Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Commonwealth Games

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:00): (257) My question is to the Minister for Regional Development. On 21 June 2023 here in this Parliament, as part of your responsibilities as Minister for Regional Development you boasted:

… around about a $3 billion return on investment, and we also know that the commitments that we have made will deliver around 7500 jobs …

When did you become aware of the cost blowouts and ultimately the government’s decision to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games that will now impact the $3 billion return on investment?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (12:00): Thank you, Mr Mulholland, for your unique, albeit somewhat metropolitan, lens on the regional delivery of the Commonwealth Games.

Georgie Crozier: Oh, where do you live?

Harriet SHING: I will take that up, Ms Crozier. Since before I was preselected, since when I grew up, since when I have represented the area, I have lived in regional Victoria, Ms Crozier, so I look forward to that particular line of conjecture ending from here.

Mr Mulholland, as you would be aware, the detail of the announcement to move to a multi host city model is something which was part of discussions between the government and my predecessor in the role and the Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery. The key reason for the bid going up and being successful was to be able to deliver an enormous range of benefits to regional Victoria, and part of that, as you have indicated, was the delivery of thousands of jobs. This was also, as I have indicated to this place on numerous occasions, about making sure that we could get a return on our investment, that we could see that investment, the fund which was allocated in the 2022–23 budget of $2.6 billion, be realised through a return of around $3 billion and that this would leave a lasting legacy of infrastructure and benefits to rural and regional communities.

What has happened since 18 July and that decision as announced by the Premier, the Deputy Premier and me not to proceed with the Commonwealth Games is that we are moving towards the delivery sooner of that regional legacy, which is a $2 billion package. That is about making sure that we can provide $1 billion in additional funding for rural and regional social and affordable housing, which adds to the $1.25 billion already part of the regional housing build. It is also –

Evan Mulholland: On a point of order, President, I would ask you to bring the minister to the question. I asked: when did the minister become aware of the cost blowouts and ultimately the government’s decision to cancel the Commonwealth Games?

The PRESIDENT: I thought there were two questions that you posed in your question, and I believe the minister was addressing one of those questions. I am happy to review it after question time, but my understanding is there were two questions and the minister has chosen one, which is her right.

Georgie Crozier: On the point of order, if I can possibly assist, President, the question was: when did you become aware of the cost blowouts and ultimately the government’s decision to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games that will now impact the $3 billion return on investment? It is very simple – one question.

The PRESIDENT: I call the minister to continue her response. I will consider the point of order.

Georgie Crozier interjected.

Harriet SHING: You can’t help yourself, can you, Ms Crozier? I just want to answer the question.

What we are doing, Mr Mulholland, is providing that fund of $2 billion. Not only does that deliver a huge range of benefits to rural and regional communities, and those communities will, as I see every day when I am out visiting with them and talking to them, have a significant range of social and economic benefits. There will be jobs created as part of that too. When you are putting an additional 1300 social and affordable homes into the market, those homes are built by people. Those homes are created by people, including apprentices and trainees. That permanent sporting infrastructure of $550 million is actually created by sparkies, by plumbers, by chippies. This is the sort of work that delivers lasting benefit and contributes to the record low unemployment rate in regional Victoria.

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:05): On a supplementary to the minister, the Premier recently said of the decision to cancel the Commonwealth Games:

The decision was weeks in the making after I was made aware of the cost blowouts.

When boasting of a return on investment in your regional development spend on 21 June in this chamber, were you misleading the Parliament, incompetent or simply out of the loop?

The PRESIDENT: There were three questions in that.

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (12:06): See, Mr Mulholland, you cannot help yourself, can you? Whoever is drafting your questions needs to learn the art of perhaps asking one rather than three questions in a substantive or in a supplementary question. As the Premier, the Deputy Premier and I indicated really clearly on 18 July when the decision not to proceed with the Commonwealth Games was announced, it was really clear from those answers – and I have spoken about it at length in the chamber and in communities – that the cost of putting on a 12-day event of more than $6 billion did not stack up for regional communities. That was a decision that was taken after every option available to us was examined, and that was part of ongoing work in order to exhaust every single opportunity to deliver these games to rural and regional Victorian communities, because the objectives were always to make sure that we returned a huge level of enthusiasm, of visitation and of growth, prosperity and opportunity to regional Victoria. That is exactly what we are doing with the $2 billion regional package, Mr Mulholland.

Members interjecting.

Harriet SHING: On a point of order, President, can I ask Mr Davis to withdraw that, please. And do not say it on the record, Mr Davis.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, do you want to respond?

David Davis: I withdraw.

The PRESIDENT: Thank you.