Thursday, 30 May 2024

Appropriation (Parliament 2024–2025) Bill 2024

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Harriet Shing:

That the bill be now read a second time.

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:44): I rise to speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2024–2025) Bill 2024, which provides appropriation authority for payments from the Consolidated Fund to Parliament. The amounts contained in schedule 1 of the bill provide for the ongoing operations of Parliament, new output initiatives and new asset investment, insofar as these are funded by way of annual appropriation. In addition to the annual appropriations contained in the bill, funds are also made available to Parliament by way of special appropriation. These appropriations provide for the specific purposes set out in that legislation, and they do not lapse annually like the annual appropriation act.

Our Parliament is the cornerstone of our democracy, so while this bill is not a controversial one, it is important, as without a properly resourced Parliament we would have no effective parliamentary democracy. This bill is an appropriate time to talk about the hardworking staff involved in running our Parliament, so I would like to thank all of the staff, particularly the clerks and the Hansard team. I would like to thank them particularly for being on my case about getting them the names of members of my multicultural communities to ensure that their contribution is recorded in Hansard forever, as valuable as it is. Thank you to the committee staff, the ushers and the catering staff. I thank the gardeners in particular for the amazing gardens we have. The security staff I think have been doing a terrific job under difficult circumstances of late. The cleaning staff, all of our electorate officers, the staff that work in the parliamentary library and the Parliamentary Budget Office as well – I am very grateful for all the support that you all give, and I know my colleagues are as well.

I am privileged to have taken part in a number of committees, and committee inquiries, in the past year. I am on the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, and we have had several inquiries. A particular shout-out to Michael Baker for the extraordinary work he has done. Particularly of note was the inquiry on the WorkCover bill, when he was working all the way in the lead-up to Christmas. We all thought we were not going to get our summer holidays, and then he helped pull everything together for that inquiry. In the end the Liberals and Nationals were justified in sending that bill to an inquiry, because it led to a much better outcome for both businesses and for workers.

It is not only the staff in the Parliament that do a great job but all those who deal with parliamentary officers around the place. I know many members have been through this process, which can seem long, but I was involved in an office relocation this year. I would like to particularly thank Spencer King from the property team, who made the whole process run as seamlessly as possible. It was great to move my office to Meadow Heights shopping centre in the electorate of Greenvale. It is great to now be in a central location on the ground floor of a highly frequented shopping centre, where my office can be easily accessed to give advice, advocacy, referral services and support. It is really great to be there, as Meadow Heights is an extremely diverse part of Melbourne, with 20 per cent of the community speaking Turkish as their first language and 18 per cent speaking Arabic as their main language. This often creates a barrier in communities to accessing services and speaking to their members of Parliament, which is why I am very, very proud to have both Arabic- and Turkish-speaking staff members on hand to assist constituents in my community with their everyday needs. This is something that has been extremely well received by my community. It seems the word has got out that my office can ably assist people with services in their language, because that is often a barrier for people approaching their local MP, whether it be assisting them with visa applications, Centrelink services or accessing state government services.

It is great to also be able to offer my office as a free local meeting space for a number of community groups. I know a few that are very excited to take that up. I would like to particularly thank my electorate officers – James Wilcox, Bernadette Khoury, Baris Duzova, Bora Evdiren and Kevin Zhu for ably assisting me in my role in the Northern Metropolitan Region. It is at times a stretch as one Liberal member in the Northern Metropolitan Region to represent such a large part of our state – from Melbourne CBD to Wallan – but I do it, and I do it somewhat passionately, and I try not to miss anyone, and my staff help with that every day. As the only MP at a state level with an office within the electorate of Greenvale, it is my honour to serve this community on behalf of the Parliament and of the Liberal Party. So I would like to thank my staff members for their support, but I would also like to thank the community in Meadow Heights, in Greenvale and in Roxburgh Park and the surrounding areas for how warmly they have welcomed me into the community. It is great to have people be able to come in and have a chat; especially when it is not a sitting week and I am there every day it is great to be able to go out in the local community. I am actually across the road from the Islamic Community Milli Gorus (ICMG) mosque, which some of my staff go to, so it is great to be able to greet people after Friday prayers as well and give them a free shopping bag on their way into the shops and also to be able to sit down and meet with different community groups.

It is an area that has not been well serviced for a long time. They have never had a local MP nearby. In the previous term Meadow Heights was part of a different electorate where the local member actually lived on the other side of town, the previous member for Broadmeadows, so it is great to be able to be there and be there in person to service the community, because if you look at the local road infrastructure and at the access to services, it is clear that this part of the world has been neglected for a long time. It is only since that seat received the single largest swing towards the Liberal Party in the entire state, 15.5 per cent, turning a super-safe Labor seat into a marginal seat that we will win at the next election, that Labor MPs and ministers have finally started paying some attention to our community.

It is great to be in the electorate of Greenvale every day servicing that community, and as I said, as the only MP with an office in the electorate it is great to be able to serve them and serve the community well. I was originally in Epping, on Cooper Street, and as is usual for MPs, particularly upper house MPs, I got given an office in an industrial estate on Cooper Street on the second floor where no constituent traverses – no constituents really traverse that area; it is more of an industrial area – and no constituent could possibly find it either. I think I had, in the space of the year that I was there, probably about 10 visitors, half of whom were searching for Bronwyn Halfpenny.

It is great to have the amount of people I had in a year daily now in Meadow Heights walking in, saying g’day and being able to support them. I want to acknowledge all the work that the property team did to make that happen, and I know it was received with great excitement from the community. Several times I wandered in as it was being fitted out and under construction, and one of the construction workers even recognised me from a duck hunting forum I held up in Craigieburn that the Deputy President was at which had over 400 people. He was very delighted that he was fitting out my office. But, as I said, as soon as I got into that office on Cooper Street in Epping, I did not really want to be there; I wanted to be where some people could access me, but I also wanted to be somewhere where people were not being represented very well.

I knew the property team was very busy – not their fault; they had a whole lot of new MPs at the last election they had to find offices for. I actually searched all the local listings for the commercial and retail real estate, found the office myself, spoke to the landlord and referred them on to the property team, who from that point were absolutely brilliant in setting the whole thing up. It was a fantastic outcome overall, but a fantastic outcome for the community to finally have a member of Parliament that listens to them, that engages with the community, that attends a lot of events in that community but also advocates on their behalf.

One of the things they would not be getting if it were not for a local MP in the area is the bus route extension. The 525 from Roxburgh Park to Greenvale is now being extended to Craigieburn Central, and that is because of the hard work that I did with the help of the Greenvale Residents Association. We had been on this case advocating for this bus extension for over a year. We had petition posters all over Greenvale shopping centre and around the community; we had hundreds of signatures. The government finally, after waiting two years to spend any money collected from the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution Fund, allocated that to extending the bus route to Craigieburn shopping centre, which is a great outcome for this community. How can the nearest major shopping centre be inaccessible by public transport? So it is a great outcome for the community. What I would say to the community is that we are not done yet. I will continue to be present in the community – I and my office – serving constituents.

Look at the Frankston line. Our line has got greater usage than the Frankston line but half the frequency. So I am definitely advocating on that part and waiting with bated breath for the new Metro timetables to come out to see if we get that increased frequency. I am also advocating – I and my office – for things the community needs, like the stage 2 duplication of Mickleham Road, currently the most expensive road duplication in Victoria at $222 million for 1.6 kilometres of duplication. If you put that into perspective, Plenty Road was 6.6 kilometres of duplication back in 2019–20 and it only cost $145 million. So the people of Greenvale are copping a more expensive road for a much shorter distance. We need the second stage of Mickleham Road duplicated. Unfortunately, the state government pushed through the Craigieburn West precinct structure plan for about 10,000 new homes along the single-lane stretch of Mickleham Road. The council was against it, the community was against it; Labor pushed it through against the wishes of the community, and everyone says without the duplication of Mickleham Road all the way up to Craigieburn Road this is going to end up like another Kalkallo, another Labor traffic nightmare where people are waiting hours to get out of their housing estate. Again, as I said, as the only MP with an electorate office in the Greenvale electorate, I will keep advocating on their behalf, because people in the electorate of Greenvale deserve better.

It has been terrific to service that community and be out and about in the community near my electorate office, like on the weekend, when I was at St Mary’s Ancient Church of the East. I was at Our Lady Guardian of Plants Chaldean parish as well. I have been to the ICMG mosque, the Turan Australia Association in Roxburgh Park and the Suleymaniye education centre next door to my office, and I have certainly visited a lot of the retailers around Meadow Heights shopping centre, where my office is, who are struggling under the weight of Labor’s taxes, whether it be Labor’s land tax, WorkCover premium increases or payroll tax. It is similar at Roxburgh Village down the road, where the tenant has passed on a lot of Labor’s increased land tax to the retail offices.

Lee Tarlamis: On a point of order, Acting President, I think we are debating the Parliament appropriation bill, not the appropriation bill. I think the speaker may be going quite broad. He is talking about a number of things that do not really relate to the bill.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): Thank you, Mr Tarlamis. I have literally just sat down, so I will just remind the member to stay within the confines of the bill and bat on.

Evan MULHOLLAND: Thank you, Acting President. Acting President, if you had been here, you would have known that I was talking about how my office can service the community and about all the things I am able to hear from the community and advocate for on their behalf as a result of having an office that was set up by the Parliament in the Greenvale electorate. As the only MP with an office inside the Greenvale electorate, I am able to better advocate for that community, who have been long forgotten by the Labor Party. The previous member, when it was a different boundary, I think he lived in Brighton – quite a long way from the area. Although I would say we are seeing lots of ministers out in Broady and in Greenvale as well, which we never used to get before it became a marginal seat. It is quite clear that they are quite concerned about the area. But people in the electorate know – through engaging with my parliamentary office, which was largely put together by the property team, and through the interactions I am able to have in my electorate office – that they have been forgotten by Labor.

It was great to be able to have my office opening recently, which was attended by Liberal leader John Pesutto, the Shadow Treasurer Brad Rowswell and a number of colleagues and friends and different members of the community as well. It was great to have my old boss there in former senator Mitch Fifield, back from the UN, and Senator James Paterson as well. That was a terrific event.

It has been great to be able to host different groups in my electorate office, groups like the Greenvale Residents’ Association and the Craigieburn Residents’ Association, who are great advocates for their community. It is also a real privilege being able to be a voice for those people who have not had a voice in past. They have not had a voice who was able to advocate on their behalf, because their MPs have been part of the government that has not invested in the northern suburbs, that has not done anything for the northern suburbs, particularly the outer northern suburbs. Anyone who travels – as I travel to my electorate office, which was set up by the Parliament – on Somerton Road, Mickleham Road, Mount Ridley Road or Craigieburn Road knows that traffic in the north is an absolute nightmare.

I will keep speaking truth to power no matter how many points of order are taken. I will keep advocating on behalf of residents that I have met with in my electorate office, because it is really important that they have a voice in this place. I am looking forward to the good people of Greenvale having a new representative in 2026, a Liberal representative, because that is what they deserve, and that is what they will get.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all the staff members in the Parliament. I would like to thank all my staff, but I would particularly like to thank all of the committee secretaries and all of the committee managers for the incredible work they do on committees. As I said, Michael Baker does a terrific job and did a terrific job in the WorkCover inquiry and in the stamp duty inquiry. I know we have got the pig-gassing inquiry coming up and we do have the local government inquiry coming up, which I am looking forward to. I am hoping that we get to go out to somewhere like Broadmeadows for our northern suburbs day and hear from northern suburbs councils, who I know are feeling the pinch from Labor’s cost shifting onto local government. I am looking forward to being able to advocate on their behalf as well, as I have many times in the past. Even Labor councillors speak to me in my office and are getting me to advocate for things on their behalf, because they know if they did dare to criticise the state government, they would be in big trouble.

I do not have much more to say on this bill, but again, I want to thank all the people that put so much work into making the Parliament tick and making this place a workable place for our democracy, for members of Parliament and for people in the building.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): Just before you start, Mr Tarlamis, lead speakers are given a wider range in general, but let us try and keep it to the bill. That would be really awesome.

Lee TARLAMIS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (15:05): I also rise to speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2024–2025) Bill 2024. As you say, Acting President, it has been a very wideranging debate so far, but I will speak about this bill and its function in providing for the ongoing operation of Parliament and I will also take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank the many people, both prominent and not so prominent, who work so diligently to facilitate the running of this place and the Parliament more broadly.

This bill funds the core operations of the Parliament through the Department of the Legislative Council, the Department of the Legislative Assembly, the Department of Parliamentary Services and the parliamentary investigative committees. It also funds the integrity agencies which perform various important roles in our democracy and enhance public confidence in the conduct of government, elected representatives and the public service. These are the Victorian Inspectorate, the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, the Victorian Ombudsman and the Parliamentary Budget Office. It is notable that our integrity agencies have had budget independence since July 2020 whereby they submit their budget bids directly without other oversight. While they do not determine their own budgets, funding for IBAC and the Ombudsman has almost doubled since 2015–16. They can also seek additional funding for special investigations on projects that arise in addition to the funding allocated in the budget.

In terms of staffing, there are many staff across this Parliament fulfilling a great variety of roles with commendable diligence, courtesy and expertise. Some of these roles are prominent while others are more behind the scenes, but they are important and appreciated nevertheless. I hope that I do not overlook anyone because there are so many to thank. If I do, it is inadvertent, but I will try and thank as many as I can.

To the table office, the Clerk, the Deputy Clerk, the assistants, the Usher of the Black Rod, their supporting officers and staff and the broader team, including the secretariat staff, thank you for all that you do to support us and to be there for us when we have questions and are unsure about things to provide that clarity for us. We really appreciate everything you do for us.

To the Hansard team, who always make us sound better than we probably actually are in terms of our contributions, and to the broadcast team who spread our messages and our contributions far and wide to all those many people who are listening along at home or want to download and come back later on to listen to it, if they like something that we have said or perhaps if they do not like something we have said, thank you.

To the PSOs and security staff, I want to thank them for all they do to keep us safe. They have had some particularly challenging instances in recent times, and I know that they do all they can to support us and keep us safe, and I thank them for all that they do in that regard. To the education and community outreach staff for the wonderful work they do to promote the important work that Parliament does, to educate the young people about the importance of our democracy and to promote to them the different ways in which they can engage and get involved as well, thank you.

To the library staff, who do a plethora of research and provide information and briefings for MPs that assist us in our role, thank you. To the catering and kitchen staff who keep us sustained and able to endure for the hours that we do in this place, thank you. To the Department of Parliamentary Services staff, thank you. While some people do not always agree with the DPS staff, they are there to support us and perform an important role. To the cleaners who keep this place looking immaculate, to the gardening team who keep the gardens looking immaculate and to the chamber attendants who are always there to support us in any way that they can as well, thank you.

And to the electorate office staff, thank you. All of our electorate office staff, regardless of where our electorates are or what political party we come from, do an amazing job in supporting us and they are there for us whenever we need them to support us. They do an invaluable role, and I want to give them a big shout-out today as well.

This chamber in particular can be unpredictable, and its schedule and hours are somewhat uncertain as well, but the agility that the staff show in adjusting to this is greatly appreciated by me and I trust by all of my parliamentary colleagues in this place. Similarly, we greatly appreciate the patience and manner in which the staff acquit themselves when responding to the many and I trust repetitive questions that they receive on all sorts of matters, from parliamentary processes and procedures to requests for guidance on the holding of events in this precinct.

I would like to thank all my parliamentary colleagues in the chamber, and their staff who support them, for working with me in my role as the Government Whip. Together we manage an efficient running of this place despite the many competing priorities that we all bring to this place as we seek to represent and progress the needs and the interests of our communities. I want to thank everyone for the collaboration that we are able to advance to get us through what we need to.

This chamber does change from time to time, and I think currently half of the chamber is doing their first term. I have been here for quite a while now in one capacity or another, but we have all been new members at some stage. It is important and testament to this place and Victorian democracy that, although we argue our views and values passionately, there is still a level of camaraderie in this place and across the chamber that we show and we support new members when they are finding their feet, and I think that is a good thing.

The President – who I have noted in the past is a fierce advocate for the staff in this place, something for which he should be commended – performs an active and important role across the entire parliamentary organisation as well as within this chamber, acting in an impartial manner and always trying to support the staff and members in the performance of their roles. I thank and commend him on this and also the Deputy President and acting presidents who take the chair at various stages and also try and act in an impartial way at all times.

One of the important, and often surprising to the wider community, things is the collaborative, cooperative nature of the parliamentary process and the work of committees. The in-depth research and granular consideration of matters by parliamentary committees and the ability of the public as well as subject matter experts to contribute to the process is an extremely important part of the work that Parliament does and that members of Parliament do. We have a long and proud history of committee work in this Parliament and this state, dating way back to the early days of the Parliament of colonial Victoria. Many important findings and recommendations have been made in committee reports, resulting in significant legislation and policy reforms and initiatives over various Parliaments.

In recent times I have had the privilege of working with parliamentarians from Fiji, sharing information and experiences to better their parliamentary practices and continue improving the already close relationship between our two nations, which are part of our twinning program. One of the subjects I have had the honour of sharing with them is the Victorian parliamentary experience with regard to the committee system processes and policy development aspect. Policy development is not currently a feature of the committee role in the Fijian parliamentary system, but it is something which our Fijian counterparts are very interested in exploring, and I have been pleased to discuss and promote the potential benefits and opportunities that flow from this.

Of course this would not be possible without the work of the staff, as I mentioned earlier, of each of the committee secretariats and their work in research, drafting and associated support and all the great efforts that they go to in managing the logistics of meetings, public hearings, site visits and associated travel. I have served on several committees and chaired the Electoral Matters Committee during my time in this place, so I have much firsthand experience and great appreciation of the work done by committee staff, and I thank them for everything that they do to support us in the work that we do.

I acknowledge the high-quality information and support provided by the parliamentary library team to members and our staff and thank them for this work. We appreciate the range of resources the library makes available to us and the research they do and the information they provide on current and historical issues. We also appreciate the responsive assistance they provide to us on all matters of research queries.

I want to also thank the staff involved in education and community engagement, as I mentioned earlier, which is central to ensuring the Victorian public are connected to their Parliament, the people’s Parliament, and understand that they can engage in the work that is done here in many different ways. This includes the public and school tours, the more intensive education programs done with school students from primary through to secondary school age and the hosting of functions and showcases here. There are a tremendous and quite innovative range of educational materials and programs for students at all levels that explore Parliament and the government through various lenses.

We also see a fantastic variety of displays here and have an opportunity to engage with a range of groups, who educate and assist us as members. A recent example was the hosting of members of the Pasifika community in Queen’s Hall, which included displays from many individual groups that constitute the community as well as performances and traditional dances. I also had the pleasure of participating in the recent Pasifika youth summit, New Horizons, where I took part in a Q and A session with passionate youth representatives. These are happening all the time in many different ways to try and access different parts of multicultural communities to ensure that they can engage in many different ways and learn more about this place and the work that we do.

As well as community groups, we also have industry associations and peak bodies showcasing their work and their exciting developments and innovations in their respective sectors. It is a great privilege of our role as members of Parliament that we get to engage with so many parts of our diverse Victorian community and the many industry sectors and learn about them and their needs and their achievements. Much work goes into organising all of these events and ensuring they run smoothly – from the community outreach components through to the essential logistics of getting people in and out of the building – and I thank the many staff involved in assisting with this.

In conclusion, it is a great privilege to serve our community in this place as their representative. Serving and working with my community is something which I have always been passionate about throughout my entire life. To be able to do that in my role as a member of Parliament is a complete honour to me and something which I hold dear, and I take the responsibility of that very seriously. This work would not be possible without the support of the parliamentary staff – the people that I have listed here today and many that I have not and many that you do not see each and every day because they are slaving away in various parts of the building or the precinct doing so much work to support us. But I just want everyone to know that we support you and we acknowledge the work that you do to assist us in doing our jobs. I want to thank everyone. I look forward to continuing to work with you. I look forward to making representations on behalf of my electorate and my community and continuing to work and advocate for the best possible outcomes so that our communities remain vibrant and inclusive and so that we celebrate all our achievements. With that contribution, I commend the bill to the house.

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (15:17): I guess this is an annual opportunity to say thank you to all the people that make Parliament work. It is not a bad exercise – even though the actual passing of the bill is very important to that function. This bill funds essential services for the day-to-day and year-to-year running of the Parliament. Parliament includes the following agencies in addition to the Parliament’s core operations: the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Victorian Inspectorate, the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Ombudsman. The Appropriation (Parliament 2024–2025) Bill 2024 provides appropriation authority for payments from the Consolidated Fund to the Parliament in respect to the 2024–25 financial year, and this includes any ongoing liabilities incurred by the Parliament, such as employee entitlements, that may be realised in the future. Long service leave – I reckon there would be a bit of that owing around here.

It is all too easy to take for granted the core operations of the Parliament that surround us all. In fact much of the work that holds the role of an MP up is almost invisible to us. We do not really notice that it is happening. In fact if it is all happening smoothly and being done well, we do not notice it, and I think that is where it is beholden upon me once a year to say thank you for the work that is done. I am glad that this bill causes us to reflect on this unique work and this unique workplace and gives us an opportunity to thank those who keep Parliament running.

I would like to specifically mention a few different things, including the security support for us, particularly in our offices. They visited us and provided us with some training last year. It is always useful to learn a bit more about security issues. I also want to thank those involved in providing security at Parliament, especially in the face of recent divisive activity. I think there is a level of expertise that perhaps we do not appreciate as well that keeps us safe in the building. There is absolutely no doubt that there has been a high level of protest activity and demonstration activity outside the Victorian Parliament, certainly in the last 18 months since I have been here, so that really does provide a very unique scenario.

We all benefit from airport security at the front entrance – I call it airport security. Everybody knows what that means when they come to Parliament, and it is a far more complex protocol than it used to be. It used to be that the team at the front of the Parliament just got to know you, and I used to just walk in and they would say hello to me – I would just walk straight in. It is a different world now. There is a lot more complexity to the level of protection required for us.

I also wish to thank those who manage the front visitor desk specifically. They deal with all of our registrations, because we are all good and as MPs we do register all our guests, don’t we? Religiously – or reliably, perhaps, is a more appropriate phrase. Then they look those registrations up when a guest comes and check the photo ID to make sure that person is who they say they are, and then they get their sticker. Then they ring us and let us know, and either I or my team will come and get them. So that is a very, very nice and useful reception service that is not just security oriented, it is also a greeting and a welcome to Parliament, in a way. A special shout-out to Ros as well at the front there. I appreciate the exchange on interesting shoes. She likes the same shoes that I do.

The other area I wanted to say thank you on is the upper house committees that I have been involved in over the last 18 months. I have been involved in the Commonwealth Games committee, and I am now on the planning and environment committee. I see that that team of people that provide that support, they do not always know what their workload is going to be. They do not always know what the outcome of a motion out of this chamber will be, and sometimes there might be several referrals that might happen in a short period of time and they literally have to go and hire additional staff to implement the decision of this chamber. I really want to particularly say thank you to those people in the secretariat that undertake research roles for committees.

I am a bit of a fan of research. I used to teach a little bit of research and evaluation in welfare studies. It is a skill to identify factual information and find out valid and useful information that can be used in an inquiry, and then to express it in a form that is consistent with the terms of reference of an inquiry. Again, that work gets done; the committee flows along, and the work of the committee listening to public hearings usually runs smoothly, but behind the scenes the researchers are doing an enormous amount of work for the committee. Then you have got the secretariat corporate type of support – administrative roles, recording the outcome of decisions of committee meetings, setting meeting dates and working with the chair. There is that team of people as well. And of course, the Hansard team are involved in the committee work as well. People probably do not realise that. Supporting the operations of the committees is the committee services office, which provides corporate services to committees. These are necessary functions to the running of the Parliament that the general public probably have no idea about, and indeed I really did not give much thought to it before I became an MP myself. Now, though, with some experience I have seen how these staff make the running of their committees possible and just how much work goes into answering the many, many questions and conducting the research.

On electorate offices and support for electorate office staff members, last year there was – and I believe there will be one this year – an electorate officer conference introduced, which was provided, hosted and led by the Department of Parliamentary Services. The feedback that I have received from my electorate officers is that they really appreciated learning some of the skills that are required to be an effective electorate officer and also being able to do the networking at a once-a-year conference to meet other electorate officers and learn great ideas from their colleagues. That again is another really useful innovation, and I think that is what we have seen in this Parliament – the Department of Parliamentary Services and all of the teams that look after the Parliament are adapting and changing and innovating all the time. And there is even recognition of gender as an issue in this very, very old building, which was sort of conceived when there never would have been a woman in here at all, and I believe there were no women’s toilets at all. But now there are more paintings of women in Queen’s Hall, all the male busts have disappeared and there are now women’s toilets – there are even pads and tampons, which I mention for the second time. So there is lots of innovation going on and adaptation, and I think that is a great reflection of the values of the Victorian community as well.

My staff in particular are looking forward to this year’s conference in July. Once again I think it is important that we take time to appreciate the amount of work and organisation that goes into a two-day conference. Training throughout the year is also appreciated. The increasing complexity and professionalism of the roles in an MPs office need to be backed by professional development. Again, thank you to the Department of Parliamentary Services for providing that.

For me, there are efforts to find an office. Maybe I am going to be the last to end up getting an office; I do not know. There is always someone with a sadder story than oneself, I suppose, but I still have not been able to secure an appropriate office in Warrnambool, and I am frustrated about that. But I am also very aware that the Department of Parliamentary Services have been working very hard to provide me with the first Labor electorate office in Warrnambool since 1955 – that is according to the parliamentary library, and I would like to say thank you to the library staff as well. There have been significant frustrations for the Department of Parliamentary Services in trying to secure an office for me in Warrnambool, and I very much understand that. They have been doing a great job and a professional job, even though there has not been success yet.

I would also like to mention the Echuca regional sitting. There was an enormous effort on the part of the parliamentary staff teams to move us all up to Echuca for a day, really – it felt like a big excursion, actually. Thank you to the security staff, who had to work in a new environment and do all the research that they needed to do to make sure the place was safe. It is a little bit off topic, but thanks to the Echuca library staff; they were the last two standing – or sitting in the gallery – as we left. They were watching what had been done to their library. And thanks to the community of Echuca as well for having us; the local police in Echuca; our attendants and chamber staff, who had to be adaptive; and of course, as our President said, the IT team, who were absolute champions I think – he used some other word. What an amazing feat to be able to retain internet connection for all of us in a different location. I would also like to, before I finish up, thank the catering staff, who look after us all with consideration each week. They keep us all caffeinated, they keep us all fed and they have to put up with us rushing in after bells or rushing out for bells, so it is always a difficult and unique environment.

The chamber attendants also have a broad range and a unique role. It always looks very important when an attendant comes in and hands a manila folder to an MP – it must be urgent and it must be very important – but I am thankful that I observed an attendant bring in a tissue in a manila folder for a long-suffering MP who had a cold. I thought that was very adaptive. Thank you for all of the work and all of the requests that you have to put up with from us, checking what it is we want. I must admit last year I forgot all sorts of things when I came to the chamber. I know that Greg was run off his feet with Kylie, my staff member, giving him bits and pieces for me. A big thankyou to that team as well.

In closing I will say thank you to all those people that I do not see, all those people that I have not mentioned that I have not interacted with – it is probably good that I have not interacted with them – but I thank them for the role that they play. Last year I thanked HR and the onboarding team over there; this year it has really been about the operations and the interactions that I have had.

The last thing I would say is that a few sitting weeks ago we had a fire drill, and it was pretty impressive with all the staff herding us out. We all walked out and ended up on the grass outside – I am very thankful it was a sunny day that we had the fire drill – but I was amazed at how many people were working in the building and amazed by the staff and the calm and expert way that they guided us all out to safety. I think that is a great example of the work they do in the background. I heartily endorse this bill.

Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (15:32): It is a pleasure to speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2024–2025) Bill 2024 today. I am very happy to follow on from my colleagues Mr Tarlamis and Ms Ermacora, who delivered very concise and I think very reflective contributions that stuck to the bill and stuck to the topic. I will endeavour to do so also; I am not implying that anyone on the other side who may have spoken went on a bit of a rant somewhere else, but anyway. We will carry on.

It is a small part of the Victorian government and one that often flies under the radar, but the role of the parliamentary staff is one that, especially to all of us, is absolutely clear and something that is absolutely present in our day-to-day lives, particularly for those of us who at whatever stage enter Parliament. There are a lot of unknowns, so it is incredibly appreciated, all the help that we, our staff and our teams receive all the way along. This bill provides funding for more than just the immediate parliamentary staff. It also funds Parliament’s core operations, the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Victorian Inspectorate, the Auditor-General, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Ombudsman, all core parts of our Victorian democracy. Funding from this budget includes supplementation following the Parliament. There is a 2.6 per cent increase from the 2023–24 budget, the highest level of funding provided to date.

As have my colleagues, I would like to acknowledge so many of the incredible staff that make this place and the broader Parliament and our broader democracy function. Obviously, our clerks, our ushers and supporting staff, all of whom somehow remain friendly to all of us despite whatever is going on in here, are absolute professionals. Hansard, as Mr Tarlamis said, make us sound better than we are. Broadcast, thanks for all that you do in enabling us to get our messages out. We all have our messages that we are passionate about, that we want the public to know about, to hear, so thank you for the work that you do that makes that happen. If people do not hear, do not see or do not read the work that we are doing, then it is just simply in a vacuum.

I want to give a shout-out to the gardeners, because the grounds here are absolutely stunning. We are very, very fortunate to be in this place when we work in Parliament and on committees. It is just something that is incredible that we have.

It has been mentioned about security and the PSOs and the work they do in keeping everyone safe, but it is just the friendly manner in which they approach their role, their welcoming manner. They are doing their job competently but doing so in a manner that makes the whole building and the grounds a very, very nice place to be in. I think post COVID we all, even more so, appreciate the role of our cleaners and what they do in keeping us in a clean and safe work environment.

Thanks to the library team for the research that comes out of there. They are not only looking after what is a stunning part of the precinct, keeping that information and knowledge there available, but also assisting so many of us when needed.

The education and community outreach team have been touched upon. I just want to delve into this a little bit more, because I think it is incredibly important. It is something I love seeing when there are students in the grounds learning about our Parliament but also having conversations about democracy and the democratic process. They might not remember it all when they get home, but they may be talking to their families and there are key themes, key ideas. It might be that they do not remember everything that has been said but how it made them feel – for our Victorian students to have a memory and understanding of where Parliament is and what it does but also some takeaways of why our Parliament and our democratic process is so important. It can be easy at times to take it for granted, but there are so many countries in the world where the people living within them would love to have the democratic structures and infrastructure and strong institutions that we are so lucky to have here. They are ones that we fought for, that my great-great-great-grandfather fought for at Eureka and was arrested for. So I think we should never take the democratic structures and process for granted.

There has been some talk about the catering in the kitchen. I have to give a shout-out to the new club sandwich. I am a man who loves quantity of food over quality, but the new club sandwich delivers both for the low price of $12. I even at times struggle to eat the whole thing, which is something to be said, so absolute hats off to the team in the kitchen and those out front who are delivering that and so much more for us. It is absolutely sensational.

To our Department of Parliamentary Services staff, the budget office and, as Mr Mulholland mentioned, the committees – I want to second his comments around Michael Baker. Michael has been incredible in the work he has done in my time on the Economy and Infrastructure Committee. Mr Berger is on that with me. Michael approaches it in a manner of absolute professionalism but also gets information across to everyone on the committee in a very timely manner and will always make the time to go through information in detail. We have talked about the work he did over the summer on our committee. I absolutely want to acknowledge Michael.

The IT team must be some of the most frustrated people in the world sometimes, having to deal with all of us, probably on some very simple questions and some not so simple ones that they make the time to go through. In payroll I want to give a shout-out to Amanda. She has just been an incredible help to me and many other MPs. In Parliament HR, Celine has been incredibly efficient and professional in her work in assisting me.

Of course my electorate officers do an incredible job delivering for people in Eastern Victoria. I just have to thank the team for doing their work in such a dedicated manner that I am fortunate enough that it makes me look good but also, most importantly, it delivers outcomes for people who need support across Eastern Victoria. It is a really big area. We have got the peninsula, we go up into the Dandenongs, we go all the way out to Mallacoota and all the way up to the New South Wales border. Obviously in recent years there have been fires and floods. We have got ag, we have got industry. There are lots of big transitions happening. There are massive coastlines, with coastal erosion and different issues. So whether it is issues people have around housing, whether it is consumer issues, whether it is insurance, whether it is businesses, there is so much going on that it is an incredibly rewarding area to represent, as I am sure Acting President Bourman, in the chair at the moment, knows, but its diversity of issues and people are incredible. I will start by thanking Sam, who manages my office and does an incredible job. I am very, very fortunate to have him and that he has not been snapped up into a role elsewhere. I have Gemma and Jaydan on the peninsula; Tom, who has joined the team in recent months with his fantastic comms experience; Lachie and Nick, who again are more recent additions to the team but absolutely straight on top of everything they do; and Ollie, who I believe might be in Africa at the moment. So, Ollie, if you are tuning into this, I hope you are having a great trip and we will see you when you are back.

Just coming back to that point of community, this budget, this expenditure, is here to enable community to have a voice, for community to be heard, for community to know that our democracy is one that is worth what so many before us have fought for. We have a place where we can come. We have days like yesterday when at times we are being a little adversarial in here, but that is good, and so we should. We should have differing opinions and differing ideas. It is great that there are so many different voices and opinions and ideas – the fact that Mr Limbrick can come in here this morning and talk about the fact that Mrs McArthur and Mr Welch support him in his vision for nuclear in this state and that they would like to see a regulated nuclear industry, and then on the other hand everyone else in here can stand up and say they do not support that and they do not want to see it. Whether it is crossbenchers or our parties – in the case of the Liberals and Nationals, having differing opinions on things within their own party or among their own coalition – it is great that they can be here, they can be heard and it can be done in a respectful way.

I will circle back again to mention security and the PSOs and everyone working on our front and back doors, because we need to always maintain a level of respect in our debate and in our political discourse and any disagreement we may have. We have seen in recent years in America where that has faltered at times, and we cannot ever allow that to happen in Australia. That is why again I think it is incumbent on all of us, despite that disagreement, despite those points of difference, to ensure that the conversation remains as respectful as it possibly can be. I was, as I said, amused by the contribution that came from the other side before. It was like, for a Liberal MP, being surprised that turning up to your electorate office and working with your team and delivering for the community somehow deserves a pat on the back, perhaps a cape, a ‘Mr Mulholland’ cape for his incredible work in fulfilling his role that he is elected and paid to do. But it was tongue in cheek – I do say so absolutely respectfully.

So to close, hats off to everyone in this place. Hats off to everyone that keeps the wheels greased and keeps the wheels running. Oh sorry, I forgot to call out the electrician, the in-house electrician – fantastic. Fortunately, safety protocols stopped me nearly running into him twice with a ladder yesterday, so it is the good measures and the way he approaches his work that ensured we got around safely. He is always there for us if our rooms are perhaps too cold or too hot or whatever they might be. He is there with the rest of the team. And the rest of the maintenance team, as well, I should shout them out, because they do an incredible role, as Mr Tarlamis said, at all hours. They have to be here whenever we are here contributing, so we appreciate that. Thank you for the opportunity to make a contribution, and that is all.

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (15:46): What a delight to join my colleagues and speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2024–2025) Bill 2024 so that we can keep the lights on and the water running in this place. This bill, for those that are not aware and those that are tuning in online – and I will give a shout-out to the Hansard and broadcasting team that make that possible in a moment – is aimed at making sure that Parliament has the appropriate funds to operate this spectacular workplace. Some of the other agencies, some that we are familiar with and others less so, include the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Victorian Inspectorate, the Auditor-General, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and, finally, the Victorian Ombudsman. Whilst all respect is due to those other agencies, I am going to spend the majority of my contribution today speaking to the Parliament’s core operations, so before I get onto that I will just take a moment to acknowledge those other agencies and organisations as listed.

There is of course much to be said about the bill before us, but what it does is allow for $285 million in the 2024–25 budget, which will see an increase in funding from last year’s 2023–24 budget from $277.8 million. We know on this side that transparency and integrity are incredibly important. That is why the agencies that I mentioned earlier will see that their funding has almost doubled since we came into government. The decisions to nearly double the funding of the Ombudsman and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission are significant moves towards strengthening the integrity and accountability of public institutions. This substantial increase in funding underscores the commitment to transparency, justice and rule of law within the state that we all live in and love. Increasing funding for the integrity agencies enhances the ability of these bodies to do their work, to effectively monitor, investigate and address issues relating to misconduct and unethical behaviour. This increased oversight promotes transparency and accountability in government operations. With additional resources, integrity bodies can contribute to a more honest and efficient government, fostering a fairer society and reinforcing the principles of good governance, which is what we are all striving for.

I now might go to some remarks about this place and the core operations of our Parliament, and it would be remiss if I did not thank the staff that keep this place running. I am going to take some time, like speakers before me, to highlight some of the staff who do such incredible work. To Hansard, the clerks and the staff at Sessions and Strangers, I want to give my big, heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation to each one of you for the work that you do. Your collective efforts really are the cornerstone of the effective functioning of our Parliament. It is important to recognise the dedication, the professionalism and the commitment that you bring to these roles each and every day. Sometimes I wonder how you keep such serious faces with all of our nonsense and carry-on in this place.

Can I just say to the parliamentary staff: you are so valuable, and your support is so treasured by each and every one of us. To the clerks, administrative personnel, researchers and advisers, each of you plays a really critical role in ensuring the wheels of our democracy here in the state turn smoothly. Your attention to detail, your organisational skills and your behind-the-scenes efforts provide a foundation on which this Parliament operates. Your work often goes unnoticed by the public, but we see you. Even when we do not, it is true that your work is essential for the seamless functioning of this institution.

To the cleaning and maintenance staff, your hard work and dedication ensure that the Parliament remains a clean and welcoming place for all. Your efforts to maintain the orderliness and cleanliness of these facilities are truly vital, and I am really, truly grateful for what you do. Thank you so very much.

To a team that captures me often at my most frustrated, the IT and the technical support team, thank you, thank you, thank you. Your expertise keeps the Parliament connected and operational in a way that I do not imagine we would have ever thought necessary 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Truly your ability to manage and troubleshoot some really technical issues ensures that our sessions, our communications and our day-to-day operations run smoothly. Your support is crucial in enabling everyone to carry out their duties. At any given time members are in this chamber using the resources supplied and supported by your team. We would not be able to do our job without you. I am pretty sure everyone here knows the IT extension – it is pretty much burnt into our minds, I have to tell you.

To the media and the communications team, a big thankyou. You bridge the gap between the Parliament and the public. You provide some updates on the proceedings, and you connect members of the public to our work. I am truly grateful for your work in promoting understanding and engagement with the democratic processes. I have got to say some of your outreach tools have just been quite incredible, so to the community engagement team, thanks for what you are doing.

I had the good fortune the other day of someone very dear to me sending me a photo from the Parliament website. It was of me and Lee sitting next to each other in this place, and it was from the previous Parliament. I am reminded of all that time and all the efforts of our parliamentary team who supported us during COVID. I remember the big giant TV screens in this chamber and how different and new that was and the enormous efforts to make that possible. Since then there has only been more innovation coming from the teams, so thank you very much.

A pretty serious email has just gone out to members of Parliament about some security risks that certain members will be facing possibly tomorrow. It reminds me that the security team are always on foot to help us maintain a safe and secure workplace, whether it is right here in the Parliament or in our electorate offices, in conduct of our parliamentary business like the inquiry work that we do. Can I just say to you: thank you very much for your dedication, your professionalism, your vigilance – it is absolutely incredible – and the really indispensable role you play in keeping us safe.

Whether it is here in the precinct or out and about, I know that we have had quite a few heightened security issues when it comes to not only our regional sitting but most prominently the work of our committee inquiries. I am thinking to some inquiries I have been a part of, but knowing that the security team were there and across it and working with local law enforcement to ensure our safety is always so valued, and you are pretty special people. I am really grateful, and you keep good humour throughout, which is pretty hard to do but it is certainly something we appreciate. I do not know what happens in that secret security room with all the screens and everything, but I am comforted by the fact that it is there, and it is full of folks who go about their duties each and every day, keeping us safe. I just want to thank you for your personal sacrifices that you make, the long hours, the constant vigilance, the calls that you get from members and our staff at all hours, because you know what, security risk does not keep a nine-to-five schedule and nor do you, and we truly appreciate that. Thank you very much.

I know that there is a lot behind the scenes, but I want to take a moment to go to the electorate office now. It has been just over a year since I moved into my electorate office with the support of the property services team, and so to them can I say a big thanks for such a smooth transition. I did not know when we moved in that it would be in the middle of a construction zone, and on any given day we are dealing with three or four building notifications around safety, security, construction, street closures and other things, but the property services team keep us across all of that. So to you, thank you very much. The fact is that we have almost got staff in hi-vis because of the construction zone that our electorate office is pretty much in, and I appreciate your patience and working with us as we get through the challenges of being not only a new office but a new office amongst a construction zone and a new office that backs onto the office of the Victorian Socialists, so that in itself comes with some additional challenges. I would love to take the next 4 minutes giving you my thoughts on the Victorian Socialists, but given that I am going to see them tomorrow when they are likely to come and visit me, because I am not the longest commute of all for them, I will give you perhaps an update to the chamber on my neighbours. Can I just say it will be a very interesting day tomorrow, and to security in advance I am saying to you thank you very, very much, and I probably will be calling. I am sure you have got my number saved by now, and I do not even want to guess, but it is probably under something like ‘Sheena, distressed, of Brunswick’.

Even to this day I have got to say I have not had much of a chance to talk about the regional sitting, and I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the behind-the-scenes work that went into making the regional sitting happen. It was really nice to visit Yorta Yorta country and head up to Echuca and see what the Parliament looks like in a regional community, and I think for many in this place this was their first regional setting; it was my second. I have got to tell you was pretty special to head out to some of the community groups and meet some folks as they came into that absolutely transformed library – my goodness. So thank you for allowing us to conduct parliamentary business in Echuca and gain a firsthand understanding and insight into local perspectives and local challenges and some aspirations of community leaders, businesses and residents. I do not think I am never going to forget that mayor and his deep want of a pool, so there you go. Regional sittings like this in Echuca facilitate greater public participation in our democratic processes, and I loved all the public forums, the youth forums and the other things that all came to make it possible. They are enormous efforts, just enormous efforts, so thank you to all the team that made that possible.

I know that every effort is put into this place every single day to continue to make it an institution that Victorians can be proud of – an institution that Victorians can instil their trust and faith in for us to do the job we are doing. So whether it is the youngest Victorians that come into this place on their school tours or it is older Victorians or even our interstate and international visitors that come in here, they get to see a place that we are all equally proud to come to as frequently as we do. I cannot thank our folks enough for the work that they do to keep us safe and keep us serving not only the institution of the Parliament of Victoria but also the people that we enjoy the good fortune and honour of serving each and every day. I commend to this house the Appropriation (Parliament 2024–2025) Bill 2024.

I will finish with big thanks to the team that make me such a valued soy chai latte every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning when the Parliament is sitting, because I am not quite sure that I would still be going after the late nights that I do without your good soy chai latte. I am always grateful for you and to you. Thank you, and I look forward to hearing other contributions on this.

Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (16:01): I am going to take a moment to use this opportunity to thank all the people that make this place happen. I have written a list. I apologise to anyone that I have left off – I always do. First of all I need to thank my staff, who do their best to make me look good; it is not easy, I must say. I want to thank the clerical and the chamber staff – the newer and the past ones; the buildings, grounds and IT staff, and I do know how challenging the IT situation is here; the security staff and the PSOs, who are currently having to deal with some hypocritical rabble-rousing from some in this chamber – it has probably been the worst it has ever been; and Hansard– my favourite, Hansard – who do their best to make me not look like a dolt. They do pretty good. I really appreciate how much work they put into making what we say into words which will follow us into history. I want to thank catering, Department of Parliamentary Services staff, VicFleet and anyone else I have forgotten. I think sometimes in here we tend to forget that we are all here to do a function. The function is to make laws and debate and do all that, but we are all here. Some of us are elected members, some of us are Hansard, some of us are clerical, some of us are security, some of us are catering and some of us are IT, but we are all here doing the same thing – serving the state of Victoria, and for that I thank you all.

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (16:03): I would also like to briefly rise to add my name to this very good bill that we have before us today, the last of the budget bills we should be debating this week. It is always a special time to reflect on the role of this very special, unique building that we find ourselves working in, the Parliament of Victoria. I am sure many members are the same, but I certainly pinch myself every time I am in this building – in this chamber in particular, indeed, and looking up at this marvellous ceiling above us. It was actually only just the other day that one of our wonderful security guards George told me about the issue with the lady of liberty holding the chains just above where Mr Welch is sitting right now. Apparently the statue is meant to have the chain in pieces and broken apart to signify freedom, but the people that were installing the piece actually thought it was broken and so they fixed it. So we have the chains, perhaps not in the desired outcome, but still nevertheless looking resplendent, as this place always does.

Indeed as with Mr Bourman, there are far too many people to mention, and if I were to try I am sure I would probably fail to mention everyone. But I do want to pay tribute to all of the amazing people that work in this place so that we can do our jobs and so that we can, most importantly, represent our constituents and bring their concerns and needs to the fore.

In this chamber of course we have a wonderful group of attendants who look after us. We have both old and new attendants, some who have been here a long time and some who have just started. All of them, though, work extremely hard to make this place run smoothly. Indeed members may not be aware but last week they were making sure that the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) was well supported as well, so it is not just on sitting days that they are here to assist us.

We have our senior clerks, from Robert to Anne. I see attendants in the room today and clerks in the room today as well, including Richard and Viv. It is fantastic to have your support here as always. Indeed we are very much missing our Usher of the Black Rod, Sally. Matt Newington is doing an outstanding job, and we are very glad to have him, though we do of course miss Sally.

Our property team are wonderful, as ever. I would actually like to pay particular note of them at the moment because I have had some property issues of my own this year. During the storms in February my electorate office was hit with some severe damage, and a particular shout-out goes to my property partner Amy, who has been helping us to rectify those issues so we can be out of our temporary office and into our regular one hopefully before long.

Our Hansard and broadcasting teams do an amazing job, firstly just putting up with all of us and putting up with all of our banter and our contributions into this place. They do a superb and professional job, as always, so to them I say thank you. Indeed they will always be seen at committee hearings too and are always working extremely professionally and hard.

I note everyone from our buildings and grounds and projects teams to our catering staff, who are always friendly and always helpful, and our IT department, for whom nothing is too much to ask. We also of course have an amazing crew of security staff, and I have to say with great regret how much strain they have been put under with some of the incidents we have seen particularly in this place but also in some electorate offices over the past few months in particular.

In the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) meeting last week one of our sessions was actually for the Parliament, and we unfortunately had it confirmed that during a recent pathetic stunt in the Legislative Assembly on budget day a security staff member was assaulted. It might have actually been an attendant, but it was a staff member of the Parliament who was assaulted by a protester. That is completely unacceptable. No-one should come into work and face that sort of behaviour – abuse, assault or violence. Staff in this place are amazing, wonderful people and they deserve better than that. I hope that we can return very soon to having galleries open to the public and we can have that done in a way in which the staff of this place are respected. That is the least that we all owe to them.

We also of course, as others have mentioned, had a regional sitting of this house just a few months ago when we all went up to Echuca, swapped the intricately detailed walls for a beautiful view of the Murray River red gums and shared a little bit of the Legislative Council with the communities up there. We heard some updates last week at PAEC about the expense and the ins and outs of that particular outing as well. It was good to have that detail come through. It was very good to be up there in the Campaspe shire obviously to show our Parliament to that particular community in northern Victoria but also – and probably more valuably for people such as myself who represent a metropolitan region – to actually hear back from those people in the country.

Aside from the regional setting itself there was a number of other events – youth forums, indeed, in Shepparton. I see Mrs Broad in the room. She and I were both at one of those sessions, which was really, really good to be part of. It is also particularly timely for me then to give a quick shout-out to the wonderful community engagement team of the Parliament. Naomi and her team did an amazing job that whole week in turning what would otherwise have just been a single sitting day into a much more valuable experience, I hope, for the community. Certainly I know it was a more valuable experience for those of us as members.

There are a number of other parts of work that the Parliament undertakes. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is one which I am very pleased to be part of the Victorian branch executive of. There is a number of things that the CPA does, particularly as one of the leading branches in the Australia-Pacific region, which means that we have sister parliament relationships with three Pacific Island nations, those being Fiji, Tuvalu and Nauru, where we provide mentorship and support to those parliaments as well. It is a particularly special thing to be able to share the best of our democratic parliamentary system with other nations and to give them the tools, supports and resources that they need as well.

One particular area of work that many of us in this place find ourselves doing – perhaps in some cases, like myself, more than we probably thought we would before we were elected – is parliamentary committees. That has been a really fascinating part of the job. Certainly for me I can say that there is a lot that I have learned as part of that, whether it is from being a member of the Legal and Social Issues Committee, participating from time to time on the Economy and Infrastructure Committee or the various select committees that I have had the privilege to serve on or indeed on the aforementioned Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, which does play a particularly important role in this place. Most people think of PAEC as just the estimates and outcomes process, which is a very big, important part of the role of that committee, but it is not the only role. It also does serve a very important function in the traditional public accounts committee space. As part of that work that committee has oversight of a few very important independent statutory offices of the Parliament, namely, the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office. In the case of the latter, we have a wonderful Auditor-General in Andrew Greaves, who has just started his second term. He provides very good, robust, thorough, detailed and factual reports to this place that I know members from all sides of this chamber, and I am sure those in the Assembly as well, very much appreciate. That sort of clear-minded, factual feedback is a very important part of our democratic system, and VAGO certainly does a very good job with that.

We also are one of only two states in the country to have a Parliamentary Budget Office, the other being New South Wales. I recently discovered that in New South Wales their Parliamentary Budget Office is only established for 10 months in the lead-up to a state election, so for the other three years and two months of a parliamentary term their PBO sits dormant. Theirs is solely focused around the provision of information for election costings, whereas in Victoria one of the benefits we have from the Parliamentary Budget Office is the ongoing feedback and support and advice to MPs when they seek to solicit information from them.

Evan Mulholland interjected.

Michael GALEA: I hear Mr Mulholland desperately wanting to interject. Whether those MPs perhaps take those reports in the fullest context and provide those figures in the fullest context for which they were meant to be provided is another matter, but it is nevertheless a very important function that the PBO serves. I would also like to note in particular the relatively early days of our new Parliamentary Budget Officer Xavier Rimmer, but he has done an absolutely excellent job so far and I am sure members from across the Parliament, across the chambers, would agree, so it is good to see him.

Another unique aspect of the Victorian Parliamentary Budget Office, as opposed to some similar institutions in our neck of the woods and broader in the world, is that the PBO is frequently called upon to provide advice to parliamentary committees and our various inquiries. I mentioned the Legal and Social Issues Committee earlier. In the case of the rental and housing inquiry that we undertook last year, the PBO provided some very useful information to that inquiry, as indeed it has to other inquiries I have had the privilege to sit on. There are some very important functions that are also part of the parliamentary ecosystem, particularly those two statutory offices which fall under the Parliament and in terms of oversight provisions under the purview of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee.

There is a lot more that I could say about this place, but I know members are anxious to speak in further detail about the budget as it stands in general, so I will leave my comments there. Once again I thank all of the incredible parliamentary staff who make what we do here possible.

Motion agreed to.

Read second time.

Third reading

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (16:14): I move, by leave:

That the bill be now read a third time.

Motion agreed to.

Read third time.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jacinta Ermacora): Pursuant to standing order 14.28, the bill will be returned to the Assembly with a message informing them that the Council have agreed to the bill without amendment.