Wednesday, 19 February 2025

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): My question is to the Premier. According to the Auditor-General, public reporting around major projects is not meaningful, reliable or comprehensive, particularly in relation to cost. Why is the Premier’s secretive government deliberately hiding the true cost of major projects from Victorians?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:03): In answering the Leader of the Opposition’s question, I would say the Leader of the Opposition is wrong, and I will now detail for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition why I state this case. Of course every year, and then at regular other times during the year, budget papers are produced, and in those budget papers – and we are happy to provide a set to the Leader of the Opposition – there is reporting on the expenditure against a whole range of things, for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition. It accounts for the record additional investment we are making in our hospital system, it accounts for the additional investment we are making in police, it accounts for the additional investment we are making in schools and it provides information on the capital program. When it comes to the capital program, there is the budget paper and there is the midyear budget update as well, which provide regular reporting to not just the Parliament but the Victorian community of the government’s investment, because what we are talking about here is investment in a capital pipeline that is supporting jobs.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It was a very narrow question about the Auditor-General’s comments that her failure to provide public reporting is not meaningful for the Victorian people.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, the Manager of Opposition Business should know by now that points of order are not to be used to restate a question. The Premier was not debating the question. She was being entirely relevant and responding to the question as it was asked.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order at this point.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course there would not have been a report like this between 2010 and 2014 because there were no major projects. What we have done is make a continued and sustained investment in projects. We have done that, and we report against the investment that we make in these projects through the budget papers. And behind each and every one of those projects –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, sessional orders require the Premier to be factual, and the fact of the matter is that they are hiding the cost of the investment from the Victorian people.

The SPEAKER: It is not for me to determine if members are being factual or not.

Will Fowles: On the point of order, Speaker, for the clarity of the house, the standing orders do require that answers to questions are factual. That is in the standing orders. If it is not for the Chair to determine whether answers are factual or not, who is it for?

The SPEAKER: There is a requirement for members on their feet to be factual. It is not for me to determine if they are being factual.

Jacinta ALLAN: I would have thought it was an undisputed matter of fact that the budget papers that are produced annually and the midyear budget updates that are produced annually provide expenditure against the government’s investment in the capital program. I think that is a matter of fact. That is not something that I thought was up for debate.

Bridget Vallence: On a different point of order, Speaker, on relevance. The question is not about the budget papers; the question is about the damning Auditor-General’s report.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, on the tedious repetition that we are having now from the Manager of Opposition Business not letting the Premier answer the question, I ask that you rule her point of order out of order.

The SPEAKER: As the question referred to costs, I do not uphold the point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: As I was detailing to the house, we have made investments in capital projects, big and small, across this state, and we have done so because that is an investment in working people and their families in this state, to have good, secure jobs, because behind every single one of those projects is a worker and their family. When those projects are completed, like we will see later this year with the Metro Tunnel and the West Gate Tunnel, for example, the Footscray Hospital, for example, we will see Victorians get the benefit of that investment: services closer to home, being able to get home safer and sooner and more transport services. That is what you get from an investment in capital projects, and that is what we detail in the budget papers every single year.

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:09): Premier, despite $15 billion in cost blowouts on 53 projects, your government has rejected the Auditor-General’s recommendation to transparently publish major project performance despite having this information. Why won’t the Premier immediately comply with the Auditor-General’s recommendation and publicly release the true cost of these projects?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:09): Again, I see investment in capital projects in different terms, and I will provide this information to the house. The Auditor-General’s report goes to the additional level crossings we have in this state, like the level crossing that we added in August 2021 at Brunt Road, Beaconsfield. The Leader of the Opposition is probably a little bit familiar with this because he had been calling on the government to add this level crossing to our program. The only reason you can call for this is because we have a program –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It was a very narrow question about the recommendation of the Auditor-General to publicly release the true cost of these blown-out projects.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Frankston can leave the chamber for half an hour. I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Member for Frankston withdrew from chamber.

Jacinta ALLAN: I refer to level crossings. I could use the Frankston Hospital as another example where we have added scope and the North East Link project where we have added scope. Where we have added scope it comes with an additional investment, and I make no apology for making additional investments in much-needed projects for this state.