Lily D'Ambrosio

Victorian carers will be able to get the practical support they need with a re-elected Andrews Labor Government to increase respite care hours and support services for carers. Only Labor will make sure carers get the help they’ve asked for with $49.5 million to fund an extra 100,000 hours of respite care each year and expanding the eligibility to include carers of people with a mental illness. This will allow an extra 5,000 Victorians to access respite care, giving carers a break and the peace of mind that their loved one is receiving high quality care in short stay accommodation, on camps or day excursions. Labor will also make sure carers get emotional support and information about services they can access with $4 million in grants for both grass roots and state-wide carer support groups. These grants will focus on support for carers in regional areas, as well as under-recognised groups such as young carers and LGBTI carers. Young carers will also be able to get more help at school with a new system to be introduced in Victorian government schools to identify students who care for a parent, grand parent or sibling with a mental or physical disability, so they can get extra support to help them stay in school. In addition, Labor will provide all Victorian carers with half price travel on public transport all year round, as well as free travel during Carers Week. The 50 per cent travel concession for carers will help to ease the cost of living and make it easier to get to appointments and stay connected with their community.

Emergency workers will be able to access mental health support the moment they need it, with the introduction of provisional acceptance payments for mental health injuries under a re-elected Andrews Labor Government. The massive changes to our WorkCover system will be informed through a twelve-month pilot ahead of an expanded rollout, with a re-elected Labor Government to introduce legislation for provisional acceptance payments for mental health claims to every Victorian worker within two years. Recognising that the heavy toll of trauma can manifest in many ways – from PTSD to panic disorders to anxiety – this reform will cover any mental injury sustained by our paramedics, police, Protective Services Officers (PSOs), firefighters and SES workers in the course of duty. And because the costs associated with these injuries – including appointments, medication and even hospitalisation – can add up, under Labor’s plan there will be no monetary cap. Additionally, Labor will create a new Centre of Excellence for Emergency Worker Mental Health to make sure Victoria’s emergency workers get the very best support and services. The Centre, the first of its kind in Victoria, will be established alongside founding partner Beyond Blue, and will be dedicated to making sure our health professionals have the skills they need to provide support for emergency workers, including undertaking ground-breaking research. In protecting our state, first responders are exposed to trauma every single day, with emergency workers including paramedics, police and firefighters six times more likely to suffer serious and debilitating mental illness. But right now, these workers have to wait for their WorkCover claim to be assessed before they can access financial support to cover the cost of medical expenses. And unlike physical injuries, which can be more straightforward to diagnose, mental health injuries are often complex and take longer to assess, leaving workers without access to funded medical services. That’s why Labor will make sure our emergency workers have their treatment paid for the moment they submit a claim. As part of the initial twelve-month pilot for emergency workers, further work will be done to examine ways the WorkCover system can be improved for workers suffering from mental illness and consultation on options to widen the pilot to potentially include other workers such as nurses, child protection staff, corrections and youth justice officers, and forest firefighters will be undertaken before the end of 2018. Labor will also invest $6 million to create a Specialist Network of Clinicians, helping to put our emergency workers in touch with expert health professionals even sooner. Additional funding will also be provided for emergency workers to access specialist mental health services. A further $6 million will go towards an Early Intervention and Prevention Fund to help Victoria Police create and expand on-the-ground mental health support for its staff. While the previous Liberal Government went to war with our paramedics and failed to recruit a single new police officer, only Labor will back our dedicated emergency workers and make sure they get the support they need. Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews “Our first responders can witness and experience the most unimaginable trauma.” "Sometimes these kinds of injuries can go untreated for years, even decades. It means, when our emergency workers do put their hand up for help, we need to be there.” Quote attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville “These reforms and the new Centre of Excellence will make sure the mental health of police and PSOs is first and foremost.” Quote attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy “Our paramedics are on the frontline caring for the people we love. But right now, when it comes to making sure they get that same care themselves, too many are left struggling.” Quote attributable to Minister for Finance Robin Scott “This is a landmark reform to the WorkCover system that will make sure workers suffering from mental injuries can get fast access to the treatment they need.”

The Andrews Labor Government is improving conditions for fire lookout observers by upgrading Mt Tarrengower Lookout tower. Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio joined Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards at the lookout today to get an update on the progress of works at the Tower and its fire observer cabin. Works on the tower began in early June to ensure the new fire tower observer cabin meets current health and safety standards as well as boosting amenity and safety for visitors. The new cabin will improve working conditions for the fire tower observer, who can spend up to 10 hours a day in the cabin. As well as replacing the cabin, the timber decking on the viewing platforms has been removed, some structural repairs have been completed and most of the old lead-based paint on the legs of the tower has been shot-blasted. Once all the paint and rust are removed, the tower will be repainted with zinc enriched primer and a top coat that will last around 25 years. As the area is a construction site, the tower is closed to visitors throughout the upgrade. Work on the top part of the tower and on the cabin is the top priority to have it operational in time for summer. The new fire cabin is expected to be ready to be in place in mid-October and the rest of the tower by December, depending on weather conditions. The Mt Tarrengower fire tower is one of 66 in a network of Forest Fire Management Victoria managed fire towers across the state and is part of a state-wide upgrade of the fire tower network. Quotes attributable to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio “Mt Tarrengower tower protects the community by providing the early detection of bushfires and a better picture of fire behaviour.” “The new fire tower cabin will be a safer, more comfortable place for the observer – who can spend up to 10 hours a day there in summer.” Quotes attributable to Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards “This upgrade is running on time and will ensure our local landmark is fit for visitors for the years to come.” “We know that Mt Tarrengower Tower is a popular spot and we’re working with community groups to ensure upcoming events, like the Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb, are not impacted during the construction works.”

Energy retailers will be required to advise consumers on the best energy offer available to them under strong new rules announced today. The changes are the result of the independent review of the Victorian retail energy market commissioned by the Andrews Labor Government to drive down energy prices for Victorian households and businesses. The Review found customers were paying too much for energy and recommended a range of measures to put downward pressure on prices, including overhauling energy retailer marketing practices to put customers back in charge. The Labor Government has asked Essential Services Commission (ESC) to monitor and regularly report on the competitiveness of Victoria’s energy retail market and to implement several review recommendations. The proposed changes will require retailers to: offer a ‘best offer’ to each customer at least twice a year provide advanced notice of any changes to prices, discounts or benefits honour a new customer entitlement to provide customers with clear advice that helps them find the best contract for them. This draft decision by the ESC will make retailers are more transparent in their marketing practices and builds on the Labor Government’s Power Saving Bonus which has encouraged hundreds of thousands of Victorians to compare their energy deal and find a better offer. A re-elected Andrews Labor Government will invest $1.3 billion to put solar panels or solar hot water systems on more than 700,000 homes over the next 10 years. Stakeholder consultation on the new marketing requirements will now take place, with a final decision by the end of October. The proposed changes will take effect by 1 July next year. The Government is currently considering its final response to the independent review into the Victorian retail energy market.   Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio “We’re putting Victorians back in charge, after the Liberal Government privatised Victoria’s energy retailers.” “These changes will force retailers to come clean with consumers who are paying too much for energy.” “We’re putting solar panels and hot water systems on more than 700,000 homes, helping more Victorians get a better deal on their power bills, and making retailers more accountable to their customers.”

The Andrews Labor Government will help fund Victoria’s largest virtual power plant, as part of a major investment in microgrid technology across Victoria. Minister for Energy Lily D’Ambrosio today announced that $4.5 million would be provided to Origin Energy to develop a $20 million cloud-based project that will distribute power from up to 650 customers with solar PV and batteries during peak periods. The Origin Energy Virtual Power Plant (VPP) will boost grid stability by discharging power from solar PV and batteries located at homes and commercial and industrial sites to reduce their power bills. The selected customers will receive discounted batteries, demonstrating opportunities for coordinating solar PV, batteries and flexible demand across Victoria. A microgrid is a small network of electricity users with a local supply of power that can function independently of the electricity grid, delivering energy security, sustainability and cost savings for those in the network. The VPP will provide benefits to the electricity network and help Victoria reach its ambitious renewable energy targets of 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025. The Microgrid Demonstration Initiative is providing $10 million to support eight microgrid projects as part of the Labor Government’s $146 million Renewable Energy Action Plan. These investments are in addition to the $1.3 billion Solar Homes program which will deliver half-priced solar panels to 650,000 Victorian households and solar hot water systems to 60,000 homes with no upfront cost. Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio “We’re investing in new technologies that will help create jobs, attract investment in renewable energy and bring down power prices.” “We’re ensuring Victoria’s energy system is affordable, resilient and secure, as we transition to the next generation of energy technologies.”

The Andrews Labor Government is providing more than $2.8 million to help support community volunteers and young people protecting Victoria’s biodiversity. Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio joined Member for Eltham Vicki Ward at Eltham Woods Preschool to announce 180 successful grant recipients across Victoria. As part of the 2018 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants, funding will be provided to 109 environmental projects at Victorian schools, kindergartens, preschools, childcare centres and other groups. The new initiative, to be delivered in partnership with Landcare Australia, will encourage the next generation of young people to care for Victoria’s natural environment. The 2018 Community and Volunteer Action Grants will also enable 73 projects to be delivered by community-based and not-for-profit conservation groups to monitor wildlife and native plants, protect habitat for threatened species, replant indigenous vegetation, and educate the community. Funding will support a range of activities to help protect, improve and expand habitats for Victoria’s native plants and animals and achieve targets set in the Labor Government’s biodiversity plan, Biodiversity 2037 – Protecting Victoria’s Environment. For more information on the grant recipients, visit environment.vic.gov.au. Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio “These grants will help volunteers across Victoria restore and improve habitats for our native plants and animals.” “As part of this program, young people will be able to venture into the wild and help protect their local environment.” Quotes attributable to Member for Eltham Vicki Ward “This funding will assist our hard-working volunteers and community groups to continue caring for our natural environment.” “The Junior Landcare grant will help the children at Eltham Woods Preschool build upon their fantastic work.”

The Andrews Labor Government will work with Gunaikurnai Traditional Owners to jointly manage 10 parks and reserves in Gippsland as part of Victoria’s first Joint Management Plan (JMP). Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio and Gunaikurnai Traditional Owners today launched the JMP, which will deliver opportunities for knowledge sharing, employment and education, and improve park visitor experiences. The parks and reserves under Aboriginal title and included in the plan are: Buchan Caves Reserve Corringle Foreshore Reserve, and Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park Gippsland Lakes Reserve at Raymond Island Lake Tyers State Park Mitchell River National Park New Guinea Cave (within Snowy River National Park). Tarra-Bulga National Park The Knob Reserve, Stratford The Lakes National Park. The JMP is the result of significant work by the Gunaikurnai people, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), Gunaikurnai Traditional Owners Land Management Board (GKTOLMB) and the Labor Government. A copy of the Joint Management Plan is available at gunaikurnai.com.au Quote attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio “Working alongside the Gunaikurnai people and learning from their cultural knowledge and connection to the land is vital for delivering the best outcomes for these parks and reserves.” Quote attributable to Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Natalie Hutchins  “This is a significant event in our cultural history and a first for Victoria that will further self-determination for the Gunaikurnai people.” Quote attributable to Gunaikurnai Traditional Owner Land Management Board Chair Grattan Mullett “This JMP allows us to use Gunaikurnai traditional knowledge to set and guide strategic and operational directions for joint managed lands. By working in partnership with the State we will be able to build respectful relationships and enduring partnerships to protect and enhance Gunaikurnai joint managed lands for the benefit of all.” Quote attributable to Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation Chair Brian Stevens “Today marks a significant milestone where our joint management partners have worked together to embrace the opportunity to support Gunaikurnai self-determination and further the land management aspirations of the Gunaikurnai people.”　

The Andrews Labor Government will deliver almost $35 million in grants for targeted, grassroots biodiversity action as part of the biggest funding boost in Victoria’s history. Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio unveiled funding for 89 new biodiversity and marine environment projects today to mark the start of Biodiversity Month. Eighty-five of the projects are focused on biodiversity on-ground action, while $1.1 million has been allocated to four new marine environment projects. This will improve the environment across hundreds of thousands of hectares, right across Victoria. The Labor Government is supporting a broad range of rehabilitation efforts by community and volunteer groups and agencies to improve the resilience of the state’s native plants and wildlife. The projects have been developed collaboratively with Traditional Owners, non-government organisations and passionate community members, and respond to the priorities determined by stakeholder-led working groups. The projects are part of the Labor Government’s $86.3 million investment over four years to implement Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037. To view the full list of successful projects, visit: environment.vic.gov.au Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio “These projects will help protect and nurture Victoria’s unique biodiversity at a grassroots level.” “We’re investing more than ever before to protect Victoria’s native plants and wildlife.”