Portfolio — 12 July 2026

Worker safety and industrial risk dominated the Werribee discourse window, with the Member for Werribee making his most substantive parliamentary contribution in debate on the Dangerous Goods Transport Bill 2026 and the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Dangerous Goods) Bill 2026 [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s211]. Drawing on personal firefighting experience, the Member addressed industrial risks specific to Werribee's legacy industrial estates, the transport of defence explosives through Point Wilson, and quarrying operations near Mambourin — grounding the legislation's provisions in concrete local hazards rather than abstract regulatory principle.

The Member welcomed civil penalties, injunctions, monetary benefit restrictions, and adverse publicity orders against operators breaching dangerous goods standards, and highlighted expanded WorkSafe inspector entry powers covering risks at nearby properties. The Member cited the 2026 budget's $22.4 million for worker safety and return-to-work support, together with 20 additional WorkSafe inspectors targeting five high-risk industries, as evidence of the government's broader commitment.

The Member for Point Cook reinforced the dangerous goods theme from a neighbouring district perspective, grounding the same legislation in the 2018 and 2019 chemical fire incidents in Melbourne's northern suburbs and inner west and raising community consultation concerns about dangerous goods and PFAS storage at the RAAF base at Point Cook — identified by Defence as no longer needed [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s144].

The convergence of both members on dangerous goods reform, each anchoring the bills in locally specific hazards, signals a deliberate framing strategy connecting western Melbourne industrial geography to the regulatory agenda.

Health infrastructure featured across both the Member's own activity and third-party accounts. The Member for Werribee asked the Minister for Health how design improvements for people with physical, mental and other disabilities are being implemented at Werribee Mercy Hospital, noting the new emergency department's October opening [TA-260618-vichns-682983134932:s283].

The Member for Point Cook separately reported that the $95 million Werribee Mercy emergency department expansion — doubling treatment spaces from 33 to 67 beds and adding four resuscitation bays — is due to open this year, alongside the under-construction Point Cook community hospital, the opened Wyndham law courts (the largest facility outside the CBD), and the forthcoming Point Cook police station.

At the local level, the Member for Werribee ran a community forum at Riverwalk Primary School attended by around 30 parents, covering Ison Road opening, Main Road interchange upgrades, and school traffic safety. The Member secured 2026 budget funding to section off open learning spaces at the school to support explicit instruction and committed to follow up with council on a TAC grant acquittal for school safety improvements.

Following a break-in at Wyndham Warriors BMX Club, the Member liaised with Victoria Police, supported the club's successful emergency equipment grant application, and personally donated toward their recovery.

The Member raised governance concerns at Wyndham City Council — calling for the resignation of the Liberal mayor and welcoming the appointment of two monitors — and raised the matter formally with the Minister for Local Government concerning actions to restore confidence in the council's leadership [TA-260618-vichns-682983134932:s361]. The Member also met with survivor-victims of sexual abuse to discuss pending amendments to the Local Government Act 2020 and the government's commitment to banning so-called good character references in court.

Opposition pressure on the district was direct and procedurally significant. Mr Southwick contended that western Melbourne suburbs — Point Cook, Laverton, Werribee and Melton — have been neglected in favour of inner Melbourne activity centres, and challenged doorknocking figures attributed to the Member for Werribee; the Member responded that he completed approximately 170 knocks in the reported period and over 200 over the preceding weekend.

A motion condemning the Member for Werribee citing Big Build corruption findings and economic performance was moved on 18 June 2026, though leave to debate was refused [TA-260618-vichns-682983134932:s019]. The Member for Werribee and the Member for Lara were directed to withdraw from the chamber for one hour on the same date [TA-260618-vichns-682983134932:s242].

The Member's own parliamentary speech characterised the Opposition's proposed $40 billion in cuts to schools and hospitals, cuts to emergency services, and fast-tracked housing without infrastructure planning as reckless economics harmful to working-class communities, invoking the 2010–14 government's failure to invest in the district — including at the Cherry Street level crossing where a fatality occurred — and warning that cuts to public sector employment would impede service delivery to a growing population given that 26.1 per cent of the Victorian public service is located in the north-west metropolitan area.