Wednesday, 30 October 2024

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question is to the Premier. Treasurer’s advances, better known as the Treasurer’s credit card, have ballooned from $365 million a decade ago to at least $12.1 billion this financial year. Why is the Premier so afraid of telling Victorians how their tax dollars are spent?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:18): Again I reject a baseless claim made by the untrustworthy Leader of the Opposition. They are false claims, and I say that because we publish the budget and we publish regularly throughout the course of the year budget updates in terms of how funds are expended in this state. I will also, though, address directly the claim of credit card usage. I remember a time when a government was using credit cards. There were a government and a Premier, who is now bankrolling someone’s court case over there, who were using government credit cards for a whole lot of personal purposes.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Lara can leave the chamber for an hour.

Member for Lara withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, if standing order 58 has any substance, the Premier cannot simply sledge the opposition.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was not referring to the current opposition.

Jacinta ALLAN: In endeavouring to comply with standing orders and for answers to be factual – I know the Manager of Opposition Business is so keen for answers to be factual – I do just want to fact-check. I was sure that former Premier Kennett was supporting someone’s court case. I was sure of that. I am delighted to be told that that is not true.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Eureka can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Eureka withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, how is this anything other than a nasty sledge?

The SPEAKER: The Premier already answered the question at the outset.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, the Manager of Opposition Business continues to interrupt this place to sledge the Premier, again using sexist, gendered language, and I ask you to ask him to show respect to the Premier.

The SPEAKER: Members will be respectful to each other in the chamber. So far I am not seeing much of that today.

James Newbury: On a further point of order, Speaker, I am seeking to understand your ruling. Is it now the contention that a Premier or minister can answer in one word and then spend 3 minutes simply sledging the opposition?

The SPEAKER: The Premier was not referring to the current opposition. The Premier was referring to previous governments and leaders. The Premier already answered the question at the outset. Manager of Opposition Business, if you wish to raise this as a question of my rulings –

James Newbury: On a further point of order, Speaker, there are 35 years of rulings, and in no ruling over that time am I aware that the word ‘current’ has been attached to a ruling – that an attack must be only on a current opposition. I am seeking your guidance as to whether that is a new ruling.

The SPEAKER: If you wish to have guidance on my rulings, Manager of Opposition Business, this is not the time. You can come and see me in my office after.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, again I refer to standing order 58. It does require that answers to questions be direct, factual and succinct, and indeed the Premier has been factual when it comes to talking about the previous Premier of this state, the Liberal Jeff Kennett, and now the current, it would seem, real leader of the Liberal Party here in Victoria.

The SPEAKER: I have ruled on this. The Premier answered the question at the outset. Premier, I ask you to be very cautious about your attacks on former members of Parliament. It is not against the rules of the house, but it is a little disrespectful.

Michael O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier has made numerous references to a current court case. You have previously ruled that any matter that is sub judice should not be referred to in this place. The matter is still before the courts, and the sub judice rule should be applied.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Premier to be mindful of the sub judice rules.

Jacinta ALLAN: In returning to answering the question, I do not need to make any implied reflection on the opposition. They appear to be doing it all on their own. They most certainly do not need my assistance. The question I was asked earlier I have already addressed, but I will repeat it, because it was a little while ago now, for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition: we do report on the expenditure of the state’s finances regularly and transparently through the budget paper processes. In reference to the use of a Treasurer’s advance, to describe that as being a credit card is wrong, false and baseless. As I have mentioned, it was a previous Labor government that had to get rid of the use of government credit cards that were being used by certain premiers of the day for their own use. We got rid of that practice. What we will continue to do is report on the budget finances in the usual way.

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): Treasurer’s advances are meant to be used for urgent and unforeseen expenditure. In 2022–23 a Treasurer’s advance of $325 million was used to pay the interest on Victoria’s debt. Given Victoria’s debt level, how can this interest bill be seen as unforeseen?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:25): In terms of the use of a Treasurer’s advance in the 2022–23 calendar year, I recall well a major flooding event in 2022–23 that did require the expenditure of a Treasurer’s advance to support communities like Rochester – flood-affected communities right across large parts particularly of northern Victoria. If I remember rightly from the minister for roads, 63 out of the 79 local government areas were flood affected during the October 2022 floods. From time to time there are unforeseen events that require the expenditure of a Treasurer’s advance to support communities, and we will not shy away from that practice.

Peter Walsh: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, I would ask you to draw the Premier back to actually answering the question as to how Victoria’s interest bill could be unforeseen given the state debt that we have.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked. The Premier has concluded her answer.