Hansard debates

Ms WOOLDRIDGE (Eastern Metropolitan) (17:37): (By leave) It has been a privilege and an honour over the past 13 years to have been elected twice as the Liberal member for Doncaster and then twice as a Liberal member for Eastern Metropolitan Region, including a term elected by the party as the Leader of the Opposition and leader of the Liberal Party in this place. In my maiden speech I said that I stood for Parliament because I believe that a committed and passionate member of Parliament could make a difference at a local, community and state level. And today, 13 years later, I still believe that to be true.

As minister you can genuinely drive reform for positive change for families and individuals, although it is unrealistic to imagine that change can be perfectly designed and implemented immediately. Having the courage to reform, to drive change, to learn and then to refine and improve again is a journey and one that I welcomed. I felt a huge sense of urgency as minister, and there was not a minute to waste. While four years in opposition absolutely drags, it flies by when you are in government.

Working with my exceptionally capable departmental secretaries and deputies, including Gill Callister, Simon Phemister and Pradeep Philip, we trialled the redesign of community services as well as mental health and alcohol and drug services to work collaboratively with families across their full range of needs, eliminating up to 20 different case managers working with one family to seek to simplify the support and prioritise the family’s most pressing needs. The evaluation showed that people were getting better support; they had improved self-management and were exiting the system earlier. We called this Services Connect.

This program went on to be recognised as the best and most innovative public sector policy in the nation in 2014. With the change of government the name ‘Services Connect’ disappeared, but the platform and the learnings live on today in current programs. This continues to be an area of massive opportunity—to work better with adults and children, putting their needs at the centre of decision-making and joining up and coordinating the delivery of their services and support.

I am very proud of Services Connect, and I am proud that there were many other great reforms that I was able to work with others to develop and implement as minister: the establishment of Our Watch, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and their children, with headquarters in Melbourne, and the inspired appointment, I believe, of Natasha Stott-Despoja as the inaugural chair; legislating and making truly independent the Commission for Children and Young People and appointing Bernie Geary as the inaugural commissioner; and appointing Andrew Jackomos as Australia’s first commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people.

I will never forget visiting the Parkville youth justice centre and seeing young people effectively lying around watching television in the middle of the day. They were only getting about 6 hours of education per week. Given that for many of them their formal education had not progressed beyond years 2 and 3, Martin Dixon and I established Parkville College, providing a compulsory 36 hours over six days of formal education each and every week for young people in the youth justice system and giving them a real opportunity to turn their lives around.

Together with Robert Clark we established Australia’s first Family Drug Treatment Court, providing treatment and support for parents who had had their children taken from them due to persistent alcohol and drug abuse and giving them a greater chance to address their addiction issues and reunite their families. There was passing the permanent care amendments to give vulnerable children the certainty of placement and reducing the time to achieve stability and permanency. This was off the back of the significant Cummins inquiry. There was establishing the Cradle to Kinder program, working with young at-risk mums to strengthen their parenting; investing to improve the safety of women in mental health wards; rewriting the Mental Health Act and establishing Australia’s first mental health complaints commissioner; building many mental health beds, mother and baby mental health and drug rehabilitation beds, and disability supported accommodation; closing two of our last disability institutions, Sandhurst and Oakleigh; and of course signing Victoria up to the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS), securing the headquarters in Geelong and undertaking the trial in the Barwon region.

These were significant reforms of a Liberal-Nationals government focused on using government support to help individuals and families to break the cycle of disadvantage, to assist them in getting their lives back on track and to become responsible, contributing members of society. I believe these reforms have genuinely made a difference in many people’s lives.

There is no doubt that the capacity to have an impact is significantly higher when your party is in government, but even in opposition I was proud that we succeeded in extending the review of child deaths from within three months to up to 12 months of interaction with child protection and amending the Tobacco Amendment Bill 2016 to treat water-pipe tobacco equivalent to cigarette tobacco.

Some of the most personally challenging and gruelling times are during the debates where we have a free vote. The abortion law reform debate in 2008 and the voluntary assisted dying debate in 2017 come immediately to mind. On both of these occasions I voted with the majority in the Parliament but the minority in my party. It was an agonising experience, but I know that these laws are making a big difference for women and those who are terminally ill, and I am proud of the small part that I played in helping to make them a reality. I do thank the Liberal Party and my colleagues for the respect I have always been shown as part of the Liberal and the coalition team despite sometimes having some different views on controversial social issues.

No matter whether in government or opposition, a member can always make a difference in their local community, listening to and advocating on behalf of their constituents and delivering investment in infrastructure and services. In Doncaster it was wonderful to fund the upgrade of Birralee Primary School, the new Manningham civic building MC Square, the mini pitch at Doncaster Hockey Club, the No Boundaries Cricket program, Onemda’s accessible development at the Ted Ajani Community Hub, the Doncaster RSL and the Doncaster Playhouse, the United Muslim Migrants Association, or UMMA, centre, Doncare’s family violence services and the Zerbes and Donvale reserves.

For all the talk about funding of infrastructure and services, what really is inspiring and motivating for me is the people—the compassionate and capable people who work day in day out to improve the lives of others and of course the people who need assistance, sometimes at the most vulnerable times in their lives. It is these people who are indelible in my mind.

I will never forget calling Bruce Clark, who had been campaigning for 10 years following the death of his son, to say that we were introducing legislation to give parents greater control over who can supply alcohol to their children, through secondary supply laws. We both had tears in our eyes.

There was hugging the mothers who had had to relinquish their babies for adoption, following our historic apology in Parliament.

There was the young man who, while eligible for release from Parkville, was seeking to delay parole by two weeks so he could complete a component of his schooling. Of course his parole was not delayed, but this led us to establish a campus of Parkville College outside the youth justice centre walls so young people could continue their education in a suitable environment.

There were the parents in their eighties who were so worried about what would happen to their adult child with a disability but who through the NDIS have secured appropriate accommodation and support and now have comfort about the future.

There was Greg, the father whose family was case-managed as part of Services Connect, who told of the difference it made, how his mental ill health was now under control, how his boys had just joined the cubs and how he hoped to get a job in the coming months. These are the people and the outcomes that make it all worthwhile.

And of course it is the people who work with you and support you to undertake the role of member and minister who actually ensure that it all happens. I have been blessed with wonderful staff. I particularly want to acknowledge Lyn Hall, who makes the world go round. I also want to acknowledge Linda, Kieren, Paul and Denise and, from my former ministerial office, my chief of staff, Ben Harris, along with Michael, Christabel, Pete, Anna, Matt, Russ, Sarah, Odete and others. I must also mention Andrea Coote, who worked with me as parliamentary secretary. As you can imagine, there was never a dull moment. You absolutely rely on your team, and my team have never let me down.

Neither have the wonderful Liberal Party members in Doncaster and Eastern Metropolitan Region. Particular thanks to Brent Rodrigues and Peter Clarke, my two very skilled and capable electorate chairs, as well as stalwarts like Johnny Hassed, Susan Turner, Helen Jurcevic and Keith Wolohan. Thank you for trusting me to be your MP and supporting me to do so. I have also been blessed with a great group of supporters beyond the party, particularly those who joined my regular women’s lunches and wine dinners over the years.

I have served in the cabinet or shadow cabinet under four leaders. I particularly want to thank Ted Baillieu, who had confidence in me from the start and took the risk of promoting me straight to the front bench where I have, very fortunately, remained ever since, and then of course Denis Napthine, Matthew Guy and Michael O’Brien.

A word about Michael: Michael is a true Liberal. He is driven by values, evidence and the passion to make a difference in the lives of Victorians. He will make a wonderful Premier.

Gordon, it was a pleasure teaming up with you as deputy leader in this place last term. Your capacity to analyse, question and amend motions, bills and procedures is second to none, as is your commitment and your friendship.

In that context I want to acknowledge the parliamentary staff, led by Anne and Andrew Young particularly, who manage the twists and turns in this place with calm and diplomacy.

Particularly with a young child, you cannot do this job without an extended support network, and I want to acknowledge those people who work and assist quietly behind the scenes—Amynta Baxter, Marc and Carol Niemes and Effie Natsis particularly, who have stepped in to fill the breach too many times to count.

But most of all, thank you to my family: my parents, Anne and Philip Wooldridge, who have been wonderful role models in all aspects of my life and who taught me—and this was one of my father’s favourite sayings—that ‘if it is to be, it is up to me’; my brother, Michael, whose deep political wisdom I call on regularly and trust and greatly appreciate; as well as the unconditional support of my sisters, Jenny and Sue; and my nieces, nephews and in-laws.

My husband, Andrew, with a very busy medical career as well as a breast cancer charity to run, has supported me every step of the way, no matter what is needed, whether it is advice, encouragement, moral support, domestic chores or even just lots of love and hugs. Thank you to Andrew and also our son, Jamison. He was only 10 months old when I was preselected, so this is the only life he has ever known. Jamison, it has been a particular pleasure to see that you have grown into a thoughtful and resilient young man. In fact when I was a minister and Jamison was a young child he was asked if when he grew up he would rather be a politician like this mother or a surgeon like this father. He answered without a moment’s hesitation, ‘Definitely a surgeon; they have more time with their family’. Andrew is perhaps the only surgeon whose child thinks he has a good work-life balance. This work does take you away from your family, but given the impact you can have it is a sacrifice you willingly make, and we are supported by those that we love. I want to deeply thank my family for supporting me through thick and thin, helping ground me in terms of what is important and motivating me about the importance of working for a better future for Victorians. Thank you for being with me tonight in the chamber, and I am excited to have more time with you soon.

To my colleagues in this place, I often think about the debates this chamber has witnessed over the years. This is the place where we craft the prosperity, wellbeing and safety of Victorians in the future, and we can and do make a difference in doing that. I tried to use every day to have a positive impact and will now seek to do so in a different forum. So I say to each of you: have the courage and the fortitude to do your best and stay focused on what is most important—improving the lives of all Victorians and securing a bright future for this great state. Thank you, goodbye and good luck.

Members applauded.