Portfolio — 12 July 2026

Geelong's parliamentary window across three sitting days in June and July 2026 was dominated by a cluster of service-delivery and worker-safety concerns raised by members representing the district and surrounding region, with the Member for Geelong, Mr Chris Couzens, directing his own Assembly contribution toward commemorating a predecessor in the seat.

Mr Couzens paid tribute to Graham Ernst, the former Member for Geelong East and Bellarine, who died on 26 April 2026 [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s102]. Mr Ernst served in the Parliament from 1979 to 1992 and was remembered as a grassroots Labor MP who advocated for working people, trade unionism, and local concerns including water supply, employment, housing, youth services, recreational facilities, industrial safety, and worker support [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s102].

The most concentrated third-party activity in the Geelong region came from the Member for Western Victoria, who raised four distinct concerns during the period. She asked the Minister for Health to urgently confirm whether Victorian government funding for Regional Trials Network Victoria would continue beyond 30 June 2026, citing disparities in cancer treatment access and clinical trial participation for regional patients [TA-260616-vichns-db6eb221750c:s384].

She raised workplace safety conditions at Barwon Health in Geelong, citing an assault on two midwives on 29 May and reporting that staff feel unsafe due to inadequate parking, the withdrawal of a protective shuttle bus, and refusal of security escorts [TA-260617-vichns-8c749065fc1c:s098]. She sought ministerial action on toll administration fees charged by Transurban and Citylink, arguing Victorian commuters pay disproportionately higher fees than New South Wales motorists using identical systems, and called for a rebate mechanism when toll roads fail to meet service standards [TA-260617-vichns-8c749065fc1c:s248].

She also sought sustainable funding for the Transport Accident Commission L2P learner-driver mentor program in Greater Geelong, which has assisted 662 learners since 2009 but faces rising costs and constrained funding, with approximately 180 young people currently on the waiting list [TA-260618-vichns-02a349ddf768:s1200].

The Member for Lara raised a youth advocacy initiative involving students from Northern Bay College and North Geelong Secondary College, who pitched ideas on reducing drug and alcohol harm, improving access to community sport, and strengthening mental health support for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s068]. The same member raised road safety concerns at Lara Lake Primary School, pointing to the absence of kerbs or bollards separating footpaths from car parks, and sought government support for local councils to fund upgrades [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s165].

The Member for Geelong sought an update on the Be Bold Be Heard program, which supports teenage girls to influence decisions affecting their schools and communities, following a visit to Oberon High School [TA-260617-vichns-8c749065fc1c:s259].

The pattern across these three sitting days shows a consistent focus on local infrastructure, health services, and community program funding in the Geelong region — with the Member for Western Victoria as the most active voice raising concerns, and the government defending its record on cost-of-living measures, housing approvals, and transport investment [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s219].

The Minister for Water, Health, and Ambulance Services announced investment in water security infrastructure including the Western Port recycled water scheme, delivering 49 kilometres of pipeline and up to 4 billion litres of recycled water to south-east farmers, and noted desalination plant deliveries to Geelong storage [TA-260618-vichns-02a349ddf768:s060].

Debate on the Outdoor Recreation Victoria Bill 2026 drew sharp disagreement over the proposed merger of the Game Management Authority and Victorian Fisheries Authority, with members raising concerns about regulatory capture, conflicts of interest between the regulator's promotion and oversight functions, and governance of land access decisions bearing on environmental protection [TA-260618-vichns-02a349ddf768:s040 TA-260618-vichns-02a349ddf768:s143].

The Member for Northcote raised the issue of cardiac arrest survival rates in Victoria, noting that only one in ten patients survive without intervention, and sought a ministerial commitment to mandatory automatic external defibrillator installation in public spaces, citing South Australian legislation as a model [TA-260618-vichns-02a349ddf768:s1199].