Thursday, 31 October 2019

 Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (11:39): I rise to provide the house with an update on the Australia-Latin America Business Council, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

It is my intention to speak at the council’s dinner tonight. I will be focusing on the fact that our goods exports to Latin America have jumped 38 per cent in just two years, that the two-way merchandise trade has reached $2 billion for the first time and that we have 17 500 students and 53 000 tourists from Latin America. All of those things have been made possible and will be enhanced by a number of factors, including amongst other things, the direct flights between Santiago and Melbourne, the MOU that has been signed between Melbourne and São Paulo and the MOU between Chisholm TAFE and the Colombian vocational education, training and skills body, SENA, to collaborate on technology, cybersecurity and the creative economy.

With 650 million people and a GDP of $8 trillion, Latin America is an incredibly important market for our state. It is wonderful to know that there is bipartisan recognition of the value of that relationship.

Mr PAKULA: Earlier this year the member for Bulleen, the member for Kew and the member for Benambra did their bit for the relationship when they travelled to South America where, according to Backroom Baz, the member for Kew, the member for Bulleen and the member for Benambra met with the Australian ambassador to Ecuador and Chile. I applaud them for the work that they are doing to shore up the relationship. No doubt it will be of great value to the member for Kew later this year when the member for Bulleen has to decide whether to sign an MOU with him or with the member for Gembrook.

Mr R Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, I just want to refer to a point of order raised by the Leader of the House with regard to the forms of the opposition questions where she stated very confidently to the house that she would compel you to make a ruling. Now, if you are going to be a truly independent officer of this Parliament, it is very disturbing to members of the opposition to hear the Leader of the House state so clearly to the Parliament that she is in a position to compel you to make certain rulings. I want to put that on the record, and I seek your assurances to the house that that indeed will not happen.

Ms Allan: On the point of order, Speaker, I do feel compelled to indicate, in response to the member’s point of order—

A member interjected.

Ms Allan: No. He knows exactly what he is doing. The reference I was making was that we can change—

Members interjecting.

Ms Allan: We have the capacity in the chamber to change sessional and standing orders. That is the reference I was making. You know that. Speaker, I just put to you again, in response to the member for Warrandyte’s point of order, if he is seeking consistency in your application of rulings, I would support that approach and that you ensure that you also consistently either warn or remove members from the chamber who consistently interject on government ministers in particular. Some government ministers when they are on their feet are constantly being interjected on. I, having just responded to a question from the member for Euroa, at times could barely hear myself responding because of the interjections of those opposite. If the member for Warrandyte wants to go down that path, we have the capacity to change sessional orders to make sure that these things can be dealt with.

Mr Wells: Further on the point of order, Speaker, I think it is a bit rich for the manager of government business to be accusing the opposition of interjecting when you have had a whole week of this constant attack on the opposition, and they do not expect us to respond? I would ask you to rule out of order the point of order put forward by the manager of government business and that you support the member for Warrandyte.

Mr Battin: Further on the point of order, Speaker, just to clarify the government’s position there, which was a direct threat to this side of ‘We will change the standing orders and the rulings’ to silence this side. That is not how the Parliament should operate. We deserve to have a voice. We are all elected, exactly the same as those over there, to stand up for our communities. To think a government would come in here and put on record that they are willing to change rules to silence the opposition is a disgrace and is something that all Victorians should know about, how arrogant this government is.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members know that I do not have any control over the sessional orders. The construction of the sessional orders, or the standing orders, they are a matter for this house. That is the end of the matter.

Ms McLeish: On a point of order, Speaker, I draw your attention to two outstanding questions on notice to the Minister for Education, 1185 and 1187, that were due on 12 October. I would appreciate if that was chased up for me.

The SPEAKER: I will follow that matter up.