Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Business of the house
Program
Program
That, under standing order 94(2), the orders of the day, government business, relating to the following bills be considered and completed by 5.00 pm on Thursday, 26 May 2022:
Appropriation (2022–2023) Bill 2022
Appropriation (Parliament 2022–2023) Bill 2022
State Taxation and Treasury Legislation Amendment Bill 2022.
The two appropriation bills will be debated concurrently, and the State Taxation and Treasury Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 will be debated separately. Of course, these bills give members in the chamber the opportunity to put on the record their views about the appropriation bills, the budget and the state taxation bill, and that is, I am sure, an opportunity that all members will very much want to take up. In regard to the parliamentary appropriation, it is appropriate for us all to thank the Parliament staff for the incredible work that they do on our behalf in the running and the conduct of the Parliament and indeed to put on record our support for the important work done by parliamentary committees as well. I am sure members will want to reflect on that in their contributions on the bills that are part of the government business program this week.
It is from our point of view an opportunity to reflect on the fact that this budget is putting patients first and delivering on a record investment in the health system and that after two years of an unprecedented global pandemic and record growth in demand the health system will receive a massive $12 billion boost as part of this year’s budget. You will undoubtedly hear members take up the opportunity to talk about the fact that there are 7000 more healthcare workers to be trained and hired as part of the pandemic repair plan—5000 of them as nurses; more paramedics; more support for paramedics; more capacity for 000 call takers and dispatchers; an unprecedented package to train, recruit and upskill healthcare workers; billions of dollars to upgrade new hospitals, including the doubling of emergency department capacity in Casey and Werribee; a massive investment in surgical capacity; and funding to manage the pandemic across the health system and in the community well into the future. That COVID catch-up plan, which is also part of this year’s budget, includes the surgical activity, the 40 000 extra surgeries, the reduction of the waitlist and the building up to a record 240 000 surgeries in 2024—all things that members will seek to reflect on, I am sure, as part of the budget debate.
I am sure members will take many opportunities during this budget debate to reflect on outcomes in their local electorate, to reflect on outcomes in their portfolio, whether it is additional tourism infrastructure, whether it is additional support for manufacturing, whether it is additional support for inbound investment—all of those things members will have an opportunity to talk about during the debate on the appropriation bills. In regard to the State Taxation and Treasury Legislation Amendment Bill 2022, we will have the opportunity to reflect on the fact that universities will now be fully exempt from the windfall gains tax, and we can express the hope that with the change of government in Canberra the war on our university sector might finally be over and the incredible work that they do to build our skill base, to build our graduate base and to bring in international students will finally be appreciated and reflected. It also provides an exemption from motor vehicle duty for wheelchair-accessible vehicles that provide commercial passenger vehicle services, supporting more wheelchair-accessible CPVs into the market.
For all of those critical investments to proceed, the bills need to pass the Parliament before 30 June. This sitting week gives every member of this place an opportunity to put on record their views about the budget and to send this legislation to the other place before that important date comes to pass. I understand the Manager of Opposition Business will put her own view on the record; I will not spell it out for her. For all of those things to occur before 30 June, this week is an important one to debate the budget, and I commend the government business program to the house.
Ms STALEY (Ripon) (12:22): I rise to speak on the government business program. On this occasion we will not be opposing the government business program. I note that the acting Leader of the House is getting his budget reply in early. Traditionally the government business program debate is about what is going to happen in terms of the mechanics, yet he seemed to cover many of the specifics of the budget that he found interesting. His having opened that door into what members may be interested in discussing, I would note—before I do, I would like to wish the Leader of the House a speedy recovery, as she did for me last sitting week when I was not here. But, as I say, we will not be opposing it. We also want to debate the appropriation bills and the State Taxation and Treasury Legislation Amendment Bill 2022.
I take this opportunity, particularly in relation to the Appropriation (Parliament 2022–2023) Bill 2022, because it is a concurrent debate, my contribution and most people’s contributions on that bill will be talking about the Appropriation (2022–2023) Bill 2022, so I particularly want to put on record during this debate my appreciation as Manager of Opposition Business to the clerks. To those of us who are involved in running the chamber, the clerks’ role is integral to that working, and I want to thank them and, with that, also thank the attendants and Parliamentary Services, who make our lives much easier and allow us to do the jobs that we do.
But I note that, unlike the acting Leader of the House, when I look at this budget what I see are cuts to health services. I see billions of dollars being cut out of health services. I particularly see cuts for dental health despite the fact that we have the longest waiting lists we have ever had for dental health, and the government’s approach to that is to cut funding. They have found program after program that they would like to take a razor to where things are still needed. There will be plenty of things, I think, to say by members on this side of the house about the failures of the budget contained in the Appropriation (2022–2023) Bill 2022.
In fact I know in my own electorate we have got a situation where there was an election promise that the government made in 2018 to build a hospital for Maryborough, and they have not turned a sod on that hospital. I am sure they will rush to Maryborough and turn a sod before we get to 26 November. But the people of Maryborough have noticed that the government has abandoned them, because I note that in the election on Saturday the booths of Maryborough suffered 20 per cent swings. It is the first time ever, could I say, that the Labor Party has not held the booths of Maryborough. They have held them for decades; I would say back even before Federation they would have held those in Maryborough, but not now. The good people of Maryborough have deserted the government, and it is because they do not keep their promises. This is clearly a result of the views of people in Maryborough about the Labor government. It is a major swing against the Labor Party in Maryborough—a 20 per cent swing—because they do not deliver their hospitals, they do not do what they say they will do. I will have plenty more to say on the appropriation bill when we get to it, and I look forward to—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Ripon, I ask you to come back to the government business program, and I remind members that the government business program is to talk about the government business program and nothing else.
Ms STALEY: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I am simply following the lead of the acting Leader of the House. With that, though, I can advise the house that I am the only speaker on our side for this, and we will not be opposing this motion.
Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (12:26): I am pleased to speak on the government business program. I think it is a welcome opportunity this week for us to reflect on the budget that has been brought down and certainly for me to speak on it, to reflect on the investments that the Shepparton district is receiving out of that budget and also to speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2022–2023) Bill 2022—always an opportunity to thank all of those associated with the Parliament and to reflect on funding for integrity agencies and a range of others.
But I particularly do like to talk about the government business program because one of the fundamental things that is missing in this place is a non-government business program, and I think it is worth drawing attention to the fact that each time I try to move a motion to amend the standing orders to reintroduce the opportunity for there to be a non-government business program in this place, it is shut down. It is always refused by the government side. Just today, however, the acting Leader of the House said yes, but there we go—shut down again, no opportunity to debate what is really just a fundamentally simple provision. This place is the only house of Parliament in Australia that does not have the opportunity for a non-government business program in the whole of its program.
When did it happen that it was whittled away? It started in the 1990s with the introduction of a government business program that has just dominated—dominated—and over the years, slightly, step by step in each Parliament, the opportunity for members on this side of the house to speak, to make a contribution, has been cut away. It is simply not good enough. How can we in Victoria be the only lower house in this country not to have a non-government business program? What are people afraid of? That I might move a bill on something? That I might want to bring forward a motion that somebody else on this side may want to debate, that somebody on that side may want to debate? I have got lots of good ideas, let me tell you, and I would like to have the chance to put them before this place on behalf of my community, my electorate and regional Victoria. But we do not get the chance to do that because we have only a government business program. That is all we have—no opportunity for anyone on this side of the house to have any say on what should be brought before this house and what should be debated, discussed and put forward as bills.
I just put it to all of you: it is a time for change, and we need to see that change happen. There is no reason to be afraid of it. It happens everywhere else. It happens in the upper house every Wednesday afternoon—all afternoon, a non-government business program. Why have we allowed this place to not have a non-government business program, only to have a government business program dominated by the government? There is no need to be afraid of it. We should debate this. We should all be prepared to debate it, and we should all be prepared to stand up and vote in favour of the reintroduction of a non-government business program in this place. You can all see the proposed amendments on the notice paper, in notice of motion 48. It sets out in detail the changes that are needed to the standing orders to enable just a 3-hour provision on a Wednesday for this sort of debate—for an opportunity for this side of the house to have a say. It is about time it happened. It is about time people had a close look at what is being said about the operation of this place—no consideration in detail, no non-government business program. Truly it is time that people looked closely at this issue and had what it takes to stand up, debate it and support it.
Motion agreed to.