PUT SCHOOL BUSES TO BETTER USE – MP

REMOTE areas within Pyrenees Shire could have access to vastly improved public transport if one MP gets his way. Upper House MP Rod Barton has successfully established a parliamentary inquiry looking at ways of better utilising the school bus network in country areas.

Uber, the Largest Contractor of Vulnerable Workers. 

The question remains, are Uber drivers’ employees? Or independent contractors?

Media Release – Menulog Steps up to the Mark. Will the Industry Follow Suit?

Menulog has stepped up to the mark. My hope is that other food delivery companies will see value in doing the same.

Media Release –  Uber, A Rule of Their Own!

Following the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom’s judgement on the 19^th of February 2021, Uber has announced that drivers can expect to receive minimum wage for working time commencing when a driver accepts a trip, excluding when the driver logs on to the app and is waiting for a trip.

This decision by Uber is in direct non-compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

In reaching their judgment, their Honours expressly agreed with Judge Eady’s conclusion in the Employment Appeals tribunal that “drivers were workers not only when they had accepted a trip request or were carrying passengers for Uber, but also in between accepting assignment.”

Further, their Honours upheld paragraph 100 of the Employment Tribunal’s judgement which states that “a driver is ‘working’ under a limb (b) contract when he has the App switched on, is in the territory in which he is licensed to use the App, and is ready and willing to accept trips”.

This is because “being available is an essential part of the service which the driver renders to Uber”.

Uber going out on a rule of their own, in contrast to the judgement, once again demonstrates poor corporate behaviour.

The Victorian Government should be wary of any future dealings with such a company that ignores the rights of its workers and the justice system.

In light of this development in the United Kingdom, we urge the Victorian Government to postpone any involvement of Uber in the Multi-Purpose Taxi Program until the parliamentary inquiry into the program is completed.

In addition, with London Uber also announcing paid holiday leave based on 12.07% of their earnings, a pension plan and free insurance for sickness, injury or parental leave, we ask ourselves why is Uber Australia not applying the same standards here?

The Victorian Government should step up and protect Victorian Uber drivers from wage exploitation.

Quotes attributable to Rod Barton, Member for Eastern Metropolitan and Leader of the Transport Matters Party

 “Uber’s actions in the United Kingdom should be a red flag to the Victorian Government. We must act now to protect Victorian Uber drivers and ensure they are being paid fairly.”

 “Considering Uber direct non-compliance with the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the Victorian Government should postpone the expansion of the Multi-Purpose Taxi Program until the parliamentary inquiry is completed.”

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Media Contact: Norm Dunn, Chief of Staff Rod Barton MP, 0438 175 113 Norm.dunn@parliament.vic.gov.au

Media Release – Time for Action: Homelessness Report Provides Practical Recommendations

‘While this may be the end of the inquiry, this is the beginning of seeing real change that will tackle homelessness, save lives and provide wrap-around support to those in need.’

Justice Legislation Amendment (System Enhancements and Other Matters) Bill 2021.

This new administrative mechanism, in addition to other amendments, will reduce this pile-up and enable our Courts to get back on track. 

Constituent Question – Scammers

Mr BARTON (Eastern Metropolitan) (12:42): My constituency question is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation.

A member of our electorate, Faye, is concerned about the increasing prevalence of scams she is seeing in her community. I have to say I share these concerns. Since the onset of the pandemic we have seen a huge of increase in the number of scams occurring. Many are pretending to be the tax office, others are pretending to allow early access to superannuation and we have even seen scammers pretending to be contact tracers. In my electorate, scammers have been increasingly detail oriented, going as far as to say they are representing the City of Boroondara and asking individuals to answer surveys. These scammers are preying on the financial vulnerability and the uncertainty felt by many due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The information I seek is: what can the government do to find and put a stop to this increasing prevalence of scammers who are causing undue stress and anxiety in my community?

Constituent Question – Scammers

No Description

Reply from Minister Melissa Horne 12th April 2021

Scams are a blight on our community and the Government shares the concerns raised by the Member and his constituent. Scams are designed to deceive people, generally for the purpose of stealing money or personal details. Anyone can fall for a scam, as scammers are getting smarter and using more sophisticated tricks to dupe thousands of Victorians every year. As many scammers are based overseas, they are very hard to track and are outside of our jurisdiction.

However, wherever there is scope or opportunity to disrupt scam activity, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) works closely with other Victorian law enforcement agencies as well as the national Scams Awareness Network, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and other Australian Consumer Law regulators, to do so.

Educating people about how to avoid scams and warning them of new and emerging scams is the best way to empower Victorians and stop the scammers.CAV has a number of resources available to educate the community on scams, including quizzes and informative videos. These resources are available in 30 languages on the CAV website.
CAV also provides timely warnings and information about scams on Facebook and Twitter. It alerts Victorians when particular scams are identified, so it is important Victorians notify CAV of suspicious activity as soon as possible so we can warn others.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, CAV alerted Victorians about the potential for scammers to take advantage of public fear and confusion. CAV cautioned the public about fake messages offering immediate government payments and early access to superannuation payments.

The Government will continue to work closely with partners to identify, disrupt and prevent scams wherever it can and to educate and support Victorians to avoid scams.

Spent Convictions Bill 2020

Victoria Police will continue to have full access to a person’s entire criminal history regardless of an adult or child being found guilty without conviction.

Planning & Environment Amendment Bill 2021

This bill is vital in maintaining what makes our communities so special, our heritage.

Seniors Mental Health Services

A lot of people have been struggling due to the lockdown, financial struggles and pandemic anxiety. However, the resources and funding provided to address these issues have failed to effectively address the mental health of our senior population.

Hazelwood and Yallourn Power Stations

I look forward to hopefully seeing the inquiry exploring how we can get the best support for workers and regional communities as power stations close

Question – Safety Concerns

Ensuring Victorian safety must be the regulator’s number one priority!

Members Statement – Hungry Panda

Rod rose to congratulate the Hungry Panda riders who have had a historic win for gig economy workers in Australia.

Media Release – A Serious Red Flag for Victorian Safety: CPVV’s Criminal Error

Media Release

 A Serious Red Flag for Victorian Safety: CPVV’s Criminal Error

Yesterday it was revealed that 2950 rideshare drivers and driving instructors with a criminal record were illegally accredited by Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria. (CPVV).

Under the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017, the regulator must refuse to issue driver accreditation if the applicant is a registered sex offender, under a criminal supervision order or is found guilty of a category 1 or 2 offence including: murder, rape, culpable driving causing death, drug trafficking, kidnapping, assault, child offences, manslaughter and causing serious injury. In addition, the regulator may refuse to issue driver accreditation where the applicant is found guilty of a lesser offence or awaiting court proceedings.

As of November 2018, thousands of rideshare drivers’ police checks were simply left unchecked as a result of this licensing system failure.

Rod Barton MP has continued to raise serious safety concerns to government about ride share being allowed access to the Multi-Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP). This valuable program subsidises fares for vulnerable Victorians with severe and permanent disabilities.

Barton raised earlier this year that “ride share vehicles do not have fixed tamper-proof cameras, fixed in-vehicle GPS tracking, no permanent signage to identify the vehicle, no braille to assist the vision impaired.”

Barton also raised with the Privacy and Data Commissioner some red flags back in February indicating in his view, that there needs to be an investigation to determine how the CPVV plans to use booking service providers’ data and how they will protect personal information of passengers from being exposed.

Considering the major safety risks to vulnerable Victorians, we are calling for the regulator to immediately pause any further involvement of ride share in the MPTP and desist collecting data until it can be proven that the information requested is for the sole purpose of safety and guarantee it will not impede people’s privacy.

Safety is not negotiable.

Quotes attributable to Rod Barton, Member for Eastern Metropolitan and Leader of the Transport Matters Party

 “We simply do not have any confidence in the regulator.”

 “Considering this new information and the fact that rideshare vehicles do not meet the same safety standards of taxis such as having fixed tamper-proof cameras or fixed in-vehicle GPS tracking devices to ensure passenger safety, the CPVV have confirmed our concerns about the CPVV’s ability to protect Victorian passengers in rideshare vehicles.”

 “In the past weeks I have met with senior government members, raised the issue of the regulator (CPVV) and left in them in no doubt my views on the failures and what is required to fix it”

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Media Contact: Norm Dunn, Chief of Staff Rod Barton MP, 0438 175 113 Norm.dunn@parliament.vic.gov.au

Constitution Amendment (Fracking Ban ) Bill 2020

Protecting the rights of Victorians to clean water, protecting the environment and our health are all good reasons why we should pass this bill.

Constituent Question – Knox Festival

Small market vendors are entrepreneurs and contribute to the vibrancy of our community.

Question – What is the regulator doing about illegal operators?

There has been little enforcement of this legislation as reports of individuals advertising their services on Airtasker and Gumtree are still being ignored.

Inquiry into Homelessness in Victoria – Report

I hope that the government takes this report seriously and uses this opportunity to improve the lives of vulnerable Victorians.

Small Business Support – Motion #507

There needs to be financial support for the loss of income that the lockdowns have incurred. Small business is suffering.

Family Violence Animal Welfare – Motion #302

Companion animals and domestic violence are inherently linked. Our legislation, organisations and service delivery should reflect that fact.

Question – Who is Responsible?

If Uber will not be responsible for the actions of its drivers, will the government take responsibility to protect those passengers who could be using its service?

Big Housing Build – Opposition Motion #505

I have no doubt that this housing will reduce suffering in our community as well as provide individuals with the support they need so they can start to look after themselves.

Members Statement

This case regarded the right of Uber drivers to be paid the national minimum wage, to receive paid annual leave and to benefit from other protections under UK law.

Adjournment – Homelessness

Will the government release a road map for how it intends to accommodate the expected increase in those experiencing homelessness?

Public Health & Wellbeing Amendment (State of Emergency Extension ) Bill 2021

I have come to this place to judge each bill on its merit, to be fair and to be true to my own values. I did not vote for the state-of-emergency extension the first time, and I will not be voting for it today.