Wednesday, 30 October 2019

Mining protests

Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (11:31): My question is to the Premier. More than 7000 delegates from around 100 countries are attending the International Mining and Resources Conference in Melbourne, a conference sponsored by the Victorian government. However, the violence and aggressive protests outside the conference are a threat to public safety as well as embarrassing to Victoria internationally. Is the Premier concerned by the reputational damage these feral protesters are causing, and if so, what is he going to do about it?

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (11:31): I will come to the substance of the question in a moment, but it is a great pleasure to receive a question on reputational damage from the member for Caulfield. He would know bit about that, I reckon.

On the issue of conventions and conferencing, it is a very important part of our economy and has been the subject of record support from our government. Visit Victoria and the Melbourne Convention Bureau do an outstanding job in attracting conventions covering a very wide range of subject matter, with thousands of delegates, hotel rooms in terms of occupancy rates, restaurants, bars—a fantastic source of jobs and a very important sector and well valued by our government.

Mr Southwick: On a point of order, Speaker, I did not ask for an advertisement. We asked the Premier specifically—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Mordialloc is warned.

Mr Southwick: what he is going to do to restore the reputational damage that these feral protesters are causing Victoria. What is he going to do about it, rather than sitting on his hands and doing nothing?

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier is being directly relevant to the question that was asked.

Mr ANDREWS: Thank you very much, Speaker. The member for Caulfield very much is an advertisement, I think, and no-one is buying.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will come back to the question.

Mr ANDREWS: The convention sector is very important and will always be strongly supported by our government. Now, in relation to the protests, this is appalling behaviour, and before the member for Caulfield gets up—and he will probably ask a supplementary about why we aren’t doing certain things—Victoria Police are down there now, and they are doing every one of us proud. They are doing every one of us proud, and I reject the criticisms that we have seen in some quarters over the last 24 hours criticising Victoria Police. Victoria Police are making arrests. Victoria Police are making sure that order is brought back to that scene.

Now, I will always support the right of every Victorian, if they so choose, to peacefully protest, but there is a big difference between peaceful protests and what we saw yesterday and potentially today. I thank every member of Victoria Police for their commitment, and I say to them: be in no doubt—not only will we guarantee as a government the resources Victoria Police need, but we have a resolve to continue to support them in everything they need. We will not undermine the chief commissioner. We will not cut the budget of Victoria Police as others did, to their eternal shame. We will give Victoria Police the resources and the resolve that they need and deserve, and I thank every single member of Victoria Police for their response to those ugly scenes that we saw yesterday.

My only advice to the member for Caulfield and others is: do not underestimate Victoria Police’s capacity to fight crime and keep our community safe. That capacity—

Members interjecting.

Mr ANDREWS: Well, those opposite can laugh at Victoria Police if they choose to, but the other thing that those opposite should not underestimate is our government’s resolve to give to the chief commissioner everything he needs, including our unwavering support.

Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (11:35): Before the feral protests this week Victorians endured a week’s worth of disruptive Extinction Rebellion protests in the CBD at a reported cost to taxpayers of $3 million. This week Victoria Police officers have been injured, some to the point of hospitalisation, and conference attendees were pushed, harassed and abused merely for attempting to enter the conference venue. How much more violence do we need to see on our streets before the Victorian government reinstates the move-on laws that the Premier stripped away from Victoria Police?

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (11:36): Far from moving people on, Victoria Police are arresting those people who need to be arrested because they have every reason to suspect that they have broken the law. That is the answer to the question, but let me conclude simply by saying I am not going to be lectured about the welfare of Victoria Police from someone who thought it was a good idea to retweet Craig Minogue! I will not be lectured on police welfare by the likes of the member for Caulfield.

Mr Southwick: On a point of order, Speaker, I ask you to bring the Premier back to answering the question. The Premier said earlier that he would give the police every bit of resource they need to do their job. Premier, will you reinstate the move-on laws? Yes or no?

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has been answering the question.

Mr ANDREWS: The problem for the member for Caulfield is, yes, if Victoria Police want changes, then we work with Victoria Police. There is a big difference between the chief commissioner asking for something and the member for Caulfield asking for something. I know the member has trouble with exactly who he is and what his qualifications are, but he is not the Chief Commissioner of Police. He may have business cards printed that say differently, but he is not the Chief Commissioner of Police.