Thursday, 18 March 2021

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Ministerial conduct

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:01): My question is to the Acting Premier. Yesterday in—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition has the call.

Mr M O’BRIEN: My question is to the Acting Premier. Yesterday in Parliament the minister for veterans affairs said, quote:

… you will get a chance to get your selfie, looking all sad, when you are putting a wreath in front of there, when you push the war widows … the veterans out of your way …

Will the Acting Premier direct the minister for veterans affairs to make a formal apology to veterans today in this Parliament for his deeply offensive comments?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! All members are warned about shouting across the chamber from the start of this session. I particularly notice the member for Kew and the Minister for Regional Development shouting across the chamber, but all members are warned.

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (11:02): It has taken the Leader of the Opposition all week to ask me a question. He squibbed it for two days, and what have we got? We have got a question for me on leadership from a bloke who has not shown any.

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, I passed my leadership test. This one is for the Acting Premier.

The SPEAKER: Order! I ask the Acting Premier to come back to answering the question rather than attacking the opposition, and I again remind members that points of order should be points of order, not points of argument or repeating the question.

Mr MERLINO: Passed the test? A third of his party room preferred an empty seat. A third of his party room preferred an empty seat than the empty suit in front of—

Mr Wells: On a point of order, Speaker, under sessional order 11, I would ask you on a matter of relevance to bring the Acting Premier back to answering the question and stop defying your ruling which you handed down just a few seconds ago.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Acting Premier to come back to answering the question.

Mr MERLINO: The point the minister for veterans affairs was making yesterday and every day that he has been the minister for veterans affairs is that our focus should be on the veterans and their families every single day—every single day—not just on Anzac Day, which is a special day where all of us commemorate and give thanks to our service men and women for their past sacrifice and their current-day sacrifice on behalf of our nation. But the point that he was making yesterday and every day that he has been a minister is that our support should be with them not just on Anzac Day but on the other 364 days in that year. No-one—no-one—is more passionate about that issue—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members have been warned.

Mr T Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, let the record reflect that the Acting Premier is defending the comments, he is defending the disgraceful—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kew should resume his seat.

Mr T Smith interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kew can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour.

Member for Kew withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Acting Premier has the call. I ask the Acting Premier to come back to the question.

Mr MERLINO: The minister for veterans affairs cares deeply about this issue. He cares deeply about veterans and their families. The minister’s father was a World War II vet, was a person—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the House!

Mr T Bull: On a point of order, Speaker, also on relevance, the question that was asked by the Leader of the Opposition was whether the Acting Premier will ask the minister to issue a formal apology. We all have family members that were veterans and our veteran community has clearly taken offence, and I urge you to encourage the Acting Premier to answer the question that was asked.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Acting Premier is answering the question, is being relevant to the question.

Mr MERLINO: The minister cares deeply about veterans’ issues. His father was a World War II vet. He spends every day supporting veterans and their families. He was asked yesterday to withdraw in the chamber and he withdrew. But I will tell you what else I heard yesterday—I will tell you what else I heard. There was an event in the Parliament gardens that I attended, and the minister was out there with colleagues and with veterans and with veterans’ families. And we heard from Connie. Connie’s partner died from suicide, a veteran who died from suicide three years ago. We heard from Annabel, whose partner died from cancer a few years ago, just before she gave birth to her little baby.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I know that emotions are running high on this particular issue, but I just counsel the chamber. The subject matters that are being discussed on both sides of the house are ones that I think we need to reflect on how we are discussing. So please, I ask members to stop shouting across the chamber.

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the Acting Premier is debating the question. He is not answering the question, which was: would he force the minister for veterans affairs to apologise for his offensive comments yesterday? In the 17 seconds remaining, the Acting Premier has the opportunity to say yes or no.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Acting Premier is being relevant to the question that has been asked.

Mr MERLINO: The minister yesterday spoke passionately to Connie, to Annabel, to every veteran, to every veteran’s family that deserve better from the commonwealth, from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The high number of deaths by suicide, the lack of support—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Bulleen and the member for South Barwon can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour.

Members for Bulleen and South Barwon withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: There will be more members to follow if that continues.

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:09): Honouring our veterans and their service should unite the Victorian community and this Parliament. Given the deeply offensive and divisive slurs made by the minister for veterans affairs yesterday, why won’t the Acting Premier force this minister to apologise or resign?

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (11:09): The minister for veterans affairs is both a passionate and a strong advocate for the rights of veterans and their families—the lack of support, the tragic number of deaths by suicide of our veterans, the need for a royal commission. There is no better supporter for our veterans and their families than the minister for veterans affairs, my friend and colleague Minister Leane in the other place. The only test of leadership this week has been on that man opposite, and he failed. We all know how this movie ends. We all know how this movie ends—you are done.

Mr Walsh: On a point of order, Speaker, on the issue of debating the question again, I ask you to bring the Acting Premier back to actually answering the question.

Members interjecting.

Mr Walsh: ‘Sorry’ is the hardest word to say. Why is it so hard for him to actually say—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of The Nationals!

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Acting Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked. He did veer away from answering the question, and I ask the Acting Premier to come back to answering the question.

Mr MERLINO: Thanks, Speaker. Veterans around Victoria know that the minister in this government, Minister Leane in the other place, has their back and is advocating for real change at a national level. We have too many deaths by suicide. We have too many families who are denied the support they need from the Department of Veterans Affairs—denied. The minister is fighting for them, and on Anzac Day, the point he was making is that the focus on that day—

Ms Britnell interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for South-West Coast can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour.

Member for South-West Coast withdrew from chamber.

Mr MERLINO: The focus on that day should be veterans and their families.