Hansard debates

Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (13:47:03) — This is a historic week for the Victorian Parliament. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2017 is expected to be put to the final vote after further scrutiny and consideration of amendments from the other house. Views are strongly held, and have again been expressed in this chamber today. I just make the points that I did in my contribution:

This bill presents a choice, not between life and death, but between two ways of dying.

Earlier I had said:

It is irrational to blame any member of the public for a view sincerely held or any member of Parliament for a conscience vote.

So I call for a rational, calm and respectful debate, and I hope that that is what we get during this week to deliver a vote on this proposition.

Evidence eventually trumps dogma, and this is critical in the Health and Child Wellbeing Legislation Amendment Bill 2017, which will tighten and simplify immunisation regulations for enrolment in early childhood services or primary school. This is important because of the no jab, no play laws. I think this is a time when the Parliament can come together, and I would presume from the manager of opposition business's comments that the opposition will be supporting this bill. I think that it is important in the national interest and in the best interests of our children to make sure that diseases that we look like we have eradicated do not re-emerge.

The next proposition is the Road Safety Amendment (Automated Vehicles) Bill 2017 to provide a framework for the safe on-road testing and development of automated driving technology to enable the technology to be developed for local traffic conditions. This positions Victoria as a leader in automated driving technology, which will help create investment opportunities and generate more jobs. So this is looking forward to how we address innovation. We cannot stop change. We need to be able to make change a friend, not an enemy. We need to be able to embrace new technologies and see how we can harness them to create new industries and jobs, so the bill has that significance in the public interest and in economic development as well.

Then we have the Domestic Animals Amendment (Puppy Farms and Pet Shops) Bill 2016 to reduce the risks to the welfare of breeding dogs and cats in Victoria and to improve consumer confidence in obtaining a pet dog or puppy or cat or kitten from a legitimate breeder or source. Again this is a bill that has had a lot of scrutiny and will be subject to further controversy in this chamber, but I think we need to work through it and get a result.

The other bill is the Water and Catchment Legislation Amendment Bill 2017, and that provides for the recognition and involvement of Aboriginal Victorians in the management and planning of waterways and catchments. Again this is an inclusive bill, and it is of significance particularly to rural and regional Victoria.

That brings us to the inaugural speech of the new member for Northcote, who is the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the Victorian Parliament, so this is a historic moment, no matter what your political persuasion is. I think that we have a wide range of issues of significance — from how we look at major social issues and how we see a historic event unfold to how we actually address the future of change, so I recommend the program to the house.