Tuesday, 2 December 2025

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the Premier. There were 100 executives at the Suburban Rail Loop Authority last year, at a cost of almost $33 million. Premier, how many police could be employed for $33 million?

Danny Pearson interjected.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Finance will come to order.

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:02): I am delighted to have the opportunity, provided by the Leader of the Liberal Party, to talk about how our government is delivering the Suburban Rail Loop. Guess what, to deliver this city-shaping project you need people. You need people doing the hard, detailed work.

The SPEAKER: The Premier will resume her seat. On a point of order, member for Eildon.

Cindy McLeish: On relevance, the Premier has already indicated she has no intention of answering the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Eildon will resume her seat. I would ask you to raise points of order in the correct format. The Premier has only been on her feet for 20 seconds. The Premier will continue.

Jacinta ALLAN: I remind the Leader of the Liberal Party that to get on and deliver the vitally important projects our growing city and state needs, the projects that are about building for the future of this great state, you need to employ a few people. You need to employ people who are expert engineers, planners, the people who do the detailed design work –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members will be removed without warning. I know this is the last sitting week of the year, but there is no excuse for being disruptive in the chamber – bar one.

A member interjected.

The SPEAKER: Yes, indeed.

Brad Rowswell: On a point of order, Speaker, in keeping with your previous rulings I will not repeat the question – it was a very narrow question. The Premier, I contend, is debating that question.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, it is clear that there is no point of order. The Premier was not debating the question. She was taking the opportunity to answer the question and outline the work of the people employed at the SRL, and indeed I am sure the Premier looks forward to talking about Victoria Police as well.

The SPEAKER: I would ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: I know for those opposite, who have never delivered or supported a major project in their lives, that it comes as a bit of a mystery how you get these projects delivered – it is a bit of a mystery for them. Indeed I remember questions like this in the early days of delivering the Metro Tunnel, the same project that those opposite called a hoax, which is now open.

Members interjecting.

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

Member for Melton withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: It would be nice to –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I am on my feet. The member for Glen Waverley can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Glen Waverley withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: I will not tolerate this kind of disruption in the chamber. Show some respect to each other.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of relevance, I ask you to bring the Premier back to the question.

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

Jacinta ALLAN: I was asked about both the delivery of the Suburban Rail Loop and the support of our government for Victoria Police, and I remind the Leader of the Opposition that we have backed Victoria Police. We have more police here in Victoria than any other state, and not only do we have more police, we are backing them with the tools and the powers and resources that they need to keep our community safe. I thank Victoria Police for the work that they are doing in keeping our community safe, and we back them – we back our Victoria Police. We give them the additional funding, and I remember –

Brad Rowswell: On a point of order –

Jacinta Allan interjected.

The SPEAKER: The Premier will come to order.

Brad Rowswell: I renew my earlier point of order, Speaker: the question was a very narrow question – I will not repeat the question – but the Premier throughout her answer thus far has been debating that question.

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

The SPEAKER: The point is we are employing more Victoria Police, we are backing Victoria Police and we are delivering the Suburban Rail Loop. We are delivering it as we delivered the Metro Tunnel, which those opposite called a hoax, and we have delivered the West Gate Tunnel, which will open in coming weeks – another project. You know what that has in common with the Metro Tunnel? It was opposed by those opposite, and I will add to that the comparison with the Suburban Rail Loop – opposed by those opposite. They have never supported a major project that is about investing in our city and state.

Members interjecting.

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

Member for Rowville withdrew from chamber.

Jacinta ALLAN: And when you look at the Metro Tunnel, it is about building for the future, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Sam Groth: On a point of order, Speaker, answers to questions must be direct and succinct, and I put to you the Premier has been neither.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked. The Premier has concluded her answer.

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): Victoria is facing shortages of police, teachers and health workers, but today we have learned the government is spending over $466,000 on recruiters to hire yet more executives for the Suburban Rail Loop Authority. How is spending tens of millions of dollars on executives for the SRL fair for the 61,000 Victorians on surgery waiting lists?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Nepean is warned. Member for Eureka!

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Member for Mordialloc! It would be nice to have a quorum at the end of question time in the chamber.

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:09): I will say this to the Leader of the Opposition: we have employed more teachers, we have employed more nurses, we have employed more police. None of this would happen under the $11.1 billion black hole that the Leader of the Opposition cannot explain.

Brad Rowswell: On a point of order, Speaker, I refer you to standing order 118 regarding imputations or improper motives attributed to a member, and I suggest that the Premier is doing such at the minute. I would ask you to ensure that she desists.

The SPEAKER: The Premier did not refer to any particular member of Parliament.

Jacinta ALLAN: Victorians are offended by your $11.1 billion black hole, and so should you be.

Brad Rowswell: On a further point of order, Speaker, the Premier just reflected upon you.

The SPEAKER: The Premier to continue.

Jacinta ALLAN: Bring back the member for Brighton in a hurry. What is fair is making sure those vital public servants – the teachers and nurses and police officers who are delivering vital frontline services – have the connections to get around our great city and state. The Metro Tunnel, the West Gate Tunnel and the Suburban Rail Loop are projects that get people home safer and sooner and to where they want to go. Alongside investing in the future of our city and state, we are making it fairer by building those vital connections to support people to get to where they want to go.