Tuesday, 18 November 2025

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:31): My question is to the Premier. The Premier and the minister just now were keen earlier to talk about jobs. AKD has today announced the closure of its Yarram sawmill, costing 73 workers their jobs. The company has blamed the ‘sustained slowdown in housing construction’. Why must Yarram and these 73 workers suffer because the Labor government consistently fails to meet its own target to build 80,000 homes per year?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Tarneit is warned. The member for Werribee is warned. The Leader of the Nationals and the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, please cease having a conversation across the chamber.

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:32): I thank the member for Gippsland South for his question. My thoughts are with those workers in Yarram South, who obviously are, understandably, devastated by the news and the disappointing announcement from AKD to close their Yarram operations. I understand that this is a difficult time. I am advised that there is a formal consultation process that is being worked through with the staff, and I am also advised that Regional Development Victoria is also engaging in a process with staff to support workers, acknowledging that this is a difficult time. But I also, in acknowledging that, take issue with the representation that has been made about the housing industry here in Victoria, because, again, the ABS data tells a different story – that we are approving and building more homes than any other state.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Member for Mildura, this is your last warning. The member for Sunbury can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Sunbury withdrew from chamber.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. The statement was not mine; it was from the company itself, which talked about the ‘sustained slowdown in housing construction’.

Colin Brooks: On the point of order, Speaker, the Leader of the Nationals was being deliberately misleading in the framing of that question. He left out the last few words of that statement. The company’s statement reflects a slowdown in housing construction across the country, not in Victoria.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The minister for public transport can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Minister for Public and Active Transport withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: I ask the minister for advanced manufacturing to raise points of order in the correct form. There is no point of order. The Premier was not debating the question. The Premier was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: The minister for industry has just reminded Victorians once again what we have seen play out in the last couple of days. You cannot trust the Liberal–National parties on one thing.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Attorney-General, this is your last warning.

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

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

Jacinta ALLAN: Are we going to get to the situation in the house where we are going to have to fact-check every single question that is put by those opposite? We will be running the fact checker over the member for Kew and the member for Gippsland South. When it comes to building more homes –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker: debating the question.

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

Jacinta ALLAN: We are building more homes than any other state in the nation. But I will also say this: on this side of the house we know that there is still a lot of work to be done to continue to get more homes built, and part of that work is not just working with industry supporting the supply chain, it is overhauling outdated legislation that says yes to NIMBYs and no to young people getting their homes. And that legislation was in this place last week.

Members interjecting.

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

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order on the question of relevance, Speaker.

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

Jacinta ALLAN: This legislation is central to having a 21st-century legislative and regulatory framework that gets more homes built –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Nationals, this is your last warning!

Jacinta ALLAN: and it is opposed by the Liberal–National parties, who have demonstrated once again that they are not on the side of young Victorians who want to get into their first home. The member for Kew has had a bit to say about this today –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is clearly debating the question. The question was about a very specific set of job closures.

The SPEAKER: I am aware of the question. The Premier will come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: And I say this is a test for the member for Kew. Are you going to overturn your party room or back young people to get a home?

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, nasty personal attacks are not relevant.

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:37): Victoria has a shortage of housing, rising rents and growing social housing waiting lists. How can we possibly see jobs lost in housing construction at a time when we need more houses than ever?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:38): I say to the member for Gippsland South that, if he was truly committed to supporting working people and families in his community, he would stand up in his party room and say, ‘I support the legislation that will get more homes built.’ But we have not seen that. Those opposite are opposing a critical part of the agenda to get more homes built, and that sends a powerful message not just to workers in Yarram. It sends a powerful message to every young Victorian who wants to get into a home that you cannot trust a thing that the Liberal and National parties say when it comes to building more homes.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, again the Premier is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has concluded her answer.