Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Land tax

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:24): My question is to the Premier. This morning the Minister for Finance wrongly said:

We don’t tax your principal place of residence. We’ve never done that. We never will.

Can the Premier confirm her government has sent a reported 400,000 Victorians who run small businesses like hairdressing and personal training from their family homes a land tax bill for the first time this year?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:25): I can confirm this: the Liberal Party clearly remain opposed to people having the opportunity to work from home, because the Shadow Treasurer remains committed to reminding us of that every single day.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this was a very, very specific question. If the government do not understand how many people they are taxing, they should just say that.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, a point of an order is not an opportunity to make a statement to the house. I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: It appears that the member for Brighton could do with some assistance in having the working-from-home policy explained to him, because the –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Laverton is warned.

James Newbury: On a further point of order, Speaker, again on relevance, this was a very specific question, not an opportunity for the Premier to try and be evasive. The minister got it wrong – really wrong – and she should just say that.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Brighton will make his points of order appropriately according to the standing orders. The Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: In answering the question, I think it is entirely appropriate to correct the misrepresentation that the member for Brighton has made regarding the question that the minister for economic growth was asked this morning. The question was about people working from home – not running a business from home, but people working from home. It is questions like this that remind those of us on this side of the house why working from home needs to be protected from people like those opposite. Cue the member for Brighton.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, you have twice asked the Premier to come back to the very specific question.

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order?

James Newbury: The Premier is defying your ruling.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: I think it is entirely relevant to the question to correct the misinformation that the questioner has put to the house, because the minister was asked a question about working-from-home arrangements. Let me tell you about those working-from-home arrangements.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the Premier needs to be relevant, direct and succinct to the question, which is about land tax bills on small businesses, particularly women who run these businesses from home. How many land tax bills have been applied?

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Speaker, on the point of order, there is no point of order. The opposition seem determined to stop the Premier from outlining exactly what the question was that the minister for economic growth was answering this morning and putting some facts on the table. I ask that you rule the point of order out of order.

Members interjecting.

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

Member for Laverton withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: On the point of order, Speaker, Speaker Maddigan has previously ruled that it is not appropriate for ministers or the Premier to respond generally. This question specifically referred to a minister saying that no-one was being taxed on their primary place of residence. Hundreds of thousands of people were just this year.

Ben Carroll: Further to the point of order, Speaker, Speaker Maddigan also ruled, on standing order 58, that a minister will have discretion to determine the content of any answer.

The SPEAKER: I cannot direct the Premier how to answer the question. The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: It is entirely relevant to remind the member for Brighton that the question that went this morning to the minister was in the context of people working from home, and that was the context in which the minister provided an answer and also why working from home is not just good for families but also good for the economy. It is good for the economy because it means more workers can get into the workforce, particularly women, who might be able to get into the workforce for the very first time after having a few kids and they can pick up some more work –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question and simply being evasive.

The SPEAKER: The Premier will come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Again, it is entirely relevant, to be absolutely clear with the member for Brighton, that his interpretation of the answer provided by the minister this morning is wrong. I am sure the member for Brighton thinks he is quite clever in the way he has contorted this question to the house today, but he is simply wrong. That question was put in the context of the government’s working-from-home policy that clearly the member for Brighton continues to rail and campaign against – a working-from-home policy that works particularly for women in supporting women to get back into the workforce after having kids.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, I would ask the Premier to stop playing the man and deal with the question.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: In answering the question, I am standing up for all those women and men for whom working from home works – men and women who have more time in their day, more money in their pocket, who have been good, productive workers.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Mordialloc is warned. The member for Sunbury is warned.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, what about the women hairdressers and personal trainers? We want to know an answer to the question about land tax that is being applied to them, and I would ask, on relevance –

The SPEAKER: I ask you to resume your seat, Manager of Opposition Business. That is not the way to raise a point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: Working from home works for everyone, including those small businesses in suburban retail areas like in Brighton, because people have more time in their day and more money in their pocket. We will continue to fight for those working people and families, who need the government on their side standing up to people like the member for Brighton.

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:33): A former State Revenue Office official has said there is scope for land tax obligations to further extend to Victorians who move to work from home two days a week. Will the Premier –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members will come to order. The Premier will come to order. The member for Brighton to ask his question without assistance from the house.

James NEWBURY: A former State Revenue Office official has said there is scope for land tax obligations to further extend to Victorians who move to work from home two days a week. Will the Premier change the current tax laws to protect contractors like healthcare and professional service providers who work from home from being charged land tax?

Paul Edbrooke interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Frankston will leave the chamber for an hour.

Member for Frankston withdrew from chamber.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:34): Let me be clear: there are no changes to the tax settings. Working from home is happening right now.

Sam Groth interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Nepean, this is your last warning.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the question did ask the Premier whether she would change the law to protect those workers. As she has said no, I think that can be the end of the question.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, you were Manager of Opposition Business for a very long time, and you know how to raise a point of order. And that is not the way.

Jacinta ALLAN: With the question, the supplementary question and the one, two, three, four, five, six – correct me if I am wrong, member for Brighton – points of order that have been taken, this clearly demonstrates once again that the Liberal Party stand opposed to workers having the opportunity to work from home. Cue the member for Brighton.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, we are trying to stop the Premier taxing them.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, there is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: We will continue to stand up for those workers, stand up for those families and stand up for those businesses too, businesses like the Half Moon hotel in Brighton, who know that people in their community have more time in their day and more money in their household budget to reinvest in the local community – workers who are more productive. Businesses deserve to have this support, but workers too particularly, and what is on display here today is that only a Labor government will stand with those workers.