Thursday, 24 September 2026

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Premier) (18:36): (By leave) Before we wrap up, I just want to say a few thankyous, and I will begin with you, Speaker. Thank you to the clerks: Bridget, Vaughn and Paul. Thank you for all the assistance you have provided in running this chamber. Thank you for your patience, particularly on long days.

I also acknowledge every member of this Parliament, in particular on our side, for all of the work that they have done over these past four years. I think we all often disagree – often it is strongly – but we know everyone does come here with the right mindset and to do what they want to do by their community and to make the state better. We know we all give up a lot of time with the people we love most.

To our staff and to all the Victorian public service, the finest public service in Australia: there is an enormous amount of work that goes on behind everything we do in this chamber, and it is a credit to the people working in the departments and right throughout the state.

Most of all, I did want to acknowledge all of our families that do wait for us at home. I think of the late nights, the changed plans and every time the job does come first. I am looking forward to spending some time with my wife and daughter, and then it will be straight onto the campaign. Ten free dental clinics, 1500 more police, 121 new schools, 12 new hospitals, crime down, bail refusals up – a new direction but more work to do. I wish every member every success as we head towards November.

Thank you, Speaker. It has been a privilege to be finishing off on something as important as integrity. I concur with the member for Melbourne: Dr Tim Read will be looking down and saying this is a fine moment for the Parliament.

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (18:38): (By leave) I add my thanks to the many people in the Parliament who really make it possible for us to come in here every day. First, to our brilliant Clerk Bridget Noonan, thank you for everything you do. And to Vaughn, Paul and Joel, thank you for your incredible diligence and your in-depth expertise on our many questions, which I am sure that you get, including whether our constituency question is going to be in line. Thank you very much for everything that you do.

To our wonderful attendants who keep the chamber going day in, day out; to the team in the table office; and to the Hansard staff who do the meticulous work, thank you for your commitment to our Parliament and to democracy here in Victoria.

I thank our security staff, Adam and the team and the protective services officers. Often they are the first people we see when we walk into the building and the last people we see when we walk out, and they keep us safe. I know that a lot of effort has gone into the procedures and – through your work, Speaker – how this Parliament works with security over recent years.

I thank the vestibule team and everyone at the front door for signing in the visitors and making sure that there is access to this Parliament for all Victorians, because at the end of the day this is not our place, it is Victorians’ place to come and visit. Thank you to the tour guides, the library staff, the facilities management team, the gardeners and the IT staff for fixing our problems every single day – the Luddites that we all are in asking the simplest of questions – and of course the catering staff, who keep us caffeinated at every opportunity. I thank the Department of Parliamentary Services and Trish Burrows for the work that they do.

Of course, thank you to all of our electorate staff and all of our staff. As you said, Speaker, they are at home, they are answering the phone and they are doing the work on the ground when we come into this place. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.

Speaker, to you I say thank you on behalf of the Liberals and Nationals for the work you have done in this place. I know that we have not always behaved – I accept that – but we come in here and we understand that you have a role to play. On a personal note, I thank you for all that you did for me and little Patrick and for the mums in this place. It is not easy navigating the world when you are a new mum and trying to come back to work, and with Charlotte’s Room you made a big difference to me and my family, so on a personal note, thank you very much.

Finally, to all members, as the Premier said, this has been a week when we said goodbye to one of our own in Tim Read, and to see the IBAC legislation pass the Parliament today I know is an incredible part of his legacy. We all do come into this place because we are trying to make our community and our state a better place. We might not agree on everything, but I think we all walk out of this chamber after question time sometimes and go and get a coffee together or we send each other a text message about our family or our football team over the weekend, and at the end of the day we all want to leave this place in a better position than when we came in here the first time. I wish everyone all the best over the next few months. We are going into a campaign.

Members interjecting.

Jess WILSON: I will say it this way: I wish everyone all the best, though maybe not all the best for the result at the end of the day. Campaigns are tough. It will be tough on every single one of us. It will be tough on our families. I think if we go into that with respect for one another, we will do this place the justice it deserves but also make sure we do the best by Victoria.