Tuesday, 17 February 2026

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:24): My question is to the Minister for Women. Minister, how do jobs reserved for state-sponsored strippers on Big Build sites show respect to women?

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Women) (14:24): I thank the member for her question. The Premier has been very clear on this matter, as I will be right now. This behaviour is absolutely unacceptable, and it is why our Premier took such decisive action back in 2024 when she vowed that we would do everything that we could in order to stamp out the rotten culture that had taken root in our building industry. Since that time of course it has been a federal Labor government that appointed an administrator to the CFMEU, and we back the administrator for the work that he has done to get rid of the bad actors who were found to be at work in the building and construction industry.

On this side of the house we stand every single day for working people and the right of all working people to go to a workplace that is safe and one where they are respected regardless of their gender, their sex, their faith or their background. We have always stood resolutely in defence of working people. What is more, we have always stood in defence of the right of all workers to organise in unions. But we expect that those unions will always act in the best interests of their membership, and when they do not what we have seen is strong and decisive action taken by a Labor government.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for South-West Coast can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for South-West Coast withdrew from chamber.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I might say, that was after many failed attempts by previous federal Liberal governments, who talked a big game, who established a royal commission and who achieved zip from that royal commission.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister has reverted to type and is now choosing to attack the Liberal Party rather than respond to the question, and I ask you to bring her back to the question: how does employing strippers respect women?

The SPEAKER: I am aware of the question, member for Lowan. You do not need to repeat the question in your point of order. The minister to continue. The minister was being relevant.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I think I have been entirely relevant to the question. At the very outset I expressed the outrage that is felt by all of those on this side of the house. We will not stand by when women are disrespected in the workplace, and that is why we have taken decisive action every step of the way and at all times that we have held government in this place. We will always work to protect working people, unlike those on the other side of the house, whose history is one of stripping away the rights and entitlements of working people.

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:28): Geoffrey Watson’s report reveals that Big Build sites are ‘incredibly awful’ and ‘dangerous for women’. Why has the minister failed to keep women safe on Big Build construction sites?

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Women) (14:28): It is our government that has proudly implemented a range of initiatives right across our building projects to ensure that women have every opportunity to work in the construction industry and to access jobs and careers that have previously been denied them. It is our government that has taken decisive action to ensure that other people who have not always been represented in –

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is not being responsive. This is a very unsafe workplace where strippers have been brought in to excite the male workers.

The SPEAKER: I am not sure what your point of order is, member for Lowan.

Emma Kealy: I ask you to bring her back to that.

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I will conclude by saying that on this side of the house we have worked assiduously to ensure that the investments that we have made in building public infrastructure create jobs and opportunities for women, for First Nations people, for people living with disability and for people from multicultural backgrounds, and we will continue to do so.