Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Business of the house
Program
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Business of the house
Program
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 Thursday 19 February 2026:
Entities Legislation Amendment (Consolidation and Other Matters) Bill 2025
Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Supporting Stable and Strong Families) Bill 2025
Energy and Other Legislation Amendment (Resilience Reforms and Other Matters) Bill 2026.
An important government business program is to be considered in this house today. As I welcome members back for the second sitting week of 2026 I recognise that, as much as everything that we do in this place is vitally important, the time that we spend in our communities listening to our communities and delivering for our communities I think does not always get the same attention but is certainly what drives and motivates members on this side of the house every single day. I had good cause to reflect on this this morning at the new Footscray Hospital, a $1.5 billion investment by our government – a jewel in the crown for Melbourne’s west. Only Labor governments invest in and deliver the health services and infrastructure that our community needs. It was with great pride that I was able to join so many members of the government benches at that new and magnificent hospital today.
But we are back in the house and, as I said, three bills are to be debated in this place. The Entities Legislation Amendment (Consolidation and Other Matters) Bill 2025 goes to the fact that our government is absolutely focused on ensuring that we are delivering the public services that Victorians need, expect and indeed deserve – good schools, world-class hospitals – and making sure we have got safe communities and that we are doing all that we can to deliver help to address the cost-of-living pressures that Victorian families are experiencing. That is why we are focused on addressing, where we have found it, inefficient or a duplication of government activity. That is what the Silver review is all about, and the Entities Legislation Amendment (Consolidation and Other Matters) Bill is part of the way in which we are working to implement some of the recommendations from that important review, because we have to be laser focused on delivering the services that matter most to the people of the Victorian community.
The Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Supporting Stable and Strong Families) Bill 2025 goes to the heart of what good Labor governments are all about. It is really about protecting our most vulnerable children, and the way in which we can best do that is by supporting families. The best place for a child is in a well-supported family, and we must do everything within our power to support children to grow up in strong, stable homes. The Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Supporting Stable and Strong Families) Bill proposes to introduce a new model of shared responsibilities across the Victorian government to improve outcomes for at-risk children, young people and families. I have got to say as the Minister for Health I really welcome this bill. I welcome the opportunity to take on the challenge that this bill presents to government to ensure that all of our agencies are directed appropriately to support our most vulnerable and at-risk children and, as I have said, to also ensure that we are supporting strong, healthy, stable families. So that is a very important bill before the house. One goal of the bill is reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. We are absolutely committed to acquitting recommendations arising from the Yoorrook for Justice report, and this will go to acquitting recommendation 25 of that report.
Finally, the Energy and Other Legislation Amendment (Resilience Reforms and Other Matters) Bill 2026 is extremely timely, given the fact that we are on an extreme fire risk day today and given the devastating fires that we have seen this year already. We know that these catastrophic conditions that we have experienced have impacted our electricity distribution network – that is, the poles and wires that get electricity to homes and where it is needed. I want to acknowledge and take the time to thank the crews that have been working around the clock to ensure that power is re-established as quickly as it can be. We do need to ensure that we have got reliable power, and this bill goes part of the way to ensuring that we have resilient power now and into the future, given the high-fire-risk state that we all live in. I commend the government business program to the house.
James NEWBURY (Brighton) (13:45): This debate on the government business program is a debate effectively around what we expect this house to deal with over the week – over the three days – and the matters that will be debated, and I recall in the last sitting week when we spoke about the government business program I spoke about time management in this place, which I again refer to today. In that debate I talked about the fact that I expected that the government business program would not be what was considered by the chamber, and the government members thereafter took great umbrage and tried to take the high moral ground both during that debate and for a number of days about how this chamber’s time was very precious and how the government would only be dealing with what was on the government business program, which turned out not to be true. So it was right and reasonable for us to oppose the government business program on the basis that it was a big fake and the government business program would not be what this house debated.
Again we will not be supporting the government business program, because we know from the track record of this government that what they say and what they do are two very different things. We saw on the last sitting day just before this chamber rose how that was the case and how in that instance the government attempted to use the Parliament’s time to deal with a sledge motion. I think we on this side of the chamber expect, as the government moves this government business program right now, that the government will try and misuse the chamber’s time this week. We have absolutely no faith that what is being proposed will in any way match the outcome of the time in this chamber. In that one instance, though the government tried to move a sledge motion, unfortunately they did not think through how they would do it, and they had to listen to me debate it procedurally for an hour and a half, which I enjoyed but I do not know if they enjoyed.
What it does tell us is that when the government say they are going to do something, when they say they are going to use this chamber’s time to deal with the important issues that are of concern to Victorians, those issues are not considered in the way that they should be. This house’s time is precious, so we would like to hear a commitment from this government – not only some hifalutin promise that the government will be dealing with issues for Victorians but for them to actually match their commitment in terms of how they run this chamber.
Just this morning I have given notice, which will appear on the notice paper, of a motion calling for a royal commission, and I would say of all the issues this chamber could be debating this week, that motion should be attached to the government business program and it should be attached to the debate of the week – and of course it will not be. So we say to the government: $15 billion is wasted through corrupt activity, mismanaged by this government, and not a word of the issue is being considered by this Parliament this week. Can you imagine it? It is almost as if it did not happen, and I am sure the government wish that to be the case.
Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, this is a debate about the government business program. I have been very clear about what items are on the agenda for the program this week, and I ask that you ask the Manager of Opposition Business to come back to the GBP.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will not uphold the point of order, in the sense that the member can give context – but please, on the government business program.
James NEWBURY: I will talk about what the government should be debating, because that is what a government business program is. I can understand why the Labor Party does not want to deal with a royal commission. I can understand why they are touchy. I understand; I think we all are looking on and can see why they are touchy. But $15 billion is wasted. It should be debated this week. Of course the government wants to act like ‘nothing to see here’. We will not be supporting the government business program, and we will be opposing every effort they make this week to waste the Parliament’s time.
Iwan WALTERS (Greenvale) (13:50): By contrast, I rise to support the government business program and the motion that this house consider the three pieces of legislation which I will turn to in a moment.
I note that the house commenced this week again by engaging in a condolence motion, much as we did in the previous sitting week, and there was consternation by those opposite at the end of that sitting week that so much valuable time had been spent condoling with those victims of bushfires in Victoria and also the victims of the Bondi massacre. Today again we express condolences, to the family of Alan Scanlan, who served this place for 18 years or so between 1961 and the late 1970s. Those condolence motions are really important opportunities to reflect on the contribution that we all make in this time. Even though someone like Alan Scanlan had a long career in this place and a long period of serving his community in Oakleigh, the time here is transient. It is valuable. It is important that we focus on the issues that citizens expect of their government.
The member for Gippsland South and Leader of the Nationals mentioned in his condolence contribution that governments exist to serve the community in the ways that matter most. Indeed the government business program this week is discharging that obligation. In the form of the Entities Legislation Amendment (Consolidation and Other Matters) Bill 2025 we have a bill which seeks to ensure that we have efficient spending of government money – of taxpayer money – on the issues and service delivery that matter most to them. Without anticipating debate, while I am conscious that superannuation firms emphasise that past performance is no indicator of future performance necessarily, it is often an indicator of future performance. In previous fiscally oriented bills, those opposite have at every turn called for more spending and lower taxation, so I am really interested to see how those opposite will grapple with that challenge of ensuring that money that is raised from the citizenry of this state to be spent on public services is actually spent on the issues and on the service delivery that matter most. I look forward to their contribution without anticipating debate at all. Those opposite will have their opportunity to contribute in due course this afternoon, and I am sure they will, but I am very interested to see how they grapple with that proposition.
The Energy and Other Legislation Amendment (Resilience Reforms and Other Matters) Bill 2026 goes to the heart of the need for there to be a resilient power network in this state, as the Leader of the House emphasised. We are in a fire-prone state, and today many in her community will be concerned at the fire conditions which are prevalent ahead of a front coming across Victoria later today. This bill’s primary purpose, as the Leader of the House mentioned, is to ensure that Victorians can rely upon the distribution networks which serve them.
Tim Bull: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, on relevance, I believe the member is discussing and debating the contents of the bill rather than the motion.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members know not to anticipate debate, but talk on –
Mary-Anne Thomas: Further to the point of order, Deputy Speaker, there is no point of order whatsoever. The member on his feet was merely outlining what the bill is about. He was not discussing the merits, therefore, of the bill.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I ask the member to continue on the government business program. The member is allowed to give context and a summary of the bill.
Iwan WALTERS: I am certainly providing that context. I note that in 2009, if that is not anticipating debate – it is now 17 years ago, if I am allowed to speak on events which took place 17 years ago – the distribution networks in Kilmore East were the source of a fire that took the lives of many dozens of Victorians in fire-prone areas. My own family live out the back of Healesville, and it is subject to regular power outages as a consequence of being at the end of a part of that distribution network, so I know that they and many other Victorians will be looking forward to the debate on the Energy and Other Legislation Amendment (Resilience Reforms and Other Matters) Bill, because it has a bearing on the way they live their lives and their capacity to feel confident in their ability to get electricity, particularly at times of high fire risk.
Finally, the Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Supporting Stable and Strong Families) Bill 2025 really gets to the first duty of government in a civilised society. I anticipate this will be a really interesting debate. I certainly will not talk about the merits of the bill, but I acknowledge the work of Minister Blandthorn in bringing that bill to this place and the work that has been done in looking at some other jurisdictions in the world that have adopted a corporate parent model whereby everybody, really, in a community and particularly those in government have a responsibility to look after children, particularly those in vulnerable positions. We back our frontline workers. We are serious about reforms to the early childhood sector, reforms that keep Victorian children safe.
Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (13:55): I rise to talk on the government business program this week, and I concur with the Manager of Opposition Business that we will be opposing the government business program once again. The one thing that is on the mind of I think every single Victorian at the moment is probably not what this government business program holds, and it is the corruption that has been outlined through the media right throughout Victoria. I think this is what we should be debating this week. As the Manager of Opposition Business stated, it is $15 billion not of our money in here but of the money of everyday Victorians. While we have the opportunity to call this out and call for a royal commission and get to the bottom of it, it is very hard to stand and actually talk on the government business program, because that is not what is on the minds of people in Victoria. I cannot stand here in good faith and represent my community, because this is the question that they are asking me to bring to Parliament to debate. You would think that with all the allegations and accusations right across our media and what mums and dads in their homes are talking about, we should have the opportunity to lay it bare and put on the table. We are going to get an opportunity coming up shortly with question time, no doubt, but I am not sure we are going to get the answers that we want.
Moving to the government business program, there are three bills this week that are on it. The Energy and Other Legislation Amendment (Resilience Reforms and Other Matters) Bill 2026, which many have alluded to and previous members have got up and spoken about, is about protecting the resilience of our poles and our wires to make sure that we have power right across the state of Victoria. Fires have ravaged the member for Euroa’s electorate, and for years before that she has stood in this place and spoken about the issues that she did have with having a constant power supply into the electorate of Euroa, and that goes right around the state to everybody. We need to make sure that we are here and we are debating purposely bills that are going to make change and make our state better. I look forward to listening to the contributions of everybody that talks on the energy legislation amendment bill, knowing that the Latrobe Valley is the epicentre of producing power and that those wires and poles that we do have start in the Latrobe Valley and spread out right across Victoria.
The Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Supporting Stable and Strong Families) Bill 2025 coming up is also one that we need to be doing. As people have said, it is about protecting our most vulnerable children, and we need to make sure that we are doing the right thing there, looking after not only their needs but the needs of their families as well. The Entities Legislation Amendment (Consolidation and Other Matters) Bill 2025, which is the Silver review into our public sector, needs to be done. But as I close off this government business program, it all revolves back to what is front and centre in the mind of every single Victorian today. We need to make sure that we are doing the right thing, giving the opportunity for everybody to have their say, and we need to stand up for Victoria.
Business interrupted under sessional orders.