Portfolio — 12 July 2026

The dominant discourse arc for Monbulk in this window is the impending retirement of the Member for Monbulk, Ms De Martino, whose valedictory speech was announced for 18 June by the Leader of the House — and whose final sitting contributions across 16 and 17 June ranged across three substantive legislative debates and a cluster of district-focused announcements.

The Leader of the House noted her significant advocacy and welcomed all members to attend the valedictory, a recognition echoed by cross-party contributions from the Assembly floor.

The Education and Training Reform Amendment Bill 2026 drew the most concentrated parliamentary attention touching Monbulk. Ms De Martino argued in debate for restricting student use of personal electronic devices in non-government schools, grounding her position in research on the mental health impacts of excessive screen time [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s177].

She also highlighted that the bill strengthens Aboriginal recognition and self-determination across schools and training systems, aligning with Yoorrook Justice Commission recommendation 48, and introduces a new duty on departmental secretaries to deliver cultural understanding professional development across early childhood, schools, TAFEs and registered training organisations [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s177].

The Coalition, through debate contributions, endorsed the device restriction provisions as removing distractions and enabling focused teaching and learning, while raising concerns about student data collection provisions — questioning data ownership and security — without opposing the bill's passage [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s180]. This cross-party alignment on the device restriction measure, with Ms De Martino's advocacy publicly acknowledged from the floor, is notable as a convergence point in her final sitting period.

On occupational health and safety, Ms De Martino supported both the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Dangerous Goods) Bill 2026 and the Dangerous Goods Transport Bill 2026, drawing on her professional background to frame the legislation as essential structural reform [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s148]. She cited the West Footscray chemical fire of 2018 and the Campbellfield chemical facility fire of 2019 as the defining incidents that exposed systemic regulatory failures — including illegal chemical storage across Melbourne and regional Victoria, toxic contamination of Stony Creek, and injuries to firefighters and workers — positioning the legislative response as preventative rather than merely punitive [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s148].

The bills consolidate dangerous goods regulation into the unified Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, replacing separate 1985 legislation, and expand enforcement to include civil penalties and injunctions alongside criminal prosecution.

Within the district, a site visit to Casey Hospital with the Minister for Health and Health Infrastructure confirmed emergency department expansion works that will include a dedicated mental health zone, a private children's emergency department, and capacity for an additional 52,000 patients annually [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s083]. Ms De Martino attended alongside other local members, a fact independently noted in third-party Assembly contributions [TA-260617-vichns-8c749065fc1c:s252].

Sherbrooke P–12 Community School in Sassafras, a locality within the district, will receive more than $9 million in infrastructure upgrades. Ferntree Gully Tennis Club, also within the district, received the Most Outstanding Club or Centre award at the 2026 Victorian Community Tennis Awards for its all-abilities program [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s082].

A separate third-party thread raised the Ferntree Gully shopping precinct — a locality within the district — in an adjournment matter, with concerns about vacant shops, graffiti, crime and antisocial behaviour attributed to high concentrations of rooming houses with inadequate support services [TA-260616-vichns-db6eb221750c:s381]. This matter was raised by Ms Heath, a Coalition member, and sits outside Ms De Martino's own contributions, though it surfaces a distinct community safety concern within the district in the same sitting window.

Ms De Martino was also cited in a regional housing inquiry report alongside the Members for Bass, Croydon, Morwell, Narracan and Ripon as committee members with strong regional connections.