Wednesday, 9 September 2026

 Michael O’BRIEN (Malvern) (18:22): After 20 years in this place on my feet giving speeches, I finally get to my valedictory, and now I feel nervous. Maybe I am nervous because this is the last opportunity I have to use parliamentary privilege and I only have 15 minutes, but more likely any nerves are because I want to do justice to what this institution means to me. At a time when public faith in our institutions is falling I remain a staunch believer in parliamentary democracy. With all its flaws it is still the best way of ensuring that the will of the people determines how we are governed. A chamber of genuine debate and testing of opinions in full public view may sometimes be messy, but it is the price we must pay to hold accountable those who exercise power in our name. Each time I walk through the magnificent vestibule at the front of the building, first of all I remind myself how fortunate I am to be here, but I also see the quote in the mosaic tiles from the book of Proverbs:

Where no counsel is the people fall but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

That is a warning about concentrating power in too few hands, to which I will return later.

I know it is a privilege to even deliver a valedictory. Most MPs get taken out of this place by their party, by the electorate or by the Almighty, so I am pleased to be leaving on my own terms. It has been a difficult decision because I have genuinely loved this role and never taken for granted the responsibility that comes with it: to represent a community, to advocate for them, to be their champion. I will be forever grateful to the people of the Malvern electorate not just for electing me five times but for allowing me into their lives and for trusting me with their stories and their aspirations. To get to know the kids and parents at the junior sporting clubs, the veterans at the RSLs and the community groups like the Stonnington Toy Library has been a privilege. I think of the family with the special needs son who were asking for one extra year of education support but the bureaucracy would not listen or the young woman who was the victim of a VicRoads licensing stuff-up and getting her licence reinstated so she could continue driving and keep her job. They are two examples of thousands where my office and I have made a real difference, I hope, in people’s lives.

Malvern may not have the glorious beaches of Nepean, the sweeping vistas of South-West Coast or the world-class golf courses of Sandringham, but we do have Chadstone shopping centre. More importantly, Malvern is full of decent, hardworking, community-minded people, and it has just been the privilege of my professional life to represent them here. I hope that Amelia Hamer, as the Liberal candidate, will have that opportunity going forward, and I wish her well and offer my full support.

I also thank the army of Malvern Liberal members and volunteers who preselected me, campaigned for me and supported me over the journey. As MPs we are the tip of the political spear, but it is our branches that provide the power behind it. I particularly acknowledge Warren Samuel, Greg Hannan and Mark Stretton, who served as chairmen of the Malvern Liberals; Julie Osborne and Stewart Stribling, who were my vice-chairs for 20 years; as well as my friends Sujay Capoor, Narelle Sheezel and Jack Cook, who managed my campaigns.

My friend the member for Gippsland East in his excellent contribution made the point that it is not for us to be talking about what we have achieved during our time here, and I will also leave that to the commentators and the historians. But I do want to note this: 2014 was my last year as Treasurer of this great state, and in 2014 Victoria’s share of GST was 88 cents in the dollar. New South Wales got 98 ‍cents, Queensland was $1.08, and South Australia was $1.28. It meant that we were subsidising other states to the tune of 12 cents for every dollar of GST raised here. Of course like any good Victorian Treasurer, I whinged. I whinged long and hard about it. Why should our GST be sent off to subsidise other states? It is our GST; it should stay here. I sang from the same hymn book as my good friend and predecessor the member for Rowville. But we all know what the deal is: under the grants commission formula, the economically strong states subsidise the weaker ones. Victoria had the strongest budget position, so we had to give the most. Where are we now? Today we do not get 88 ‍cents in the dollar of GST, we get $1.06. Victoria has gone from being an economically strong state to a mendicant one. Being subsidised by other states is not a sign of strength, it is a sign of weakness. Victoria should be a proud state, a leader. We should not need a begging bowl to be filled by the citizens of New South Wales or Queensland.

Economic strength is important because it enables us to fund the pillars of a strong society – good hospitals, safe streets, resourced schools, smooth roads. Running a balanced budget means that we pay our way. We raise today what we spend today. Massive debt means we are taking from the citizens of tomorrow – our children – to spend on ourselves today. We owe it to our children to end reckless borrowing so we do not mortgage their future any further.

The public often has the impression that the political disputes across the chamber must translate into personal animosity between MPs, but nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that while we often disagree on politics and policy, we are all motivated by wanting to make our state a better place and are prepared to put up our hands to do something about it, so that in itself gives us common ground. We are also humans in a workplace. It was a Labor MP who came to my aid one day in the parliamentary car park. I had taken a corner a little ambitiously and nudged a pole which had left bright yellow paint on my side panel. This MP taught me an old firefighter trick for removing the paint with toothpaste, which worked a treat. So I wish the Minister for Police just as much success in removing crime from our streets as removing yellow paint from my car.

It was a former Labor planning minister who sat down with me to discuss a really sensitive issue involving my electorate. We had two groups with very opposing views. The minister and I both thought that there was a sensible halfway house which would deliver the fairest outcome, but of course, as it often is in politics, you run the risk of pleasing nobody. So we worked out a solution: the minister would make the sensible decision, and if there was any local backlash, he would just blame me. The public never sees it in the theatrics of question time, but this is the type of cooperation which makes the system work.

A quick word on our press gallery. They play a vital role in keeping the public informed and keeping governments and oppositions on our toes. They do not get it right all the time any more than do we. But I have always valued their work and our interactions over the years. However, if you want any greater example of how one journalist can change the course of events, I give you Nick McKenzie. Without his exceptional work on the ‘Building bad’ series exposing corruption, bullying, criminality and rorting on the Big Build, Victoria would look very different. It is funny, when you see Nick McKenzie’s name and number flash up on your phone, it is like seeing a police car in your rear-vision mirror at the lights. You know you have not done anything wrong, but you are nervous anyway. And that is a testament to the impact that investigative journalism, at its best, represents.

If Parliament does not function effectively, then executive power is unchecked. During my time here we saw not just debate shut down but even Parliament itself. It was not that long ago when a Premier, a handful of ministers and an unelected health bureaucrat were literally confining us to our homes, closing our kids’ schools and keeping us separated from family and friends. I fear there are long-term mental health consequences flowing from those lockdowns that will, in particular, affect the generation of children who lived through it. Whether you agreed or disagreed with the measures taken – and people of good conscience can differ on that question – I hope that such power will never again be exercised without proper parliamentary scrutiny.

A valedictory speech can sometimes feel like the reading of a will and who gets what. Many years ago with Martin Pakula I was proud to co-found the Spring Street Blues, a group of Carlton-supporting MPs. Now I hand over the reins to my fellow Blue-bagger and member of the O’Brien faction, the Leader of the Nationals. Danny, I could not deliver a Carlton flag over 20 years here, so I hope that you have better luck than me. I am also proud to be co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Ireland with the Deputy Premier. Now, Gab is left, I am right; she is Sinn Féin, I am Fine Gael. But somehow it works well. My friend in the other place Mr Mulholland will hopefully step up in my absence.

A shout-out to my staff over the years: whether in my electorate office, my ministerial and Treasurer’s offices or the opposition leader’s office, I had – and have – such a talented crew of people who not only had my back but shared my passion for good public policy and making Melbourne and Victoria a better place. As an MP and a minister your staff are your ambassadors, and I thought I had the best diplomatic corps in Spring Street. Thank you for putting up with my grammar pedantry and my occasional grumpiness after a Carlton loss and for advising me on my fashion choices, even if that advice was not always accepted – and I do see Byron Hodkinson and Luke Tobin in the gallery tonight. To my current staff Lucy Chua-Huggins, Mia Davies-Zimmerman and Tom Hall, my sincere thanks. To the three chiefs of staff I had – Darren Disney, Brett Hogan and Mitch Grayson – my enduring gratitude.

To all the parliamentary staff who make this place function despite the efforts of MPs who just get in the way, please know how much your efforts are genuinely appreciated. To our Clerk Bridget Noonan: thank you for your sage advice over the years. And, Speaker, to your assistant Tom Bennett, can I thank him for being the only person here with whom I can obsessively discuss the fortunes of our beloved Celtic Football Club?

Gabrielle Williams interjected.

Michael O’BRIEN: Sorry – you too, Gab. I have been blessed to share the past 20 years or so with many great colleagues in the Liberal and Nationals parliamentary parties, and I am even more fortunate that so many of them are great friends. If Parliament is a footy field – and it feels like that sometimes ‍– we have run onto the ground together. We have shared the highs and lows and the bumps and bruises and we have given as good as we got. To my Liberal colleagues: you gave me the honour of leading you, and for that I will always be grateful. To my good friends who stayed the course during the difficult times, including my deputy the member for Eildon and the member for Sandringham, you will never know how much that meant. To premiers Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine, who entrusted me to serve Victorians as a minister and Treasurer, thank you for the confidence that you showed in me. Being a minister is the most extraordinary responsibility, but it is also the most extraordinary opportunity to shape Victoria for the better, and I do hope that shortly some of my colleagues on this side will know what that is like, because Victoria does need a fresh start.

To the Leader of the Opposition: Jess, I am sorry, but I have not had a single moment of regret since announcing my decision to retire at the election. But the closest I have come has been seeing you flourish in what I know to be the worst job in politics. I know the member for Kew. I know she has the judgement, the intellect, the empathy, the energy and the vision to be a truly great leader of this state, and I hope that Victorians vote to give her that opportunity.

Can I thank my friends from outside politics who (a) have bothered to stay friends with me and (b) ‍never hesitated to keep me grounded. I am very fortunate to have friends who happily remind me of their view that the title ‘The Honourable’ is ironic. To my golfing friends, aka the Mooseters, no longer will I be able to meet the challenge of having them nominate a silly word or phrase for me to use in Hansard or at a press conference – those days have been milked.

To those who have been my friends from the start of my political journey at the Melbourne Uni Liberal Club, including Rochelle Pattison, Katherine Forrest and Scott Ryan, who are here today, my gratitude. And to all those who have given me support, help or hope – some of whom are in the gallery today, including Michael Burke – my sincere thanks.

When I gave my maiden speech in this place 20 years ago, my daughter Eleanor was a toddler and my son Reagan was a baby in my wife Michelle’s arms. Now my children are 22 and 20, university students making their way in the world and making Michelle and me proud every day. It is a measure of how much time has passed and why I have decided that now is the right time to depart. I am incredibly proud to be your dad. This job has produced some good times and some not-so-good times for us as a family, but everything I have tried to do is so that you and your generation can inherit a better Victoria. I do not know if I have achieved that, but I have tried every day.

Michelle is not just a wonderful mum who was there when I could not be. She is a great wife and supports me as well as being a highly accomplished lawyer. She is so smart that she prefers to avoid the spotlight, which is why I often rolled out our two dogs, Bonny and Brandy, for media photo shoots back in the day, because every MP looks better next to a cute puppy. Michelle, I love you and thank you more than you could know for allowing me to serve and supporting me to do so while excelling in your own career.

To my brother Conor: I appreciate your advice and counsel over the years. Some of it I have even accepted. But you are a good and loyal brother, and I have loved having you in my corner.

To my mum Toni: thank you for every sacrifice that you made when I was young that gave me the opportunity to be standing here today. Bringing up two boys single-handed, especially me and my brother, must have been an ordeal, but I hope that you know how much I love you and appreciate all that you have done.

I have loved serving. I know I have done my best. I hope I have done some good. To our Parliament: in the words of Victoria’s coat of arms, I wish you peace and I wish you prosperity.

Members applauded.