Thursday, 4 June 2026

 Nicole WERNER (Warrandyte) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Youth. In her first speech the minister thanked Johnny Setka for his support during her campaign – the man whose leadership, according to corruption buster Geoffrey Watson SC, turned the CFMEU to ‘looking after gangsters’ –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the House will resume his seat until she concludes her question. I ask you to not start again but take off from where you were.

Nicole WERNER: My question is to the Minister for Youth. In her first speech the minister thanked Johnny Setka for his support during her campaign – the man whose leadership, according to corruption buster Geoffrey Watson SC, turned the CFMEU to ‘looking after gangsters, standover men, bikies’ –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte will be heard in silence. Member for Warrandyte, I ask you to not start again but take off with the question from where you were at.

Nicole WERNER: What safeguards are in place to ensure young Victorians looking for a mentor through the government’s Youth Central hub are not drawn to the same corrupt and criminal networks that backed the minister’s campaign?

The SPEAKER: I ask the minister to respond as it relates to her portfolio.

 Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit – Minister for Youth, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (14:12): I thank the member for her question. Although I do not agree with the characterisation of the question, I will make a few observations.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has a right to be heard in silence also.

Luba GRIGOROVITCH: As I was saying, youth are our future, and that is why the Allan Labor government invested $33 million out of this state budget into our youth. My job is simple: to give every young Victorian a go, and under our youth strategy we are investing $33 million. We are engaging over 135,000 young people through Amplify, through Engage! and through the Future Ready programs.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is debating the question. I would ask her to come back to the question.

The SPEAKER: The minister is not debating. I do not uphold the point of order.

Luba GRIGOROVITCH: As I was saying, the Allan Labor government has invested $33 million in youth in this recent budget. We have engaged over 135,000 –

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker: relevance.

The SPEAKER: The minister is being relevant.

Luba GRIGOROVITCH: Thank you, Speaker. Maybe I will get through it this time. As I was saying, $33 million is what the Allan Labor government has invested in this year’s budget, and it is because youth matters to us. We are investing to make sure that young people are engaged through Amplify, through Engage! and through the Future Ready programs – you name it. Just yesterday I had the great pleasure of meeting up with some of the members of the Le Mana Pasifika program, and it was incredible. To hear from these young people and to hear what they had to say was just amazing.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, again on relevance, this is not relevant to the question that was asked by the member for Warrandyte.

Anthony Carbines: On the point of order, Speaker, the minister is being directly relevant to her portfolio of youth and directly relevant to the tiny bit of the question which was relevant.

Danny O’Brien: On the point of order, Speaker, the question specifically went to the safeguards in place through the Youth Central hub, which the minister has not touched on at all.

The SPEAKER: From my remembrance of the first part of the answer from the minister, she rejected the characterisation of the question at the outset.

Luba GRIGOROVITCH: As I was saying, our youth strategy is Our Promise, Your Future, and that is what matters. Yesterday I had the great privilege of meeting with the Le Mana Pasifika project, an incredible project. I met with them a few weeks ago up in Melton with my good friend Steve McGhie, wherever he may be seated, and we got to hear from these young people on how this project is directly changing their lives.

Danny O’Brien: Speaker, I renew the point of order on relevance. This is about something the minister did yesterday. It has nothing to do with the question that was asked.

The SPEAKER: I cannot tell the minister how to respond to the question. As I said before, I believe she already responded at the outset and rejected the characterisation of the question.

Luba GRIGOROVITCH: The Allan Labor government supports young people, and we will make sure that they are always looked after. I conclude my answer.

 Nicole WERNER (Warrandyte) (14:16): In that same speech the minister said she was ‘grateful to have found fellow travellers’ before thanking Johnny Setka. How can young Victorians be sure they can access safe mentoring through the government’s Youth Central hub when the minister’s own mentor has been convicted of dozens of offences?

The SPEAKER: The minister to respond as it refers to her portfolio.

 Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit – Minister for Youth, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (14:16): I thank the member for her question. The Allan Labor government has invested $33 million in youth. We are doing that through our youth strategy, Our Promise, Your Future –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: I think it is appropriate for members to remember that when there is a request for silence when a certain member is on their feet it also goes for when other members are on their feet.

Luba GRIGOROVITCH: We have engaged over 135,000 young people through a number of programs, something that I as Minister for Youth am incredibly proud of. Through these programs we have many mentoring paths, which is the most important thing for these young people.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order. The minister has concluded her answer.