With a Senate inquiry investigating what hemp can do for jobs, manufacturing, and regional growth — is Australia finally asking the right questions about hemp? hempco.net.au/australia-is...

It looks like the dreaded Ashley Street underpass may finally be getting some love, with early designs for the new Tottenham station suggesting a much wider underpass. I first raised this in Parliament in Feb, 2024. 📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeHm...

The West Footscray data centre is already disrupting life for locals, with the constant hum and floodlights keeping residents awake. It's set to double in size, and when complete, it will consume around 2.5 olympic swimming pools of water per day. au.news.yahoo.com/buzzing-nois...

Around 4,000 people are still arrested each year in Victoria for small amounts of cannabis — despite police guidance shifting to cautions two years ago. Here’s some of my speech on the motion we passed yesterday. #SpringSt

It's time to STOP arresting people for cannabis possession. In the ACT & SA, cautions have been the default for decades — saving time, money, and reducing harms of contact with the justice system. Parliament debates our motion to legislate cautions today approx 2:20pm. #SpringSt

Day one of public hearings for the Waste to Energy Inquiry in Sunbury. Thank you to all participants who have shared their stories and engaged respectfully in the democratic process. #SpringSt 👉 Follow the inquiry here www.parliament.vic.gov.au/wastetoenerg...

Sunbury residents are rightly concerned about how a massive waste incinerator will impact their community & environment. That's why LCV launched an inquiry into WtE infrastructure, with hearings next month. Great to see this issue finally receiving media attention – many people are not aware.

It was great to connect with our wonderful cannabis community in the West and beyond this 420, on a beautiful sunny afternoon in Sunshine. I'd like to thank Sunshine Police for engaging in a positive dialogue and for maintaining a respectful distance throughout our peaceful gathering ...

Coming to a suburb near you? AI data centres are the so-called factories of the future, but what are they really costing us? #SpringSt youtube.com/shorts/WCWSn...

BREAKING: Germany legalises cannabis, sky remains unfallen. 🇩🇪 businessofcannabis.com/germanys-can...

This morning, @rachelpaynemp.bsky.social & I stood with Angelina, who experienced discrimination simply for taking prescribed medication. This discrimination is exactly what our Equal Opportunity Amendment (Medical Treatment) Bill aims to stamp out. Debate will kick off b/w 3:30-3:50pm. #SpringSt

Angelina's story shows exactly why our #DignityNotDiscrimination campaign is needed. It wasn't her health condition that held her back, it was her medication. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItJ_...

No one should face discrimination for taking care of their health. Thank you to sporting greats Lauren Jackson, Alastair Clarkson and Damien Oliver for backing our Equal Opportunity Amendment (Medical Treatment) Bill. Take action at vist.ly/4wf29

For many, taking medication isn’t a choice — it’s survival. #DignityNotDiscrimination

Did you know? In Victoria, you can be legally discriminated against because of your medication/medical treatment when seeking: 💼 employment 🏠 housing 🎓 education 💷 services To put it bluntly — it’s a disgrace. 🧵

Veterans who have put their lives on the line in service of our nation deserve better. #vicpol

We're trending, folks. #viral #funny #delulu

It was great to get out with the Seedlings Collective last weekend to take the BIG JOINT for a walk through beautiful downtown Sunshine. Their mission is to educate on harm reduction, patient rights, and cannabis solutions for everyday challenges.

Last night I had the honour of hosting a special screening of Floodland at Parliament House. This award-winning documentary explores the aftermath of the devastating '22 Lismore floods. It's gripping, raw, and tells an incredible story of resilience. Check 👉 www.floodland.com.au for screenings.

I'm not a botanist, but I know a tomato plant when I see one. 🍅

End racist policing. End deaths in custody. I stand in solidarity with First Nations today and every day. ❤️💛🖤

It's game on, folks — Parliament returns on 3 Feb, and I can't wait. #SpringSt

Last year, police spent 58,000 hours processing charges of personal cannabis use. Imagine if that time had been spent going after real criminals.

All I want for Xmas is … where do I start?!! I want the Labor Government to: 🎁 treat workers on medicinal cannabis fairly 🎁 stop arresting cannabis consumers 🎁 scrap waste-to-energy 🎁 electrify the Wyndham Vale and Melton lines What’s on your Xmas list?

A nice take from Alan Kohler here on the question cannabis being regulated as a prescribed medication vs legalisation. "At the moment, the govt is trying to have it both ways. It needs to pick one." www.youtube.com/watch?v=AthD...

The state Parliament has apologised to First Nations Victorians. The apology stems from our Treaty. It'd be great if the govt could live up to its Treaty obligations, like consulting First Nations people on changes to criminal law that will continue to see them over-represented in the justice system

This week, the govt is trying to ram though a grab-bag of legislation before Parliament rises for the year, clearing the decks for the '26 election. After the Electoral Maters Committee released its report on the upper house electoral system yesterday ... www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victori...

2026 is shaping up to be a big year of action across the West. Sunbury locals gathered 3,264 signatures for a petition to halt the proposed waste incinerator — triggering a debate in Parliament early next year. Bring it on! #SpringSt

Last chance to have your say! Melbourne Airport’s Noise Sharing Plan (NSP) consultation closes 8 December. The new third runway is expected to add 136,500 extra flights every year, meaning more aircraft noise for residents in Melbourne’s west.

A positive and well-organised march against family violence today. Thousands walked together to say: enough is enough. We walked for every woman, every child, every person whose life was stolen by family and gendered violence. #16daysofactivism #WAFV2025 #WhyWeWalk

To see everything I spoke about in parliament this week, click here. 👉 vist.ly/4fiux #SpringSt

Every single Labor MP voted against our motion to decriminalise cannabis. In doing so, they ignored the evidence, the community, and the wishes of their own members. The Allan Labor government continue to stick their heads in the sand, and it's beyond disappointing.

The government's failure to decriminalise cannabis is hurting workers. It's time for a change! #SpringSt youtube.com/shorts/f8y3Z...

Today, the Vic Upper House will debate our motion to decriminalise cannabis as a simple and modest step towards a legal market. We’re wearing ‘Labour for cannabis reform’ t-shirts to remind the government that their own members have voted for change. It's time. #SpringSt

📣 48 hours to go! On Wednesday, the upper house will debate our motion — which isn't about our policy for a change ... it's all about Labor's. #SpringSt #RelaxTheLaws 🧵 (1/10)

Sometimes it takes a comedian like Rhys Nicholson to point out why the government's policy is laughable. #SpringSt #FridayFunny #RelaxTheLaws www.instagram.com/p/DRBLML2CDS8/

Why are we wasting police resources on a victimless crime? With everything that's going on in Victoria, is arresting people for having a joint really a good use of taxpayers' $$? Today, we introduced a motion calling on the govt to get serious and decriminalise cannabis. 🧵

Victoria has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to enact treaty legislation with First Peoples after the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 passed both houses of Parliament.

It was a big week in Parliament, catch up on the latest here: davidettershank.com.au/parliament/

It was a great show of strength by the Victorian cannabis community at Parliament today. The fight continues. FREE THE WEED! #SpringSt

WTF??? A new engineering report shows that design flaws in the almost completed West Gate Tunnel ventilation stacks could actually push fumes BACK DOWN to surrounding homes, sporting fields and businesses‼️ www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Will the government fix the Ashley Street underpass before adding more housing, or will they continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again in the West? www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

The Co-Chairs of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg, have addressed the Legislative Assembly ahead of the debate on the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025. Their speeches are available to watch at youtu.be/lpizTmXn0HA.

@rachelpaynemp.bsky.social and I were joined today by former HH Magistrate Tony Parsons to call out the Allan Government’s failure on cannabis law reform. Continuing to arrest 4000 Victorians a year for cannabis possession is bad policy and worse politics. #SpringSt www.youtube.com/shorts/L23gB...

The Allan Labor Government is walking away from sensible cannabis law reform. To put it mildly, we’re pissed. Sadly, the government has made this decision out of fear of losing a law-and-order election.

On Saturday, I teamed up with the No Sunbury Incinerator campaign at the Sunbury Show, speaking with locals about the serious risks posed by the proposed waste incinerator. Many were not aware of it and were shocked by the whole thing. #Sunbury #NoSunburyIncinerator #CleanAir

Victoria's #Treaty is beyond politics. It is the right thing to do. #TreatyForVictoria #TruthTelling #Reconciliation

Sadly, HiQ have requested that our video talking about the Sunbury incinerator be taken down after they alleged that our ‘unauthorised entry to the site posed a significant health and safety breach’. 🧵

🚨 STOP THE SUNBURY INCINERATOR! 🚨 The government is considering a proposal to burn 750,000 TONS of waste every year near Sunbury. ❌ 300+ truck movements a day ❌ Toxic emissions ❌ Health risks for locals 📢 Say NO. Speak up now! #Sunbury #StopTheIncinerator #CleanAir www.youtube.com/shorts/cTkoh...

It was great to speak to 3AW's Jacqui Felgate last week about the road to cannabis legalisation in Victoria. www.3aw.com.au/should-snoop...