Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (12:23): What a privilege it is to be able to stand before you all and introduce in this week our government business program, and what a government business program it is. This week is an opportunity for members in this place to show whether they are leaders or whether they are followers, whether they are on the right side of history or indeed the wrong side of history. It is a very significant debate that will be taking place in this chamber in a few short hours – a debate as to whether or not we will establish a treaty with our First Peoples here in the state of Victoria. If we do so, we will be the first state or territory to do so, but we will bring Australia at last into line with other Commonwealth nations that have already had for a long time treaties with their First Peoples.

Because of the nature of the government business program and the importance of the bill that we will shortly be debating, the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025, I do want to flag that it is the government’s intention that we sit until 10 pm tonight. On this side of the house, members have said very clearly that they are leaders, that they want to speak directly to their communities about why they will be supporting a statewide treaty. They will be doing that because they want to see better outcomes and better living conditions and they want to see equity and fairness for our First Peoples, who for too long have been denied those basic things that the rest of us have the opportunity to take for granted. So as I said, it is our intention that we will sit until 10 pm tonight. I understand that you, Deputy Speaker, and the Speaker will work to organise dinner breaks as required.

I very much look forward to, on this historic day, listening to the contributions of every member of this house that is going to stand up and make a contribution; I want to hear them all. I want to hear what those on the other side have got to say for themselves, quite frankly, because for a long time they were in support of treaty. They were in support of treaty until they saw an opportunity to take the low road. That is what they saw, and that is what they have gathered together –

Members interjecting.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I look forward to the contribution of the newly appointed – returning for a second shot at it – Manager of Opposition Business. I look forward to the contribution of the member for Hawthorn. I look forward to the contribution of the member for Kew. I look forward to those contributions in particular because I know that their communities support the work that we are doing. But as I said, I look forward to the contributions of members on my side of the chamber who were speaking to communities that are a bit ambivalent about this, but because they are leaders, because they are strong and they will do what is right, they will stand in this place and they will argue for statewide treaty, and then they will share that with the communities that they represent to say why this is the right thing to do, because we are about fairness and justice and equity and doing the right thing by the First Peoples of this great nation of ours.

We will also be debating the Mental Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. Again, this is all about our government’s ongoing commitment to deliver on the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. We understand that the principal act needs updating and amending as our service system continues to evolve, so we will be debating some changes that we are making to the act and the Health Services Act 1988 to enable the information-sharing reforms set out in recommendation 62 of the royal commission.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, if you could just assist the Chair, I am not sure if I heard you move the motion for the government business program. I am sorry if you are repeating yourself.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I am so excited to be here, can I tell you. I move:

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 16 October 2025:

Statewide Treaty Bill 2025

Parks and Public Land Legislation Amendment (Central West and Other Matters) Bill 2025

Mental Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2025

Building Legislation Amendment (Fairer Payments on Jobsites and Other Matters) Bill 2025.

Such a historic week, I was carried away, Deputy Speaker. I ask for your forgiveness, but I commend the government business program to the house.

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:28): If there was no other sign of how shambolic this government is in managing this chamber, the government forgot to move the government business program before delivering the speech on the government business program. If I may reflect on the time since I have been Manager of Opposition Business, the standards have slipped, not that they were good to start with. It is not as if they were high-flyers and big achievers in this chamber. At best they were near passes on their best day, but today we have had the Leader of the House in this place get up to speak on the government business program and forget to move the motion.

What are we debating this week? We only know because in her last 20 seconds the Leader of the House figured it out and ran it off. It was very, very quick. You could see in the contribution from the Leader of the House how shambolic their management of this chamber is. The management of this chamber is a joke. I can tell you I am going to start in the way I intend to proceed: we will be opposing the government business program. You will see in my management of opposition business that we will be holding the government to account for their appalling behaviour in this chamber and taking the fight right up to the government when it comes to the appalling management of this chamber.

I must confess to the chamber that I was aware the Leader of the House had not moved the motion, but I thought we might get to the full 5 minutes and the Leader of the House might just fully forget. I thought, ‘Will I be kind and let her know that it has not been moved?’ – because that would be an epic error – and I thought on this one occasion, on this first day of being in the job, I would not be kind. I am sorry, Leader of the House. But fortunately on this occasion you were prompted with 20 seconds to go and we heard of a motion after the speech was given.

The Leader of the House did speak to a number of significant issues that are occurring this week in the chamber. Another significant debate that will soon commence is on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025. Notice was given earlier today, which I imagine will be a significant opportunity next week.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order–

James NEWBURY: Oh. I did not even take a point of order when you did not even move the motion.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, we are talking about the government business program. The voluntary assisted dying bill is only being introduced today – the bill has not even been distributed in the chamber – so I think the Manager of Opposition Business is getting way ahead of himself. He should focus on what the government business program has before us this week.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Brighton had just started straying.

James NEWBURY: I have got to tell you, I would not have done this, but Leader of the House, of all the people who could have a go at someone on detail, after your contribution just now I certainly think I would not be leading with my chin on that. You did not move the motion on the government business program.

We will be opposing this government business program. I did go to the government, and I did ask for consideration in detail on the Parks and Public Land Legislation Amendment (Central West and Other Matters) Bill 2025, which is very important to the community. Significant numbers of our community in Victoria more broadly have raised issues around this bill and the government’s mismanagement of locking up parks. We all remember the Premier saying, ‘We won’t lock up parks.’ She said it on the front page of the Herald Sun last year. Well, guess what this bill does – it locks up parks. So I think there will be an interesting debate on that particular bill.

The bill was an opportunity for consideration in detail. Disappointingly, the government has not got the capacity to take the bill into consideration in detail, because it is hard – you have got to answer questions, you have got to be on top of your brief and you have got to be good at your job. Not everyone is. That is why the government said, ‘No, we won’t take it into consideration in detail.’

We will be opposing the government business program. I will be holding the government to account in this chamber, because their mismanagement has been shown very, very clearly today.

 Lauren KATHAGE (Yan Yean) (12:33): What a fascinating insight into the focus of those opposite this week: T-shirts and technicalities in the week of treaty. What a focus for those opposite. The Manager of Opposition Business made a reference to this government on their best day. Can I make the suggestion that this is their worst day; this is the worst day of those opposite. If they want to accuse us of appalling management of the chamber, as we have heard from those opposite, may I suggest that they stop making it harder for us by shuffling their seats all the time. Perhaps it would be easier if we knew exactly where they would be sitting.

But anyway, that is enough time focusing on those opposite, because the reality is that this is a week to celebrate, and this is a week that tells you what this government is about. You can see all about our government by looking across what we will be debating in the chamber this week. This is a government that is focused on people’s wellbeing. This is a government which is focused on cost-of-living relief and housing. This is a government focused on improving family life. This is a government focused on truth, on treaty and on fairness.

The work that we are furthering this week is not out of nowhere, it was built on the long, hard work of government that has come before. We had the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and reforms, which mean we have the privilege this week of talking about linking our mental health and wellbeing locals to the broader mental health system, and that has only come about because this government has invested so strongly in mental health.

We have the Parks and Public Land Legislation Amendment (Central West and Other Matters) Bill 2025, and we can see there the outdoor recreation strategy being built on. We have announcements today around additional deer hunting stations. I know that members of my community equally value access to areas of great natural beauty and access to recreational opportunities such as deer hunting, and I know the farmers of the Whittlesea region certainly appreciate those who help to keep deer numbers under control near their farms. I think of our outdoor rec strategy as being a strategy for all, including families like mine, for whom time in the outdoors away from it all is where we get our respite and our strength, so I thank the minister for bringing those changes to the house today.

The work around paying tradies fairly really hits home in my community. I especially think of communities like Doreen, where we have a huge number of families who, day to day and week to week, rely on those payments coming through efficiently in their businesses. If those payments are not made on time, those families can really suffer, so I am proud to be part of a government that is bringing fairer payments to the house today for discussion. We think about those families generally with support on the income side – helping to increase income for families – but also with extra efforts that are taken to reduce expenditure. We have the Get Active Kids voucher launching this week, and what a difference it makes to families who rightly want their kids to be involved in sport. My daughter is joining netball for the first time, and she is very excited. She told me yesterday, when she was invited to join the under nine reserves, ‘Mum, I feel like a goddess.’ And I thought, ‘Yes, you are, darling.’

What a week. We can think back to not that long ago when children were not allowed to be with their mothers or their fathers, and that was sanctioned by the government, to a time now when the government is standing here proposing to partner with our First Nations on treaty. What an amazing journey this state has been through. I am only sorry that not everybody impacted is here to see and witness the changes that are coming, because this is truly a momentous time. It is a time that I know all Victorians will come to have deep pride in, and I look forward to the debate in the house today.

 Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (12:38): I rise today to talk on the government business program. As the Manager of Opposition Business said, we will be opposing the government business program today because we did ask to go into consideration in detail on the Parks and Public Land Legislation Amendment (Central West and Other Matters) Bill 2025. We had questions about some issues in this land legislation amendment bill, and the government refused to sit down and go into consideration in detail, so that is why, as articulated by the member for Brighton, we will be opposing today’s business program.

Obviously, the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 comes into the house today, and it will be interesting to see members stand on their feet and talk about the Statewide Treaty. As a lot of members on our side, especially on the Nats side, have a heavy population of First Nations people in their electorates, it will be good to be able to bring a voice here, and I look forward to hearing some of our members talk on the Statewide Treaty as well.

The Mental Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 is another one that does come up, and I think every member in the chamber has issues regarding mental health in their community. You do not have to walk too far down your main street or down a little side street in your own electorate or your own home towns to see the impacts on people that unfortunately are suffering from mental health issues. To have some issues brought up by the royal commission being able to be spoken about in the chamber in the next day or so I think will move us down the track in trying to help out those people that do suffer from mental health issues. In my electorate in the Latrobe Valley, we are struggling to accommodate in facilities the numbers of people that are suffering from mental health issues, with some of those being medical issues and some of those being because of substance abuse, and to be able to look after them and make sure that they are getting the best help they can. I think as parliamentarians we need to stand and do the right thing and have facilities that can accommodate people that have mental health issues and make sure we are treating them responsibly and properly.

The Building Legislation Amendment (Fairer Payments on Jobsites and Other Matters) Bill 2025 is something that will be in my wheelhouse, being a tradie. Obviously everyone knows I am a plumber by trade, and I have seen firsthand the issues of non-payment. Unfortunately, sometimes when people are on the Big Build in Melbourne, or tradies that have done work inside schools and so forth, it is the government that have been dragging their feet on these non-payments. We need to make sure there is fairer payment on jobsites and access for tradies to an avenue where they are not sitting there hoping that they are going to be paid, feeling like they are being coerced, that they have to go to the next job because they are promised if they go to that job they will get paid. We need that fairer avenue and that transparency so mums and dads that are setting up their own businesses to make an honest living for their family do not feel like they have got this weight around their neck of being able to put food on the table and keep a roof over their family’s heads because building contractors are being lax about providing the money and the payment for works that have already been achieved. We need to make sure that all these avenues are ticked off. No matter if you are a plumber, if you are an electrician or if you are a tiler working on infrastructure around Victoria, in the city or in the regions, we need to make sure that we are looking after our tradies. So as the member for Brighton said, we are opposing the government business program today, and I look forward to the debate on it that will ensue.

 Ella GEORGE (Lara) (12:43): I am pleased to speak on the government business program. I think it is safe to say it will be a busy week in the house this week. It is great to be back after about four weeks away back in our communities doing lots of important work for our electorates, and it is really nice to see colleagues so refreshed and ready and some ready for new roles. I congratulate those opposite on their new roles and the old roles that some have stepped back into.

We have four bills that we are debating this week on the government business program: the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025, the Parks and Public Land Legislation Amendment (Central West and Other Matters) Bill 2025, the Mental Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 and the Building Legislation Amendment (Fairer Payments on Jobsites and Other Matters) Bill 2025. As usual, it is covering a broad range of topics, which really speaks to the breadth and diversity of government business and the important issues that are at the heart of everything this state Labor government does, covering topics including increasing national parks and public land available for people to enjoy on weekends, supporting Victorians with their mental health and ensuring better mental health outcomes, providing for fairer payments on jobsites that the member for Morwell spoke beautifully about, and the importance of this for his community. It is something that I could not agree with him more on. It is incredibly important for our communities that tradies and subcontractors are paid fairly, and I look forward to hearing the member’s contribution in that debate.

And of course we will be debating legislation to establish the first statewide treaty in Victoria. It is a historic week in the Victorian Parliament and for our state. As the Leader of the House said, we will have a very, very significant debate today and tonight, as I hear we will be here until around 10 pm. We have an opportunity for members in this place to be leaders – for members to be leaders in their communities, for members to be leaders who back in First Peoples in their electorates. That is exactly what I intend to be this week in this place, as all of my colleagues on this side will be. We will be leaders. We will be leaders in our community, we will be leaders in Victoria and we will be leaders for First People in this state.

I am looking forward to hearing the contributions that my colleagues will make over the course of today and this evening. It is an incredibly important bill for my community. I represent the northern part of Geelong, and across the entire Geelong region there are I think around 10,000 First Nations people. With a large population like that, this is something that I hear about regularly, as does the member for Geelong. I want to take this opportunity to commend the member for Geelong for her leadership in this space, and what a leader she is in our community.

This is something that we as local MPs hear from our communities about on a regular basis. We hear their support for treaty. We hear our First Nations communities asking our government to be leaders and to introduce this bill, to introduce this legislation and to create a fairer state for all Victorians. Treaty is not about taking anything away from anyone. It is about closing the gap – closing the gap between First Peoples and other Victorians – and it is about a better future for us all. I will be making a contribution later today. I believe I am quite low down on the speaking list, so you may be hearing from me later into the evening. I will be proud to make that contribution. I will be proud to vote in support of treaty at the end of the week, as I know my colleagues will.

It is so disappointing to see those opposite, who have backflipped. After saying they would support treaty, they are now saying they will not. It is not too late. Those opposite can backflip again. It is not that hard; they have done it once or twice. It is not too late to support treaty. I hope that after hearing the contributions from members today in this place, those opposite will think twice about how they cast their vote at the end of this week.

This government business program speaks to the values of our Labor government: our values of fairness, of equality, of building a future that is better for all Victorians, of leaving a legacy behind but leaving no-one behind, of supporting Victorians with their mental health by implementing the important recommendations that came out of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and of supporting workers. There is nothing more Labor than supporting workers on job sites and supporting workers to ensure that they get paid on time, that tradies get paid and that subcontractors get paid for the work that they have delivered. I am proud to support the government business program, and I commend it to the house.

 Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (12:48): I rise to speak on this government business program. I echo the words of my colleagues the member for Brighton and the member for Morwell, and I would like to add a few things. In this government business program this week the Labor government is bringing forth the Victorian treaty bill, plus the parks bill, the building bill and the mental health bill – those are the abbreviated names of those bills. But it is likely the government will sit until at least 10 pm today and potentially tomorrow as well to debate treaty, as I understand it, because all if not most Labor MPs wish to speak on it.

There probably will not be much time for those latter three bills, which will be debated in the remainder of what we have for the week. In any event, this government business program represents more of Labor’s misplaced priorities, whether that is a treaty that will divide and not unite Victorians, cost a fortune and not guarantee actual improved outcomes and a closing of the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians, or indeed all Victorians – and indeed could make things worse with bureaucracy being increased – or whether it is a parks bill that will lock up a further 70,000 hectares of land into new parks, which will have impacts, including things like firewood bans, restrictions for beekeepers and other usage restrictions.

This contradicts the Premier’s own 2024 promise that ‘I will never put a padlock on our public forest’. Yet what is happening now?

What we should instead be urgently addressing in this government program are things like the growing debt under this Labor government, going up to $194 billion in just a couple of years time, which is $29 million of interest a day, more than $1 million of interest every single hour, which could be spent on things like public schools, hospitals, fixing our potholes and much more. Or in this government business program we could be talking about the increased taxes under this government: 62 new or increased taxes taking from people who are working hard in Victoria and hitting their back pockets, whether it is land tax or much more, which is stopping investment in housing and stopping investment in small business and more. We could be talking in this government business program about the growing waste in Victoria on major projects and much more. Is it a $40 billion-plus blowout on major projects, or is it even more now? We have had blowouts on the Commonwealth Games and so much more. Or in this government business program we could be talking about the housing and homelessness crisis: 65,000-plus people are now on the public housing waitlist. We have record levels of homelessness, and as an example, in my electorate we have the highest amount of people who are experiencing rough sleeping as a form of homelessness in the whole of Victoria. Or in this government business program we could be talking about fixing our roads, which are falling apart and have seen increasingly dropped maintenance of them. My wife has to keep reminding me on a constant basis when I am driving with her to switch lanes on the Nepean Highway just to avoid these constant potholes so I do not crash my car or hit someone or anything else.

We could also be talking about the cost-of-living crisis in Victoria. We have people lining up at food banks. We have people struggling to pay their bills, to purchase their groceries, to pay their rent and to keep up with their mortgages. Or we could be talking about the growing crime rate in Victoria, with people afraid to be alone in their house or to live in their house with the constant break-ins; or the rise in youth crime rates; or the 1100-plus police shortage, which has also led to reductions in police reception hours and much more, with police saying they are just trying to keep up.

Or what about public transport? I know the member for Mildura has a lack of passenger rail services in her electorate, as I have in my electorate as well. The electorates of Mornington and Mildura are two of our electorates across Victoria that have zero passenger rail services, and yet this government wants to spend, what, $200 billion-plus on a new Suburban Rail Loop, which is ‘TBC’ on the budget papers.

Jade Benham: They’re doing a development of the MCG.

Chris CREWTHER: Exactly. So this government have their priorities wrong. They should be focusing on things that Victorians actually want them to tackle instead of these things on the sidelines of what Victorians are talking about.

 Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (12:53): I seek, by leave, indulgence to make a small contribution on the government business program on behalf of the crossbench.

Leave refused.

Will FOWLES: I move, by leave:

That this house directs the manager of government business to share plans about extended sittings with every member of the house and not just the Labor caucus, the Liberal caucus, the Nationals caucus and the Greens caucus.

Leave refused.

Assembly divided on motion: