Tuesday, 28 October 2025

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (12:14): 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 30 October 2025:

Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2025

State Taxation Further Amendment Bill 2025

Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2025.

We come together in this place this week for a very big and important debate on a range of bills that are on the government business program but also an important bill that is not on the GBP, which is because it is not on the guillotine, with the amendments in the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025.

I just want to take a few moments to talk about this bill. This is a bill on which I know many people in this chamber have spent some time deliberating, and that will form their opinions about how they will vote on the bill. I can inform the house that on this side of the house the Australian Labor Party will be enabling each of our members to have a conscience vote. We are doing that because we recognise that this is a sensitive issue. I want to say from the outset that within our party we respect the differing views that are held by members in our caucus, just as we do those on the other side.

I was here back in 2017, and it was a big threshold debate at that time. It was challenging in many ways for a number of reasons. This is a bill that amends existing law and seeks to better align us with other states and jurisdictions. However, I am not going to talk to that because that would be improper in the GBP debate, and I do not want to give the member for Brighton an opportunity to jump up on his feet right now. However, I do just want to take time – and I am sure the member for Brighton will join me in doing so – to speak to the house about the importance of us looking out for each other during this debate, because it raises many, many issues. I do not know what is going on in everyone’s life in this chamber, but I do know that for some people some really difficult things are happening right now, and have happened, and that this debate can bring up a number of those issues. I think it is incumbent on all of us to be respectful of one another, to listen to one another and to hear each other out. For that reason, I also need to flag that, to ensure that everyone who wants to use their voice can, we will be sitting late tonight and may sit late tomorrow night, but this is in the hands of the chamber. I did just want to say all of that. I look forward to the debate because I know that we will have many considered contributions. I know every contribution in this place is considered by my colleagues – I know you all put a great deal of thought into them – but this is one where I know that there will be many deeply felt speeches, and some people will find that hard. Again, I want to say that we are all here for all of us. We hold this unique, strange role, but we have got to look out for each other in times like this.

We will also be debating the Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, which is about our government’s commitment to tackling the rising cost of living and ensuring that the markets that serve Victorians are fair and transparent and work for them. This goes in particular to renters rights. Our government is resolutely on the side of renters. We want to make renting fairer. We want to ensure that Victorians that are renting have greater access to protections, and this bill delivers on our commitment to create a portable rental bond scheme, amongst other things.

We will also be talking about the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. That is about improving the safety and amenity within our public transport system. The bill delivers on our government’s commitment to strengthening compliance and enforcement of industry laws, as they relate to the transport sector, and to improving industry transparency.

We will also be debating the State Taxation Further Amendment Bill 2025. It makes a range of amendments to various taxation acts to keep our tax system fair for property owners who are living on their property, makes reforms to tackle the spiralling cost of congestion in our city and makes amendments to make sure Victoria has an efficient and fair tax code. I commend this government business program to the house.

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:20): I will first make some remarks in relation to the government business program but then, in the spirit of the rest of the government business for the week, will make some comments in relation to that, as did the Leader of the House. In relation to the government business program, which sets three bills for debate this week, we will be opposing the government business program. Considering the activity of the chamber this week on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025, there is no way that this house will be able to do anything with those three bills other than to ram them through.

One of them I can certainly understand in relation to state tax. We on this side of the house know the government has increased or introduced 63 new taxes, so it does not surprise me that there will not be much time for debate during government business on the State Taxation Further Amendment Bill 2025, as is the case with the other two bills. We can see that the government’s chamber time, as I have said repeatedly, is mismanaged. You can see that any bill, especially when it comes to taxation, is rushed through at every opportunity, sometimes with under two hours of debate – very, very swift ramming through of very impactful legislation. These great big new taxes on car parks and on pets will certainly have an impact on every Victorian. Not allowing the chamber enough time to debate these issues properly of course should be opposed.

I will also make some comments around the voluntary assisted dying legislation. The coalition will be enabling a free vote for all members on that legislation and all matters relating to it. When it comes to amendments moved by any member, every member on our side of the chamber will have the capacity to consider each issue on its merits and vote in that way, as will also be the case when it comes to any procedural matters. That may be a different approach to the government’s in terms of motions of that nature, but on anything relating to procedure and anything in relation to an amendment and the substantive matter, members on this side of the chamber will have a free vote to consider the matters on their merits and vote as they will.

Also I believe the minister is considering a consideration-in-detail opportunity. Every member, if that were to occur, would have an opportunity to talk to the minister throughout that process. Consideration in detail is not an opportunity many members have experienced before, but it is an opportunity for members to ask questions of a minister and have answers on issues which they are concerned about or queries in relation to a bill. Consideration in detail is a very important opportunity for the chamber, so I would certainly encourage any member who has genuine questions around a bill to come and in good spirit ask questions relating to the substance of the matter. I was very glad to hear the Leader of the House outline that members would have an opportunity to speak, because, as the minister said, this is a deeply personal issue, and I am sure it will be a very, very difficult debate for everybody. No matter where you sit on this issue, I am sure we will all find this a very difficult conversation and a difficult conversation for the broader community; for our communities talking to us as their members, this is a very difficult issue. I know that the house will have time extended. I am aware that at least half the members of this chamber want to speak on it already, so the opportunity to speak is important.

I am also really glad and thank the Leader of the House for her indication that we will likely move the debate into a second day rather than trying to run through the night. Because it is such an important issue and because it is such a deeply personal issue in many ways, I think it is important that we all have a clear head when we talk about these matters. Going through the amendments exhaustively in the middle of the night probably, in my view, would not be the best way to do it. I think having a full debate today and then a bit of a debate tomorrow and then going through the consideration in detail and other matters is appropriate tomorrow. I thank the government on that matter.

On the government business program, as I said earlier, we will be opposing it for the reasons that I outlined earlier.

 Dylan WIGHT (Tarneit) (12:25): It is a pleasure to rise this afternoon and contribute in favour of this government business program. It is a pretty packed legislative agenda that we have here for this sitting week – coming into this sitting week with a packed legislative agenda right off the back of creating history in the last sitting week by passing Australia’s first ever treaty bill. It is a packed legislative agenda. As has been spoken about prior to my contribution, we will be dealing with a voluntary assisted dying bill. As has been spoken about, we will be sitting late to deal with that. I think, as the member for Brighton said, a lot of people in this chamber would like to make a contribution on this side and as we have just heard on the other side as well. Members will be afforded a conscience vote on this issue, which I think is appropriate. I will respectfully disagree with the member for Brighton that because we are dealing with this piece of legislation we cannot deal with anything else this week – of course we can. It is a packed legislative agenda, and there is incredibly important legislation on here.

Just to go to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025, at the outset I acknowledge that there are a lot of deeply held personal views on this issue. I also acknowledge that those personal views often come or are often informed from deep personal experiences that people have had with loved ones and with friends across the journey, and I am absolutely no different than that: my view on voluntary assisted dying is informed by a deeply personal experience from when I was young. So with the acknowledgement that it is a conscience vote, I will reiterate the sentiment from the Leader of the House just about having respect for people’s views and respect in particular for the experiences that people have had throughout their lives in respect to this piece of legislation.

As I said, that is obviously an incredibly important part of the government business program this week and one that will take up a considerable amount of time, as you would imagine – a conscience vote, sitting late. But there are other pieces of legislation that we need to debate this week as well, because as I said, this government has a packed legislative agenda – it has had since it was elected in 2014, and this term has been absolutely no different. We have got the State Taxation Further Amendment Bill 2025 as well. I think the member for Brighton touched on this briefly. I think he may have called it a ‘big new tax’, which I once again will very respectfully disagree with. I mean, this is not a tax hike; this is about holding larger corporations to account and closing loopholes that they have been exploiting for some time.

Members interjecting.

Dylan WIGHT: It is about closing loopholes that have been exploited for some time – I was trying to have a really respectful government business program contribution today – whilst protecting small and medium businesses at the same time. Right? So that has not changed. What we will do is close loopholes that have been exploited for far too long, and I think that is absolutely appropriate to be able to do this week, whilst we also deal with the very important voluntary assisted dying piece of legislation.

We have consumer legislation on the government business program as well, which aligns Victoria’s consumer framework with national standards and reduces duplication rather than adding to it. I said at the beginning of this contribution that we come into this sitting week with a packed legislative agenda on the back of creating history in the last sitting week by passing Australia’s first ever treaty bill. There are three incredibly important pieces of legislation on the government business program this week. Obviously we will be sitting late and going to all hours of the morning to pass the voluntary assisted dying bill, and I commend it to the house.

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (12:30): I too rise to support the Manager of Opposition Business in opposing this week’s government business program. I will first deal with the three bills that are on the government business program. To come back to some comments made by the member for Tarneit that the State Taxation Further Amendment Bill 2025 does not introduce or increase taxes, along with the 63 that have already been introduced or increased, wanting to have a respectful debate would also denote that one should be factual whilst having those debates.

Talking about the pet tax, for example, I got quite a response to a little Instagram post about how our pets are quite often the best source of mental health support that we can have, particularly in the regions. Increasing pet registrations during a cost-of-living crisis certainly does not help that case. That is the cost to councils, mind you, and if councils do not pass that on, then it is just another cost-shifting exercise to local government, which again, can ill afford that. And let us not forget the car park tax. Again, if we want to keep debate respectful, then we need to be factual in that debate. There are increased taxes and extensions in that bill.

The Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 is the portable bond scheme. When I was a renter, that would have been very, very helpful. Hopefully that will help out landlords as well, because we know that during a housing crisis we need to incentivise those housing providers – we call them that now because the term ‘landlords’ has apparently been demonised. That is the best way we know to solve a housing crisis, not set unrealistic targets.

The Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 also gives an opportunity for members, including me, to talk about public transport or the lack thereof, particularly in Mildura. I think I have brought up no less than about 12 times in this place during my term the lack of public transport in the Mildura electorate and the lack of a passenger train, which we will continue to work on.

So with three bills as well as the very important debate and consideration in detail of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025, I am hoping that those on this side get a chance to talk about those other bills that are on the government business program. I know that my colleagues that sit beside me are very, very passionate about all of the issues that are going on within those topics, particularly the state taxation amendment bill, in their own electorates, having been talking to people within the community.

We will be of course sitting late tonight to debate and contribute on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill. As has been stated by the speakers before me, this is something that will draw on the lived experience and personal experience of a lot of members in this place. Oftentimes people will say that perhaps we should separate emotion from our role in this place. I respectfully disagree. I think lived experience is the best place to contribute from in this place. The members for Morwell, Shepparton and Euroa of course have done an extensive amount of stakeholder engagement and personal engagement on this subject. Having never sat through consideration in detail during this term, I think it is something that – although the debate will be quite impactful – we are all looking forward to working through over the course of the next couple of days.

Although we oppose the government business program because we probably will not get a huge amount of time for all of those speakers – and as we can see from our government business program, the Nationals have got a long list of speakers on all of the bills and parts of business during this week – I just hope we get an opportunity to each make meaningful contributions this week.

 Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (12:35): I too rise to speak on this week’s government business program and in support of it. It has been pointed out to me – I mean, we all get very busy in this house – that there are only a couple of sitting weeks to go before we wrap up here for the year. Someone did send me how many weeks it is to Christmas, which also gave me quite a big fright. But this week, from our government business program, it is entirely clear that we are not intending to slow down any time before the Christmas and crazy season is upon us.

This week is shaping up to be another incredibly busy week here in this place as we aim to pass some very substantial and very important legislation through this chamber. Four bills in total will be going through the Assembly this week, and I know for a fact that some of them will generate some very important and serious debate in this place. We have the Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, which will deliver on our government’s planned reforms, including our government’s fair fuel plan which we announced earlier this year, as well as delivering more of our bold and ambitious rental reforms, including the portable bond scheme. I am looking forward to speaking in this place on this bill in particular when it comes before the chamber.

We also have the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, which will make a number of legislative changes to the operation of our commercial passenger vehicle industry as well as delivering on modernising our public transport ticketing system so that at long last people can use their debit and credit cards to tap on. I, for one, cannot wait for that. I cannot wait to speak on that bill in particular. The next one off the rank is the State Taxation Further Amendment Bill 2025, which will, among other things, act on some of the tax changes announced in the state budget this year, such as the changes being made to the congestion levy. And we have a really important bill before the house, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025. There has been a lot of talk about this bill and these proposed changes over many weeks and months. I know this is probably going to take up the lion’s share of the debate this week.

But all pieces of legislation are important, and this week they are all quite substantial. When I think about the government’s fair fuel plan I have to say – I would not normally say this in here – I had some amazing feedback from this random guy at a servo in Melbourne’s west. I was all dressed up heading off to Werribee for the West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance summit before spending some time with the Premier in Sunshine. I was filling up my car. I drove my car in on empty, and as I was filling it up I could see this person out of the corner of my eye smiling and starting to wave at me. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what is going to happen here? It is 8 o’clock in the morning.’ He wanted to tell me he had been on my Facebook page that morning at 7 am and seen the Servo Saver announcement that we had made. He had seen it on my Facebook page. He told me I was not even his member of Parliament but he had driven to this service station to fill up because it was the cheapest place in Melbourne’s west to fill up at the time. I thought that was so funny. And he said, ‘Thank you so much. Thank you for everything that you do, and this Servo Saver is absolutely brilliant,’ so there is a bit of wonderful feedback. It was a great start to the day in Melbourne’s west. I cannot wait to talk on this bill; I thought that was great.

All of the pieces of legislation before the house this week are very important. Another five pieces of legislation have been introduced to Parliament this morning to sit in the dock for future sitting weeks. This is another example of this government getting on and undertaking the really important work of legislative reform here in Victoria to create an equal, fairer Victoria for all Victorians. The government business program is just another example of the very meaty business programs that we put before the house that get on with the job of passing the legislation that the Victorian community want us to bring to this place and, as members of Parliament and politicians, they expect us to get on and talk about and deliver. I think this is another really great government business program, and I wholeheartedly commend it to the house.

 Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (12:40): I rise today to speak on the government business program, joining my colleague the member for Brighton, my other colleague the member for Mildura and others who have spoken on this. Firstly, the coalition, for the reasons outlined by my colleagues, will be opposing the government business program. We have a number of bills that are coming up this week and indeed a long set of debates. We do have the State Taxation Further Amendment Bill 2025, the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 and the Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, and also we are debating this week the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025. We are looking to run potentially to 10 pm or perhaps later tonight and potentially running that debate tomorrow as well in what is a very important issue as to if, when and how voluntary assisted dying should occur or should not occur. There will be many MPs on all sides of this chamber, and also in the other chamber when they get to debate it as well, who will have various opinions and very strong opinions on this issue. There will be a number of free votes on this issue and amendments that I am sure many colleagues will be putting up.

I want to go further into this state taxation bill, which effectively is adding a congestion tax here in Victoria. We have a government that has introduced 62 new or increased taxes and is only adding more. We have a 100 per cent increase in the state government portion of pet registration fees. There are so many Victorians – I believe there are more than 1 million households in Victoria that own pets – who will be facing increased charges because of this. We will also have a 73 per cent increase in the congestion levy. Going further into this, there are a number of flaws and concerns about the state taxation bill. The congestion levy hike is basically a blatant cash grab, not a congestion measure, and the Department of Treasury and Finance admitted that no modelling has been done since 2016. It will see $85 million to $90 million in new annual revenue but with no evidence it will reduce congestion or emissions. The costs will be passed directly to consumers, consumers who are already struggling, and industry says it will be $13 a day per car space, not the government’s claim of $3.50 a day.

Going to the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill, I was pleased this week to have been announced as the new Shadow Assistant Minister for Public Transport, assisting my colleague the member for Nepean in this new role. I look forward to contributing in that role and doing what I can to increase access to public transport in Victoria, as well as for more frequent public transport, more speeds and more access, particularly for regional Victoria.

Jade Benham interjected.

Chris CREWTHER: Like a train in Mildura or a train in Mornington or in many places that do not have public transport altogether. This Transport Legislation Amendment Bill, while it has been framed as a safety measure, in effect establishes a broad surveillance regime with minimal safeguards, granting sweeping and disturbing discretion to the regulator and booking service providers. There are a number of other issues. It is a major and massive privacy overreach. Recordings will, for example, capture private, privileged and sensitive conversations without consent. There will be no requirement for passenger notice or consent, leaving travellers unaware that they are being recorded.

On the Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill, there are a number of concerns with that as well. We have the portable bond scheme, which is underwritten by the Victorian government, exposing taxpayers to financial risk for unpaid or disputed bonds, with no published cost estimate. The fuel price scheme adds daily reporting obligations and heavy red tape for small, family-run fuel retailers. The claimed $330 a year savings per household are unrealistic and based on flawed modelling, assuming consumers buy at the market low each day.

Overall we have a government business program which is heavy on overreach, regulation and new costs and light on transparency and accountability. With the transport bill, we have privacy overreach and surveillance without consent. The consumer bill is introducing new red tape, and we have the tax bill adding more taxes – (Time expired)

Assembly divided on motion: