Greens MPs in Victoria

Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) -- On 25 October last year the Parliament of Victoria apologised to those who were affected by past adoption practices, and the Greens were very pleased to participate in that apology. In fact, when the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee report into the commonwealth contribution to former forced adoption policies and practices was tabled last year I put on notice a motion on behalf of the people and the Parliament of Victoria calling on the government to apologise to people who had been affected by past adoption practices in Victoria. The Parliament of Western Australia had already done this in 2010, and the Parliament of South Australia had announced that it was also going to do so.

Therefore we were very pleased to participate, and the words that were spoken by the leaders of all parties that day and by other members on subsequent days and weeks in the Parliament were heartfelt and sincere. I was also in the Windsor Hotel with many hundreds of people -- mothers and fathers, sons and daughters -- who had been affected. Even though the broadcast vision of the event did not come on from for a while we could hear, and it was impossible to be in that room, hear people crying out, and not feel like crying yourself. The apology had been a very long time coming and there was a great deal of emotion coming out that day.

Following the historic vote for marriage equality in the New Zealand parliament this week, Greens MLC Sue Pennicuik said that it's now clearly way past the time for the Australian parliament to do the same - preferably before the federal election. 

"It is just fantastic that marriage equality has been achieved in New Zealand," Ms Pennicuik said. Australia has now fallen behind many countries and our Westminster counterparts Canada, New Zealand and probably the UK too if we don't get a move on.

"Marriage Equality is simply about equality before the law and the elimination of discrimination," Ms Pennicuik said.

Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) -- My question is for the Minister for Higher Education and Skills in his capacity as the representative in this chamber of the Minister for Education under standing order 8.01. On 12 October last year I asked him a question about a memo sent to schools by the department regarding supervision of students who do not attend special religious instruction (SRI).

Debate resumed from 20 March; motion of Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan):

That this house requires the Leader of the Government to table in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, 16 April 2013, a copy of:
(1) all documents relating to the 'Route alignments peer reviewed and short-listed' and 'Communications and engagement strategy finalised' referred to on page 3 of 'East-west link reform and investment framework -- stages 1 to 6', August 2012', which formed part of the east-west link submission to Infrastructure Australia;

(2) the agenda, minutes, any attachments to the minutes and any presentations or materials tabled in relation to each meeting of the Department of Transport's east-west steering committee to date;