Questions without notice and ministers statements
Fines Victoria
Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:03): My question is to the Attorney-General. On 17 October 2019 the Attorney-General told this house, concerning the Fines Victoria ICT debacle:
There is very, very significant improvement occurring in respect of the operation of the Fines Victoria system.
Just six days afterwards, on 23 October, it was revealed that provision for doubtful debts, mostly fines, has increased by $328 million. When the Attorney-General assured this house that Fines Victoria’s operation was significantly improving, did she mislead the Parliament or was she ignorant of the truth of the extent of Fines Victoria’s IT debacle?
Ms HENNESSY (Altona—Attorney-General, Minister for Workplace Safety) (11:04): The answer to the Leader of the Opposition’s question is neither. Certainly I advised this house that there have been some significant problems with the system and that the government is currently conducting a review that will be received by government very soon. There have been improvements. As the Leader of the Opposition would know, the provisions around doubtful debt do not necessarily mean that those figures will not necessarily be recovered, because fines do not expire.
Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:04): The Attorney-General and her predecessor have previously given Victorians three different deadlines for when this IT system was to be fixed. Last Wednesday the Attorney-General finally—
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Essendon is warned.
Mr M O’BRIEN: Last Wednesday the Attorney-General finally admitted that the Fines Victoria IT system has never worked. Why did it take the Attorney-General so long to finally admit the truth to Victorians?
Ms HENNESSY (Altona—Attorney-General, Minister for Workplace Safety) (11:05): Again, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. This has been a matter that has been the subject of public transparency for a significant period of time. It has been covered in last year’s budget and this year’s budget. It has been the subject of an Ombudsman’s report. To try and suggest that there is some kind of cover-up here is patently false, and I think that the Leader of the Opposition needs to not worry about doubtful debt but the doubtful supporters sitting on his side of the chamber.