Parliament – Rod Barton

Parliament News

Mar

Request to suspend Uber MPTP trial

Today I asked the Minister to suspend the Uber trial of MPTP in Geelong until it can be opened to all operators under the same safety and training requirements.

Mar

Unfair cross-border Taxi regulations

I ask the minister to review the new cross-border CPV rules that allow New South Wales operators to register and operate in Victoria for the low cost accreditation fee.

Mar

Members – Enterprise Ireland and Network Kokoda

In this role we get to meet some pretty interesting people. Cooperation and kindness were the the themes of two groups I met with recently, and I congratulate them and wish them well in their future endeavours.

Mar

Requests for Covid-19 support for taxi industry

The taxi industry is at the coal face when it comes to arrivals into Australia and the risks associated with close social contact during this Covid-19 crisis. This week Rod has written to the Premier and asked in Parliament for support for drivers who are ill or must self isolate. With no sick pay and…

Mar

Minister’s response to review of Phillip Island bus services

Last week I asked the Minister for Public Transport to review bus services on Phillip Island to relieve residents and visitors total dependence on cars to navigate the islands attractions.

Mar

Road Safety Amendment 2019 – taking licenses off dangerous drivers

I spoke on the Road Safety Amendment Bill 2019 which aims to toughen up on road safety by immediately suspending the license of people who travel 45km above the speed limit or above 145km in a 110km zone and for violent offences that involve the use of a motor vehicle.

Mar

Bill – Local Government Bill 2019

I rose to speak in support of the Local Government Bill 2019, which will strengthen communication with the community and make councils more accountable.

Mar

Documents motion – Airport Rail link ownership concerns

I raised my concerns about the ownership of the Airport Rail Link during the debate relating to a Liberal Party documents motion asking for the release of strategic business case documents.

Mar

Members – thanks to Manningham SES

This week I rose to that the Victorian SES volunteers for their efforts so far this year, in particular the team at Manningham SES do an amazing job in our community, and they deserve our gratitude and support.

Mar

Why has CPVV failed to stamp out touting?

I asked the Minister why touts are still operating at Melbourne Airport.

Mar

Constituency – let NEL alternative designs present to bidders

I asked the Minister for Transport Infrastructure to make provision for alternative community designs to allocated time for to present to North East Link project bidders?

Feb

ADJOURNMENT – MELBOURNE AIRPORT RAIL LINK OWNERSHIP

I asked the minister to do her best to prevent the creation of a monopoly on airport access by accepting funding on the airport rail link from the IMF consortium, which includes Melbourne Airport, and to consider carefully the effect private ownership of our new airport rail link will have on the travelling…

Feb

MEMBERS – Scotty James, Warrandyte’s snowboarding champion

I am very pleased to extend my congratulations to Scotty James, a young Warrandyte snowboarder who has just completed an incredible feat of 10 consecutive wins at half-pipe snow boarding championships around the world.

Feb

Constituency Question – option for Mullum Mullum Gathering Place

I asked the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs if is there was any opportunity for assistance to be made available to this group to help them purchase this property or find an appropriate alternative option in the area?

Feb

QWN – Long waits for wheelchair taxis

This week I asked the Minister for Public Transport why there are waits of up to an hour and a half for wheelchair taxi services when we have almost 1000 vehicles registered for the multi purpose taxi program in Victoria.

Feb

2019-20 Bushfires Motion – thanks to all involved

I wish to say a special thanks to the Victorian State Emergency Service – these are the often unsung and unseen heroes who provide services for flood and storm emergencies and provide the largest road rescue network in Australia. Our communities have needed resilience during this dreadful fire season…

Dec

2019 – a year in Parliament

We had an exciting and productive first year in Victoria’s legislative council, ending with an end to touting and 13 recommendations to work on to rebuild the broken commercial passenger vehicle industry.

Nov

TRANSCRIPT – Legislative Assembly – Touting Amendments to Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2019

Read the transcript of the passing of the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill and its touting amendments in the legislative assembly.

Nov

REPORT – Inquiry into the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017 Reforms

Read the transcript or view the video of the tabling of the CPV Inquiry report in the Legislative Council.

Nov

MEMBERS – Uber kicked out of London

My members statement on Transport for London’s decision against renewing Uber’s license to operate was cut short. Read the full statement here.

Nov

Award winning intern reports

We hosted two Parliamentary Interns this year with great success. Georgia Bishop’s business case to include Doncaster in Stage 1 of the Suburban Rail Loop won the Presiding Officers Award for most outstanding intern report. Nakshi Mehta’s report on the Rowville Rail project was the runner up.

Nov

Workplace Manslaughter

I am proud to be part of a Parliament that passed legislation yesterday to make workplace manslaughter a crime. There were 136 pairs of boots on the steps of Parliament House yesterday to signify those lost in workplace accidents – my congratulations to those who have campaigned for these changes. Read…

Nov

CONSTITUENCY – Lake Knox

I asked the Minister for Planning to review the current comprehensive development plan for Lake Knox to ensure that community needs are incorporated into any development in the area.

Nov

QUESTION – North East Link report

I asked the Minister for Planning for a time line on the release of the report and recommendations from the independent advisory group’s review of submissions on the environment effects statement (EES) and plans for the North East Link Project.

Nov

Checks for independent taxi operators

I asked the Minister for Public Transport what checks are in place to ensure taxi operators who leave established booking service providers maintain all safety requirements for taxi operators, including tamper proof cameras, fixed GPS and fixed meters.