Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Business of the house
Program
Please do not quote
Proof only
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 28 May 2025:
State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2025
Appropriation (2025–2026) Bill 2025
Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025.
Members on this side of the house cannot wait to stand up in this place and talk about how our government is focused on what matters most to the people of Victoria. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate our Treasurer, Ms Symes in the other place, for coming down into this chamber last week to deliver her very first budget, one that I note has health very much at the centrepiece, with $11.1 billion invested in Victoria’s world-class healthcare system. I look forward to taking the opportunity when it arises to stand up on my feet in this place to talk about the budget and all that it has to offer the people of Victoria.
When we do the government business program we generally take a bit of a moment to reflect on what we have done between this sitting and the previous time we came together, which of course was only a week ago. I can assure you that during that time members on this side of the house have all been out and about in their communities outlining the various ways in which the Allan Labor government is supporting Victorians every single day. We know that the cost of living is presenting some real challenges right now as a consequence of a whole range of worldwide economic issues, but we are focused on delivering the things that matter most and making life easier for Victorians. I had the pleasure of joining the Deputy Speaker last week at a pharmacy in his electorate to talk about another centrepiece of the budget, and that is our government’s commitment to expand the number of conditions for which pharmacists can deliver treatment – we were welcomed with absolute open arms. I know right across the chamber that members on this side of the house are enjoying that opportunity to talk to pharmacists, small businesspeople in their electorates who are an integral part of our healthcare system and who our government’s budget is enabling to deliver more, better care closer to home. Debating this bill will be a very important part of this week’s government agenda.
I have talked a little bit about the work that we are doing in health. I am very, very proud of that and very appreciative of it. The massive investments being made in health send a very strong signal to our healthcare workers about how much this government values them and the work that they do every day. It is a really important bill, obviously, to debate in the chamber because come 1 July this money will flow into the health system, into the education system and into the pockets of Victorians, because this bill also includes a record $2.3 billion in cost-of-living relief.
The Manager of Opposition Business and I – and I thank her very much for that – have agreed that we will debate the appropriation bill and the Parliament appropriation bill cognately. That is important; it is a sensible thing to do. It gives us an opportunity to, in debating the bills, consider the way in which we are each supported every single day by the work of the Parliament teams, both here in the chamber and in our electorate offices. I know that members will welcome the opportunity to get on their feet and talk not only about all the great things that the budget delivers but also about the importance of the Parliament appropriation in order to be able to support the smooth running of the chambers, the Parliament itself, and your good self, Speaker, as well as the important and hard work that our electorate office staff do every single day.
We will also be debating the State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2025, and we will be guillotining that tomorrow as we have done in previous years. This bill enacts important changes, including the stamp duty off-the-plan concession for yet another year. It will be interesting to talk about stamp duty; many of us will want to outline the ways in which the Liberal Party are copying our policies once again. But this is a really good government business program. We have got two busy days ahead of us, and I commend the program to the house.
Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (09:45): I am here to excite the members of the Labor government and say that we will not be opposing the government business program this week. We know that there are some important pieces of legislation that we will be debating. As the Leader of the House has pointed out, there is the Appropriation (2025–2026) Bill 2025, which effectively is the budget, and the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025. As the Leader of the House mentioned, they will be debated in cognate. And there is the State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2025.
I note that the Leader of the House in her contribution did say that members of the Labor government – the tired, decade-old Labor government – were out and about in their communities spruiking this budget. But what have they got to work with? $194 billion of debt and increased taxes. I mean, the Treasurer came in here and had the temerity to say that there were no new taxes in this budget. But we all know that this budget relies on a massive new tax on every single Victorian, and that is the emergency services tax. They say that it is for volunteers, but nothing could be further from the truth. There is no quarantining of the revenue raised from this tax for our CFA and SES volunteers. So when the Leader of the House in her contribution said that Labor members of Parliament were out and about in their communities spruiking the budget, I did wonder if the Leader of the House or any of the members of the Labor government when they were out in their communities went to a CFA fire brigade. How did they receive this? Did they go out to the farms, who are copping a 150 per cent increase in their tax?
This Labor budget is just like all Labor budgets: they cannot control their spending; they are skyrocketing to record levels of debt; and as a result, they are cutting services, they are cutting jobs and they are taxing Victorians more. What is very, very evident in this Labor budget is that it penalises Victorians based on the postcode that they live in. The Leader of the House, again, said that Labor members of Parliament were out in their communities spruiking this budget. Well, it was very hard for me to get out into the Evelyn electorate with the very good people of Evelyn to spruik this budget because, guess what, there was nothing in this budget for the residents and small businesses in the Evelyn electorate – nothing in the budget for them. There was nothing to fix the dangerous and congested roads in the Evelyn electorate, nothing to fix the Maroondah Highway in Coldstream, and nothing to fix the Warburton Highway in Seville East, where there are residents travelling from Woori Yallock from my good friend’s electorate in Eildon through to the electorate of Evelyn. Our CFA volunteers, who are also emergency first responders when it comes to road trauma, are sick and tired of turning up to the Warburton Highway in Seville East, which this government back in 2019 did a report on. They have not made it public and have still failed to deliver any safety upgrades to that section of road between Douthie Road and Peters Road on Warburton Highway in Seville East which repeatedly has traffic accidents. The emergency services volunteers, who I give a shout-out to, do a fantastic job, but unfortunately they have to go to accident after accident after accident because this Labor government neglects our roads in our local community.
Obviously this government does not care about our farmers with that massive new tax – the emergency services tax. Our farmers are really hard-hit at the moment. They are suffering drought. A shout-out to all of the farmers right across many parts of our community, including my own in the Yarra Valley, who are now experiencing the very great toll of drought. They are having to buy water in for their produce. It is a very, very difficult time for our farmers. I also want to give a shout-out to our emergency services workers in the police, who are faced with a rise in crime and machete attacks that have been happening for well over a year now. This government has had the blindfold on and turned a blind eye to repeated increases in youth crime and machete attacks. I want to give a shout-out to our police, particularly the Yarra Ranges police, who do a fantastic job in keeping our community safe. Our emergency services volunteers and our farmers are often the heart of our community, and I give a shout-out to them. We will not be opposing this government business program.
Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (09:50): I too rise to speak on this week’s government business program and talk about just what a wonderful, wonderful business program this truly is. Following the member for Evelyn’s contribution, I am sure those opposite will be very happy that it is a shorter week than usual, because I think we have just gotten a preview from the member for Evelyn on what those opposite are going to be talking about this week, and it is going to be about blocking, negativity and the usual things that those opposite carry on with here in this place. But not on this side of the chamber. On this side of the chamber this week we are going to be talking about the incredible things that this budget that was handed down last week delivers for our local community. I for one, along with my colleagues, cannot wait to get up and talk about the incredible things that have been handed down for the Laverton electorate, for Melbourne’s west and, most importantly, for the people of Victoria. This budget has really delivered for the people of Victoria. It is making sure that it is helping families with the cost of living, and it is something I for one think every Victorian can receive a little something from.
That means this week the main item of business is debating the pieces of legislation relating to our budget, namely our appropriation bills, which will be debated simultaneously – I think it is a bit early in the day for me to say that word. It is also going to be a great opportunity to highlight the ways our government, like I said, is delivering for communities right across Victoria. There are so many good stories to tell here, and it is so disappointing that the member for Evelyn – and I am sure she is not going to be the only one – cannot find one good thing to talk to her community about in this budget, whether it is the free public transport for seniors on weekends or whether it is the free public transport for folks under the age of 18 anytime, anywhere in Victoria.
I have been down to talk about this at local schools like Bemin Secondary College, which I was at last week. They are absolutely stoked about the free public transport for kids under the age of 18. Do you know who else was – the really young kids there at Dohertys Creek P–9 that I talked about. They had some great things to say. They recognise that it will help their parents with the cost of living. They also said to me, ‘It makes Mum and Dad have to worry less about me getting a bus to school.’ There are tremendous things that were handed down in this government’s state Labor budget last week, and I cannot wait to get on and talk about them further.
We have also got the State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2025 this week, which accompanies the budget bills, dealing with the tax settings and changes contained within the budget, and I know there will be many contributions here in this place on that bill. Budget week has always been an important time here in our Parliament, and it is a pretty important part of our job as elected representatives to make those contributions on these bills that are before the house this week, to debate and to pass the annual budget bills. I expect there will be a great deal of debate. I know on this side there will be a whole lot of positivity, and I hope it rubs off on those opposite.
I do also note that some took their opposition a little bit too far last week in their opposition to our government’s Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. I am not going to use unparliamentary language here in this place. It does seem to me, though, that whilst those opposite are more interested in going ahead and dumping stuff at the door of the Premier’s office, our focus is on getting stuff done here in this place, and that is what this –
Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, this Labor government has dumped a massive new tax on Victorians. I would ask you to ask the speaker to come back to the narrow procedural debate.
The SPEAKER: That is not the way to raise a point of order. I think there are a number of members who have strayed a bit from the government business program. It is not appropriate in the government business program to go into detail on the bills. The member for Laverton to come back to the government business program.
Sarah CONNOLLY: I am sorry, Speaker. I will try to harness my absolute enthusiasm and excitement about the bills that are before the house this week. I was only just contrasting the important stuff that this side of the chamber gets on and does each and every single week we are here in this place and also what we are doing out on the hustings in our local electorate with what those opposite choose to do in theirs during this time instead of talking to people about all the important things that their electorates will benefit from when it comes to this state budget. I am really looking forward to making contributions to the bills before the house this week, and I wholeheartedly commend the government business program to the house.
Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (09:55): I rise to talk on the government business program. Strange things are afoot in the house. Last week was a different week – we had the budget come in and we had the Treasurer from the other place come into the chamber and stand and deliver the budget. This week we have a short week and we are doing Wednesday’s program on a Tuesday – we are all starting to get our heads around that. Then this morning in the party room I had to get my head around the fact that we are not opposing the government business program. We are supporting what the government is bringing forward. As I said, there are strange things happening.
In the government business program we have the appropriation bills coming forward today, which we are all going to get a chance to speak on. As the member for Laverton said, we do get a chance to reply to all the good stuff that is going to be coming into our electorates, and I would like to pause and take stock of what the people of the Latrobe Valley got and give a brief outline of the good stuff that we got.
Annabelle Cleeland: It will be brief.
Martin CAMERON: And that will do. We will move on. We have also got the State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2025. We do get a chance to talk on the tax issues. The member for Laverton spoke about members on the other side – it is great to hear they are out and about in their communities talking to their constituents. I have been out on the streets of the Latrobe Valley and people have spoken about the budget that was released and have spoken about some of the tax that was lumped on the people of Victoria last week. I am sure as we move through our budget replies and we get to our feet and we can talk on the taxation bill, which will come on later this week, it will be a little bit different. People in regional Victoria have been hit pretty hard – and the farmers and our volunteer CFA firefighters – with the tax that was lumped on them. It is pleasing to note that the coalition, when we do get the opportunity to form government in 2026, will be scrapping this tax, which is absolutely causing great angst amongst regional Victorians.
We do talk about how it is affecting regional Victorians, but it is affecting every single person that is in Victoria, whether they are a landholder, whether they are a property holder, if they have a business, this tax does not meet. It is great that we will get an opportunity later this week to stand and let the government and the people in the chamber know what our constituents – and my constituents – are thinking and feeling every single day.
Last week, with the budget, we had a lot of people on the front steps of Parliament protesting this new tax. In my seat of Morwell we have a Labor minister’s office. There was a protest out there: 400 people showed up to let the government know that they are not happy with this tax – and that is what it is, it is a tax. They can roll it up and try and display it and push it forward as a levy or whatever they do, but it does actually say this is a new tax. We will be able to bring into the chamber the concerns of the people of regional Victoria and the people in metropolitan Melbourne.
But as I said at the start, it is a bit of a strange day with us not opposing the program and being all nice and sort of holding hands in the chamber, because we do have some important things that we need to get through this week with the Appropriation (2025–2026) Bill 2025 and the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025. We are here to talk, whether or not it is positive, when we do get the chance to get up and talk. But I want to note once again for Hansard that we do not oppose the government business program.
Mathew HILAKARI (Point Cook) (10:00): I am as confused as the member for Morwell that they are not opposing the government business program today. I think some of my throwaway lines about the Shadow Treasurer being Victoria’s own Temu Trump are probably unfair in this circumstance; I should not really go into such matters. But the member for Morwell is very confident about winning in November 2026, and best of luck. We wish you well of course. We will take no day between now and November 2026 for granted, because we have got a lot of work to do. The member for Morwell mentioned that he had nothing. He had silence to follow on from what he believed this budget will deliver should it pass this house and the other place.
I might remind the member for Morwell that there are a few things that he might not have engaged with in the street walks that he has been doing in his electorate. There are people who are under the age of 18 in the community that he represents, you would be shocked to hear, and those young people may have a view around what free public transport will mean to them both in terms of getting to school, a really fundamental element –
Members interjecting.
Mathew HILAKARI: There is no public transport – I will take up the member’s interjection. I do actually love the train stations in the area. They are quite historical and beautiful, and I hope the member for Morwell would agree with such things. But the interjection was from the member for Evelyn, the opposition –
Bridget Vallence interjected.
Mathew HILAKARI: I think probably the most famous thing that has gone on in Evelyn before is locking the gates on the TAFE there, and I have not heard the member for Evelyn really explaining to her community why they would do anything different if they were so lucky as to form government in November 2026. I would be really interested to hear more about that. I hope that the Shadow Treasurer today has the opportunity to describe –
Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, this is a very narrow procedural debate in which he was casting disparaging remarks on the member for Morwell in terms of the lack of public transport services there, and I would ask you to ask him to come back to the procedural debate.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member had strayed a little bit, and I am sure he is coming straight back to the government business program.
Mathew HILAKARI: Of course. We will hear from the opposition Treasury spokesperson later today, and I do hope that there is a large conversation piece around TAFE – that would be a really great thing to hear – and the continuation of the very popular and well-supported free TAFE program across the state.
The member for Morwell may be interested, for members of the community that he represents, in free pharmacy care. Pharmacies have been rolled out across the state, making them more accessible. I know there are concerns around access to health care in regional Victoria, and I would have thought that access to free pharmacy care would be something that he would be jumping up and about on. And I hope to hear his statements later in the day around the Appropriation (2025–2026) Bill 2025. He might choose to discuss that rather than just keep silent at that moment.
The member for Morwell may well have some people who have seniors cards in the community that he represents, and he may well think about the free weekend transport. Also, for the communities that he represents he may have noticed an uplift in people travelling to and from regional Victoria, because we have lowered the cost of train fares and we have cut them statewide. That has been a boon in both directions, both for Melbourne and for regional Victoria, so I hope the member for Morwell might talk a little bit about that later on. He might even talk about the power saving bonus. They have been very quiet on the opposition benches, but that may be something that many members on this side of the house choose to talk about, as well as food relief, another fundamentally Labor-supported idea – and Labor support it at the moment.
I should just say that I want to congratulate the Treasurer on being in this place to deliver the budget. She is the second Treasurer to deliver a budget in this place and Victoria’s first female Treasurer. That is after 101 years of women being able to be elected to this Parliament, and may there be many years ahead of her delivering budgets. I commend the government business program to the house, and I think it will get universal support.
Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (10:05): I rise today to speak on and debate the government business program, following on from the terrific contributions by my colleagues the member for Evelyn and the member for Morwell.
Mathew Hilakari interjected.
Chris CREWTHER: I might have something to say about the member for Point Cook’s contributions later on. But of course we have a bit of a different schedule this week. We have today, Tuesday, the committee reports debate and the grievance debate, which normally occur on a Wednesday, and we will have the Thursday schedule on Wednesday. But it is no surprise that this week’s government business program is dominated by the State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2025 and the appropriation bills, to be debated cognately. These are of course standard pieces of legislation that follow the handing down of the state budget. What may be a surprise is that this is one of the few occasions when we are not opposing the government business program. But not opposing the government business program does not mean that we will not be wholeheartedly debating the content of these pieces of legislation this week in the substantive debate, because there is a lot to take issue with, and indeed in the opposition we welcome the opportunity to scrutinise the government.
Many colleagues will want to talk about the budget this week with the appropriation bills and the state taxation bill. In particular I am looking forward to this being kicked off by the member for Brighton with his budget reply later on this morning. Make no mistake, this is not just a budget response, it is damage control. We already had a week of spin last week, and we have more spin this week, all designed to distract from Labor’s failures and in particular their debt, which will rise to $194 billion in just a few years time. That is $29 million of taxpayer funded interest every single day. That is $1.2 million every single hour in interest payments. That is more than one home every single hour, so across the day you have probably got 25 or 26 homes. Imagine how many that is across the year – how many public houses could be built with that sort of money, which is instead being spent on interest payments.
Many speakers from the opposition this week will want to talk about things like the fact that with such a debt level and with such interest payments we have cuts from the government and also we have more and more taxes. We have seen cuts to things like fisheries officers, which has affected my electorate in particular. Fortunately they have backtracked after much advocacy from me and others in terms of keeping the Mornington office open, but there are many other cuts to fisheries across Victoria. We see cuts to public schools as well, with a $2.4 billion cut from public schools. And we see more and more taxes. Indeed I think we are at over 60 new or increased taxes under this government, and in particular – and we saw major protests last week about this – the new emergency services tax. That is something that will affect so many farmers in particular, CFA volunteers and so many people right across Victoria, from the city to the country. Well before that new tax came into place, which we debated into early in the morning, I had the Victorian Farmers Federation Peninsula branch and many CFA brigades come to me saying that this is not the thing that we should be doing. They came to me with alternative ideas of what the government should be doing, and I presented those ideas, but typically, I received no response.
We saw with the emergency services tax the other week the backroom deals with the crossbench days before the budget to ram through this new tax just in time to protect their wafer-thin surplus and spin their way through budget day, with the Treasurer claiming that there were no new taxes. Victorians are fed up, and Victorians know better. Farmers in particular know better, and anyone who has opened a rates notice knows this government’s form when it comes to squeezing every last cent out of households. I know that many speakers this week will speak on the appropriation bills and call out what is being done in the government, but there are many things that we in the opposition will be presenting as well. We are committed to scrapping the emergency services tax as well as the patient tax, the schools tax and the holiday and tourism tax. The member for Brighton will have much more to say in his budget reply about how we will actually do proper economic management in Victoria and how we will actually give hope and opportunity to Victorians instead of more and more taxes.
Motion agreed to.