Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 The SPEAKER (16:01): I have accepted a statement from the member for Frankston proposing the following matter of public importance for discussion:

That this house notes that Victorian families are facing growing pressure in their daily lives as the cost of living and global events put household budgets under strain and only the Allan Labor government is responding with new and practical solutions that deliver real cost-of-living relief and make life easier, safer and more affordable for Victorians.

 Paul EDBROOKE (Frankston) (16:01): This is a critically important MPI, but families in Victoria do not experience the cost of living as a political talking point in this place. We have heard how they are experiencing cost-of-living pressures as a trolley that costs more than it used to, a power bill that arrives too soon to be able to be paid, a school term that seems to come with its own stack of invoices, a tank of petrol that somehow costs more every single week and a household budget that used to bend but that now simply snaps. When that pressure builds, Victorian families are entitled to expect something very, very basic and simple from this Parliament, and that is pragmatism: a sensible, unified and practical approach based on real-world solutions to solving Victorians’ problems – not slogans, not stunts, not dogma and not a media conference that pretends to be a policy platform.

Victorians are entitled to expect a government that understand that their job is not just to talk about pressure but to actually to solve these problems. That will be the central difference in this debate, because the Allan Labor government have responded to cost-of-living pressure with new and practical solutions that make life easier, safer and more affordable. The opposition, by contrast, has responded in the only way it seems to know how, and that is by consistently coming up with internal panic, dysfunction and, as we have seen this week, an iconic level of chaos. But with that comes absolutely zero policy. There is zero policy on cost of living from those opposite. I guess that is the thing about the modern Liberal Party. As we will see throughout this discussion, no-one can screw up something so simple like they do. How we could ever trust them to act in the best interests of Victorians is something that no-one is willing to do.

They are actually at war with themselves and are not interested in Victorians. Take this week – they held what practically amounted to job interviews for candidates. In a cost-of-living crisis they expect their candidates to pay $5000 to become candidates. That pleasure of paying $5000 is part of their vetting process, and what we saw within 24 hours was that the Liberal Party had turfed someone because no-one had even google-checked if this person had given a reference to a convicted child sex offender. You cannot make this up. If you cannot manage something that simple, you certainly cannot manage Victoria.

Today it is really important that this house not only debates the cost of living and how we push relief in that area but also who can do that most effectively. We are debating whether Victorians should trust the pragmatism, the action, the competency and the stability of this government, who are helping Victorians with the cost of living and balancing their weekly budget, or an opposition who cannot even balance their own frontbench.

It is the difference between commentating and actually governing, and fuel prices are a great way to get started on this MPI, demonstrating how this government takes action on behalf of Victorians. Let us be honest, we know that taking action on the fuel price itself is a very hard thing when you are talking about international forces. But fuel prices are putting real pressure on families in Victoria. People feel it every time they pull up to the servo, and that is why the government is acting to take pressure off in a practical way.

We are making public transport free for one month. That means free trains, trams, buses, Metro and V/Line every day until the end of April for everyone. This is not just rhetoric, this is real relief. It means a worker can get to work without topping up their Myki. It means a family can get the kids to where they need to go without another transport cost. It means a student can get to class without their back pocket being hit. But it also means something else very important. It gives families that little bit of breathing room, a little bit of flexibility, a little bit less pressure in the weekly budget, and that matters because cost-of-living relief works best when it is practical enough that people can actually feel it.

But this Labor government also understands that short-term help matters most when it is backed by long-term reform, and that is why this government is also delivering one of the biggest public transport relief measures for Victorian families in years, and that is free public transport for every child. That means free public transport for Victorians under 18 every day permanently. That will save families up to $755 a year per child. For the average family with three children, that is $2265 a year back in their pocket. It is not symbolic. Again, it is not rhetorical. That is money that stays in the household budget, and that matters because cost of living is not just one bill. It is the accumulation of a ton of things: the train fare, the uniforms, the groceries, the school excursions, the sport registration, the doctor’s appointment, the unexpected costs and the thousands of smaller costs that shape whether a family budget stretches for the week or not. This government understands that if you want to help families, you do not just do it with one flashy announcement. You have got to take the pressure off in practical, repeated, tangible ways, and that is what this government is doing.

The government is also focused on helping families save something just as valuable as money, and that is time. That is why we are making working from home a right your boss cannot simply take away, improving public transport and roads to get people home sooner and delivering more homes where young people can actually afford to live near trains, near jobs and near services, because if you are spending less time commuting, less time stuck in traffic, that is cost-of-living relief too. It is relief in the real world, it is relief in real time, and it is the kind of thing only a serious government and a serious party understand. I think, by contrast, we have heard zero cost-of living-policies from the opposition. They appear to think that cost of living is something you shout about in front of the cameras but you do not actually have to open a policy document and prove you put some thought into it.

We also understand on this side of the house a deeper truth, and that is that for many families the biggest cost-of-living relief is not just a rebate or a voucher from the government; it is public health care and public education that they can rely on. That is why we are making health care easier and cheaper for busy families to access, and that includes free urgent care clinics with bulk-billing doctors, the free virtual emergency department and Chemist Care Now, so Victorians can get the scripts they need for the ailments they have without needing to go to a GP – for things like the pill, UTIs, et cetera. And that matters. Every family I know, including my own, knows the pressure of trying to juggle a sick kid, working, clinic hours, waiting rooms and the costs adding up right in front of them.

Education support is another area where we have introduced a lot of cost-of-living relief, because every parent knows the start of school is not just exciting for their children, it can be expensive – uniforms, books, devices, camps, sports, musical equipment, activities, everything arriving at once. The question I think for government and anyone in this house is simple: do you just acknowledge that all these costs, including these school costs, are hard, or do you actually help? This government has chosen to take proactive action to help: permanent free public transport for every child, support that saves families on uniforms and devices, free dental check-ups through the Smile Squad and the free glasses program, as well as prep bags, kits and baby bundles. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund has increased payments to $400 for eligible families to make sure no-one misses out as well.

We know that when families are under pressure it is often children’s opportunities, unfortunately, that get squeezed first – the camp that gets missed, the sport that gets deferred, the excursion that becomes a ‘maybe next year’. That is why this support matters, because cost-of-living policy is not just about the bills; it is really about belonging, participation and opportunity as well.

Speaking of opportunity, we cannot not mention our younger Victorians. Free kinder – we have all heard about it – for three- and four-year-olds is saving families up to $2600 per child every year. This is not just good education policy, this is not just good cost-of-living policy; this is amazing, because it means families are not forced to choose between what is best for their child and what they can afford. It means we are keeping in line with some of the education revolutions that are happening internationally in places like Indonesia. We have also got free access to maternal and child health services, baby bundles, prep bags and kinder kits. Again, it is not performative, not abstract, not rhetorical – just practical support where families actually feel pressure.

When people are doing it tough, governments also have to respond with some of the most basic supports, and that is why this budget includes $18 million for increased food relief, because there are families right now – and I think everyone in this house knows at least one of them – who do not need a lecture, they just need help. Serious governments do not pretend everyone is travelling the same path. They understand that for some Victorians pressure is not just frustrating; it is acute. It is good to see that this government has taken action, and it has been recognised by the Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards, who has said the government’s efforts to tackle cost-of-living pressures will make a difference. I think that is the headline, that is the test: will it make a difference? Not ‘Will it get a headline’, not ‘Will it get a rant on the radio’, not ‘Will it make a dramatic social media clip that trends’, but ‘Will it make a difference to our community?’ I think our government is stepping up to that test with capped regional fares, free car rego for apprentices, free L-plate and P-plate licences and online testing, a free 60-minute driving lesson for younger Victorian learner drivers, discounted licence renewals for safe drivers, short-term vehicle registration and rego discounts for eligible concession card holders as well.

But it is not just about those cost-of-living measures. Cost of living is also inseparable from housing. We have slashed stamp duty from off-the-plan apartments, units and townhouses. We have introduced the Victorian Homebuyer Fund, contributing up to 25 per cent of the purchase price through shared equity. We have introduced first home buyer stamp duty exemptions, the $10,000 first home buyer grant and a cap of one residential rent rise per 12 months, and we are changing the rules so that building and pest inspections are required to be carried out by the vendor, not the buyer, and that can save people up to $4200 a year.

Earlier I did say that the Liberals have zero policy. I did forget that they did bring out a housing policy – well, an anti-housing policy – recently to cut 300,000 houses, to lock young people out of the places that they actually want to live, to tell them they can live further out, wait longer and pay more. It was not a plan to actually build communities, it was to preserve their own kind of postcode privilege, you could say. It would be remiss of me not to mention the midday power saver and also the fair fuel plan, requiring fuel companies to publicly report their price changes the day before and then lock them in for 24 hours. Again, these measures add up to hundreds of dollars per year. The contrast – well, we have seen the movie before. We have seen the Liberal movie before. When they were last in power, electricity prices rose 34 per cent, between 2010 and 2014; council rates rose sharply; they slashed $555 million from state schools, gutting programs that actually helped families; and they deleted free fruit Friday in fact. That is the Liberal pattern – cuts to health, cuts to education. They have got to tell us how they are going to fill their $11.5 billion black hole in their budget position, because everyone in Victoria knows that when Liberals say ‘discipline’, Victorian families usually end up hearing ‘cuts’. We have seen it many times before.

I think this MPI recognises two very important things, and those are that Victorian families are under real pressure, because they are, and second, that in moments like these governments are judged not by how loudly they speak about these problems but by the action they actually take. The Labor government has acted. It has acted to reduce pressure in ways that are real, accessible and immediate. I could go on for the next 2 hours about what we have done in that space. But what we have done and what we have demonstrated in this most difficult of times I think is we are a government that can listen and a government that is pragmatic, because when times are hard, Victorians are not asking for theatre; they are asking the government to work even harder to make life easier, like we are.

The choice in this debate is extremely clear. One side is doing the work of government, and the other side is doing the work of controlling its internal damage. One side is delivering relief; the other side is delivering daily chaotic rants in the paper. If Victorians want to know who is on their side when times are tough, the answer is very, very clear. It is the Allan Labor government that is helping Victorian families get through the week. Meanwhile the Victorian Liberals still appear to be trying to get through each other, and we have seen that time and time again over the last couple of weeks.

I challenge speakers on the opposite side of the house, with respect: tell us your plans to tackle cost of living. Tell us what you would do. Do not just complain that not enough is being done. Tell us what you would do in no uncertain terms. You are meant to be an alternative government. You are posing yourselves as an alternative government. Tell Victorians what you would like to do. Do not just talk about us not doing enough. Tell us how you are feeling – that $11.5 billion black hole – without cutting teachers, without cutting nurses, without cutting essential services, because I will be here listening. It is not good enough to look concerned and sympathetic and hope no-one asks the question. You need to come up with solutions as well. This MPI is critical, and I cannot wait to hear what others in this house have to say.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Evelyn I will just remind members that using the word ‘you’ is a reflection on the Chair.

 Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (16:16): Cost-of-living pressures are being felt by each and every Victorian, and life is getting harder. The issue top of mind for people in my community right now, whether in Mooroolbark, in Lilydale, in Montrose, through the Yarra Valley, in fact right across Victoria, is the cost and the availability of fuel. The fuel crisis is not just about the cost at the pump; it is about the choice families are forced to make to fill up the car or put food on the table, to drive the kids to their sports or dancing, to drive to visit the grandparents or to drive to Ringwood for services that we cannot access in Lilydale or the Yarra Valley. The fuel crisis will result in higher prices for everything – any product on the shelf at the supermarket, any manufactured good that people need in their homes or in their small businesses, at the retail shops, for tradies or on the farm. Our farmers were already doing it tough after drought, after Labor’s harsh emergency services and volunteers tax, which hit farmers the hardest, and now there is the stress of not only the cost of fuel to produce food but the availability of fuel to keep the farms running.

It was the Victorian Liberals and Nationals that took the campaign to the federal Labor government to cut the fuel excise, because Premier Allan did not – a tax that put 50 cents of every litre of fuel into the coffers of the Labor government up in Canberra. Our campaign, our push on behalf of Victorian people who are doing it tough to get that cost-of-living relief has finally resulted in the government reducing the fuel excise. But you have got to reflect: what took them so long? Now we need to ensure the prices do come down at fuel retailers, and we will hold the Labor government to account on that.

But let us not forget the cost of fuel had been a cost-of-living concern for people well before the conflict in Iran. The cost of living generally under Labor has been one of the most significant concerns for people in my community and right across Victoria for a long time now. While the Labor government members today will talk big about their free travel on public transport for April to help people that cannot afford to fill up fuel in their cars, tell that to people in my community, where there is no train beyond Lilydale and there are limited buses across the community and limited bus routes. I can tell you where I live in Wandin there is absolutely no way that it is feasible to go to the supermarket, to do the shopping in Lilydale or in Seville, and then get that back home on public transport. It is at least 20 to 25 minutes to walk to a bus stop, and that would be on the road, because there are no footpaths, and that is the case for most families in my community.

It is more policy on the run that suits inner-city people in Labor’s fight against the Greens in seats like Footscray and Northcote, but it does very little for people in the outer suburbs or regional communities like the Evelyn and Monbulk electorates. Kids cannot even get to school at the moment. We are almost at the end of term one, and there are still not enough public school buses to transport children, particularly secondary schoolchildren, from my community to schools in Lilydale and Mooroolbark. I know that this is an issue for many school students across Victoria. Kids are left stranded on the roadside unable to get to school because the buses are overcrowded and dangerously crammed, and so their parents, who have already driven to work, have to leave work temporarily, spend more on fuel, drive to the bus stop, pick up their stranded and stressed kids to drive them to school, and they get to school late. And at the end of the school day, it is not any better. Again, it is policy on the run from this Labor government. They will claim making public transport free for children under 18 is a cost-of-living measure to help young people and families, but that policy is no solution if there are not enough buses for the schoolchildren to get to and from school.

The cost of fuel is up, the cost of groceries is up, the cost of electricity under this Labor government is up and it is hard to get a bus because there are just not enough buses and there are just not enough bus routes – a complete failure of leadership by this Labor government that has been in power for 12 long years. They are asking Victorians this November for 16 years in office. It is well and truly time for a change to a Liberal government to give Victoria the fresh start that it needs, because under Labor life is harder. Victorians are faced with tough choices. They are having to tighten their belts each and every day for everyday basics. But has the government tightened its belt? No – all they have done is spend more and waste more and tax Victorians more at the worst possible time. This Andrews–Allan Labor regime have proven one thing: they are economic vandals. They have sent Victoria broke and Victorians are paying the price. State debt will skyrocket to a record $194 billion in just three years time. Labor seems to have no care that this whopping debt will be left as a burden for our children and our grandchildren to pay. And what happens when you have debt? Well, there is an interest bill that has to be repaid on that debt. Under Labor, repayments on this debt have skyrocketed to $24 million a day; a jaw-dropping $1 million each and every hour. If Labor wants today to talk about cost-of-living relief, then think what that $1 million each and every hour wasted on interest repayments on Labor’s debt could have instead gone to: meaningful cost-of-living relief measures for everyday Victorians, like perhaps funding a few more buses for students trying to get to school in Mooroolbark and Lilydale. That is $24 million a day that cannot be spent on improving healthcare and ambulance services, fixing dangerous roads or funding more nurses or teachers or police. It is $1 million per hour to pay down interest on government debt that cannot be spent providing cost-of-living relief to Victorian households and small businesses when they need it most. There have been massive cost blowouts on Big Build infrastructure projects – projects that have been poorly planned and poorly managed by Premier Allan as the former transport infrastructure minister and now as the Premier responsible for nearly $50 billion, at least, in budget blowouts on these projects.

Talk about cost of living – the cost of living for organised crime in this state is fine, thanks to this Labor government, with $15 billion ending up in the pockets of criminals on Labor’s rotten and corrupt Big Build infrastructure projects. Just think what cost-of-living relief that could have funded for hardworking, law-abiding Victorians. Not only could we have funded the Lilydale, Mount Evelyn and Seville community houses, which are crying out for funding certainty because this Labor government will not provide that to these community houses, but we could have opened another one to help the vulnerable people in my community. Or we could have funded the Lilydale youth mental health hub – which Labor cut funding to, forcing it to close – for the young people suffering from mental ill health in my community.

Or it could have funded the duplication of the Lilydale train line to make sure that trains actually run more than 25 to 30 minutes each and every time and actually improve the frequency and punctuality right down the Lilydale train line. Or it could have funded the fixing of the dangerous and congested bottleneck of Mooroolbark and Hull roads in Mooroolbark.

It is curious that Labor wants to talk about cost-of-living pressures, because it is this tired 12-year Labor regime that is compounding people’s cost of living with the highest taxes in the country. Not only does Victoria have the highest debt of any state in the nation, it also has the highest taxes in the nation. That is right: under this Allan Labor government Victorians are the highest taxed people in the country. Remember in 2014 that little promise by Daniel Andrews and this Labor government? No new taxes, they promised Victorians. They have broken this promise not once, not twice, but 66 times, and after 12 years of Labor rule Labor has increased state taxes 66 times – and they want people to give them 16 years in power. If Labor was serious about the cost of living, then why has it introduced a rent tax, a schools tax, a jobs tax, a holiday tax, an emergency services and volunteers tax?

Just on the schools tax, it is impacting a number of schools right across Victoria but certainly in my electorate, which will translate into higher fees for families to send their kids there. It is a tax on these kids’ learning and could see some families needing to pull their kids from some of these wonderful schools. Billanook College, Edinburgh College, Mount Lilydale Mercy College and Mount Evelyn Christian School are all hit by Labor’s unfair schools tax. It is a tax on learning; it is a tax on education. To these school communities, to the thousands of local kids that attend these schools, we say: the Victorian Liberals and Nationals value your education, your learning, your family choice, and we will scrap this tax.

Labor’s new emergency services volunteers tax will see Victorian households paying an extra $3 billion. It will hurt every Victorian in this cost-of-living crisis. Households will pay double under this tax. The cost of rent for renters will increase under this tax. Businesses like cafes, hairdressers, gyms – all businesses – will pay double under this tax. It will increase the costs for manufacturers, which will drive up the cost of locally made products. And our farmers will be the hardest hit, with a 150 per cent increase in the tax next year. Along with high fuel prices, Labor’s emergency services and volunteers tax will force up the price of fresh produce – of meat, veggies and fruit – at the shops. And the tax revenue raised is not even guaranteed to provide more funding to the CFA and SES volunteers, which is wrong and unfair. There is no carve-out, no guarantee that any of that money will get to the Lilydale SES or the Maroondah and Yarra Valley group CFA fire brigades in my community or these emergency services volunteers right across Victoria. Lest there be any doubt, the Victorian Liberals and Nationals will scrap this tax.

What is troubling still is that the Andrews and Allan Labor government have not ruled out further taxes. Again, the Allan Labor government has not ruled out any more new taxes. How many more taxes and how much more pain will Labor inflict on Victorians to subsidise their budget blowouts and their record debt? Victorians are paying more than ever before, and they are getting less for it. For example, we pay more in car rego, yet the roads around our state are in a woeful condition. Dangerous intersections: just look at the Maroondah Highway and Killara Road, Coldstream, intersection or Warburton Highway up in Seville East – fatalities, and yet this Labor government still leaves those roads and intersections dangerous. Potholed roads cannot be fixed because of Labor’s financial mismanagement. And when local farmers and local families blow a tyre in the massive potholes on Victorian roads that split their tyres, that crack their rims, guess what – they have to pay to get that fixed. They have to pay to get a new tyre, a new rim, and that adds to their cost of living, and it all is as a result of the terrible roads under the financial mismanagement of this Labor government, because they have failed to maintain and fix the dangerous roads across our community, particularly our outer suburban and regional communities.

Of course business conditions are challenging in this state. Following a decade of waste and reckless spending under Labor, Victoria has the most debt, the highest taxes and the poorest business conditions of any state in the nation. That adds to the cost of living and the cost to serve for businesses. We are seeing so many businesses choosing to not invest in Victoria and choosing to move interstate. Growth in the Victorian economy has almost come to a complete standstill – it is only at 1.1 per cent. It is a shame that under this Labor government that is the case.

When we talk about cost of living, it is not just for families, it is also for our businesses, our small businesses particularly, because it is the cost of electricity and of fuel – these costs as they rise and rise mean the choices are hard for these small businesses. That is less shifts for young retail workers, let alone retail workers having to suffer increased crime rates and theft in retail stores under this Labor government. The cost to serve for business is causing many of these small businesses in my community and across Victoria to close, because they can no longer afford the high taxes under Labor or the regulation or the other impacts of costs. This Labor government tries to talk a big game when it comes to cost-of-living relief for Victorians, but they are doing everything to make the cost of living worse for Victorians with their highest taxes.

 Dylan WIGHT (Tarneit) (16:31): Thank God for the Victorian Liberal Party – someone writes a letter in crayon and then all of a sudden a discount on fuel excise is their idea. It is like listening to the Victorian Greens taking credit for things that they had absolutely nothing to do with.

It is a pleasure to contribute in favour of this MPI talking about cost-of-living relief that this government is providing to Victorians. We know that cost-of-living pressures are extending throughout the entire economy. Five thousand dollars to vet someone – $5000 to vet a political candidate. Who would have thought that that is right, particularly when you do not do it properly – sheer incompetence. Think about this: you line someone up, you do not miss, but you do not vet the person that you line her up with properly.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, whilst MPIs are relatively wideranging, this is nothing remotely like what is on the agenda for this MPI.

The SPEAKER: Member for Tarneit, come back to the MPI.

Dylan WIGHT: I just thought it was worth mentioning. This government is on Victoria’s side. Whilst those opposite spend all weekend and all week in this place talking about themselves, we will be in here doing what is right for Victorians to provide cost-of-living relief. It is pertinent to be speaking on this MPI on the very first day of free public transport here in Victoria. Whilst those opposite may pretend that the Victorian government can have some influence on a foreign leader who has decided to start a conflict somewhere else in the world, we will get on with providing relief for every Victorian and for Victorian families. We will get on with doing what we can to provide cost-of-living relief for all Victorians. We know that it is tough out there, particularly with fuel prices at the moment. The state government clearly has very few levers to pull when it comes to things like fuel security, fuel prices, fuel imports and foreign conflicts – very few levers to pull. Providing free public transport is one of them, and we pulled it. It is one lever that we have to pull and we pulled it, as we should have.

What that will mean is that people that would typically be in their car around metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria that have access to public transport each day can jump on that public transport – whether that be train or bus – free of charge.

They can leave their car at home. They can avoid the anxiety of going to the petrol station and paying $150 to fill up a tank, and they can jump on public transport free for all of April. We obviously hope that this conflict and these pressures do not last very long, but we have pulled that very important lever to provide public transport free of charge for the month of April. But of course, if you are a public transport commuter day in and day out anyway, you are still going to get that free public transport, saving you hundreds of dollars for the month of April, which you can put back into your family, into putting food on the table and into paying the bills, which is absolutely fantastic.

Last year the Victorian government made the single biggest investment ever on cost-of-living relief. $2.3 billion worth of cost-of-living relief for Victorian families, for Victorian workers, for every Victorian, was included in last year’s budget, whether that be things like the school saving bonus or whether that be the Smile Squad. Free kinder was not in last year’s budget, but of course there is free kinder. This government has been committed to doing everything we can to make sure that Victorians have what they need when they need it. We will pull every lever available to us to make life for Victorian families as easy as we possibly can, and the free public transport example is just one.

Compare and contrast that to those opposite. I have not heard them have a cost-of-living relief policy yet. I have not heard them roll one of those out that they are going to roll into the election. I have seen them roll out a dodgy housing statement. That is not cost-of-living relief. What they have announced is an $11.5 billion spending cut, an $11.5 billion black hole in the budget. How do you fill that? I would suggest that they are not just going to try to grow the economy to fill that, they are going to have to cut. What did they cut last time: free fruit Friday. Member for Greenvale and member for St Albans, think about the amount of kids in our electorates that eat breakfast at school through our amazing breakfast club program. They do so because if they did not have breakfast at school, in all likelihood they would not have breakfast. Is that going to be something that a future Liberal government cuts?

A member interjected.

Dylan WIGHT: One hundred percent, they did it last time. There is a binary choice for Victorians at the ballot box on 28 November this year: a government that is on their side, that will provide the cost-of-living relief that they need, that will make sure that their children go to school with full stomachs so they can learn and that will provide free kinder, because we know how important those early childhood years are, or a Liberal cut squad led by somebody who idolises former Premier Jeff Kennett, who closed hospitals, who closed schools, who sacked teachers and who sacked nurses. There is a binary choice there, and I would think that a government that is on the side of Victorians is fundamentally good for Victoria.

We are talking about cost-of-living relief, and the member for Evelyn spoke about how hard it is for Victorians. I do not walk away from that, but we also have to be mindful that Victoria, in terms of inflationary pressures, has been the best of any state in the country for the last 12 months. Last year inflation was 3.3 per cent in Victoria. That is compared to 3.8 per cent everywhere else in the country. So the price of goods and services went up in Victoria less than it went up anywhere else. 3.3 per cent is not high inflation by any means; it is quite moderate. The member for Evelyn also spoke about the rate at which Victoria’s economy is growing – the fastest in the country. We are in a pretty low growth environment at the moment, but Victoria is still growing the fastest in the country, outpacing any other state for the calendar year last year.

We have had inflation under control in this state – obviously with fuel prices, that is going to look very different in the next quarter. But we have also been growing our economy through both public demand but also private demand, because Victoria, in terms of private capital investment, has the second most of any state anywhere in the country. South Australia has the most – South Australia seems to be going boonta. Indeed there is negative growth of private investment in Queensland. We are outpacing New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia. The economy here is going just fine.

The last thing that I want to touch on is energy prices. We have the lowest default offer in the country. But in an electorate like mine, in Tarneit, the Victorian Energy Upgrades and the Solar Homes program have, since their inception, issued 90,000 grants. So what that means in a place like Tarneit is you are able to, through a government grant, put solar panels on your roof. Through a federal grant you might be able to put a battery on there as well. And your power bill is significantly cheaper than it would be without government support. It is an absolutely amazing program, and in our growth suburbs in particular people have really taken advantage of that. I have just gone through a litany of examples as to how this government is helping people with the cost of living, whether that be free public transport, whether that be the Solar Homes program or whether that be free breakfast clubs. There will be a binary choice on 28 November this year between a government that is on your side or a Liberal cut squad.

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (16:42): What an extraordinary speech we have just had from the member for Tarneit, where a speaker gets up and talks about a litany of cost-of-living measures produced by a government that is the source of most of the cost-of-living pressures in this state right now – I will not say of all the problems. But how dare this government get up and say only they understand cost-of-living pressures when they have been the ones putting the cost-of-living pressures on Victorians every single day for the last 12 years while they have been the government of this place. The 66 new or increased taxes that this government has put on have had an impact on every single household in this state. And now, they stand up there and say, ‘We have got the solutions. We’re going to give you a little bit back, because we’ve taxed you to the hilt. Now we’re actually going to give you a little bit back because it’s actually hurting us a bit in the polls.’ That is what is hurting this government; that is the cost of living that they are feeling at the moment. They know that they are on the nose in this state, because Victorians are sick of it. Victorians are sick of being taxed to the hilt, sick of seeing the waste from this government on so many issues but particularly on the Big Build, where there is $15 billion of government money, taxpayers money, Victorians’ money, that has gone into the coffers of, literally, bikies and criminals. And the government stands there and says, ‘Oh, we dispute that figure. But we’re cracking down on the corruption.’

Brad Battin interjected.

Danny O’BRIEN: Maybe it is $14.9 billion, member for Berwick, or maybe it is $29 billion, who knows, because this government is refusing to actually investigate it. They do not care. Victorians want their money back. Victorians are saying to us, ‘When are we going to get the money back? Because we’ve paid it and we’ve seen nothing for it.’ And it is not just the corruption – on the Big Build alone there has been $50 billion in cost overruns.

Tim Bull interjected.

Danny O’BRIEN: No, that is not even a conservative figure, member for Gippsland East. That is from the government’s own estimates, from what they said something was going to cost to what they now say it is going to cost. And that is not including the Suburban Rail Loop. Despite the fact the government said in 2021 that it would be about $34.5 billion for the first stage, then they said, a couple of years ago, that costs had increased by 20 per cent in the building sector since 2021 but not on the Suburban Rail Loop.

They are still saying that it is $34.5 billion, so God knows how much that is going to be when it comes to it.

Victorians are sick of this, and regional Victorians in particular, who the Nationals are here to stand up for. We are seeing $50 billion in cost overruns. We are seeing $15 billion of money wasted going to crooks and criminals on the Big Build, yet in regional Victoria we are getting nothing. Our roads are goat tracks. Our roads in particular are just riddled with potholes because we have seen this government wasting money on the Big Build, wasting money on corruption, going to crooks and criminals and bikies and strippers on government worksites. Yet we cannot get decent roads. I just got an email literally in the last 2 minutes from another person complaining about yet another section of road that is being reduced from 100 k’s to 80 k’s, again because the roads are in such poor condition. We are hearing this time and time again. It is extraordinary to hear the member for Frankston and the member for Tarneit speak up –

Members interjecting.

Danny O’BRIEN: And here is a call coming in now about the waste that we have seen. The Minister for Veterans is getting a call about a pothole, no doubt, because I am sure even in the suburban seats we are hearing these complaints. But we hear those members opposite talk about all the wonderful things they are doing to reduce the cost of living, and I want to quote a Labor MP, the Premier of New South Wales, who said nothing is free. He said:

There’s no such thing as free public transport. At the end of the day, someone’s paying for it.

That is a message that the member for Frankston, the member for Tarneit and everyone on that side should have a think about, because while they are giving with one hand, with all these free things – supposedly – they are actually taking it from Victorians with the other. We never hear the Labor government’s new tax on something, but we always hear how Labor is giving you something for free. They cannot give you anything for free because they are taking it from you in the first place.

Some of the most egregious are those 66 new or increased taxes. We have committed to removing five of them. The number one I want to talk about is the emergency services tax, because that is the most egregious piece of public policy in the last few years. It is very sneaky and very clever and very tricky of the government to say, ‘We’re just going to take a little bit more money to support our emergency services.’ Half of it is actually going on things that we already pay for. Half a billion dollars is going this year on things like Emergency Management Victoria, Triple Zero Victoria, Forest Fire Management Victoria – Crown land, which taxpayers are being asked to pay for again. So it is very sneaky and very tricky. Yet this $3 billion hit on Victorians is actually another cost-of-living hit. Does the government not understand that?

Indeed not only is it on every household, but there is an extra tax coming on landlords. Who is going to pay for that? Renters. We hear this mob all the time having a fight with their Greens mates up the back there about who is better on rent. None of them ever acknowledge that of the 66 new or increased taxes, half are on property and half are on landlords. That has an impact. It actually comes through to the renter, and they have to pay for it. Yet this this government does not understand it.

Brad Rowswell interjected.

Danny O’BRIEN: That is right, member for Sandringham – the people who can least afford it. The Nationals and Liberals will remove the emergency services tax. It is a disgraceful piece of public policy. We will scrap the tax because it is having an impact on every single Victorian. We know the government has supposedly frozen it for primary producers. What do we reckon is going to happen if the Labor government wins the election this year? Do you reckon the 150 per cent increase in tax on farmers is going to go away? No, of course it is not. We know those people over there are already banking it in the ledger. They are going to make the farmers pay even more if they are re-elected. It is a stay of execution, and this is a government that cannot be trusted, because we know it needs the money. We know they are desperate to find the money, and we know that regional Victorians are going to be the ones that pay for it.

The government talk about housing. We have got less housing being built now than there was in 2014, and when there is less housing being built, that increases the costs. If you speak to anyone who is trying to get into the market, that is one thing that they are struggling with, because either they cannot find somewhere or it is way too expensive.

Whether it is the cost of housing or the cost of rentals, this government has made it harder. You hear it time and time again, and I know what they will say – well, maybe the minister at the table, the Minister for Veterans, will not say this because she just accused us of being anti-business. But if you actually talk to business, talk to the Urban Development Institute Victoria, talk to the Property Council Australia, talk to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, talk to the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, they will all tell you about the acronyms ABM and ABV. Investors are saying it to them, and they are saying it to us: ‘We will invest in Australia, but anywhere but Victoria – anywhere but Melbourne.’ If the minister does not believe it, she needs to go and talk to businesses. That is having an impact, because this government cannot manage money and every single Victorian is paying the price for it.

Obviously part of the basis of this MPI is about the free public transport that the government is offering. Well, when you look around regional Victoria, you wonder how much that impacts. I reckon the member for Lowan would like to tell me how many people are catching free public transport in her electorate.

Emma Kealy interjected.

Danny O’BRIEN: None to the Stawell Gift. Half of them do not have trains and half of us do not have buses, and yet we are expected to be thankful for this. Then we have had the government equivocating in the last 24 hours about whether they will even give the GST windfall that they are receiving from the increase in petrol prices back to regional Victorians and to Victorians generally. The government cannot even give us a clear answer on that.

It is embarrassing that this government is raising cost of living and all the wonderful things that it is doing for cost of living, because when it comes to cost of living, this is Dracula being in charge of the blood bank. They have actually caused the problems on cost of living, and this government will continue to make it hard for Victorians. The Nationals and Liberals will ease cost of living for everyone.

 Michaela SETTLE (Eureka) (16:52): I am pleased to rise to speak on this matter of public importance:

That this house notes that Victorian families are facing growing pressure in their daily lives as the cost of living and global events put household budgets under strain and only the Allan Labor government is responding with new and practical solutions that deliver real cost-of-living relief and make life easier, safer and more affordable for Victorians.

I would just like to respond in my contribution to a couple of things that have been said from the other side. We had the member for Evelyn saying that we would all talk about free public transport and how that meant nothing to people in the regions, and indeed the Leader of the Nationals has just backed that in by telling us that nothing is free. I would like to draw to the attention of both of them that in fact the president of the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) and perhaps the next member for Murray Plains has actually called for it. I would like the Leader of the Nationals to hear Brett Hosking’s words that free public transport can make a real difference:

Every commuter who leaves their car at home frees up fuel for the essential, time-critical work that keeps Victorians fed, whether that’s ensuring livestock are fed and cared for, or getting crops in the ground.

So the president of the VFF is very supportive of the free transport public transport measure, and perhaps if those on the other side like to profess that they represent people in the regions and they represent farmers, they might think to listen to Brett Hoskings on that matter.

When I thought about speaking on this matter of public importance, I thought about the many policies that this government have put in place and thought about how I was going to talk about them. What came back to me at the end of the day is that this matter of public importance is not an abstract debate. It is not an argument. It is about real people and helping real people survive. I have been a single working mum, and I know what it is to face cost-of-living pressures day by day. Those on the other side want to bag all of these policies, and they continue to talk about this terrible debt. I want to say to the working mothers of Victoria out there that when they talk about reducing the debt, what they are talking about is reducing the services that help us survive – things like kinders in school. We did not have it in my day, but what a difference it would have made. I would have been able to get to my part-time job much more quickly if I could have put both of the boys at kinder and at school at the same time.

Those on the other side talk about debt, and in fact what that money has really gone to is creating a better Victoria. I would like to point out that the last time, and perhaps the only time, that a Liberal government have ever done anything was under Henry Bolte. He was the last great nation builder, and Henry Bolte understood that you have to invest in the state. Henry Bolte took the Victorian debt to over 50 per cent of gross state product – we are currently nowhere near that. It would be good if those on the other side listened and understood what Henry Bolte understood, which is that a government’s role is to invest in the state, and if we need to borrow money to invest in the services that make the lives of our constituents better, then that is our obligation to do. But sadly, those on the other side do not know how to build anything like Bolte did; all they know what to do is to cut. They have made it very, very clear that in fact that is what they are going to do. Joe McCracken from the other place was very vocal when he spoke about it back in 2025. I just want to correctly quote his words. He said it is going to be:

… a really difficult balancing act of how much do you cut, what do you cut, what services can you live without, what services can’t (you).

I guess I say that quote because I think that is what Victorians, and particularly Victorian families and Victorian women, will have in their minds when they go to the polls. What services are they going to cut? What of those things that I really need are they going to cut? We have heard from the Leader of the Nationals about how nothing gets done in regional areas. Well, as a regional mother there have been many great cost-of-living measures that have made a real difference to our lives. I think that when they go to the polls women in Victoria will ask themselves: ‘Next time I need to take my child to the urgent care clinic, will it still be there or will the Liberals have cut it?’ and say ‘When I am trying to decide if I can afford school uniforms I think, “That was a great practical support from the Allan Labor government, making no branding on school uniforms from the waist down.”’ Those on the other side talk about waste but what they are saying to me as a mother is that my time is unimportant, that to waste money on me is not important. I think Victorian women will go to the next election and think about those things.

I think one of the ones that really distressed me was when I looked through Hansard and the only time that the current Leader of the Opposition mentioned free TAFE was to say that it was a waste. She said free kinder and free TAFE were a waste, that we were wasting money. As someone who got a second chance at life through TAFE, it is an incredibly important part of our educational offering. To me it was not a waste to invest in me so that I could get back into the workforce, and look what happened – I ended up here.

When those on the other side like to characterise debt as this terrible thing and this terrible wastage, they are telling the people of Victoria that measures to help us, measures to support us in our daily lives are a waste that they will cut. I know that we will be going to the next election and people will really be thinking about that. They will be thinking about whether they are going to lose their urgent care clinics. Are we going to lose free tampons and pads? Are we going to lose practical assistance like the Servo Saver app? And we will, because they have quite openly said that they are going to cut the debt, so they are going to cut services that we all rely on. It has been pretty clear that that is what they are going to do.

The Leader of the Nationals spent a lot of time talking about taxes. Within it he said to us that half of those taxes are on landlords. It comes as no surprise to me that those on the other side think first about their business mates and they think first about the people who are making money.

I am thinking about the people –

Danny O’Brien interjected.

Michaela SETTLE: I will accept your interjection, because the new rental regulator has come into effect today. However, last year we did have a ruling on how many times you could have rent rises in a year. Those on the other side are more concerned about the landlords and their business buddies than they are about people in Victoria. One of the reasons that we have put on things like the vacant residential land tax is to make sure that there are more houses available for normal people in Victoria – not their buddies who want to own five or six houses, not their business-model developers. It is about people having the opportunity to own their own home. So, yes, we have put taxes on things like vacant residential land, and I think that is a jolly good thing. I think that Victorians will understand that that is there to serve them. This government has come up with so many new and interesting ideas about how we can support people in Victoria; we have heard nothing from the other side except their proposal to make cuts. They have not suggested one single solitary thing that they would do to support Victorians with the cost of living. All they have talked about is how they are going to cut things and how they see the debt that we have accumulated investing in Victorians and investing in ways to make Victorians life easier and better as a waste. I hope that everyone going to the polls remembers that the Liberals think your comfort is a waste.

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (17:02): I rise to speak on the matter of public importance submitted by the member for Frankston, and the first thing I will say about this MPI is when I read it, it is just typical Labor. It is one of these MPIs that talks about the things that are important to people in the community which are impacting people – the cost of living, having a safer community, making life easier – but the part it misses is the part where Labor has been in government for 12 years and has not addressed any of these issues and has just realised now that the polling is not going real well. They want to come out during an election year and say, ‘One, two, three, well done, me. Aren’t I great? I’ve come out with some policies that we may or may not keep later on.’ But it is so typical of Labor to try and blame everybody else but themselves.

One of the biggest things they could make a difference on for affordability here in the state is the taxes. A few of my colleagues have already said it, and I am sure the rest of them will – they will all mention there were 66 new taxes here in the state. We have had 66 new or increased taxes in Victoria, which makes everything more expensive. You cannot expect the government to increase a tax on something and not have it be passed down the line to the final consumer; that is just how economics works. Now, these businesses that they say can afford it and can cover it are small businesses a lot of time, and guess what, they cannot afford it. They cannot afford it, and they cannot cover it. And on the costs that go on to schools – particularly some of the girls schools when you talk about the private schools – it is one thing when you talk about education tax, but this really targets the girls schools here in the state. Why? Because the girls schools do not get the same philanthropic support and the same support from their former students that the male schools get – that is just a fact – yet they have to pay this new tax. Some of them are on paper-thin margins already, and now they have had to increase the costs for those parents. They are not rich parents because these are private schools, let me assure you. There are many people out in growth corridors who are working two or three jobs because they have come here to Australia to give their kids the best opportunity in education, and to throw an education tax on them is simply unfair.

I will go through a couple of these taxes and how they impact on every Victorian. The emergency services levy is on every single home across the state, so every home has to pay more tax because this government is stealing that money because it failed to control what was happening in emergency services in Victoria. A new tax on Uber and taxis – this really targets the most vulnerable. For those that need to use taxis and Uber to get around for their health appointments, their costs are going up. The increased luxury car tax to protect – well, it is not to protect the car industry, because the car industry is already gone here from Victoria. They have increased the luxury car tax here in this state under this government. Increasing the landfill levy – every single household has to pay this. But what is worse is charitable organisations who get things dumped at their properties have to then go on and pay this increase, and that is impacting the Salvos, St Vinnies, all of these organisations and the local op shops, which instead of giving money back to the community are having to donate it to the government because the government cannot control their own finances.

There is the EV tax, the electric vehicles tax, and we all know right at the moment many people would love to have an electric vehicle because of the cost of petrol. But no, this government wanted to tax them more. There is the mental health payroll tax, the increased tax on deaths, births and marriages, the schools tax and the domestic building insurance tax on each and every building, and land tax on properties has increased and the reduced exemption to $50,000 is down from $300,000. This is a tax on renters, who have to pay it. There is a GP tax, a car park tax and even a new tax on the punters, those that want to punt here in the state. They have increased the taxes here on each and every Victorian, and it is the growth areas that end up paying so many of these taxes. They are the ones that are covering the costs because of this government.

But what is worse is that this MPI says ‘solutions that deliver real cost-of-living relief and make life easier, safer and more affordable for Victorians’. Well, if it was not April Fools’ Day, I would have thought this was an April fools’ joke, because to say that it is safer here under the Labor government is nothing short of a joke. There is nothing – there is no statistic, there is no evidence – in the community that says people are safer here under this government. Police numbers: the government say it is the largest police force. The reality is there are over 1500 vacancies. How can we believe them when all of a sudden we used to have police stations open and patrols happening? And now the government is trying to convince us: ‘What we’re doing is we’re going to reduce the hours in the police station so we can have patrols.’ I do not want to quote Daniel Andrews, but why can’t we have both? Because that is what we had for so many years. Police stations were open, so if you had an emergency, you could go to the police station; they would be there to assist you. At the same time we had a police van or two or three and a foot patrol and a bike patrol all out on the road, but we cannot do it anymore. Why – because we have got so many vacancies here on the rosters.

Then you add to that areas where 40 police stations have closed or have reduced hours. Clyde North is a great example. Clyde North has a new station; it just does not have the police to go with it. And the government are saying that they should be the ones that we should be thanking for it. Crime is up 14 per cent in Casey, aggravated burglary is up 21 per cent, vehicle theft is up 31 per cent, theft from retail stores is up 40 per cent, family violence with serious assaults is up 52 per cent and youth crime is up 51 per cent.

Paul Edbrooke: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, being the lead speaker and having written the MPI, I understand that it is wideranging, but I ask you to bring the member back to it.

Brad BATTIN: On the point of order, Deputy Speaker, I would like to offer assistance to the member for Frankston, considering he wrote it. The word ‘safer’, making the community safer – I am highlighting the fact that you have misled the community by putting the word ‘safer’ in there.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Brad BATTIN: I will go to Ashburton now. Ashburton have had their police station closed. It is located in Boroondara, with increasing crime of 13 per cent, vehicle theft up 16 per cent, prohibited weapon offences up 43 per cent, stealing from a motor vehicle up 20 per cent and aggravated burglary up 6 per cent. Colac, little country Colac – they are closed. Do you want to know why they are closed – because they have not got enough money in the budget to fix the front door. The front door has been broken since February. Thefts from motor vehicles have gone up 36 per cent there and serious assaults up 19 per cent, but you cannot even go in the police station there. Collingwood and Fitzroy in the City of Yarra have reduced hours and were never 24-hour stations, those ones. Crime is up 5 per cent, prohibited weapons are up 22 per cent and stealing from retail stores is up 6 per cent. Caroline Springs in the City of Melton has reduced hours at the police station. Crime is up 11 per cent, motor vehicle theft is up 26 per cent, aggravated burglary is up 18 per cent and family violence serious assaults are up 25 per cent.

We have had 66 new taxes, record crime, 1500 less police, more than 40 stations closed or reduced hours, roads crumbling, hospital waitlists higher than ever, fire trucks that do not work, teachers on strike, $15 billion in corruption, cost blowouts on projects, $590 million to not host the Commonwealth Games, $1.1 billion to cancel the east–west link, $196,000 for pot plants for the Suburban Rail Loop offices, $13 million on the failed machete bin program and $74,000 to promote the Premier in her own seat on Facebook.

Are these people serious? The reason the cost-of-living crisis is here in this state, the reason that life is more difficult, the reason that Victorians are less safe, the reason everything is less affordable is quite simple: it is Labor. It is the one thing that all of these things have in common. This government has continued to increase taxes. They have had a record take – yet again – on the amount of money they are taking from every Victorian in tax here in this state. But they are not giving it back. They are not returning it to the services that we need. When you go to the hospitals in the growth corridors and you have to wait 3, 4, 5, 6 hours just to be seen, that is not a good investment from this government. When you go out to a police station, like we have seen out in Altona North, and a victim gets there and is attacked with a knife at the station because the station is closed, that is not a good return on investment. When we see family violence continue to rise at the rate that it is, and at the same time a reduction in the Victoria Police numbers, that is not a good investment in keeping the community safer.

So may I suggest that the next time the member for Frankston wants to write an MPI in this place, he actually looks to the same benches that he is sitting on at the moment and understands what all Victorians are starting to understand – that in just over eight and a half months time, they have got an opportunity to get rid of this rotten Labor government. They know that Victoria needs a fresh start. They know that our government will come in and ensure that we deliver the services. We will keep you safer, we will ensure the funding is there for the education systems and we will fix the roads. Only the Liberals can fix this crisis.

 Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit) (17:12): That was quite a performance from the member for Berwick. I have got to say, this is an opposition which loves to talk about problems but never solutions. They like to talk about cutting taxes, but then what services would they be cutting if they were to actually be in government? That is the question that I have to ask back. I know here on this side of the chamber we care about people and we care about people’s bottom line. That is why this matter of public importance, as the member for Frankston has put it up, is a very important one. It is great to be back in this place, and I return not just as a member of Parliament but as a mum. That is the first time I have said that in this place, but I think that it matters. Especially with this MPI, it matters, because when you are a parent, you see things differently. You feel the pressure differently and you think about every decision, not just for yourself but also for your children. I know that I saw that with my mum as I was growing up. Over the past few weeks, being back home and spending time in the community and speaking with families across Kororoit, like Caroline Springs, Truganina, Aintree and Deer Park, one thing has come up again and again, and that is the cost of living.

People are feeling it. They are feeling it at the supermarket, they are feeling it when they fill up their cars with petrol and they are feeling it when the bills come in. In a growing community like Kororoit, where so many young families are just starting out, those pressures hit even harder. But as a mum I know that it is more than that. It is the quiet calculations that you make in your head. It is deciding what can actually wait until next week. It is trying to make sure that your kids do not notice the pressure that you are under. It is wanting to give them absolutely everything while wondering how you are going to manage it all. And again I reflect back on my mother in awe, because I know that these were the struggles she went through every day, but at the time I was oblivious to it. That is exactly what families in my community today are telling me, and now I can really relate. It is not just about money, it is about the time and it is about the stress. It is about trying to hold everything together but still showing up for your kids every single day. What people want to know is simple: who is actually on their side, who understands what they are going through and who is actually going to do something about it. What I see from this side of the chamber is a government which is focused on people. It is a government that understands that cost of living is not one issue – it is everything.

In Kororoit many families rely on public transport every single day. I have spoken to parents catching the train from Caroline Springs, from Deer Park and from all over my electorate to the city to work, young people travelling to school for university, families juggling drop-offs and pick-ups, and of course everything in between. Right now public transport being free for a month is making a real difference. I went down yesterday to Parliament station and I spoke to the Rail, Tram and Bus Union members there and a few of the station officers. I asked them how people are feeling about this announcement of free public transport, and they are loving it.

I spoke to members from my own community, and they too are loving it. It is something that is actually making a difference. For many families, that is more than $200 saved a month. That money can go towards groceries, towards bills and towards school costs. It is a relief and we are building on that. We have also, as you know, made public transport permanently free for kids under 18 – again, another Labor initiative that is helping the bottom line – because getting to school, to sport or to activities should never be a financial burden. And for seniors in Kororoit, free public transport on weekends means staying connected to their families and to their communities.

We are also taking action on fuel, because in outer suburban communities like Kororoit people rely on their cars every day. In outer suburban communities they need that in order to do the school run, get to work or get to weekend sport. Driving can often be essential, and that is why we are improving transparency around fuel prices and helping families save where they can, because even small savings all add up.

But the cost of living is not just about getting around – it is also about health care. As a mum, I know how important that is, because when your child is sick, nothing else matters. You just want to help quickly and without having to worry about the cost. That is why the free urgent care clinics, the virtual emergency department and the expanded pharmacy services matter so much. They give families options, they give families access and they reduce stress.

When we talk about cost of living, we must talk about education. I am really proud of our state – the Education State. Kororoit is a young and growing community. There are families with young children everywhere, and with that comes cost – there are uniforms, there are excursions, there are school supplies and the list goes on and on. It all adds up, and that is why we have made kinder free, saving families thousands every single year. We have boosted support for camps, for sports and for excursions so that no child misses out. An expanded school breakfast program, something that is dearly valued at many of my schools in Kororoit – and I have had the great pleasure to go out there and assist with some of the school breakfast programs – is something I would never want to see cut like Fresh Fruit Friday. Every parent wants the same thing for their child, and that is opportunity. We are also supporting families beyond the classroom – we are helping with uniforms, with devices and with everyday costs, because these are essential expenses.

We are taking action on energy bills because families across Kororoit and across Victoria are feeling the pressure too. We are taking action through the midday power saver – households can access free electricity during the middle of the day. That is practical help; that is real savings. It makes a difference and it is important.

Then of course there is housing. In Kororoit I speak to many young people and families who are trying to get into the market – people who want to stay in their community and people who want to build a future close to their families. But for many, that feels out of reach. That is why we are acting – we are reducing up-front costs, we are supporting first home buyers and we are making the system fairer, because owning a home should be achievable.

All of this comes down to priorities. While we are focused on delivering and supporting our families, those opposite are focused on themselves. As we have seen, they are divided, they are distracted and they have already made it clear what their approach will be – cuts: cuts to health, cuts to education and cuts to services that families rely on every single day. We have seen this before and we know what happens – families ultimately pay the price. The biggest cost-of-living relief that any government can provide is strong public services, health care that you can rely on, education which supports every child and infrastructure that makes people’s lives easier. That is what we, the Allan Labor government, are delivering. I see this impact on my community in Kororoit every day. Families are feeling supported. They are getting some relief, knowing that their government is on their side. A government should understand your challenges and it should act, as we, the Allan Labor government, do.

I am proud to stand here today as a member of Parliament, as a representative for Kororoit and of course as a mum – one who understands the pressures that families are facing and who will continue to stand up and to fight. At the end of the day, it is our job – every single person in here who has been fortunate enough to be elected as a representative of Parliament – to make sure that Victorians have the opportunity to not just get by but to get ahead. It is our responsibility to ensure we do our best.

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn) (17:20): What a joke – the Allan Labor government wants to move a matter today with this matter of public importance saying that it is providing cost-of-living relief to Victorians. What an insult to Victorians – this is a government that is imposing cost-of-living pain. There are a range of reasons why I say that, and I will come to all of those. At a time when Victorians are doing it so tough, this government thinks it can magically produce all the solutions against a debt that is spiralling out of control, taxes that are growing faster than the economy by several multiples and interest rates that will see 10 cents in every dollar raised go to bondholders around the world. This government wants an elephant stamp for providing cost-of-living relief – you have got to be joking. Victorians would be recoiling at this kind of temerity – that a government so bad and so incompetent could come here and pretend that it is providing cost-of-living relief. Let me state this truth for all Victorians: the Allan Labor government gives you an inch, but it takes from you a mile – remember that. When it gives you one dollar, make no mistake, the Allan Labor government will take five from you.

It pretends it is the Education State, but we spend the least on students in government schools, and we spend the least on teachers in government schools. These are public schools. In Victoria parents are paying the highest voluntary contributions in the country, and we are supposed to believe this government when they say, ‘We provide you with a free education in government schools.’ Well, we know that is not true, because we know that although these payments that many thousands of parents make in public schools are voluntary – technically they are voluntary – in reality they are not, because they come at a price. If you do not make these voluntary payments in many government schools, do you know what happens? You do not get the casual relief teacher. You do not get the nursing support. You do not get the teaching aids. You do not get any of that. So can you really say it is voluntary? When the government hands out bits of money, which no-one is going to dispute or oppose, do not just look at that; look at what the government is taking from you in the form of the taxes, the debt that is out of control and the interest payments.

What concerns me most is this government pretends that it can ignore everything that is going wrong and misdirect the Victorian people with some relatively small measures that, yes, do help but that do not excuse the government’s massive failure for letting Victorians down when it comes to managing this state’s finances. I fear, and I am reasonably confident, that the finances of this state are worse than we fear they are. Not only do we know, for example when it comes to the infrastructure portfolio, that there have been billions of dollars in blowouts – as the Leader of the Nationals said over $50 billion in blowouts, including the CFMEU corruption, which the government knew about – but there are other problems with the net debt calculations in the budget because the government has focused so much on mega projects that have blown out.

We have a problem of neglect through the growth suburbs in the west, the north and the south-east, and in the regions in particular – but not solely in those regions. But because so much has been blown on these mega projects to get them to delivery, what we have seen is neglect of the rest of the infrastructure and asset portfolio. What happens when your assets are run down and when you do not have the money for renewal, for upgrades and for repairs to assets across the portfolio? Do you know what happens? Their value falls and depreciation goes through the roof. So when the government talks about net debt, which squares off our total borrowings with the value of the assets against which those borrowings are to be defrayed, you actually have a misleading figure. I do not think the budget accurately reflects how big our net debt actually is, because like everybody else will know, your net debt does depend on the valuations.

With so much neglect of the rest of the capital portfolio, none of us as Victorians can have confidence that, whether it is the general government sector at $192 billion by 2029 – or when you take into account the public nonfinancial corporation sector as well, which should be included, you end up with net debt by 2029 of well over $230 billion. Normally you do not include that against the general government sector, because it is often thought that these entities, water boards and the rest, have cost recovery and can manage their finances. But we know this government is so derelict financially, so delinquent financially, that it rips capital out and rips dividends out of these bodies, so you cannot treat them in that way. To get a better reading of our true debt position – and this is important for Victorians, because it is that net debt which means you are waiting longer for a hospital, you are waiting longer for an ambulance. It means your school does not have the teachers or the facilities you deserve. It means that you are driving on roads that are not carworthy and create not only financial risks for you but health and safety hazards. It is very real for people. This debt, this mismanagement, has an effect on all of our daily lives. For this government to come into this house and want congratulations for the measures it offers by way of cost-of-living relief, when so much else is denying Victorians the quality of life and the standard of living they enjoy, it is ridiculous, and it is offensive for Victorians who are doing it really tough. In addition to the risks I talked about – about the degradation in our capital base and asset base, because there has not been that investment by this government – we also know that the forecasts in the budget are just off. They are way off pitch. The net debt figure and the fiscal program that this government has said it has – its five-step plan to rescue the budget, which is nowhere near on track – depends on growth being at 2 per cent or above. Well, we know in 2024–25, last financial year, it came in at nearly half that, at 1.1 per cent. How can the government say that it is reining in net debt as a proportion of gross state product when our growth figures are half? We live in a $700 billion economy. To be off by a per cent in your growth forecast is a lot of money, and it means your net debt figure and your commitment to your own fiscal plan is falling apart. It cannot be believed.

What this government has also done is leave us with no capacity to deal with the rainy days. Even before the conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, we knew that interest rates were going up – and there are more interest rates to come. We know that the combination of the two interest rate rises from the official cash rate, of 3.85 per cent now up to 4.1 per cent, amounts to nearly half a billion dollars extra. And you can go to the sensitivity analysis in the budget itself to verify that yourself. The government knows that every increase in the official cash rate and bond rates across the world will have a massive impact on the debt that Victorians have to carry, because it is not the Premier who carries it, it is not the Deputy Premier who carries it – it is Victorians right across our great state, who unfairly are saddled with all the cuts that this government is making to services because it does not have the money. Whether it is closures of police stations, whether it is waiting lists for surgeries in our public healthcare system, whether it is the shortage of doctors, shortage of police officers, ambulance response times, whether it is the tragedy we see in our child protection system and in our family violence system, where the data is going north, not south – after 10 or more years of this government, on every measure, life is getting harder under this government. On every measure, the cost of living is going up. On every measure, the standard of living in this state is going down under this government. It is why we will be calling on the Victorian people and imploring them to take their opportunity to vote for change so we can fix this state. We can rescue it from the incompetence and the financial delinquency of this government, which is hurting Victorians. When this government comes to this chamber today, putting forward a matter of public importance saying how good it is that they are offering cost-of-living relief, let me remind all Victorians: when this Allan Labor government gives you a dollar, rest assured it will take from you $5.

 Daniela DE MARTINO (Monbulk) (17:30): I feel I should take the temperature in the room down somewhat, because right now there is a growing anxiety amongst people. They feel it in the pit of their stomachs. When we turn on the news, we see a world that looks terrifying at times. We see conflict in the Middle East, which is unpredictable, and even though it is half a world away it is having a real impact here. People see this and they feel it, and they get that knot in the pit of their stomachs, wondering what impact it will have on them. I am so empathic for them; I feel it too. And I know people I love, people who I am close to, the constituents across Monbulk and people across Victoria and Australia are also feeling this, and that is why it is comforting to know that we have the adults in the room in charge. We are not there shouting; we are not there screaming. There is no performance here. We are talking about real cost-of-living measures that make a real difference for people who are hurting, who are doing it tough.

In certain areas they are concerned about filling up their petrol tanks, which is why we brought in free public transport for the month of April. People I know who have not caught public transport in the past decade have just started to in the last two days. They have told me about it. It is already having a direct impact. And it is not just having an impact on them, because they are able to travel for free for a month, and they know this, on their commute to work. They have told me it is going to help them over the school holidays. It will help them over Easter, when they have got kids to try and entertain, but they cannot fill up the tank full of fuel and get them to wherever they want to go. So they are going to make an adventure of things. They are going to catch the train all together, and it will not cost them a penny to do so. They will pack their bag with the sandwiches they have made at home, and they will have really affordable, great days out, and we have helped with that. I know it is a small measure, but it is meaningful.

It also has another wonderful effect, and that is that the less fuel being used in cars to ferry us around from one point to another, the less fuel that we are using, the more fuel there is for farmers in regional areas. I did note that there have been those opposite decrying our free public transport and saying, ‘Well, this doesn’t really help people in regional areas.’ Yet the member for Eureka duly pointed out and I actually pointed this out on my social media platforms when comments were being made asking, ‘But what about us in the regions?’ – and I can understand the question – the Victorian Farmers Federation wanted this. They wanted this because every drop of fuel that is saved means that there is more fuel for farmers. That is an essential service we need. We need our food. We need our farmers to be able to do what they need to do to feed us all. It is incredibly important, and that is part of the way that we are helping.

There is so much else we have been doing. My wonderful colleagues here on this side of the chamber have been speaking at length about cost-saving measures, and there is a plethora that we have been enacting, and not just now. It is not a reaction to what is going on now. We have been embedding these cost-of-living relief measures for quite some time, because we have understood that things have been tough. COVID was a huge global shock. It was a huge global shock with ripples that continued on. And now we have a new global shock that we are dealing with, but we are dealing with it. We have years of experience of knowing how to deal with shocks when they come and being measured and being reasonable and being, as I said, the adults in the room. We are not jumping up and screaming.

We can be trusted to put Victorians’ best interests at heart, and that is why it is a concern to all of us on this side of the chamber when we hear about the $11.5 billion budget black hole that the Leader of the Opposition announced when she was Shadow Treasurer, because we all know that means cuts to services. It is cuts to the relief that we provide working families. What cuts will it be? If we look at what the opposition cut last time, because the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, we know they actually slashed funding from police. They slashed funding from our schools. They cut much-needed supports that were there. They absolutely slashed them and left people bereft where they had had supports before.

I have some notes here, and I will refer to them, because the numbers are extraordinary. They cut more than a billion dollars from TAFE and shut down 22 campuses. They cut more than a billion from our education system. They cut the whooping cough vaccination program – ponder that for a moment – all to save some money. They defunded 25 community mental health providers. They say they actually want to cut public transport projects. That means 24,000 Victorians out of a job, 70,000 homes that will not be built and a city that is left behind. They have said the SEC is gone with if they win. They have said – well, actually they have not said this. Actually what they did when they were last in government was they cut $70 million from V/Line. I wonder how the Nationals would feel about that. Seventy million dollars was cut from V/Line by the former coalition government. They have actually said they will rip up our activity centres. That means 300,000 new homes potentially cut. What is the greatest issue with housing? It is a lack of it. We have literally been devoting the past few years to working on how we increase housing supply, and that is why we are now one of the most affordable cities in the nation to buy and rent in.

I have heard those opposite mentioning lately – it is clearly in their notes at the moment to talk about it – incentives for investors. Investors is another word for landlords. If there are more landlords out there that means fewer people who own the home, or have it mortgaged, that they live in. We have created a situation here in Melbourne where we have got more first home buyer applicants here in Melbourne than anywhere else in the nation – that is by design. We are making it easier for people to be able to get into the housing market and actually own a piece of their own; to have something they call their own; to be paying the mortgage off, not the landlord. There is still a place for people who want to rent. Not everyone wants to buy or is in a position to buy at a point in time. It is also really important to let people know, young people in particular but also people who have never owned a home, that they can and they are more able to do it here. We are not done yet. We know we have got more to do, but we are on a plan, and we are continuing along that path to make it as easy as possible for people to achieve the dream of actually having their own place that is just theirs.

For those who are renting we have made it easier for them to do so with greater certainty. We have ensured that there is more dignity for them in renting. We have had some great reforms in this area, because we take it seriously, we take our role of government seriously. We are here to make everyone’s existence better wherever we can and that is what we do when we invest in them.

Some of our other cost-of-living supports I know have made real differences. If you look at our schools and you look at free glasses for children – do you know how many children could not read, Deputy Speaker, and had behavioural issues? They were acting up in class because they could not read the board. They could not see what was happening, so they were disengaging. Free glasses for kids is just a no-brainer when it means that the parents do not have to pay for the glasses, because they are not cheap. That is an essential service that they are being provided at no cost to them, along with free dental checks for students. I have seen the free dental vans at my local schools – they are magnificent. I was told by them that some kids had never, ever been to the dentist in their life at the age of 11. That was their first time going, and that was critical because they picked up issues with their oral health and they were able to address them quickly. That is a huge cost-of-living support that we give there. I know I have spoken so many times at length about the free breakfast clubs and they are critical. I will not go on at length about those, because once I start talking about it, I tend to get a little bit too passionate and I go on for quite a while about free breakfast, because you cannot learn when you are really hungry and that is just a simple fact. That has been another relief for people, and a lot of those children, when they need it they get sent home with meals that they take home to the family if they need it as well.

Some of our health measures have been extraordinary. The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department – I just want to give this a shout-out. I have been working really hard to try and highlight the importance of this, especially in my area where getting to an emergency department can be a good 40- to 50-minute drive. That free service on your phone or your laptop where you are triaged by an emergency doctor or registered nurse here in Victoria who tells you what the next steps are that you need to take, that is an invaluable service – completely free – along with the urgent care clinics that we have co-partnered with the federal government on as well. These are all things helping people in a cost-of-living crisis, because they should not have to decide whether or not they put money in the tank or go to the doctor. We are helping out in so many ways. I am proud of what we are doing. We have got more to do.

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (17:40): The matter of public importance presented to the house today is a doozy, an absolute doozy. The member for Lowan, who unfortunately has arrived slightly late to the chamber I understand, also knows what a doozy the matter of public importance is. But let me just humour the chamber first. The MPI states:

That this house notes that Victorian families are facing growing pressure in their daily lives as the cost of living and global events put household budgets under strain and only the Allan Labor government is responding with new and practical solutions –

Spell ‘practical’ for me, one member on the other side, please –

that deliver real cost-of-living relief and make life easier, safer and more affordable for Victorians.

Honestly, it must be April Fools’ Day. There is one thing that all Victorians can agree on: under the Allan Labor government, Victorians are less safe, their household budgets are far less than they absolutely should be and it is less easy to get a roof over your head. Life is harder under the Allan Labor government, and that is a direct result of poor policy decisions by the Allan Labor government. This matter of public importance that has been presented by the member for Frankston today is an April fool’s joke. It must be – mustn’t it? It absolutely must be. I know this will come as a surprise, particularly to those on this side, but you would think that this MPI is being presented as a way to pat the government on the back for a job well done in an election year. Oh, please! Victorians actually know and those that are actually engaged in their communities and in touch with reality understand that it is a joke. This is about whether people in regional Victoria can actually afford to live and can actually afford to run their businesses, whether it is in the agriculture sector, or whether it is a small business.

The amount of emails and messages I have had this week from small hospitality businesses and other small businesses, accommodation tourism operators as well, who are already under pressure – I know pressure creates diamonds, but not in this case. It is creating incredible stress for business owners, particularly in the regions, who will not be able to charge an EFTPOS surcharge when they are taking money from customers. That is an extra $1600 per terminal per month that small businesses have to find. I will tell you what else, and this is something that has perhaps escaped the eyes of the federal Labor government in particular, but the removal of the fuel excise in this country – and I said this earlier in the week – will help our primary producers who are bleeding at the moment, as long as we keep the fuel rebate, or the tax credits. Because last time the excise was removed, so was that rebate. My husband, a farmer, got a notification today, and guess what else has been halved? The fuel tax credits for primary producers have been halved. Guess how much by? Twenty-six cents. So there you go, just another thing that makes life harder for Victorians – much harder under the Allan Labor government. They know that now, after the past decade, life has got harder, and it is the hardest it has ever been for primary producers in this state – the hardest it has ever been.

The amount of regulation, the weather – and there is not much that any side of politics can do about the weather; that is what you get when you do business with God, unfortunately. But there are things post weather events that can be done there. There are troubles with fuel supply that we have been accused of being alarmist about, when we know that fuel bowsers are running dry, because I saw it.

Tim McCurdy interjected.

Jade BENHAM: Alarmist, we were – alarmist! There are fuel supply shortages and not only the cost of fertiliser but the ability now to get fertiliser – you just cannot. The price of water – water should be prioritised for those that are producing food, not for water speculators to drive up the price. There are just so many pressure points, and not just for farmers. Guess what happens when farmers are under so much pressure: every single Victorian pays for it. Even in small business with those EFTPOS surcharges that I was talking about earlier, to recoup that extra cost, that price just gets added to the price of their goods. It is as simple as that. Victorians just simply cannot take much more of this.

I find the MPI that has been presented before the house today to be obviously an April Fool’s joke but quite comical and offensive to Victorians. When I read it yesterday I did actually have a little chuckle to myself. I thought, ‘April Fools’ Day doesn’t start until midnight. They’re a little early.’ No, no, it is for real. Every Victorian is paying the price for the mismanagement over every sector by this Labor government. We are not the Education State, we are the crisis state. We have a housing crisis. We have a fuel crisis, obviously. We have a crime crisis. We have a cost-of-living crisis. We have an emergency services crisis, because we know that they are not being funded as well and their fleets desperately need upgrading. Soon we will have a food crisis because our farmers are absolutely under the pump, because the farmers are the only ones that sell their goods at wholesale, pay for everything at retail and pay the freight both ways.

What a great segue. Let us talk about freight. We could bring those costs down if the Murray Basin rail project was ever completed. That is another thing that the Allan Labor government stuffed up – a complete and utter mess. If that was actually completed, it would take a lot of pressure off farmers again with their transport needs if they could actually get goods to port for export in a timely manner. Instead, where is that money going? Into the big holes under the city and into the pockets of criminals and organised crime and to state-sponsored strippers on Big Build sites. I am sure Victorians are also giving the Allan Labor government a good pat on the back and saying, ‘Job well done.’ They will remember in November. Make no mistake, they will remember in November how hard life has been for them, particularly this year. They simply cannot take any more. Victorians are sick of it. To be fair – and we have seen it recently – they are sick of the silence. Hardworking Victorians are often too busy – head down, bum up, working away for their families, putting food on the table and roof over their head. But they are so sick of it now and they are getting very vocal, and so they should be. I am right there with them, because we need to be vocal. Everyone needs to know how important every area of Victoria is to this state’s economy, to this state’s food security and to this state’s supply chain, because once that supply chain is broken, this whole state and this whole nation will fall to pieces, mark my words.

For the Allan Labor government and the member for Frankston to write up this very comical pat-on-the-back matter of public importance today, it should absolutely make every single Victorian absolutely furious. It also illustrates how out of touch with reality the Allan Labor government and every member of it are. They have their heads buried in the sand. That is why we got accused of making alarmist claims when we addressed the fuel shortages in the regions last week. The Nationals know. Every single one of the Nationals team knows.

Emma Kealy interjected.

Jade BENHAM: We live it. Like I said, my husband is a farmer, my father is a farmer. The member for Lowan knows it. She is out in the regions as well. The Leader of the Nationals knows it. The members for Euroa, for Shepparton, for Morwell, for Ovens Valley – even the member for Gippsland East knows it.

A member interjected.

Jade BENHAM: Even him, with his peripheral vision. He knows it because he is engaged with his community. The Nationals will always be in touch with reality, in touch with our communities, and we are here to fight for them.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Werribee, the house has given me an opportunity to remind members that anything can be considered a prop. From Lindell in 2009:

Anything can be used as a prop; it depends on the manner in which the object is used. For example, when a member deliberately held up a report, the Speaker ruled it was a prop.

Props are disorderly. I am sure the notice paper slipped out of your hand, member for Mildura, and I thank the Leader of the Nationals for picking it up, otherwise it would have been a tripping hazard.

 John LISTER (Werribee) (17:51): Thank you, Deputy Speaker, for that OH&S reminder. I think that is particularly important, particularly when we are talking about how we are supporting working families and making sure that we are supporting them in what are tough times.

I will take up something that the member for Mildura raised: that people on this side have their heads buried in the sand. I do have a little bit of time for the member for Mildura. I have spent a lot of time in Mildura – my family is from there – and I have seen the disadvantage up in the part of the world that she represents. I have also seen disadvantage that no-one should see in the part of the world that I represent, Werribee. I have seen kids who have not been able to come to school with a school uniform. I have seen kids who have not eaten for a week. In fact there will be a lot of people this week at schools in wellbeing teams sending home packages of food to families that are doing it tough over the school holidays. This is something that I have seen firsthand, and I do take some umbrage at the member for Mildura saying that our heads are buried in the sand. I have seen it firsthand, and I have worked with people who are doing it tough, in particular in Werribee. We have some of the lowest socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) – which is a fancy way of saying ‘disadvantaged’ – scores in the City of Wyndham, but also particularly across Melbourne, with scores well under 900, which fits in a lot of categories of disadvantage. In areas like Werribee around Market Road, Heathdale and the southern part of Wyndham Vale, we have poverty. So cost-of-living support is not just about what we see at the bowser or what we see with middle-class families across some of the leafy parts of Melbourne. It is so vital for these people. I just want to bring people back to this as we come to the end of this matter of public importance. There are people who, let us be honest, will probably not be watching us here this afternoon but who are doing it incredibly tough and live in poverty. It is so important that they have a government that is on their side, and only Labor governments are on the side of these people who live in this disadvantage.

[NAMES AWAITING VERIFICATION]

Just like many other members of the government side, I just ran a tour with some of my locals from Werribee, and I had a chance to talk a little bit about what we do. I said I was speaking on this matter this afternoon about the cost of living, which immediately sparked a conversation amongst the 10 or so people that were with me from the Werribee electorate around what cost-of-living support means. I asked them in one word, ‘What does that mean?’ Daniel, Rosie, Natalie, Tanya, Nina, Joanne and Farhan offered me these thoughts on what cost-of-living support meant for them. For them it meant survival – that was one of the words they used. Another word they used was ‘healthy,’ which I think is particularly important for some of the initiatives that I will talk to in just a moment. One of them mentioned it makes people happy. I think happiness is underrated as a score. We talk about Bhutan and their figures around gross national happiness. I think the idea of happiness is something that, despite being a government with lots of bureaucracy, we should always have an eye to in our community. Another word that was mentioned was the idea of dignity.

There is dignity in supporting people who are doing it tough. We need to give them that dignity to be able to have that choice for themselves. It is not about just handouts, it is about supporting them in their everyday life and the way that they choose to go about it. Someone mentioned Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which as a teacher sparked my interest because we talk a lot about Maslow’s hierarchy – it is the base level, that safety and our shelter at the base level of Maslow’s hierarchy. But the one that stood out for me was something that Farhan told me. Farhan is a great guy from the Savana estate in Wyndham Vale. He said it is about the future. Cost-of-living support is not just about what we face here immediately, what we face as a result of the arch-conservative Donald Trump’s reckless actions in the Middle East. I have no time for Iran, but we can be certain that the result of what we are seeing here now is because of very, very unthought-through actions by the American President. They talk about the butterfly effect – well, here we have a very, very orange butterfly flapping his wings, dropping bombs on schools, and we are now seeing the effects all the way here in our Pacific corner of the world.

Cost-of-living support is so vital for our community. When we talk about some of those different initiatives, I think to the immediate initiatives, like free public transport, which I, along with many other people from the Werribee electorate, have been taking advantage of over the last couple of days. I have been taking the train in to Parliament and the bus – shout-out to the 181. I have seen more people on the train, and I caught up with a couple of my ex-students on the V/Line last night. It is always scary when you see ex-students; you never know what they are going to say to you. But they were talking to me about how every day they have to travel to Deakin in Burwood, and it takes them about 2 hours. But to have that transport for free over this month means that they were able to start planning on putting that money away so they can get some driving lessons. I thought that was a particularly cool, practical way that this free public transport is helping my community. With free public transport we have heard a lot from those opposite, particularly those in the Nationals, around how it is not necessarily going to help the regions. Well, it does help the regions. It helps the region so much that the Victorian Farmers Federation have come out in support of it. In fact some could credit them with initiating this whole conversation around free public transport, and I do thank them for that because it is a way of thinking about how we empower people in what they already do. Rather than just giving them something, rather than just giving them cash, rather than just giving them help, let us look at how people are going about their day and take away costs in what they have to do every day.

That is also what we are doing with things like our fair fuel plan. I have said a lot in this chamber that over 50 per cent of people in my electorate have to drive for various reasons. They are tradies, they have to take their kids to different child care or there are multiple drop-offs – which we are working on, by the way, with our kindergartens in schools program. But we know that fuel and car usage is a thing in my electorate in Werribee. I have stood up here since the very start, since we saw those first murmurs from the market around fuel and called for fuel support through our fair fuel plan and highlighted that work that the government is doing, because again it is about using the market to make sure that people are empowered to make choices over how they access that market and how they engage with it. It is potentially a little bit neoliberal to be working within a market framework to be able to support people. You would think that those opposite would love something a little bit neoliberal, but I think the arch-conservatives on their side are calling the tune when it comes to their approach to this, because there is a big risk.

It is not just our free public transport and it is not just our fair fuel plan. It is also things like our free kindergarten. It is also things like our free TAFE, and the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund, which I know firsthand supports some of those most disadvantaged kids that I mentioned in those SEIFA scores earlier living in those areas. I know firsthand – in fact we announced the extension of the program at Wyndham Central College that has been utilising the CSEF to help those kids go on outdoor ed. It is such an important program. There are Get Active Kids vouchers, which are in hot demand across all my basketball and netball clubs in Werribee, and things like our Smile Squad. There are the financial counselling services which we have offered in Watton Street, one of which I went to visit with the Minister for Local Government not too long ago.

All of these things are so important because they help people in what they already have to do every day. I have to point out that these are at risk; we have seen it before with conservative, small-minded governments that these are some of the first things to get cut, but they have such a deep impact in communities like mine. We do not have our heads in the sand. We are out there in our communities every day. I am out there in my community every day, speaking to people like the people who came on my tour earlier about what cost-of-living support means for them. So that is what it is at risk with a Liberal government. That is what a Labor government is supporting, and I commend this matter to the house.

 Lauren KATHAGE (Yan Yean) (18:01): I also believe that cost-of-living support for Victorians is something that this government is all about, and those opposite, with what they said or, sorry, what they yelled – the volume does not make up for a lack of content – the people on this side are the ones that are busy putting in place the initiatives that actually help Victorian households, and they should stop yelling and let us get on with the job of helping Victorians.