Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Construction industry

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the Premier. How can the Premier hope to stop outlaw bikies from working on taxpayer-funded construction sites if she cannot even stop convicted criminal and her friend John Setka from walking onto and holding rallies at these same sites?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:02): I remind the Leader of the Opposition that we are introducing legislation on this very question, and the legislation will be considered by the Parliament. It is part of our comprehensive response to stamp out a rotten culture that I have zero tolerance for. In terms of unauthorised attendance on worksites, the director-general has written to the construction companies that are responsible for the management of people who come in and out of worksites to make absolutely clear the government’s expectation on who enters those worksites. There is no place for John Setka on those worksites, and any unauthorised access should be referred to Victoria Police.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): Last week hundreds of CFMEU members chanted ‘Johnny Setka, here to stay’ at an unlawful rally on a government construction site organised by Mr Setka, a convicted criminal. When will the Premier regain control of government construction sites?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:03): Of course I remind the Leader of the Opposition that the only reason he can ask questions about government worksites is because we are investing in them. We are investing in a pipeline of transport infrastructure projects that are supporting tens of thousands of workers across the state and of course are building the important and vital transport connections our growing city and state need. In terms of the workers who work on those worksites, I say to those tens of thousands of workers that they absolutely deserve the best of union representation because they go to work in difficult and dangerous conditions building the transport infrastructure for our city, for our state and for our future.