Tim Watts: I have a question to the Speaker. Like a number of members of this chamber, I quarantined for a fortnight to be here for this sitting. I don't recommend it. I know that my Victorian colleagues watching on videopresence today would have dearly loved to have been here today, but personal circumstances did not allow them to spend a month away from their families in order to attend today. I must...
Read More >Tim Watts: We debate these budget measures here today, in perhaps the most trying times that have faced our nation since the Second World War. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a test of who we are as a nation. I've been really proud of the way that my community has pulled together to confront these challenges. From the community Facebook groups to the neighbourhood WhatsApp groups, people have been...
Read More >Tim Watts: The names of our federal electorates are intended to recognise the outstanding contributions of Australians to our nation, yet the contributions of women who have helped make Australia the country it is today are dramatically underrepresented in the names of our federal electorates. As Professor Clare Wright has pointed out, there are many women who have made outstanding contributions to our...
Read More >Tim Watts: I rise today to say thank you to Victorians. It's been hard to be a Victorian these past few months, and, frankly, if you weren't there, you wouldn't know what it's like-the dozens of members of my electorate who died in aged-care facilities; the social isolation and mental health toll of months of stringent health measures; children remote learning from home, and parents trying to do...
Read More >Tim Watts: Young Australians are being devastated by the current COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying recession. In my electorate young people are doing it particularly tough. I recently held a forum in my electorate with the Foundation for Young Australians to hear from young Australians in the electorate-and it was heartbreaking to hear their stories. That first decade after leaving school...
Read More >Tim Watts: My question is to the Prime Minister. Elizabeth's mum contracted COVID-19 at Benetas St George's residential aged care in my electorate. Elizabeth says that when her mum was taken to hospital they found she had a secondary chest infection and a urinary tract infection and had been left in soiled nappies for hours on end. Why does the Prime Minister boast about a list of aged-care...
Read More >