of some of our wonderful local schools. The inner north is of course home to the best schools in the state. Innovative, creative and compassionate, they reflect the values of our community, and it has been my absolute honour to work with them over the last five years to support their aspirations for the future.

It is a pleasure to rise today to speak on this very important motion, which is about our government’s support for Victorians starting or growing their families and in those critical early years of their children’s lives.

As we wind up the year I would like to take a moment to thank my community of Northcote for what we have achieved together. Since the state election we have hit the ground running, securing funding for every single election commitment and kicking off critical projects to make our community stronger.