Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (14:20): My question is to the Premier. What action has the Premier taken since the release of the Watson report to ascertain how many women have been the subject of inappropriate behaviour or sexual assault on a Big Build site?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:20): I refer the member for Evelyn to my previous answers on this subject matter. In having zero tolerance for this behaviour, I also have zero tolerance ‍–

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question asked what action the Premier has taken since. The Premier has been evasive for the whole day in not responding to that question.

The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. That is not the correct way to raise a point of order.

Ben Carroll: Speaker, there is no point of order. It is very hard for the Premier to answer when she has only been given 12 seconds.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was directly answering the question in that she referred to her previous answers.

Jacinta ALLAN: Again, and for the benefit of the member for Brighton, in referring to my previous answers today in the house on this matter, we have zero tolerance for this behaviour, which is why, when these allegations were made, when –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, women should not be suffering sexual assault at all.

The SPEAKER: Order! We do not need a commentary with your point of order.

Bridget Vallence: On relevance, I would ask you to have her come back to the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: Again I go back to the actions at the time of the reporting of this alleged illegal behaviour. In the middle of 2024 I took immediate action to refer these matters to Victoria Police, to refer these matters to IBAC and to refer these matters to the Fair Work Commission as the agency that has the responsibility to both certify and prove that enterprise bargaining agreements are properly made.

Further to that, in the areas that we are responsible for here in the Victorian government, we took further action in supporting the work of the administrator and his clean-out, and he is having success. We are seeing Victoria Police – 70 charges have been laid against 17 individuals. And I say this to any member – the member for Lowan, the member for Kew, the member for Eildon, the member for Evelyn or any member who wants to use this place to make allegations based on information they hold: you want evidence of action? You should be taking it to Victoria Police. And to support that work, we have provided workers with a protected pathway. Private construction companies who are responsible for these worksites, who are responsible for the delivery of safe and secure worksites for every worker, are now required, because of the action I have taken, to ensure that any concerns and allegations on these worksites are again referred to Victoria Police. These are crimes. These are workers. They should have the respect of having any allegation referred, not weaponised as parliamentary stunts.

 Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (14:24): Will the Premier guarantee that no woman is currently experiencing inappropriate behaviour or sexual assault on Big Build sites, today?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:24): We take allegations of violence against women seriously, whether it is in the home, whether it is on the streets or whether it is in the workplace.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is required to be truthful, and two of her ministers have attacked the reports.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, that is not a point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: As evidence of that, whether it was Australia’s first Royal Commission into Family Violence – we accepted every single one of those recommendations – whether it is the work –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It is very narrow. Can she guarantee that none of this inappropriate behaviour is happening today?

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Evelyn, I ask you not to repeat the question in your point of order. I do not uphold the point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: Whether it is the work we have done more recently to restrict the use of non-disclosure agreements that silence women in workplaces or whether it is the work that we are doing to support police to be able to pursue intervention orders against perpetrators of family violence or the work we are doing to implement the recommendations of the Ministerial Taskforce on Workplace Sexual Harassment, violence against women requires systematic change and systematic effort, and we are doing so in all areas.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Brighton is warned.