BURIAL AND CREMATION BILL 2019 

Legislative Council Thursday 21 November 2019 Ms FORREST (Murchison) – Mr President, as other members have mentioned, this is basically completing the work started last year, which was quite rushed, when the Anglican Church made a decision to fund its obligations under the National Redress Scheme.  It needed to free up some cash and so […]

Read More… from BURIAL AND CREMATION BILL 2019 

JUSTICE LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (ORGANISATIONAL LIABILITY FOR CHILD ABUSE) BILL 2019

Legislative Council Thursday 21 November 2019 Ms FORREST (Murchison) – Mr President, I commend the Government for continuing to act on the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.  It is an area that has received significant attention and rightly so. I reiterate the Leader’s comments in the second reading […]

Read More… from JUSTICE LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (ORGANISATIONAL LIABILITY FOR CHILD ABUSE) BILL 2019

Pill Testing and Patron Safety at Music Festivals

Legislative Council Tuesday 19 November 2019  Ms  FORREST (Murchison) – Mr President, I move – (1)     That the Legislative Council notes:            (a)   the Report of the State Coroner’s Court of New South Wales of the Inquest into the death of six patrons of NSW music festivals (the Report), released […]

Read More… from Pill Testing and Patron Safety at Music Festivals

 Live Well Tasmania

Legislative Council Tuesday 19 November, 2019 Ms FORREST (Murchison) Mr President, Live Well Tasmania is a not-for-profit community organisation based in Wynyard.  Its mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of our community with a focus on disadvantaged youth.  It uses a whole-of-community wellbeing approach. It provides programs, projects, workshops and events in the community […]

Read More… from  Live Well Tasmania

Stop this miserable funding cycle, get parties together on health

Spending too little each year, then a paltry catch-up, sets up our health system for failure. There’s a surreal aspect to the current public commentary on the health crisis gripping Tasmania. We know there’s a problem and we need a solution. Everyone avoids talking about the giant elephant in the room, the Government’s unsustainable fiscal […]

Read More… from Stop this miserable funding cycle, get parties together on health

Political donations reform needed now: MLC and Labor

The government is under pressure to release its final report on a review of the Electoral Act including political donations. A government spokesman said: “As we have previously said, the review’s interim report has been released, with a final report expected to government by the end of the year.” Independent member for Murchison Ruth Forrest […]

Read More… from Political donations reform needed now: MLC and Labor

A new future for healthcare in Tasmania

The Advocate (2 December, 2019) reported on the recent Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) 2019 Tasmania Report, noting it paints ‘a grim picture of the state’s future if targeted investment into critical services is not achieved.’ The underlying issue, that almost everyone avoids talking about, is the government’s unsustainable fiscal position. The State […]

Read More… from A new future for healthcare in Tasmania

Populist politics a distraction from other pressing issues

Being tough on crime and protecting our children and frontline workers from sexual and serious assaults must include measures that achieve effective deterrents, proportionate outcomes and protection of victims. Minimum mandatory sentencing, as shown through extensive research, does not reduce crime nor act as a deterrent. Further it reduces the likelihood of a guilty plea […]

Read More… from Populist politics a distraction from other pressing issues