In her first Parliamentary term, and as Member for Mildura, Jade Benham has been elected Opposition Whip.
As Whip, Jade has numerous added duties, including, but not limited to, co-ordinating with the Government on which bill will be debated when, giving advice to the clerks, the Chair and shadow minister at the Table about what is planned, and preparing call lists and ensuring members are present in the Chamber and ready to speak.
Jade is both honoured and humbled to have been elected Opposition Whip, a duty that is rarely bestowed on a member in their first term.
Jade’s appointment as Whip increases not only her voice but gives the people of her electorate a louder voice through their Member.
In Parliament yesterday, Jade spoke about both the Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2023 and the Government Business Program and the need, like all other bills, to be considered and debated in their entirety, clause by clause.
Jade said Members of Parliament have been elected to be a voice for their communities, and collectively, a voice for the State, and together they form a loud voice. In regard to the Government Business Program, Jade said: “Again, I was contacted by many people throughout my community and my electorate, and yet we will not be able to debate each clause and consider it all in detail, which is what I thought this place was all about. “This is where we come for robust debate and to be a voice for our community.
“This bill will enshrine a wrong in legislation, and it could be avoided if the government’s program took into consideration that they are to govern for all Victorians.
“Victorians should get a say via us, their representatives; by not being able to consider these bills in detail, you are taking that away from Victorians in our electorates on this side of the table.” Jade said while there are great concepts within the bills on the program this week, they are ruined by flaws.
“By refusing consideration in detail, as I have said, of the bills on the business program this week we are robbing my community and yours – not just mine, yours as well – of having their say on every aspect of business, which in turn affects every Victorian,” Jade said.
“I plead with the government to allow us to have consideration in detail of these bills and of every bill going forward so that every Victorian – they profess to govern for all Victorians; take that into consideration – can have their say in detail on every bill that is on every program in this place. “It is the only way we can give every single Victorian – that, again, they profess to govern for – a voice through us.
“That is our job.
“That is what we have been elected to do, and that is what I plan to do if we have the opportunity to debate in this place.”
