Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in our national parliament today to bring to the attention of all honourable members the plight of increasing numbers of families in the Macedon Ranges. For the past 25 years, an increasing number of families have been working very hard to secure respite services in the Macedon Ranges. If I ask honourable members present to reflect on their own constituencies, they will know that there is always a shortage of respite places. But there is not one respite place in the whole of the Macedon Ranges, and a group of parents with profoundly intellectually and physically disabled children have been working tirelessly to raise much needed funds to secure these respite services. They, together with Golden City Support Services, a service provider which is based in Bendigo, have raised $735,000 of funding.

They had a shortfall of around $560,000 to construct and run a respite service that would provide them with at least an iota of the respite which is so needed. So they applied under the Regional Partnerships program. They had the backing of the area consultative committee and the local Labor state MP, Joanne Duncan, and I commend her for taking such a strong bipartisan stance on this very worthwhile project. All of the community groups supported them. The tradespeople within the Macedon Ranges pledged more than $100,000 worth of services to help in the construction of this service. Earlier today, in the House, I got to my feet and asked the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, ‘Tell us: what is the current status of this?’ because I know that this project passed every stage of the process of the Regional Partnerships program.

The minister, very sadly, belittled the project and decided that he would respond to my question by personally attacking me. That is disgraceful. I have already, while walking back to my office and coming up here to the Main Committee, taken a phone call from my electorate, because people were watching this and could not understand why the minister was laughing and belittling such a project. This is an utter disgrace,  and I know that the hearts of all members here would go out to all of the parents who have been denied this project. (Time expired)

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