Tuesday, 6 February 2024

Business of the house

Program

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (12:21): What a pleasure it is to be back for the first week of parliamentary sittings for 2024. I move:

That, under standing order 94(2), the orders of the day, government business, relating to the following bills be considered and completed by 5 pm on 8 February 2024:

Building Legislation Amendment (Domestic Building Insurance New Offences) Bill 2023

Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2023

Service Victoria Amendment Bill 2023.

As I said, it is great to be back, and it is great to be able to welcome into the house the new member for Mulgrave. I note that as a consequence of the member joining this place the Victorian Parliament, for the first time in its history, is now made up of 50 per cent women. We have at long last reached equality of representation for women in this place and the other. And I might say this is due in no small part to the work of the Allan Labor government. We are very proud to have so many women on our side of the house. I will call out the interjection from the Leader of the Nationals, who commented that the Nationals are doing their bit, and I can only agree. If it were not for the Nationals, the Liberal Party would be looking very, very, very sad indeed when it comes to representation of women in this place.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, we are only 60 seconds into the Leader of the House’s first contribution of the year. I am disappointed to have to call her on relevance, but this is a procedural motion, and I hope that the Leader of the House can return to the motion.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Rowville, you have been constantly talking throughout the start of today’s proceedings, and I ask you to come to order. The Leader of the House will come back to the government business program.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Yes, indeed. I am very pleased to be standing here to talk to our government business program. Wouldn’t it be great if we kicked off the year with the opposition actually supporting the government business program? Let us see whether they are going to start the year in a constructive frame of mind or whether they are going to come into this place and try and hide what is really going on over there by seeking to oppose all the work that our government is doing in getting on and delivering for the good people of Victoria.

To the bills that are being put forward this week and the Service Victoria Amendment Bill 2023, everyone in this house, I am sure, has used the Service Victoria app. If we did not know how to use a QR code before the COVID pandemic, we certainly knew after. If we did not know how to download apps from the App Store prior to the COVID pandemic, that is something that we have all learned to do now. We are looking, with that app now installed on so many people’s mobile devices, to make the best use of it, and the government is committed to making sure that we deliver government services in as accessible ways as possible. That will be a focus of the debate when it comes to the Service Victoria Amendment Bill, and we do look forward to the opposition supporting Victorian people being able to have more direct, easy-to-use services through this bill and the amendments it seeks to make.

The Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2023 is not just a collection, I might say, of more than 50 opportunities to reform regulatory legislation across 14 acts and 10 ministerial portfolios; it is an opportunity for us to continuously fine-tune legislation to ensure that it is always fit for purpose and meets our government’s commitment to and our vision for Victoria as a high-performing state with a regulatory system that is fit for purpose; supports increased productivity; makes it easy to do business in Victoria; and protects consumers, community health and safety and the environment.

Finally, there is the Building Legislation Amendment (Domestic Building Insurance New Offences) Bill 2023. Now, this I know is so vitally important to so many people on this side of the house, and I hope that those on the other side will see their way through to supporting consumers, those people making one of the largest financial commitments they will ever make in terms of building their own home or indeed renovating their home. We want to make sure that we have appropriate settings in place to ensure that people are afforded all their rights under law, and that is what this bill will address. We believe that builders should face appropriate consequences if they do the wrong thing. What is not to love about this week’s government business program? I commend it to the house, and I look forward to those on the other side agreeing to it.

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:27): The opposition will not be opposing the government business program. Wasn’t it wonderful to start the year coming back into this place knowing that we have the opportunity to represent our communities, to speak on behalf of the community? The first thing I did when I came in this morning was see a wonderful school group of kids come in and visit the chamber, and it was terrific to see the schoolkids back in the chamber today learning about democracy, learning about our Parliament and talking to me about their lack of funding. St Brigid’s primary in Mordialloc asked me to raise their case in the chamber, and I promised to do that straightaway. St Brigid’s primary this morning raised the fact that they do not have the funding they need and asked me to raise that on their behalf.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, I might have been tempted to stay in my seat if the Manager of Opposition Business had not called me on a similar point of order. I ask that you bring the member back to the government business program. This is on relevance. It is not an opportunity to make a members statement, it is an opportunity to debate a procedural motion in this place.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Manager of Opposition Business will come back to the government business program.

James NEWBURY: I do note I was referring to something that happened in this very chamber today, so I am not sure how much closer you could get to the operation of this chamber.

The SPEAKER: It is not part of government business.

James NEWBURY: There are a number of important matters and things that are happening this week, and that is why the coalition will not be opposing the government business program. Of course we have seen the new member sworn into this place, and it is always important to both see new members sworn into this place and also come in and hear them give their inaugural speech, which I understand will take place at the end of tomorrow. I do encourage all members to come in to hear the new member welcomed to this place, and we look forward to hearing the inaugural speech, as we also look forward to the joint sitting tomorrow evening and the new member of the upper house being chosen. For that one we are all required to be here, but for the inaugural speech I would encourage people to come in. Then on Thursday there is the apology, and the apology is something that I know so many people in our community want to hear. It is a very important moment for this Parliament. It is an important moment for not only members from both sides of the chamber but all people to hear that apology. For the victims to have that apology and to hear it I think will be an important moment for this Parliament.

There are of course a number of other bills. The minister has spoken to those bills. The Service Victoria Amendment Bill 2023 – I know that the Leader of the House was talking about her online app wallet, and I think every Victorian is looking forward to seeing their drivers licence in the app wallet when the government finally gets around to doing it. Look at what New South Wales has been able to do; to say we are laggards would be an understatement. Our app wallet is collecting a lot of dust. Unfortunately the government has been very, very slow in ensuring the services that people use every single day are provided to them. I am sure we look forward to action taking place to ensure that we have the level of IT serviceability for this state that Victorians deserve.

Also, we will be speaking to an amendment to building and consumer protection for people. There are so many people who have been hurt by a very small minority of builders, and that bill will be an opportunity to talk about whether or not enough action has taken place quickly enough and also to give a voice to people who deserve to have a voice. They must have a voice, and this bill will be an opportunity to talk about the victims who deserve that voice and what protections need to be in place to ensure that people are protected into the future.

The coalition will not be opposing the government business program this week, and I know the government is happy to hear it. I look forward to both the items that we will have and the debate on those important issues throughout the remainder of the week.

Darren CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (12:32): It is with some pleasure that I rise this afternoon to speak on the government business program. I must say I am somewhat bemused that the opposition have found a new tactic: this week’s tactic is to support the government business program. I think it is the first – certainly the first for some time – time from this opposition.

On a serious note, there are a number of important highlights this week and in the government business program. The first, from my end, will be to hear the Premier deliver an apology to the Care Leavers Australasia Network and those communities that have been so well represented, particularly by a local Geelong person in Leonie Sheedy, a tireless advocate for care leavers and someone whom I have had the opportunity on a number of occasions throughout the last decade to speak with and to hear her compassionate and passionate representation of those in that circumstance.

I am also delighted to have the opportunity to come into the chamber, I believe tomorrow, to hear the new member for Mulgrave make her inaugural contribution to this place. I am looking forward to hearing her contribution. I must say a hearty congratulations to her on her win in the Mulgrave by-election late last year. I think it is a testament to her hard work in getting out and championing so many important issues in her community.

There are also three significant bills that I look forward to making contributions on. I look forward to the Building Legislation Amendment (Domestic Building Insurance New Offences) Bill 2023, the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2023 and the Service Victoria Amendment Bill ‍2023. The Allan Labor government is certainly getting on with driving reform across a large number of portfolio issues. These three bills are important. I look forward to making contributions on a number of them, and I certainly look forward to spending quite a few hours in the chamber hearing a lot of insightful contributions, particularly from members of the government.

This week is a busy week. There are some important issues before us, and there are certainly going to be plenty of opportunities to hear some outstanding contributions. I look forward to participating in the week, hearing the contributions on the bills and seeing the bills pass this chamber this week. I commend the government business program to the chamber.

Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (12:35): How exciting it is to be back in this place for a new year. The excitement is almost palpable. We are excited and, on a positive note too, not opposing the government business program. In fact –

A member: Positive and palpable.

Jade BENHAM: It is. You’re as surprised as anyone, believe me. There is a lot of debate to be had, and I am really looking forward to hearing some particularly insightful debate. I know a lot of my colleagues are itching to debate what is on the government business program this week –

A member: Who? Name them.

Jade BENHAM: particularly our Liberal colleague the member for Narracan – there’s one.

I am smart enough to understand that I do not know everything. I do not know about certain things like construction – I could not build a house – but we have got a couple of tradies here that know a fair bit about the building industry and have lived and worked in the real world and the sector for a long, long time. Given that the member for Narracan has been in the building industry for over 30 years – it does not look like he is old enough to have worked that long, but I promise he has – we have had many conversations about this bill since the bill briefing, and his expertise and his insights have quite a lot of merit. Sometimes perhaps a pragmatic, commonsense approach to legislation on things like the building industry and in other industries as well goes a long way to making sure that the consumer is protected in the real world, which he has worked in for so long.

Over the summer of course we saw the collapse of another domestic builder, families left without their deposits and the cost of living skyrocketing and in complete crisis. Saving that deposit is so hard. It is harder than ever for young families and even for those families that are established to try to save for their forever home or to construct their home. It is so, so hard. So to then have their builder collapse and to lose their deposit is absolutely shattering for those families. When signing on to build a home in Victoria you should be able to do so with the peace of mind – it would be nice to be assured that the builder will not collapse – that if in fact that unfortunate situation happens, you are able to get your deposit back and perhaps source another company to construct. So I do really look forward to the member for Narracan’s insight into this sector and into the Building Legislation Amendment (Domestic Building Insurance New Offences) Bill 2023.

The Service Victoria app is an interesting one as well. I have had it downloaded on my phone for some time apparently. I did not even realise it was there, because it has not really done that much for me. But hopefully with this new legislation – I am one that does not even carry an actual wallet anymore; everything is on my phone – I will be able to actually have that app working so I can have my drivers licence and my boating licence and all those things on my phone. I am Gen X. I am the generation that apparently has been forgotten about –

A member: No-one cares about us.

Jade BENHAM: Totally. But we too like to have things convenient and accessible, so I am looking forward to that debate.

Too often in sunny Mildura we get a lot of complaints and concerns about the bureaucratic red tape that holds up all sorts of things. The Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2023, which we are debating this week, the omnibus bill which affects 14 acts and 10 portfolios and which should streamline provisions that are not practical or are not working, will hopefully ease things for a lot of people in lots of different sectors and in particular simplify the process to reinstate expired teacher and early childhood teacher registration. We know that – particularly in my electorate, trying to get teachers up there when we have some whose registration could be reinstated – making that easier will certainly be a positive thing. Hopefully we can at least have some more teachers on the ground, which we desperately, desperately need right across the Mallee.

I know as the Nationals Whip my speaking program is full, and I certainly look forward to a lot of robust debate across the week.

Tim RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (12:40): It is great to rise on the government business program and to welcome the collective goodwill towards the government’s business program this week. It is a bit of a fresh change from more of the same last year. Aren’t we glad that opposition leader diaries are not put out, because the frequency of legal counsel would be –

Members interjecting.

Tim RICHARDSON: How much is he on the hook for?

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, I understand the member is embarrassed about St Brigid’s lack of funding, but this is not the way to take that out in the chamber.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Tim RICHARDSON: It was a good reminder, when you come back into Parliament, of how wonderful the elements of our work in sitting are. We did have some school students from St Brigid’s primary school – an outstanding crew – come through. In the context of Eden Foster’s elevation – the member for Mulgrave coming in – and then recently the member for Warrandyte’s first speech and them being sworn in, it is a moment for all of us to reflect on the contributions we make on our communities’ behalf. When you get asked about that and what the procedure of this week will be, it is a point of reflection and great pride, the service that we do on behalf of our community. This is certainly at the epicentre of the government business program, with the bills that have been put forward. So you have got some of the youngest Victorians coming in and seeing how we operate through to the swearing in of our newest member of Parliament and then a quite significant piece of work to get to the parliamentary apology that the Premier will make for the historical abuse and neglect of children in institutional care. It shows the working elements of our modern Victorian Parliament and the work that we need to do each and every day on behalf of Victorians.

The bills that are coming forward that members will make a contribution on affect the lives and outcomes of Victorians each and every day. Everyone will have, from a constituent standpoint, a lived experience of the building issues that happened as well, so in bringing forward a bill like the Building Legislation Amendment (Domestic Building Insurance New Offences) Bill 2023, there will be a lot of speakers on that list. I am glad to hear that the Nationals Whip has a full program. I will wait with bated breath to hear how many hours will be spent from the Liberal Party part of that coalition, because they ran down the time a bit last year with some of their contributions. We want to see more fulsome debates, more people getting up on behalf of their communities, rather than the Nationals carrying the load all the time. Hopefully the contributions can be fulsome and on behalf of their local communities as well, because these reforms matter; these changes and the protection of Victorians who have experienced significant issues in the building industry are really important.

We are just at a moment in time in this Victorian Parliament, and when you think of the innovation that has happened across our systems of government, Service Victoria is at the forefront of that. Some of the reforms and the changes and the modernisation of the way we run our systems and our bureaucracies, and indeed our Parliament, we saw lived large during the pandemic, where we all had to adapt at record pace during that time. This bill is a really important element and a showcase of just the innovation that has happened, and hopefully members welcome that contribution as well.

The Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2023 – we will see heaps of speakers on that one. I saw our list, and I do not know, there might be a few that front up. We will get some more speakers on there as well. But that is another key element in regulatory reform and improvement of systems as well.

So it is a packed list here. Hopefully the member for Brighton allows his members to have a crack during this week and allows them to have a little bit of a go, because sometimes they pack out on procedural debates and they do not get to have a chance. I mean, we sneak across every now and then and see what the speaking lists are and see that they are a bit light, two or three speakers at a time. But hopefully we will see a fulsome debate and contribution. The member for Brighton mentioned young legends from Mordialloc who were in here as well, and we are reminded of the task and the important role that we have to front up each week and give it our all on behalf of communities, not just to sit in the back stalls or out in the annexe. Get in here and make your contribution on behalf of your community, because that is what you are elected to do and that is the contribution that people should be making as well. It is a full program. Gee, it is a big year ahead, isn’t it? There is a lot going on – a lot of bills, a lot of activity and an Allan Labor government getting on with doing the job on behalf of Victorians. We are shoulder to the wheel this week and for all weeks to come.

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (12:45): I rise to speak on the government business program and also state that we will not be opposing this program today. This program this week – I will talk about the bills shortly – does have an important apology being made to the abused members of the community who were in state care. It is putting forward an apology. Many people who suffered under the state’s care who were in orphanages and suffered psychological, emotional and physical abuse will be apologised to. There will also be a joint sitting this week, where we will welcome our fellow colleague Richard Welch the new member for North-Eastern Metro Region. Richard comes to the Parliament with high credentials. He will be a very competent contributor to our team, and we look forward to welcoming him in the joint sitting this week.

But we have also got the government business program. There are three bills this sitting, and they look very similar to the types of bills we were getting last year. I am not saying that there are not some things in these bills that need to take place, but there was such a missed opportunity. We have got a state that is crying under the pressure of the cost of living. We have got families who cannot pay their energy bills. We have got people who cannot get a home; they cannot get a roof above their head. There are people needing to rent properties, and the properties are becoming unaffordable due to the government taxes, which are increasing the rents and forcing landlords to sell because they just cannot meet the –

The SPEAKER: Member for South-West Coast, I would ask you to come back to the government business program.

Roma BRITNELL: I will, Speaker. I am just coming to the bill right now that talks about building, the Building Legislation Amendment (Domestic Building Insurance New Offences) Bill 2023. I am talking about the missed opportunity. People are homeless and we need more homes, and this bill just does not go far enough. We have got people on waiting lists to get into hospital. We have got children needing to be put into child care, and we have got workers that we need to employ but cannot because there is no child care. This government business program is very similar to the last government business program.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, in relation to the government business program, the member is defying your ruling. I ask that you ask her to come back to speaking directly on the government business program, which of course is a new government business program and therefore bears no resemblance to the one last year.

The SPEAKER: Member for South-West Coast, I ask you to come back to the government business program. It is not appropriate to go into detail on the bills.

Roma BRITNELL: I move on now then to the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2023, which will be debated this week – a bill that amends 14 different acts, an omnibus bill. At the bill briefing it was stated that $2600 in savings would be made from this bill, but unfortunately we could not hear any detail on how that would be actually saved by our community, who are struggling under the cost pressures that this government is forcing upon them, because there are no levers that this government is pulling or that it is able to pull to help with those cost-of-living pressures.

The Service Victoria Amendment Bill 2023 is another bill where the government just does not go far enough. I mean, this is a bill that is coming into the house because they want to streamline their services. What I learned in the bill briefing is that they have not even looked at how New South Wales did it under the Liberal government there, where it is much more streamlined. I had a man come into my office the other day who needed an ID after his licence had expired, as he was older, and he had to walk physically into an office at VicRoads or the post office to get a form. The Service Victoria bill was originally put up to streamline the services for people in Victoria, yet here we are looking at an amendment to it because it is just failing in being able to streamline people’s licences and things that it was supposed to service Victorians by setting up. So it is more bureaucracy that has been set up and has not actually worked, and here they are back trying to fix it. I am sure that this bill does not go far enough. From what we learned in the bill briefing it will still be quite clunky between departments and not streamlined like it is supposed to be.

If I can go back to the Building Legislation Amendment (Domestic Building Insurance New Offences) Bill, once again the government has an opportunity to actually help people who need to get into housing, who need to build and to have the confidence to do that. We already have laws in this state to protect people. Yes, they can go a bit further, but this goes nowhere near far enough. So it a very poor business program, but we are not opposing it.

Motion agreed to.