Thursday, 19 March 2026

 Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (10:00): We are seeing more and more mismanagement, waste and corruption under this Labor government. This week the government have agreed to pay $125 million due to their COVID mismanagement. I was not an MP during COVID – probably a blessing in disguise – but I was running my own small business and know how hard it was. This is on top of $15 billion of CFMEU corruption, tens of billions of dollars of major project cost blowouts, nearly $600 million not to host the Commonwealth Games and $1 million an hour of interest payments due to the debt levels this government has got us to. Then the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Amendment (Follow the Money) Bill 2026, which was passed with the support of all parties in the Council yesterday, was shamefully blocked by this Labor government last night, and the Premier did not even bother showing up for the vote. It does not matter who is in charge of this Labor government, this has all happened under their watch. We have seen continued mismanagement, waste and corruption. These are taxpayer dollars that could be spent on crucial services and infrastructure in our communities, whether it comes to education, health, potholes on roads and so much more. We need a change of government this November to ensure that the Victorian people have their money looked after, that they are looked after and that we are spending on the crucial services and infrastructure that they need.