Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Business of the house
Program
Please do not quote
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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 August 2025:
Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025
Statute Law Revision Bill 2025
Australian Grands Prix Amendment Bill 2025.
We have a very important program ahead of us this week, and I might just begin by indicating that we will also of course, subject to the will of the house, continue to debate the Worker Screening Amendment (Strengthening the Working with Children Check) Bill 2025. I take this opportunity to thank the Manager of Opposition Business for the way that she has worked with me to accommodate a first and second reading being brought on immediately today.
But to the government business program and the bills that are before us, the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill is a really important piece of legislation because it is about ensuring that the highest quality care is delivered always to people in residential aged care in this state. We know that older people are increasingly entering residential aged care later in life. The good news is we are all living longer, but we are living longer with some more complex health conditions that often mean that we will spend the last few years of our lives in residential aged care. I am really proud of the fact that here in Victoria we have a public residential aged care system that is second to none, and I have got to tell you it is the envy of our health ministers right around the nation, and I will tell you why. In other jurisdictions we have hospitals that are full of older patients who actually are medically well but have nowhere to go to, or medically fit to be discharged but nowhere to go to. Here in Victoria, because we have a public system, we are able to accommodate people who, quite frankly, the private sector is not interested in. It is why strong public services are always so vital for people who have very complex medical needs, people who have complex behavioural challenges and people who do not have family members who are able to advocate for them. Some of the most vulnerable older people will find a home and the very best care in public residential services here, led and supported by the Allan Labor government.
I suppose it is probably at this point that I should mention that it is only Labor governments that will protect public residential aged care, because we know that those on the other side of the chamber have not seen a care service they do not want to privatise. Nonetheless, what we are doing is ensuring, through this amendment bill, that as people are required to take perhaps multiple medications, which does indeed increase the risk of medicine-related problems, only nurses can administer medications in residential aged care facilities. This amendment of course complements reforms led by the Albanese Labor government, which ensure that there are actually nursing staff in residential aged care, because we have got to hold the private sector to account here and make sure that they do deliver the care that Victorians expect. So this is an important bill, and I know that people on this side of the house welcome the opportunity to get up and talk about it and, for many of them, to talk about the fantastic residential aged care, including of course the public residential aged care, that is in their electorates delivering first-class care.
The Australian Grands Prix Amendment Bill 2025 – of course we know the grand prix makes a huge contribution to the life and the economy of this state. The bill before us is about ensuring that we can continue to support the grand prix in a manner that balances the safe operations of the event with the needs of the community. Finally, we have got the Statute Law Revision Bill 2025. As is the practice, this bill is a mechanism for reviewing Victoria’s statute books and is required in order to ensure the Victorian statutes remain clear, relevant and accurate. So it is another full program from the Allan Labor government, one that is focused on the things that matter to the people of Victoria and one which I have great pleasure in commending to the house. I look forward to the opposition perhaps even supporting the government business program.
Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (12:37): I rise to contribute to the government business program debate today, and I note that already this morning the government have introduced and immediately second read their bill, the Worker Screening Amendment (Strengthening the Working with Children Check) Bill 2025. As the Leader of the House indicated, we have been working together over the last few days to be able to support introducing the bill swiftly to the house, because this is something, as our Shadow Attorney-General has already indicated in his second-reading speech, that whilst it is timid in its approach and it does not do everything that could possibly be done in a bill, certainly goes some way to making children safer, and that should be an absolute priority. Certainly the Victorian Liberals and Nationals have a laser focus when it comes to putting the safety of our children first. The safety of Victorian children should be an absolute priority of this government.
But we all know that it has taken a very long time for this tired Labor government to come to the table to introduce this bill. We do not want to do anything that delays the progress of this bill through the Parliament today and this week, which is precisely why we will not be opposing the government business program – to enable this to have swift passage to the best extent possible. But we do remind the house and the Victorian people that it was the Victorian Ombudsman who identified significant risks to Victorian children three years ago. As the Shadow Attorney-General has said repeatedly, this Labor government not only did not act but did not have the decency or courtesy to even respond to the Victorian Ombudsman, who take pride in the work, research and investigations that they do. So three years ago this Labor government could have acted, could have introduced this legislation and other legislation to make Victorian children safer, but did not. The government did nothing.
And then even three weeks ago you will recall that the Victorian Liberals and Nationals proposed legislation that would implement all of the recommendations of the Ombudsman, yet this Labor government voted that down; we could have been doing this three weeks ago, but Labor voted that down. Now they have brought it – they have had a rapid review – and still this particular piece of legislation before the chamber today does not even implement all of the recommendations of this rapid review. So one has to wonder what on earth this Labor government is doing. Why are they delaying prioritising the safety of Victorian children?
But slow to the piece, they are introducing – again not enough, but some – changes through this Worker Screening Amendment (Strengthening the Working with Children Check) Bill 2025. We want to do everything that we can, whilst it is not enough and does not go far enough, to make sure that it has passage to the best extent possible through the chamber.
There are a couple of other bills that the government will seek to get to this week. There is the Australian Grands Prix Amendment Bill 2025, and our shadow minister for sport will be able to come in and talk to that, and a number of other members on our side who have residents impacted by this will actually be able to come in and talk to that particular bill. The Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025 is another important piece of legislation that will be debated this week on the government business program. There is also the Statute Law Revision Bill 2025, which is a bill that I understand seeks to amend something like 70 pieces of legislation. It looks like a sweep has been done on the government side to update even some syntax, grammar and punctuation – full stops and these kinds of things – in the various pieces of legislation that need revision to make sure that they are contemporary and up to date. And of course the government have also indicated that they may take some time to return to the budget take-note motion, and we hope they will, because it will give us another opportunity to say how bad the budget is.
Daniela DE MARTINO (Monbulk) (12:42): May I commence by saying it is really pleasing to hear that the opposition will not be opposing the government business program this week, and as the Leader of the House just indicated, it is nice to be able to thank the Manager of Opposition Business for the collaborative approach from the from those opposite, especially towards the Worker Screening Amendment (Strengthening the Working with Children Check) Bill 2025.
The government business of this week covers some broad ground. As the Manager of Opposition Business was just talking about, the Statute Law Revision Bill 2025, referred to by some as the ‘dots and dashes’ bill, sorts out a lot of grammatical errors and typos. Sometimes people may sort of think that is not that important, but it actually is. The Deputy Speaker and I were discussing this, and he indicated that it is the ‘We ate grandma’ bill. Where you place the comma has a direct impact on how you understand that sentence – ‘We ate, grandma’ or ‘We ate grandma’. So where a comma is placed is incredibly important. While some may mock those bills, they are actually pretty pertinent to making sure that our legislation is accurate and the intention is reflected in what is actually written there.
More seriously, we are dealing with the Worker Screening Act 2020, and it is a very important bill that we bring into the chamber this week. I know that there will be really heartfelt contributions and discussions brought forth, because we all come in with our own stories to this chamber. We all represent our communities, and we try to do it to our very, very best ability, especially with legislation which covers very sensitive issues. I know that it is deeply felt by everyone. So to those who will be contributing I will be listening very carefully, and I anticipate that there will be a lot of feeling behind the contributions towards that bill this week.
On a lighter note, we have the Australian Grands Prix Amendment Bill 2025. I will be looking forward to speaking on this, actually. I was not really much of a fan of the Formula One – I know a lot of people who are – until I went, and then I thought, ‘Aha, now I understand.’ There is an energy there, I tell you what.
Boy is Melbourne the capital for events in Australasia, and this is one of them as well. Can I say people travel far and wide to come to the Melbourne grand prix. The amendments that we are putting forward will make it so much easier for operations to be as safe as possible and to ensure that it just runs even better than it already does. I have got to say that if anyone has not attended, and you are not much of a petrolhead, I guarantee that if you do go, you will find that it is a bit of a rush. You walk away thinking we do do events incredibly well here in Melbourne – so a bit of a shout-out to those involved.
The Minister for Health and Leader of the House discussed the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025. She definitely made a good contribution; I do not want to traverse that too much. But I have to say that is an incredibly important bill as well. We are living longer, we have an ageing population and we need to ensure that those who do end up in care are taken care of with as much dignity, care and consideration as possible. I think it is really important that whenever we are looking at the entire care sector – be it children, be it the elderly or the aged, or be it people with disability – we always do so with their best interests first and foremost. This is another bill which actually goes to addressing that and ensuring that those who end up at that stage, who are in care, are treated with as much compassion and dignity as possible.
Every time I contribute on the government business program, which I quite enjoy doing, I do like to reflect on the fact that we all bring those stories in. I know I mentioned it just before, but it is really important when we stand in our place that we consider those we represent as well as our own experiences. I think it really provides a very rich tapestry in this chamber. I think it would surprise a lot of people who do not often watch Parliament if they could actually hear the contributions. Outside of the hustle and bustle of question time, there are some amazing contributions made here on a regular basis. I do enjoy listening to them all, and I commend the government business program.
Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (12:47): I think what the member for Monbulk meant when she said the antics of question time was the theatre sports, perhaps, of question time – which I know she and I are both fans of. As the Manager of Opposition Business stated, we will not be opposing the government business program today, which I am sure is a nice surprise. But given it has been three years since the Victorian Ombudsman’s report and three weeks since the member for Kew introduced a bill to tighten the Worker Screening Act 2020, it is time finally to act. As the Shadow Attorney-General has stated, it is a timid bill and it does not include any of those recommendations from the Ombudsman or from the rapid review. The most important thing that we do in this place is not only represent our communities but help protect them, and it is time that we got on with that. It is well and truly overdue. With that in mind, given this is such an important bill on the program today, I am actually going to cut this really short so we can get on with the business of the house.
Michaela SETTLE (Eureka) (12:48): I am delighted to rise to speak on the government business program. This government has brought through an extraordinary amount of legislation, of which I am very proud. There is rarely a government business program that I do not wish I could speak on every time, because it is such a wonderful reflection of all that we are committed to on this side of the house.
I am delighted to hear that the program will be supported by those on the other side. Of course the Worker Screening Amendment (Strengthening the Working with Children Check) Bill 2025 is an incredibly important piece of legislation. I am delighted that those on the other side of the aisle will support us, because of course when we are at our best, we all work with one view, and that is to protect the people of Victoria. I am delighted that there will be no political games about this, that those on the other side understand the importance of this bill and are happy to support the bill because of the very nature of the bill.
With matters like these, there is no place for political games. I think it is important that we work together as one to get this through, rather than seek short-term political gain at the expense of people in our community.
The government business program of course also includes the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025, and again this bill speaks to this government’s commitment to protecting and legislating for the most vulnerable in our communities. We have a very proud record in terms of the public aged care system, and this just strengthens that commitment that we have shown to date. I do remember during the awful times of COVID how well and extraordinarily our public aged care system held up and protected our older members of the community. This bill of course seeks to do the same, as our wonderful Minister for Health has already outlined. People are going into aged care a lot older, which is a wonderful thing, but they are also going in therefore with much more complex needs. So it is very important that we make sure that those needs are being met by people that are suitably qualified. Really ensuring that any medication that they receive is provided by registered nurses or appropriate people is very, very important. Some of those complex needs include medications that are very strong, so it is so important that people who are administering those really know the protocols around how that medication should be delivered. It is a very important bill. As I said, it speaks again to this government’s determination at all points to stand by the side of the most vulnerable in our community, and it is only appropriate that we stand with the elder residents in our community.
The government business program today of course also covers the Australian Grands Prix Amendment Bill 2025, and whilst this is not about the most vulnerable, it is about being progressive and acknowledging the need for change. The original bill from 1994 has been in force for over 30 years, and while it has stood us in good stead up until now, we need to move with the times. I know that those of us on this side of the house always have an eye to a progressive agenda and to making sure that we are keeping legislation up to date with the needs of our communities. Of course that then leads to the final bill, the Statute Law Revision Bill 2025, and again, I would say this bill is all about keeping up.
Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (12:53): Today I rise to also speak on the government business program and reiterate that we will not be opposing this bill that the government is putting forward today, the Worker Screening Amendment (Strengthening the Working with Children Check) Bill 2025, which actually is not on the government’s business program but has been introduced because it is an incredibly important piece of legislation. None of us over on this side deny that. In fact we will not delay or oppose this bill. Anything that can be done to make Victorian children even slightly safer is worthwhile, but disappointingly that is exactly what this bill does – it only makes them slightly safer.
It is disappointing that the government blocked the bill we put forward three weeks ago, which would have implemented all the recommendations from the Victorian Ombudsman and gone even further than this bill, which we saw for the first time last night – much further than that goes. It is so disappointing that the government have had three years to respond to the Ombudsman’s recommendations but they have absolutely ignored the recommendations.
It is more disappointing as well to find that none of those recommendations are in this bill that we will be debating today. We should be dealing with the cost-of-living issues, roads or crime, but instead we are dealing with Labor’s fallout from their inaction.
Roads are falling apart in regional Victoria, and this is despite the desperate pleas from our communities to fix them, particularly in South-West Coast. Experts are telling me that this neglect will cost billions to fix, and they actually are stating it is a legislative failure of government to perform its obligations under the legislation. Now, when the Minister for Roads and Road Safety just recently insinuated that there are less cars being damaged on our roads, this went further to insulting my community. When they would not even release the data to support that, it just shows an arrogance – an arrogance that we are seeing in this government business program, in which we are not dealing with some of the things that we need to, such as the cost of living.
We should be dealing with the fact that families are talking to me constantly about the challenges they have got. But in the government business program we are not seeing that, just like we did not see the working with children check bill in the program. Instead we have the Statute Law Revision Bill 2025, which fixes up some errors in 70 pieces of legislation that are required to be fixed that this government has failed in. But I know the community in South-West Coast would much rather see, especially with their rates notices that are just hitting their mailboxes at the moment and those taxes that they are going to be absolutely –
Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, the member on her feet is failing to address the government business program. She is waxing far and wide on a range of topics, none of which are related to the government business program.
The SPEAKER: The member for South-West Coast to come back to the motion before the house, the government business program.
Roma BRITNELL: In the government business program, as I said, is the Statute Law Revision Bill, which will fix 70 pieces of legislation. I have no doubt one of those pieces of legislation refers to drugs and alcohol, and they are some of the things that we should be talking about today in this government business program and in the next few days, because we had the minister come down to our region and make out as though they were being very supportive of our community by supporting projects like the Lookout in the South-West Coast when actually they are not – the government are not supporting our community. They have had years to support the Lookout. It is eight years that the community have been putting it forward, and the committee have done everything they need to do so they can get this Lookout drug and alcohol centre built. Instead we have got a minister procrastinating and putting $100,000 on the table instead of actually dealing with this project that we need dealt with.
Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, the member on her feet is defying your ruling that she come back to debating the government business program. I ask you to bring her back to the program.
The SPEAKER: Member for South-West Coast, come back to the government business program.
Roma BRITNELL: As I said, with the government business program, we have many things that should have been on the table. Instead we have a government business program that is not dealing with the challenges in the electorates.
Mary-Anne Thomas interjected.
Roma BRITNELL: In response to the manager of government business –
The SPEAKER: Order! Member for South-West Coast, through the Chair.
Roma BRITNELL: I think it is only appropriate that I get to speak, as I should do for the government business program, without interruption. I am speaking on the government business program. I am speaking to the Statute Law Revision Bill, I am speaking to the worker screening amendment bill and I am speaking about the fact that our communities are disappointed in the Labor government, because they are not dealing with the challenges that we are seeing in South-West Coast with our roads and the taxes they are putting into the arena for our community to have to deal with.
Motion agreed to.