Thursday, 18 March 2021

Ministers statements: government achievements

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (11:49): We promised the people of Victoria that if given the gift of a second term we would not waste a day, and I am proud to say that is a promise that we have kept. We have delivered the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, and we will deliver on every single one of those recommendations, rebuilding our broken mental health system.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I am going to need to be able to hear the Acting Premier’s comments and not have members shouting across the chamber from both directions, particularly those at the table.

Mr MERLINO: We promised to build 100 new schools, and I am pleased to report that we are ahead of schedule. We promised funded kindergarten for every three-year-old child, and already more than 130 services are delivering it. Next year it will extend to every corner of our state.

A few more numbers for you: we funded 500 000 extra specialist appointments for patients in regional communities, just like we said we would; 46 of those dangerous and congested level crossings are removed, gone for good; solar panels have been installed on 100 000 homes through our nation-leading Solar Homes program; we promised free TAFE, and we delivered it; we promised fairer renting, and we delivered it; we promised to create 400 000 jobs by 2025, and we are well on our way. The ABS figures for February have just been released, and I am proud to say 26 000 jobs have been created, and our unemployment rate is now 5.6 per cent—well below the national average.

There was an alternative—an alternative that tried to take us backwards, an alternative that we are going to see again from the future Leader of the Opposition. He is sitting over there, and he will be sitting here soon. That is an alternative—

Members interjecting.

Mr MERLINO: Well, he was sitting in the ejector seat. Oh, you got ejected for the day. We will use every day to make our state fairer and stronger. That is the record of our government, and that is the promise we will keep.

Mr Rowswell: On a point of order, Speaker, I was doing something interesting and missed the whole point of that. Could the minister please repeat what he said? I am very interested to hear it.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

Ms Allan: On a point of order, Speaker, I would request that you review the footage of the actions just now of the Leader of the Opposition. That behaviour is unbecoming of any member of this place. Yes, we have had a robust question time, but that behaviour is well beyond the pale, and he should not be using the cover of the end of question time to try and show some sort of Mr Muscle routine as he leaves the chamber. I simply ask that you review this, and I would be very happy to join with the Manager of Opposition Business to have discussions with you about that behaviour. We are all robust in this place, but that went beyond the pale.

Mr Wells: On the point of order, Speaker, the Leader of the House is being a blatant hypocrite. I am sorry, it was—

The SPEAKER: Order! A point of order is not an opportunity to attack another member.

Mr Wells: I agree, I think we should look at the footage, because on a number of occasions you, Speaker, warned the Acting Premier about attacking the opposition, and he did it over and over and over again, and then in his ministerial statement he could not help himself. If the Acting Premier is going to provoke the opposition, then there will be consequences—then there will be consequences—so when you have your ruling, we expect that the Acting Premier heed your warnings and your directions. When he breaches them, then there has to be a consequence, and that is what happened right there at the end of question time.

The SPEAKER: Order! I will meet with the Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business in my chambers after constituency questions.