Thursday, 4 June 2026

 Nicole WERNER (Warrandyte) (14:19): My question is to the Minister for Youth. The government’s Youth Central hub tells young Victorians they have the right to a safe workplace free from bullying and harassment. In her first speech the minister thanked Joe Myles, who was described by a Federal Court judge as having ‘a deplorable personal history of offending’, including calling a site foreman, an ‘effing little grub’. How can young Victorians have any confidence in the Minister for Youth when she endorses the very workplace bullies her government tells young people they should not have to tolerate?

Anthony Carbines: On a point of order, Speaker, questions without notice are not an opportunity to try to trash individuals with statements that are not relevant to the portfolio.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: I ask members to cease interjecting while the member is on his feet. The Leader of the House is on a point of order.

Anthony Carbines: Statements that are directly irrelevant to the minister’s portfolio are not an opportunity to use question time to try to trash and smear other members. That is totally out of order.

Matthew Guy interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Bulleen, this is your last warning.

James Newbury: On the point of order, Speaker, firstly, the question is entirely in order. If the minister trashed herself, that is not our fault.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, I ask you to raise your points of order in the appropriate way.

Nicole Werner: On the point of order, Speaker, if it assists the minister and the Leader of the House, there was no trashing. It was the minister who thanked this person who called a site foreman those words – an ‘effing little grub’ – and that speaks to him being a bully. It was not trash talk at all; she thanked a workplace bully.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order, Leader of the House.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, under standing order 104, the behaviour towards the member for Warrandyte was outrageous.

The SPEAKER: The member for Brighton knows that is not a point of order.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Tarneit can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Tarneit withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, standing order 104 does give every member the right to raise a point of order. That was not an offer, but it does give every member the right to raise a point of order, and the member for Warrandyte has just as much of a right as anybody else.

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

 Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit – Minister for Youth, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (14:23): I reject the premise of the question, but I will say that the Allan Labor government is proud to uphold all that we have committed to in the budget.

 Nicole WERNER (Warrandyte) (14:23): The Federal Court has found Mr Myles breached workplace laws more than 20 times, including coercion. Given the youth strategy measures whether young people report feeling safe, has the minister sought advice on the extent to which her backers have undermined young workers’ sense of safety?

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

 Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit – Minister for Youth, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (14:24): Thank you for the question. I reject the premise of it.