Happy 60th birthday to Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, a fantastic primary school in Wendouree. OLHC was established in Gillies Street on 15 October 1961 by the Sisters of Mercy with just two rooms on site. Sixty years on, the school is continuing to provide Catholic education to 125 students and employs 24 staff.

Congratulations to Black Hill Primary School teacher Chloe Dew on being recognised in the 2021 Victorian Education Excellence Awards as Victoria’s most outstanding physical education and activity teacher.

I would be delighted to take the Member for Wendouree up on her invitation to visit Lake Wendouree and I congratulate the Ballarat Fish Hatchery on celebrating their 150th anniversary last year, truly an outstanding accomplishment.

My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Housing, and the action that I seek is that the minister provide me with an update about further opportunities for investment and job creation in my electorate of Wendouree as we deliver the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build.

I welcomed the recent news that up to 10 000 racing fans will be at Flemington for the 2021 Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November. My question is for the Minister for Racing about crowd numbers for the 2021 Ballarat Cup to be held on Saturday, 20 November, at Dowling Forest Racecourse, one of Victoria’s premier racing and training venues.

Last Sunday, Mount Rowan Secondary College in Wendouree hosted one of the state’s first pop-up vaccination clinics as the Andrews Labor government focuses on increasing vaccination rates in 100 priority postcodes across Victoria.

I too am pleased to rise and speak on the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Senior Secondary Pathways Reforms and Other Matters) Bill 2021 as we continue in our commitment to making Victoria the Education State and transforming Victoria’s education system.

My constituency question is for the Minister for Mental Health. The past 18 months have been challenging for many Victorian individuals and families due to the global COVID pandemic. I am incredibly proud of the response of our government in delivering additional mental health programs to support Victorians struggling with the impact of the pandemic.

I am pleased to speak in support of the Firearms and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2021. Thank you to the Minister for Police and the Attorney-General in the other place, as well as their ministerial offices and the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

Thank you for your participation in the Ballarat Building Safer Communities forum – the engagement, feedback, and ideas from the community of Ballarat was really exciting to see.

My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Fishing and Boating, and the action that I seek is for the minister to visit my electorate of Wendouree to meet with the Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society and help to stock our magnificent Lake Wendouree with locally bred trout.

Nobody ever wants to hear the news that a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, particularly when the devastating news includes that the cancer is terminal. This was my experience when my father, Les Dickinson, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour, in January 2020.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate in support of the Suburban Rail Loop Bill 2021. I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, her ministerial office and the Department of Transport for what they have done to bring this bill to the house.

My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Housing, and the action I seek is for the minister to meet with the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC) to discuss the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build.

My constituency question is to the Minister for Crime Prevention.Ballarat is a place to live, study, work, raise a family or retire. While our city is known to be a safe and welcoming place, sometimes crime can affect some of our residents.

Congratulations to Ballarat International Foto Biennale artistic director and CEO, Fiona Sweet, the board and BIFB team for the amazing 2021 biennale, which opens exclusively to regional Victorians this week.

I am pleased to support the Racing Amendment Bill 2021 and welcome that it is being supported by the opposition.As the member for Wendouree, my electorate is home to the Ballarat and District Trotting Club and the Ballarat Greyhound Racing Club in Redan, and the Ballarat Turf Club is just out of my electorate in Miners Rest. I am a proud member and supporter of the Ballarat Turf Club and the Ballarat and District Trotting Club.

I am very pleased, and also very proud, to support the Social Services Regulation Bill 2021.I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers for introducing this bill, as well as his hardworking ministerial office. Additionally, and perhaps most of all, I would like to acknowledge some very special people at the newly formed Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, for their work in crafting the legislation we have here today.