I welcomed the recent news that up to 10 000 racing fans will be at Flemington for the 2021 Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November. My question is for the Minister for Racing about crowd numbers for the 2021 Ballarat Cup to be held on Saturday, 20 November, at Dowling Forest Racecourse, one of Victoria’s premier racing and training venues.

Last Sunday, Mount Rowan Secondary College in Wendouree hosted one of the state’s first pop-up vaccination clinics as the Andrews Labor government focuses on increasing vaccination rates in 100 priority postcodes across Victoria.

I too am pleased to rise and speak on the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Senior Secondary Pathways Reforms and Other Matters) Bill 2021 as we continue in our commitment to making Victoria the Education State and transforming Victoria’s education system.

The Victorian Government is bringing vaccines to the areas that need them most, by launching a massive community pop-up vaccination program targeting 100 priority postcodes across the state.

The Victorian Government is ensuring people living in Ballarat and the Western region have access to the world-class healthcare they deserve close to home.

Crews will commence major works at the level crossing at the earliest available opportunity following Thursday’s decision from Heritage Victoria.

More families in Ballarat and around regional Victoria are joining Australia’s largest-ever child and parent research project, helping drive better health outcomes for the next generation of young Victorians.

My constituency question is for the Minister for Mental Health. The past 18 months have been challenging for many Victorian individuals and families due to the global COVID pandemic. I am incredibly proud of the response of our government in delivering additional mental health programs to support Victorians struggling with the impact of the pandemic.

I am pleased to speak in support of the Firearms and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2021. Thank you to the Minister for Police and the Attorney-General in the other place, as well as their ministerial offices and the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

The local Ballarat community is being encouraged to have a say on the Victorian Government’s $541.6 million redevelopment of Ballarat Base Hospital.

Thank you for your participation in the Ballarat Building Safer Communities forum – the engagement, feedback, and ideas from the community of Ballarat was really exciting to see.

My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Fishing and Boating, and the action that I seek is for the minister to visit my electorate of Wendouree to meet with the Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society and help to stock our magnificent Lake Wendouree with locally bred trout.

Nobody ever wants to hear the news that a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, particularly when the devastating news includes that the cancer is terminal. This was my experience when my father, Les Dickinson, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour, in January 2020.

The Victorian Government is supercharging Ballarat’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by investing in dozens of projects that create jobs, encourage visitors and support local communities.  

The Victorian Government is calling on all developers and landowners in regional Victoria to put forward any developments or vacant land that could be turned into social or affordable housing.

The Victorian Government is supporting local jobs with a new train-building contract with Alstom to design and build 25 new X’Trapolis 2.0 trains in Ballarat. The partnership with Alstom will support around 750 jobs in manufacturing and the supply chain – including a 60 per cent local content quota to support local skilled manufacturing jobs including trainee and apprenticeship positions.

A plan to turn the heart of Ballarat into a thriving university town is another step closer, with the Victorian Government investing in a masterplan for the transformational project. The key planning works, costing $6.11 million, will merge the Federation University campus with central Ballarat, transforming it into a contemporary and cosmopolitan destination for students and workers.