Tuesday, 30 July 2024
Business of the house
Program
Business of the house
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 pm on 1 August 2024:
Youth Justice Bill 2024
State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
Aboriginal Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
As we return after what is called, for reasons I do not fully understand, the winter ‘break’, it is good to be back at Parliament. I know that members on this side of the house have been extremely active in their communities. They have been out doorknocking, they have had street stalls and they have been on the phones, and they are listening to the people of Victoria. They are listening to the issues that matter to them so that we can translate those issues and concerns into the business that we bring to this house. Yes, it has been my great pleasure not just to be in my own community of Macedon but also to accompany our caucus colleagues in their electorates as we talk about our government’s investments in health care. That is what we have been doing over winter. But of course we are back here in the Parliament with a busy program ahead of us – as I said, continuing to connect with the people of Victoria, listening to them, understanding their issues and concerns and translating those into the legislation that we bring to this place.
There are a couple of points that I want to make before I talk about the bills that we will be debating. I want to firstly acknowledge the request that I received from the Manager of Opposition Business to facilitate the debate of the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 today to ensure that the shadow minister has the opportunity to speak on the bill. We are happy to accommodate this request that was made by the opposition, and I thank everyone for their cooperation in facilitating this. I know that everyone wants to talk on the state sporting bill, because why wouldn’t you want to talk sport right now when I know that every single one of us is celebrating the many fantastic achievements of Australia’s Olympians in Paris. I am going to be listening to this debate because everyone is going to use this as an opportunity to shout out to people from their own communities who are representing our great nation in Paris. That is incredible. I know we are all ruing the fact that the Olympics are on the other side of the world and therefore it is very hard to get enough TV time in when you have to serve your community and be in this place as well, but I am sure that the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill will be a debate to watch. The legislation is about doing some important work to enable Melbourne and Victoria more broadly to continue to be the sporting capital of Australia.
The Aboriginal Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 is another extremely important bill that I know that members on this side of the house will be very keen to debate. Whether we see many on that side get up and tell us what they really think, let us see, because what we have seen over the winter break again has been some disgraceful race-baiting by those on the other side when it comes to respect for our First Nations people.
James Newbury: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, the minister knows far better than to make the allegations that she has, and I would ask you on relevance to bring her back to the motion.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
James Newbury: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, the words that the minister used were unparliamentary. They have been ruled unparliamentary before, and I would ask you to consider the unparliamentary language the minister used.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business knows two things – or should know two things. Firstly, the reference that was made was to a collection of people, not an individual. Therefore your imputation is not necessarily correct. I did not hear any unparliamentary language; I have already ruled.
Mary-Anne THOMAS: As I said, our government and the members on this side of the house look forward to talking about our government’s ongoing resolute commitment to truth-telling, to treaty and to self-determination, unlike those on the other side, who walked away from their commitments to First Nations people in this state. It is an absolute disgrace that they tracked back their commitments to the First Peoples of this state of Victoria. We will also be debating – (Time expired)
James NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:55): I will start on a positive note and thank the Leader of the House in relation to facilitating the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 being debated today. The fact that the coalition is opposed to the government business program is in no way linked to that facilitation, so I appreciate very much the scheduling. However, in relation to the business program the coalition has again, considering the nature of the Youth Justice Bill 2024, which is a thousand pages – it is a substantial bill – sought from the government an opportunity to take the bill into consideration in detail. As we have spoken about in this house before, the government has very rarely over the last 10 years provided opportunities for bills to be considered in detail in that process in this place – once in this term when I approached the minister directly, and I do not think even his own cabinet could have stopped him from accepting the opportunity, and there has been one other instance that I am aware of over the last 10 years.
The government declined our request to take that huge bill into consideration in detail, and it is just not good enough. I appreciate that the minister is not able to deal with the questions that would be asked. I accept that that is the reason why the offer was declined. But just because a minister is not good enough is not an opportunity, I think, to shirk the house being provided the chance that it should have to deal with the bill in detail. So the coalition will be opposing the government business program. We do hope that ministers are good enough, tough enough and smart enough to one day take a bill into consideration in detail, as Minister Pearson did; he was happy to do so. At least there is one minister who is not afraid to answer difficult questions. So we will be opposing the government business program.
I do want to note that – I am keeping track for government MPs just as much as coalition MPs – there are still 22 Labor members who have not been given an opportunity to speak on the budget. We have spoken about this in the chamber many times. The government does not want to provide an opportunity to talk about the budget, because, wow, that was a bad budget. But to not let their own members speak really shows quite clearly how afraid they are to add any oxygen to the debate around the budget – the budget that I do not think anyone remembers, because it was so bad. But there are 22 Labor members and 11 coalition members – of course I want to make sure that our members have an opportunity to speak, but there are 22 on that side – who have not had an opportunity. In fact not only have 22 not had an opportunity, I know one was overruled in the middle of a debate by a factional opponent when the minister walked in and took the call over that member in, quite frankly, an embarrassing display. So not just have 22 not had a go, but we saw a factional go play out between the left and the right.
Mary-Anne Thomas interjected.
James NEWBURY: I was here; I saw it.
Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, I have to confess that I was not really listening, but when I did, what I heard had absolutely nothing to do with the government business program, and I ask that you call the member back to speaking on the narrow procedural debate, which is of course the government business program.
The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): The member for Brighton has the call.
James NEWBURY: I have given a reason as to why the coalition will not be supporting the government business program. When it comes to the Youth Justice Bill, it is clear that the government’s priorities are not in line with fixing the youth crime crisis in Victoria. To water down the law at a time when there is a crime crisis is, frankly, shameful, and the community will see that for what it is. There are a number of issues that we could be debating. The coalition moved to clean up government projects today and the government opposed that, not surprisingly. But we should be debating issues like that in this chamber. The coalition will be opposing the program.
Tim RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (16:00): It is a pleasure to rise and speak on the government business program. Coming back from the winter break, we see a bit more of the same. We see the coalition with various tactics that they have cooked up over the last six weeks despite some of their absences. But what you see from this government and the continued work that we do is that we are ready to serve. We are ready to serve the Victorian people. We are ready to hit the ball back over the net. We are ready to get on with the government business program. We want to hit the fastest serves we ever have on getting legislation through, and if we have to go into committee and do five sets up in the upper house, we will do it, because we are ready to serve on this side. Despite puff pieces about legacies and hopeful, wishful thinking and the member for Nepean being clearly scolded in the corner over there – he looks very forlorn today and a bit sad – we are ready to get on with the work of government.
These are important bills, particularly the Youth Justice Bill 2024 and what we see in the community and where that will go. That is important legislation that has been years in the making. Obviously we have had an evolution of work that we have done from the time when we saw changes to aggravated home invasion through to where we find ourselves with the Youth Justice Bill today. That will be an important opportunity.
The member for Brighton of course keeps score on who speaks on what, but the member for Brighton still has not been able to motivate his colleagues, like the member for Nepean has not motivated his colleagues, to speak on particular bills, and so we are looking to see a great –
James Newbury: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, on relevance, the fact that the Minister for Planning has not turned up to 40 per cent of the question time days this year is not a matter for debate in the government business program.
The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): A point of order is not an opportunity to make a statement.
Tim RICHARDSON: There are 11 speakers to go on the take-note motion that the member for Brighton alludes to, but there are not many on that side to get through the list, so when you get to a Wednesday or Thursday you see the speaking drop right off, you see the contributions drop off – not like the constant drumming of those opposite and the concerns that have been shared about the performance of the Leader of the Opposition. He has not spoken on bills – he has not contributed – and he does not make any speeches at all on behalf of the opposition on policy. That is left to some of the heavy hitters on their side, like the member for Gippsland South and the member for Brighton. The member for Sandringham rocks up for a couple of months to speak on legislation and the member for Eildon does a stack of work, but you see then a gulf, a deficit, in contributions on that side. So we want to see them actually contribute on behalf of their communities.
But I note that there is a new change as we come out of the winter break. There is new hope, like changing courts in a season. There is new hope for renewal, for the future and for what might be possible: maybe more contributions on bills; maybe perspectives from the member for Nepean on the Youth Justice Bill or the Aboriginal Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 or the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 – some contributions to make as he exhibits his willingness to serve and get on with it. This is important legislation that we need to bring forward.
I note the member for Brighton’s comments around the take-note motion on the budget, but there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss record funding in health, record investment in our hospitals and health system and our ambitious program in housing and construction. There are so many different things, so there will be opportunities, just not in this business program, because it is quite substantial with the work that we have got underway in government. So that is the challenge: to front up rather than do stunts.
We have now got to 5 past 4, and I know the member for Brighton is desperate to give 30 minutes of the best on the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill. But where are the contributions made by those opposite to front up on behalf of their constituents and actually represent them and their interests as well, rather than undermining and pointscoring and state councils and tickets to the greatest show ever, which will be down on Queen Street when the defamation trial gets underway? They should be charging money to rock up to that show, because that is going to be the hottest ticket in town.
James Newbury: On a point of order, Acting Speaker: relevance.
The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): I ask the member for Mordialloc to come back to the business program.
Tim RICHARDSON: I was just checking that the member for Brighton was listening there – he was. So let us see what contributions they make on these bills, because it is critical on behalf of communities to not be a half-time MP like we see on that side and to rock up and actually present on these bills. When I walk around when someone is speaking on our side, sometimes there are only two or three names on their list, and you just wonder, because they are not doing anything in their constituencies. They are not inviting out the member for Nepean or the member for Hawthorn to their electorates. So what are they doing during the three days in here? Probably undermining and scheming. Get on with the work of opposition.
Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (16:05): I wish it was a pleasure to rise to speak on the government business program today, but as the Manager of Opposition Business said, we are opposed to this for the simple fact of the matter that we cannot consider the Youth Justice Bill 2024 in consideration in detail. This is a very important bill to those of us within the Victorian Nationals, who have been working very, very hard, member for Mordialloc, and contribute an enormous amount in this chamber and within our communities each and every day. We have done an enormous amount of work in the youth justice area. With the crime stats the way they are at the moment, particularly in my electorate of Mildura, with the highest aggravated burglary rates in the state and the incredible amount of youth offending, to have a 1000-page bill not able to be considered so we can have some input into how that sort of legislation impacts those of us who do not have the ability to call on stations up the road for police support and who are so isolated and do not have the infrastructure to implement what may or may not come out of this legislation is absolutely abhorrent as far as we are concerned. It is just one of those sticking points that we have done so much work around. We have consulted with our local police members. I know every single one of us have sat down and spoken to victims of crime. We have spoken to families about the fact that youth offending is just getting worse, and there seems to be little practical application. To not allow consideration in detail on this robust – for want of a better word – thousand-page bill, obviously we are incredibly frustrated by that.
When we talk about those that contribute an enormous amount in this place, in the Victorian Nationals – again over the winter recess, we will call it, because not many of us got to have a break – some of us went to Kokoda with some young people to teach them about history. There will be members statements throughout the entire week that talk about everything that we have been up to over the last few weeks, including things like talking with families, like visiting schools – all sorts of things – like health. For goodness sake, health has been at the top of our list for quite some time. The amount of community forums and the amount of board members of small rural healthcare services that we have spoken to that have come to us and ambulance members that have come to us to voice their concerns – these are the sorts of things that we have been working hard at.
You will notice that there are four Victorian Nationals on the program to speak about the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill 2024. I know there is frustration around when we talk about Kardinia Park, or what has become affectionally known as Pork Barrel Park, with the level of investment of a $4 million scoreboard, and we talk about netball clubs, who contribute a huge amount into each and every rural community and who are the thread that holds the social fabric of rural communities together. We talk about sporting legislation and funding. Let us talk about actually getting the correct funding into grassroots sport and being able to actually play netball on courts that will not cause injuries – things like that. So you can understand where the frustration from the Victorian Nationals comes from when we talk about this kind of government business program. We are out in our communities talking to people every single day, and yet we come in here and try to do our job and try and speak up for those communities and we are ultimately gagged at the end of the day. We do not get to contribute what we would like to.
The Aboriginal Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 as well is very important for people in my community. We have the highest population of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in the state. It is incredibly important in my electorate, and I know the member for Murray Plains in the neighbouring electorate also will have an important contribution.
So, yes, we are opposed to the government business program based solely on the fact that we cannot contribute what we need for the most isolated parts of this state, which are impacted in such a very different way to those who sit in metro seats.
Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (16:10): It is a great pleasure to rise and speak on this week’s government business program and of course to follow the member for Mildura. I do have to say, in following on from the member for Mordialloc talking about the lack of contributions from that side of the house, the member for Mildura often does make a contribution. I would like to thank her for those contributions, although we may not always agree on all things.
One thing the member for Mildura and I do agree on is that we get out and about in our communities and speak to local constituents. I was doing some street stalls on the weekend and visiting sporting clubs and having chats to folks just about what is going on in their households. A lot of the things that they talked about are in fact on the agenda this week to speak about. As the Leader of the House talked about, rightly, those conversations that we have in our community time and time again are conversations that we bring back into this place, and we are able to drive change here in this state through legislative reform – and this week is indeed no different.
One of the great things I did in the winter break, I have to say, was not just doing street stalls and visiting sporting clubs; the highlight was probably doing a tour of the West Gate Tunnel. Wow, oh wow, what an incredible project that is. It is the largest transport infrastructure project that has ever been built here in the history of Victoria when it comes to folks in the western suburbs. We know that it will soon be open – probably in the back end of 2025. It is an incredible engineering feat and is certainly a tribute to what a big, bold and visionary government the Allan Labor government is. I have to say it was just an absolutely incredible view, and I know folks in my electorate, whether they are inner, middle or outer westies, will absolutely love and embrace their tunnel.
As it stands this week we have quite a few pieces of legislation lined up. There are three bills for debate this week – most notably, as has been discussed previously, our Youth Justice Bill 2024. Time and time again I have stood in this place and talked about the reforms that this side of the house has introduced when it comes to youth justice and justice and crime prevention in general in this state. It is an incredibly serious issue and incredibly complex, and I really look forward to speaking on the bill this week. I know that folks in my part of town will really look to, appreciate and understand many of the good things that that bill will indeed do. And I really look forward to listening to those opposite make contributions on this bill. They talk about youth justice and youth crime. It is certainly something that they talk about in their communities or they see, but they talk about it here as though they know everything about it. I do look forward to hearing a couple of contributions from that side of the house, and I hope there are more than the usual three names – the same names over and over again that ever bother to get up and speak on any legislation before the chamber each and every single week – that I have seen over the past 6½ years now.
In addition to this, we will be debating the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill 2024, which provides some small but really important technical changes to the laws governing how some of our biggest major sporting venues are operated in Victoria. I have to say, just because we are talking about sport and I said I have been down at my local sporting clubs on the weekend: how great are the Paris Olympics and being able to watch that and the incredible, incredible moments of triumph that we are seeing from the Aussies? It is just absolutely extraordinary. It has been great sitting around the kitchen table with my kids watching sports that they had never even seen or heard of before. I know that watching the gymnastics my son was absolutely blown away by what those gymnasts can do. It put a little smile on my face, because for him everything is always about footy and always about soccer, but he could see that there are some extraordinary athletes here in Australia and indeed across the world doing incredible things in Paris at the moment. So a big shout-out to them. This is a great government business program, and I commend it to the house.
Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (16:15): I rise to oppose the government business program. I do so today because there are three bills on the government business program and there actually should be four. Today we introduced a very important bill, a bill that was to address the government’s construction –
Mary-Anne Thomas interjected.
Roma BRITNELL: No, it is how it works. The manager of government business says it is not how you introduce a bill, but you absolutely can introduce a bill through the parliamentary process that we took on this morning. What this government does not want to do is to address the corruption in the Labor Party that the CFMEU and the Labor government have been facilitating through a very long relationship.
Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, we have been here before. This is a government business program debate. It is a simple debate on the government business program. It is not an opportunity to sledge the government, to cast aspersions on the Labor Party. I ask that you ask the member to come back to the narrow procedural debate.
The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): The member for South-West Coast is to return to the government business program.
Roma BRITNELL: I return to the fact that I am opposing the government business program because the government will not allow debate on anything other than what they think is suitable for debate. There are two sides of the chamber, and it takes two sides to have a debate. So when we can follow the process and introduce bills, I think it should be respected as the parliamentary process that allows for debate to occur. When you have got a government that is so linked with the corruption that we saw revealed in last week’s media, and it continues today –
Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, I want to draw your attention to a ruling in relation to unparliamentary language. I want to suggest that the member’s repeated use of unsubstantiated allegations that the government is corrupt is indeed unparliamentary. I ask that you find that in your ruling.
The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): I suggest that the member for South-West Coast might like to come back to the government business program and stick to that.
Roma BRITNELL: I will come back to the government business program, which we oppose today. The three bills we have got on the program include the State Sporting Legislation Amendment Bill 2024, and that does come at a time where we are all getting up, I am sure, as I am during the night to watch our Australian Olympians. It was amazing to see the girls in the pool this morning and all the other medals that we have been watching at 3:30 or 4:30 or whatever time you are setting your alarm for, and this morning was quite reasonable at 5:30. I would like to also give a shout-out to young Jaylen Brown, who will be participating in the Paralympic Games. He is a wheelchair basketballer from South-West Coast, and I cannot wait to watch him. He is a most talented young man from a talented basketball family from South-West Coast. So good luck, Jaylen.
We also have on the government business program the Aboriginal Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2024, and I take great offence to the manager of the government business program saying that we do not have the depth of knowledge. I think I spent 15 years working in Aboriginal health. I have quite a deep knowledge and look forward to speaking on the Aboriginal Land Legislation Amendment Bill. I think the tokenism that this government overlays on the Aboriginal community is actually quite insulting, and I look forward to the opportunity of calling that out and referring to the different community members I have been speaking to about it of late and how they feel about the way they are being treated.
Lastly, the reason we oppose is because of the Youth Justice Bill 2024, and the reason –
Steve Dimopoulos: You oppose treaty as well.
Roma BRITNELL: Yes, well, let us talk about that at a later time, Minister Dimopoulos, because you and I both know that I certainly have –
Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, the member knows full well that she should direct her comments through the Chair. It is unparliamentary to speak to members over the table.
The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): I ask the member for South-West Coast to continue through the Chair.
Roma BRITNELL: Yes, certainly, through the Chair. The Youth Justice Bill is something we are not – (Time expired)
Assembly divided on motion:
Ayes (50): Juliana Addison, Jacinta Allan, Colin Brooks, Josh Bull, Anthony Carbines, Anthony Cianflone, Sarah Connolly, Chris Couzens, Jordan Crugnale, Lily D’Ambrosio, Daniela De Martino, Steve Dimopoulos, Paul Edbrooke, Matt Fregon, Ella George, Luba Grigorovitch, Bronwyn Halfpenny, Katie Hall, Paul Hamer, Martha Haylett, Mathew Hilakari, Melissa Horne, Natalie Hutchins, Lauren Kathage, Sonya Kilkenny, Nathan Lambert, Alison Marchant, Kathleen Matthews-Ward, Steve McGhie, Paul Mercurio, John Mullahy, Tim Pallas, Danny Pearson, Pauline Richards, Tim Richardson, Michaela Settle, Ros Spence, Nick Staikos, Natalie Suleyman, Meng Heang Tak, Jackson Taylor, Nina Taylor, Kat Theophanous, Mary-Anne Thomas, Emma Vulin, Iwan Walters, Vicki Ward, Dylan Wight, Gabrielle Williams, Belinda Wilson
Noes (29): Brad Battin, Jade Benham, Roma Britnell, Tim Bull, Martin Cameron, Annabelle Cleeland, Chris Crewther, Gabrielle de Vietri, Wayne Farnham, Sam Groth, Matthew Guy, Sam Hibbins, David Hodgett, Emma Kealy, Tim McCurdy, Cindy McLeish, James Newbury, Danny O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, Kim O’Keeffe, John Pesutto, Tim Read, Richard Riordan, Brad Rowswell, Ellen Sandell, David Southwick, Bill Tilley, Peter Walsh, Jess Wilson
Motion agreed to.