International Midwives Day 2022 - 100 Years of Progress

A transcript of this speech is available here:

https://ruthforrest.com.au/parliament/speeches/special-interest

You can listen to my latest interview with Leon Compton here:

You can listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here: 

You can listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

Condolence Motion - Hillcrest Primary School 

 You can listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

Independent Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest says North-West Coasters have been let down by both the state and federal governments when it comes to COVID test result wait times and the availability of rapid antigen tests.

Ms Forrest said members of one North-West family isolated for seven days before the family member waiting for the test received a negative result.

"The recent decision to contract PCR testing to private provider North West Pathology has comprehensively failed those relying on timely test results," she said.

"For anyone to be required to isolate for a full seven days after the test, while waiting for a test result, is totally unacceptable.

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You can listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

You can listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

Independent MLCs broadly supported these measures as being evidence-based ways of decreasing harm to problem gamblers without impacting recreational players, and to allow venues to implement them by 2028.

Murchison independent MLC Ruth Forrest said she did not understand why the major parties would not support it, and that there was no guarantee of further harm minimisation by 2043.

The harm that these people experience is enormous in terms of the cost to our health system, to our social services system, to our justice system, that's where the costs are," she said.

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The Burnie Surf Life Saving Club celebrated its Centenary on Saturday 13 November, 2021 

You can listen to my interview with Leon Compton, where I discuss the scrutiny of the Gaming Control Amendment Bill currently before the Legislative Council here:

An upper house member has claimed Tasmanians still have little knowledge of what pokies reforms will look like in the community even after two elections, but the government and Labor have blocked a move for further scrutiny.

The Legislative Council voted eight to six against a motion to send the government's pokies reforms to a parliamentary committee where it would be subject to witness evidence, submissions and a report.
Independent Mersey MLC Mike Gaffney moved the motion which was supported by independents Ruth Forrest, Rob Valentine, Tania Rattray and Meg Webb, as well as outgoing Labor MLC Bastian Seidel.

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 Congratulations to the Step in 2020 People Improvers program for being one of the winners of 2021 BHP Women in Resources National Awards.

Listen to their story here:

Today I spoke with Belinda King about raising the age of criminal responsibility. You can listen to the interview here:

Listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

A Labor MLC representing the part of the state most heavily saturated with poker machines says the reform debate is no longer of much interest to his community as he signals his intention to vote in its favour.

Elwick MLC Josh Willie spoke in the Legislative Council on Wednesday after being heavily lobbied by pokies reform advocates over recent months, given his position as a representative covering Glenorchy, home to the state's largest pokies venues.

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House of Assembly speaker Mark Shelton has rejected a claim that some House of Assembly members may have been under the influence of alcohol during the final vote on gaming legislation last month.

Lower house members engaged in a 23-hour debate over separate sittings in October and passed the controversial gaming bill late at night before the chamber took a break for a week.

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The Gaming Control Amendment (Future Gaming Market) Bill 2021 is currently before the Legislative Council.

Listen to my speech here: