Speaking up to clear hot air in parliament

Peter Farago
SOME call it cowards’ castle, others think it’s causing a hole in the ozone layer for all the hot air emanating from its two great halls.
But for six men and women it’s their place of work for 38 days a year.
It’s Victoria’s centre of democracy, parliament house, where Elaine Carbines, Lisa Neville, Michael Crutchfield, Ian Trezise, John Eren and Peter Loney play their trade representing the people of Geelong and the ALP in decision making for the state.
For many people who don’t know what our MPs do during their stints in parliament, it’s easy to find out.
Simply look up Hansard on the parliament website to find the official recording of proceedings in Spring Street, including who said what and how MPs voted.
Parliament sat for three days last week.
Geelong’s longest-serving MP, deputy speaker Peter Loney, made only one contribution to parliament in his role as the Member for Lara, launching a broadside at Telstra after the telco abandoned plans to upgrade broadband internet in Australia.
However, the retiring Mr Loney does get a handful of honourable mentions in his role as deputy speaker, adjudicating over squabbling MPs.
Elaine Carbines and Lisa Neville are the most productive local pollies in the house this year, each standing up to speak on 53 occasions.
Last week Ms Carbines, the parliamentary secretary for the environment, had the call on six occasions, contributing to debates on national parks, children’s services and corporatisation of the Snowy Hydro Scheme.
Ms Carbines also asked an easy “Dorothy Dix” question allowing Minister for WorkCover and TAC, John Lenders, to speak about State Government progress of relocating the Transport Accident Commission to Geelong.
Ms Neville opened her week with a Dorothy Dixer of the Minister for Health Bronwyn Pike to detail “the most recent examples of the Government delivering on its commitment to improve ambulance services”.
The Member for Bellarine also advised the Legislative Assembly of a launch of a community program about fad diets with students from Newcomb and Bellarine Secondary College, Christian College and Geelong High School attending.
She also asked the Minister for Education Services, Jacinta Allan, to include four peninsula schools in the Government’s Schoolyard Blitz program providing funding for landscaping.
Ms Neville stood up on a further two occasions to add to debate on the World Swimming Champion-ships and Federal Government’s WorkChoices legislation.
Member for South Barwon Michael Crutchfield addressed parliament four times but devoted most of this time to a massive swipe at the Liberal Party over the Geelong bypass.
Mr Crutchfield’s week started with recalling Emergency Services Minister Andre Haermeyer handing over the keys for a $123,000 fire truck to the Modewarre Fire Brigade. And he ended asking an easy question of Agriculture Min-ister John Cameron to “advise the house of recent work being carried out by the Bracks Govern-ment to enhance recreational fishing opportunities”.
But during the Legislative Assembly’s grievance debate session he grieved for the people of Geelong with respect for “any genuine Liberal Party commitment to Geelong”.
In a wide-ranging speech, he accused Liberal opponent Mich-ael King of a conflict of interest for owning land around the reservation for Geelong’s bypass.
Member for Geelong Ian Trez-ise is part of parliament’s road safety committee, so it only seems right that two of his four contributions to Hansard related to traffic issues in Geelong’s south.
He first detailed a public meeting to voice community concern at Vicroads plans to link a new Breakwater Bridge to Fellmon-gers Road.
Later, he asked Transport Mini-ster Peter Batchelor to replace a roundabout at the South Geelong intersection of Fyans and Yarra streets with traffic lights.
John Eren, the Member for Geelong Province, is a man going places.
To Lara, that is, after he won preselection for the safe Labor seat earlier this year.
It was Lara Secondary College and its involvement in a Planet Ark celebration at planting its 10 millionth tree that was the subject of one of four contributions to parliament last week.
Mr Eren also advised the house of the “efforts of Labor coming to fruition, especially in Geelong”.
He discussed government grants to Geelong businesses – widely reported earlier this year – resulting in new jobs.
Mr Eren also asked a Dorothy Dix question of Minister for Aged Care Gavin Jennings before also asking for traffic lights in South Geelong.
Parliament will resume next Tuesday for another three days before going into recess until mid-September.