Media Releases

Letter to the Editor, March 6, 2012.
Dear Editor,
Like many others, I am sick of the constant strident negativism coming from Labor Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards and the rest of her Party about Bendigo health issues.
There’s no health matter she won’t try to pervert into an opportunistic media hit, or a whining letter to the editor, constantly warping history and inventing weird conspiracies.
On the matter of the future of pathology services, Ms Edwards and Labor show they have no regard for the thousands of extra elective surgery procedures or the amount of other extra services the hospital will be able to offer because of the savings over the next 10 years.
I have been told these savings will be in the tens of millions of dollars over the life of the contract. What’s more, Ms Edwards has been told that as well. She was given a full briefing by the hospital on the day the decision was announced and she was shown the figures and the savings.
What she is advocating now – that despite the freeing up of many, many millions to provide life-saving services, the hospital should keep its old system – is nothing more than economic vandalism.
But Ms Edwards always tries to warp our hospital board’s decision into an anti-Coalition conspiracy. The fact is that the review of pathology services began under the previous Labor Government.
She and her leader, the fumbling Daniel Andrews, wanted the Coalition Government to improperly interfere in the hospital board’s processes and tell it what to do. We declined.
This is the same Daniel Andrews who once again has come to Bendigo to show “solidarity” with the nurses union against the hospital and against the courts which keep ordering nurses to drop their industrial action.
And it’s the same Daniel Andrews who, back in August 2007 when he was Health Minister facing similar nurses industrial strife, told the nurses union to abide by the umpire’s decision and drop the action.
He also demanded more flexibility in the nurse-patient ratio.
People are sick of the hypocrisy and double standards of Labor when it comes to Bendigo health.
Their two-faced negativity has been shown on the nurses issue, on pathology and on whether Bendigo people should get the $630 million the Coalition Government is building.
Labor is trashing the Bendigo Health brand, and it will cost our community in terms of attracting the best possible staff, community confidence, money and in health outcomes.
If Labor has nothing positive to contribute to the issue of Bendigo health, it should just back off.
Damian Drum MLC
Member for the Northern Victoria Region

August 19, 2011

National MP for Northern Victorian Region, Damian Drum, has urged the State Government not to give up the fight to protect northern agriculture from imported New Zealand apple diseases.
Speaking in State Parliament, Mr Drum said the Federal Government had failed to protect Australian apple and pear growers from disastrous apple fireblight from New Zealand.
The Federal Government has decided to allow the importation of NZ apples after years of debate over the risk of bringing apple fireblight to Australia.
Growers at Harcourt and the Goulburn Valley have begged governments to keep the risk at bay by maintaining the ban on NZ apples.
Mr Drum told parliament orchardists had “little or no confidence in the Federal Agricultural Minister, Joe Ludwig.”
He said: “His lack of due diligence on this issue may give Australian apple and pear growers an industry-threatening disease without the resources to cope,”
He said the federal decision to allow NZ apples into the country was a blow to the people of the Goulburn Valley at a time when many were still reeling from job losses at Girgarre and Mooroopna.
“Furthermore, Harcourt apple growers who have just emerged from years of drought and are now looking for a period of consolidation, do not need to have the threat of fireblight hanging over their heads.”
Mr Drum has called on State Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh to lobby the Federal Government and to do whatever was possible to avert the threat to an entire industry.
The decision to allow NZ apples into Australia comes just a month after Mr Walsh issued a warning at a meeting of federal and state agriculture ministers.
He said he held grave fears draft recommendations did not do enough to protect the local apple and pear industry from the risk of fire blight.

“I am not convinced that New Zealand has demonstrated adequate protocols to ensure organically grown apples will not be the vehicle for fire blight entering Australia,” Mr Walsh said.

Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan has been publicly accused of political point-scoring and trashy populism in her stance on the Bendigo pathology unit review.

Nationals MP for Northern Victoria, Damian Drum, has told State Parliament it was astonishing that even though there had been one previous review of the function of the Bendigo Hospital Pathology Unit – initiated under the previous Labor Government – Ms Allan now said she was now against reviewing the unit
“The first review was initiated under a Labor Government, when the local member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan, was a minister. That is right -- this review process into pathology services was started under the former Labor government.
“We understand that one of the member's best friends in Bendigo is Marika McMahon, and she currently enjoys the role of chair of the board of Bendigo Health Service. She is very well qualified for that role.
“We have a Labor party ex-minister as the local member, and we have her best friend as the person controlling the hospital that started the review process.
“We now have a situation where Jacinta Allan is campaigning to have the review process stopped because she can now see a cheap -- and I emphasise 'cheap' -- political point to be scored by jumping on board the wagon of those opposed to a review.
“It may also be her way of deflecting attention from the fact that she has refused to back the $102 million of additional investment into the new Bendigo hospital,” Mr Drum said.
“She started a review process into pathology services, but now that her party is not in government, she is campaigning on a political point, with an emphasis on populism, to change this service. “
Mr Drum said he shared the view of State Health Minister David Davis of concern at any move which would cost health sector jobs, but pointed out the Minister’s office was still seeking detailed information from the hospital executive on the unit review.

Allan continues hate campaign against Eaglehawk school
The Victorian Labor Opposition campaign to undermine the future of Eaglehawk Primary School was outrageous, scandalous and must end immediately, Nationals MP for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum, said today.
Mr Drum said he was shocked and saddened by the media comments by Labor Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan today which falsely question the Government’s commitment to keeping Eaglehawk Primary School as a stand-alone school with a sustainable future.
“The Liberal/Nationals Coalition put an end to her desperate plan to close Eaglehawk Primary, but she’s still at it, making outrageous comments designed to scare parents, teachers and students away from the school.
“These scare tactics are simply unacceptable. She must stop it now and apologise.”
Mr Drum said the Coalition Government had committed $2 million to help build a brighter future for the school and the community. A sum of $365,000 has been allocated as needed in this Budget and the rest will be provided in the following year.
A dedicated process of community consultation and discussion was in play.
“It is all designed to achieve a strong outcome for the school and the community, as opposed to Jacinta Allan’s approach which was to slam the doors and force students, teachers and parents to go elsewhere.
“We’re working with the community. She worked against it.”
“Happily we put an end to that vile scheme. She didn’t get her own way and now she’s acting like a spoiled child kicking over the sand castle.
“Jacinta Allan’s ridiculous ‘gotcha’ style of political debate is simply designed to achieve her aim of destroying a school and diminishing a community.” Mr Drum said.
“In the end, she and her comments are irrelevant. The Coalition Government is welded onto a process designed to achieve fantastic community outcomes.”

Labor Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan must stop her pointless campaign to close the Eaglehawk Primary School, Nationals MP for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum, said today.
He was responding to an emotional outburst by the Labor MP in State Parliament today, in which Ms Allan accused the State Government, and Mr Drum of not being genuine in their efforts to keep Eaglehawk school open.
Mr Drum said the claim was “laughable” and repeated the Government’s assurances that it was committed to keeping the school running and to guiding it to a sustainable future.
“She has simply got to stop this campaign against Eaglehawk. She and Labor wanted it closed, and had almost succeeded.
“She must get behind the broad-based community efforts to keeping the school as a stand-alone school.”
Ms Allan also tried to caste doubts on the Coalition Government’s plans for a $630 million Bendigo Hospital project, calling it a “con”.
“The only con is that Ms Allan is raging around Parliament and Bendigo trying to get people to believe Labor’s plan was better, even though it tried to hack more than $100 million off the price.
“Her plan was half-hearted and half-funded.
“People are just so sick and tied of her negativity and her campaign to shut things and cut them back.”

Labor was warned of “black holes” in V/Line timetable
Nationals MP Damian Drum today accused Labor Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan of outrageous hypocrisy over her comments on V/Line passenger rail timetable changes.
Mr Drum said Ms Allan had been strident in the media over a change to the 6.02 am express train to Melbourne. But evidence now showed she not only knew about the looming problem for years, but repeatedly refused to do anything about it.
Mr Drum met V/Line senior executives again this week to discuss the main change on the Bendigo-Melbourne line which will see the existing 6.02 am express to Melbourne include an extra stop at Gisborne.
“Labor’s Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan is doing all in her power to stir up resentment about the extra stop, but I suspect now the truth is she is just trying to disguise her own role in this,” Mr Drum said.
“I now know that she had had what was termed ‘consistent advice’ from V/Line that the previous Government’s actions had led to gaping black holes in the timetable.
“By ripping up the extra passing tracks which had existed on the Bendigo line and by failing to make the new trains significantly faster than the old ones, fast-growing communities along the line were being left out.
“At Gisborne, one of the fastest growing areas of commuter demand, there is a huge gap in the morning service which left a lot of people without timely trains to Melbourne.”
Mr Drum said Jacinta Allan had known “for years’ about the problem, but failed to do anything.
He told State Parliament that Bendigo line commuters were about to get even slower trains thanks to Labor’s decision to electrify the line all the way to Sunbury. Trains on the electrified Melbourne system cannot travel faster than 120 kmh.
“So for about 30 kilometres, trains which can now travel at 160 will have to slow to 120. There were reports that a large percentage of Sunbury commuters did not want the metropolitan system extended, but preferred the existing trains.
“It created great division in the Sunbury community, but Labor pushed on with it, and now we all have to bear the consequences.”
Mr Drum said the slower service would kick in late this year.
He said he had asked V/Line to review all options to try to find a way to keep the Bendigo service as fast as possible.
“I’ve asked for extra options to try to get around these black holes. Our discussions are on-going,” he said.

Today’s historic Budget – the first for the Baillieu/Ryan Coalition – showed the Government was focussed on delivering its commitments to Bendigo.
Nationals MP for Northern Victoria, and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, Damian Drum, welcomed the first Wells Budget and said it marked the beginning of a new era for Bendigo and regional Victoria.
“This Budget is a boomer for Bendigo.
“It will silence those critics who, since last November’s election, have been trying to question the Coalition’s resolve to carry out its pre-election commitments,” he said.
The 2011 State Budget included:
• An extra $102 million for the Bendigo Hospital Project, taking the total to $630 million. This will deliver, as promised, 372 new acute inpatient beds, 10 new operating theatres, a new Integrated Regional Cancer Centre on the main campus, a mother and baby unit, a headspace facility, additional beds as well as research and education facilities
• $5 million for the Bendigo Airport upgrade.
• $100 million to begin rolling natural gas out to towns including Maldon, Huntly, Marong and Heathcote
• $2 million to start planning a Bendigo-Ballarat-Geelong rail link.
• Massive education investment such as $8 million for Bendigo Senior Secondary College, $13.5 million for Weeroona College and $2 million to help keep Eaglehawk Primary School open,
• $500,000 to begin work on a new Epsom railway station and improve rail services to Eaglehawk.
Mr Drum said a centrepiece of the Budget was the $1 billion Regional Growth Fund which would drive regional prosperity for years to come.
“This is the fund which will put regional communities in the driver’s seat. Forty per cent of that fund will be determined by each region’s own priorities.
“On top of that, the Budget benefits our region in so many ways, such as beginning to get more police and ambulance officers into our communities, the reduction in ambulance subscription fees, in stamp duty cuts for first home buyers, pensioners and farmers.”
Mr Drum said he was proud to be a member of the State Government which was so clearly focussed on regional Victoria.

It’s time Labor halted its sick Bendigo hospital claims

Bendigo’s Lower House Labor MPs have been urged to stop an unhealthy and untruthful campaign against the Coalition State Government’s plans for a new $630 million Bendigo hospital.
Nationals MP for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum, said the two Labor MPs had been almost hysterically trying to talk down the bigger project – in favour of the previous Government’s $473 million concept.
“Labor’s argument defies all logic,” Mr Drum said.
“In State Parliament, Health Minister David Davis spelled out clearly and hopefully for the final time, the National and Liberal commitment: a $630 million project in the same time frame as the previous Government’s concept.
“I have said this over and over and so has Mr Davis. We will fund a new Bendigo hospital which will include an integrated cancer service on one site, a mother-and-baby unit, better teaching and training facilities and additional beds.”
Mr Drum said Labor had again tried to discredit the Coalition Government’s commitment in Parliament this week.
“The Opposition has tried to argue we should put all the money up in one four-year term of government. Yet, their own, much smaller scheme, would also have been funded over three terms of government.
“Again, their arguments are just weird.
“I sincerely urge Bendigo East’s Jacinta Allan and Bendigo West’s Maree Edwards to lift their eyes up out of their own negative gloom and look at the truth: the future for health services in Bendigo and Northern Victoria is brighter than ever.
“I urge them to stop whining and get behind a plan which will serve the needs of the broader community,” Mr Drum said.

Labor plays shameful games at State’s expense
A shabby Labor Party ploy to prevent the new Coalition State Government from pushing for a fair share of the Federal Goods and Services Tax represents a new low in Labor hypocrisy.
Nationals MP for Northern Victoria, Damian Drum, said today that Labor’s decision to refuse a “pair” enabling Treasurer Kim Wells to travel to Canberra to fight for a more equitable share of GST revenue showed once and for all that the Victorian Labor Party was more interested in playing destructive political games that about helping Victorian families.
“Over the past eight years, the former Treasurer, John Lenders, has been on his feet more than 40 times attacking the National Party and the Liberal party for supposedly not campaigning hard enough to the former Howard Government to change the formula for the distribution of GST funding back to the States and Territories.
“So, with that as a consistent background on this issue, we now have a Labor Party in opposition which is doing everything it possibly can to stop Victoria getting its fair share of the GST,” Mr Drum said.
“We now have an opposition that is actively campaigning against Victoria getting any of the $1.4 billion that the state is short-changed annually.
“Victoria will be the only state where the opposition is taking this action. Treasurers from South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia have been granted pairs so they can attend the Canberra meeting to argue their case.
“So, for all of its time in Government when Labor Treasurers were encouraged by Nationals and Liberal oppositions to attend these meetings to fight for the finances of our great state, we have a situation where Labor’s entire credibility is destroyed by their actions in the Legislative Assembly.
“Labor in Victoria is proving it will do any amount of damage to Victoria if it thinks it will boost it own stocks. Labor needs to be exposed for what it is doing and for this shameful attack on every Victorian.”

Wasted billions threaten fair deal for people with disabilities: Drum

Nationals MP for Northern Victoria, Damian Drum, has applauded the Coalition State Government for committing its efforts to get the National Disability Insurance Scheme up and running.
The State Government has set up a new expert taskforce to advise on establishing the NDIS.
Mr Drum, a veteran campaigner for the rights of people with disabilities, said the NDIS offered a more sustainable and dignified future for people with disabilities, their carers and their families.
He congratulated Premier Ted Baillieu and Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge for acting on their election commitment so swiftly.
But in an address to State Parliament, he warned that what could derail NDIS plans were the billions of dollars wasted on mismanaged Labor state and federal projects.
“The NDIS will be an expensive scheme, and we will need to put all the money we possibly can into it.
“But what will really hurt will be looking back and seeing the amount of money wasted in schemes such as the Building the Education Revolution, the North South pipeline, the desalination plant, myki and Smart meters.
“All that wasted money could have been better used for a National Disability Insurance Scheme,” he told Parliament.
An inquiry into Federal Labor’s $16billion BER scheme had shown that at least $2 billion had been wasted. Another $2.5 billion had been squandered on the bungled roof insulation scheme. About $1.5 billion had been wasted so far on mismanaged water buy-backs. Victoria’s desalination plan could end up costing taxpayers $24 billion. The myki fiasco which was to have cost $350 million has passed $1.4 billion. The Smart metre scheme has already blown-out by more than $500 million. The pointless North-South pipeline had swallowed at least $750 million. The State Health IT system was $260 million over budget. And another $500 million loss had been revealed in the mismanaged Victorian Funds Management Corporation’s failed investment in US life insurance policies.
“These are just some of the outrageous muck-up Labor has forced on people in recent times.
“Without taking any others we might not yet know full details about, the waste totals almost $30 billion dollars.
“You could set up a magnificent NDIS with that sort of money,” he said.
Wasted billions threaten fair deal for people with disabilities: Drum

Nationals MP for Northern Victoria, Damian Drum, has applauded the Coalition State Government for committing its efforts to get the National Disability Insurance Scheme up and running.
The State Government has set up a new expert taskforce to advise on establishing the NDIS.
Mr Drum, a veteran campaigner for the rights of people with disabilities, said the NDIS offered a more sustainable and dignified future for people with disabilities, their carers and their families.
He congratulated Premier Ted Baillieu and Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge for acting on their election commitment so swiftly.
But in an address to State Parliament, he warned that what could derail NDIS plans were the billions of dollars wasted on mismanaged Labor state and federal projects.
“The NDIS will be an expensive scheme, and we will need to put all the money we possibly can into it.
“But what will really hurt will be looking back and seeing the amount of money wasted in schemes such as the Building the Education Revolution, the North South pipeline, the desalination plant, myki and Smart meters.
“All that wasted money could have been better used for a National Disability Insurance Scheme,” he told Parliament.
An inquiry into Federal Labor’s $16billion BER scheme had shown that at least $2 billion had been wasted. Another $2.5 billion had been squandered on the bungled roof insulation scheme. About $1.5 billion had been wasted so far on mismanaged water buy-backs. Victoria’s desalination plan could end up costing taxpayers $24 billion. The myki fiasco which was to have cost $350 million has passed $1.4 billion. The Smart metre scheme has already blown-out by more than $500 million. The pointless North-South pipeline had swallowed at least $750 million. The State Health IT system was $260 million over budget. And another $500 million loss had been revealed in the mismanaged Victorian Funds Management Corporation’s failed investment in US life insurance policies.
“These are just some of the outrageous muck-up Labor has forced on people in recent times.
“Without taking any others we might not yet know full details about, the waste totals almost $30 billion dollars.
“You could set up a magnificent NDIS with that sort of money,” he said.
Wasted billions threaten fair deal for people with disabilities: Drum

Nationals MP for Northern Victoria, Damian Drum, has applauded the Coalition State Government for committing its efforts to get the National Disability Insurance Scheme up and running.
The State Government has set up a new expert taskforce to advise on establishing the NDIS.
Mr Drum, a veteran campaigner for the rights of people with disabilities, said the NDIS offered a more sustainable and dignified future for people with disabilities, their carers and their families.
He congratulated Premier Ted Baillieu and Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge for acting on their election commitment so swiftly.
But in an address to State Parliament, he warned that what could derail NDIS plans were the billions of dollars wasted on mismanaged Labor state and federal projects.
“The NDIS will be an expensive scheme, and we will need to put all the money we possibly can into it.
“But what will really hurt will be looking back and seeing the amount of money wasted in schemes such as the Building the Education Revolution, the North South pipeline, the desalination plant, myki and Smart meters.
“All that wasted money could have been better used for a National Disability Insurance Scheme,” he told Parliament.
An inquiry into Federal Labor’s $16billion BER scheme had shown that at least $2 billion had been wasted. Another $2.5 billion had been squandered on the bungled roof insulation scheme. About $1.5 billion had been wasted so far on mismanaged water buy-backs. Victoria’s desalination plan could end up costing taxpayers $24 billion. The myki fiasco which was to have cost $350 million has passed $1.4 billion. The Smart metre scheme has already blown-out by more than $500 million. The pointless North-South pipeline had swallowed at least $750 million. The State Health IT system was $260 million over budget. And another $500 million loss had been revealed in the mismanaged Victorian Funds Management Corporation’s failed investment in US life insurance policies.
“These are just some of the outrageous muck-up Labor has forced on people in recent times.
“Without taking any others we might not yet know full details about, the waste totals almost $30 billion dollars.
“You could set up a magnificent NDIS with that sort of money,” he said.