Thursday, 19 June 2025

Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Gayle Tierney:

That the bill be now read a second time.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (16:07): I am pleased to make a contribution to the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025, noting the work that the Parliament does. I want to take the opportunity to put on record my thanks to many in this place, whether they be attendants or the grounds staff or the clerks or the kitchen staff, the whole sweep of people through this place that make it function. I want to put on record my personal thanks, and on behalf of others in this chamber, for the work that they have done.

The increase in spending is modest. Look at schedule 1 here and you will see there is a modest increase in a number of departments, but the Legislative Council seems to have done better than it has in some other years. The Parliamentary Budget Office has got increases – the parliamentary services more generally. I think the task of appropriating these amounts is important, particularly in the sense that the Auditor-General, Integrity Oversight Victoria, the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Ombudsman are all appropriated through the appropriation Parliament bill. What is important I think in this is for us to look carefully at what appropriations are made and to ensure that these bodies are appropriately auspiced and appropriately funded.

I am going to make some reflections on some of these. I think the auditor’s funding has not been particularly generous, and given the scale of work that the auditor does and the importance of the Auditor-General to Victoria, I would have thought that there was a significant case for this amount of money. It goes from $19.617 million to $20.419 million, which is a very modest increase in funding. I also think this is true with the Parliamentary Budget Office; there are modest increases there only. I particularly think these independent agencies that have oversight over government have got a great importance.

I am interested in the allocation that is made to the Assembly. It might be that a government member wants to look and see the very large additional allocation made to the Assembly. There may be some explanation for that.

Michael Galea interjected.

David DAVIS: Have a look on page 6 at schedule 1, and you will look at this with a certain surprise. I would be happy to understand what that is. It might be that that relates to some of the important work that relates to new members coming in and new offices. I am happy to be convinced if that is the case.

Looking at the funding for investigatory committees and knowing the scale of the work that Legislative Council investigatory committees are doing, it seems to me that that is not a substantial increase in funding.

A member interjected.

David DAVIS: Have a look at the schedule yourself. You will see the funding for last year and the funding for the year ahead, and you can make some comparisons and some conclusions on those matters. What I really want to say, though, is that independent oversight is important. It is important that the bill goes through in that way. I am happy to support this particular bill.

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (16:12): I rise to speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025. As we have heard already, this bill authorises payments from the consolidated fund to the Parliament and its agencies for the upcoming financial year. Importantly, this bill provides funding for the various independent oversight and integrity agencies that monitor the activities of the government and its various departments. The recently tabled report Performance of the Victorian Integrity Agencies 2022/23 from the Integrity and Oversight Committee details concerns with delays in the time taken by some of Victoria’s integrity agencies in responding to complaints. Furthermore, the Ombudsman raised concerns about relying on ad hoc Treasurer’s advances to top up their budget when they receive parliamentary referrals for inquiries which require them to hire additional staff. Hiring and training capable staff for episodic inquiries is difficult and disruptive.

Currently the Treasurer is responsible for deciding the funding of Victoria’s independent officers, such as the Ombudsman and IBAC Commissioner. Integrity agencies are responsible for investigating complaints about the government and its departments, upon which they also rely for funding. This funding structure creates a bidirectional conflict of interest: an agency may be nervous about antagonising the government which funds it, and governments feeling irritated by an agency may be less inclined to support its budgetary requests. One way to prevent this is to have an independent body make funding decisions for integrity agencies. In 2022 the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, the Ombudsman and IBAC jointly called for the creation of an independent statutory commission or tribunal for this exact purpose, and in their latest report the Integrity and Oversight Committee recommended that the government have another look at that very recommendation.

If the decision must be made by a government, at least publishing the agency budget bid along with the final amount funded in the budget would allow public scrutiny, making it harder for competing interests to influence funding. The New South Wales Parliament recently legislated a system which provides transparency and oversight while still allowing the government to determine the funding amount. Their Treasurer is required to write to the head of each integrity agency with the amount to be appropriated for that agency. They must also notify the relevant parliamentary oversight committee, which must review and report back to the Treasurer and Parliament, and the Treasurer must then respond. In addition, there is a special unit within Treasury to liaise with the integrity agencies, and they are excluded from efficiency dividends required by the Premier’s department and the cabinet office. In other words, New South Wales has clearly given this much thought and devised a way of reducing the conflict of interest present when agencies responsible for scrutiny of government also depend on them for funding. Victoria is once again the national laggard on government integrity and should either set up an independent body or adopt the New South Wales system. It is disappointing to see that the government has not taken on these reforms, and I hope that in 12 months time when this bill is debated again I can congratulate them on making these changes.

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (16:15): I also rise to speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025, and in doing so acknowledge that I believe this is the third year in a row now that I have spoken on this particular theme of bill. I always greatly enjoy being able to give a contribution on this bill, first and foremost because it does give us the opportunity to acknowledge and thank all the amazing staff that help us to do the jobs that we are here to do, that help us to represent our constituents and that do it so ably. It would not be possible without the very many extensive supports that they provide us. There are many important things which are funded through this bill. It is not just the Parliament itself; as both previous speakers have referred to, it is also those important integrity agencies – integrity agencies which I do note have had their funding increased again this year as they have had for every year at least of this government. They have had those funding allocations increased.

There are some further resources and support provided for various other things too. I note Mr Davis’s interest in parliamentary investigatory committees. Indeed they have seen an increase in the allocation of support for them. And whilst Mr Davis might despair at the support that we are providing for the Legislative Assembly, even though we do now have a Treasurer in the Legislative Council we should nevertheless not neglect our friends across the hall and we should still give them something – give them something, Mr McCracken. Of course we know which chamber is all the more important, and many of our activities too are supported through that. Indeed across the board all of these very important democratic legislative integrity and accountability functions are funded through the appropriation of Parliament bill. We do see each of those line items, as Mr Davis was referring to, in the schedule of the bill, each of them continuing to be well resourced and indeed continuing to receive modest or substantial increases across every line item.

It is the chambers themselves, it is the investigatory committees and it is the integrity agencies, whether it be the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office or the Parliamentary Budget Office or many others as well, whose resources and whose work are supported through this bill. It also provides the funding for all of the many wonderful electorate officer staff that we each have and the staff that we employ to support us and to support our constituents. I would like to acknowledge all my team, who work very hard as well. And I would also like to acknowledge the parliamentary staff in this place, whose expertise is unsurpassed and whose support and commitment is unwavering, including the chamber clerks in with us today. We also have a great deal many other staff that make this place work outside of the two relevant departments of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly.

We also have our Department of Parliamentary Services staff covering the wide range of services that this Parliament undertakes, whether it is our security support officers; whether it is our great teams at Hansard and at broadcasting, who have to sit through all of our speeches and make some sort of sense of them; whether it is the support from the building and grounds staff or indeed the catering staff, who always do great work as well; or whether it is the property team. Last year I made reference to the fact that I was at the time without an electorate office, and as it so happens I still am out of an electorate office, which is unfortunate. However, that is not through any fault or lack of effort from the property services team, and I would like to acknowledge them in particular, having had the opportunity to work with them over the past 12 months, for their continued support and search to support my team to be able to do its job as best as it can. And I would like to appreciate Amy and Deb as well as the team in the new projects team as well, including Spencer, for all their very hard work in getting us into an office again, which we very much look forward to.

I mentioned catering staff. Of course it would not be a sitting week in this place without a huge array of events in different parts of this precinct and in this relatively small building that gets very, very full very quickly. Indeed I had firsthand experience of that myself this week in trying to find a room for a launch event for a parliamentary friendship group, the Parliamentary Friends of France, which we actually launched on Tuesday night. It was a very exciting event to be a part of, bringing in a number of impressive people, including the consul general, the ambassador, many business stakeholders, and of course we also had some incredible sponsors. We had some very special awards presented to two Victorians who have done excellent work in the space of French cuisine, that being Kate Reid, the director of Lune Croissanterie, and Annie Smithers, the head chef at du Fermier in Trentham, both incredibly well regarded in their field and well beyond. They are both well regarded in Victoria, across the country and across the world, and we saw very appropriate recognition of their contributions through the award of the mérite agricole, which is the French agricultural order of merit, presented to both Annie and to Kate by the French ambassador to Australia. It was a very special occasion, and we were able to have some French catering for the event as well, which made the event very appropriate and, as I understand, very popular among members and staff.

I say this, and I make this point as well, because none of this would have been possible without the immense work of our catering team. I would like to particularly thank Mary-Dee Morgan for all her work in facilitating that and all the various demands that were placed upon her. I very much note that it has been a very busy week and continues to be, not just in the very important work that we do here but in the showcasing, whether it be of the great work that the Brotherhood of St Laurence does in Queen’s Hall, which is on demonstration right now, whether it is the very important launch of LGBTIQA+ workplace guidelines in the South Library this morning or whether it is building those important relationships with stakeholders in Victoria and overseas, such as the launch of the French event this week.

We also had an event today in the Legislative Council committee room which was bittersweet for me, actually, in some way. A few weeks ago, prior to the A-League grand final, working with Melbourne Victory Football Club and as proud co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Melbourne Victory Football Club, I booked out the Legislative Council committee room in the hope that if the club were to win the grand final, we would have an event here. The club, very graciously, before the grand final had even begun, said, ‘Look, if we don’t win, we are playing Melbourne City, so they can have it,’ in a spirit of bipartisanship that is worthy of the Legislative Council itself, I think. As it so happened and as it so transpired, perhaps sadly for me and other fellow Victory fans, that was what happened. City did have a very well deserved win, and so we had a very good event today, a wonderful event actually, in the LCCR. The member for Cranbourne was particularly excited to gloat to me about the result and wave her scarf in my face, but that is just part and parcel of these very passionate but very worthy rivalries.

It was indeed a great event and a great acknowledgement of the incredible work that City in the Community do as well. We had a bunch of school students in from the south-east, from different schools, at programs where Melbourne City does some incredible work. I will give full credit to the club, including to managing director Brad Rowse but also Sunil and George, who I have had the pleasure of working with over a long period of time at the club. They run the City in the Community program, and it is an absolutely splendid program, one that really engages professional football big leagues with kids and students in my region, including some of the more disadvantaged pockets of my region, which makes it all the more special – and all the more special to have them in the Parliament today. That is exactly the sort of event that really makes this place such a showcase, not just for us as MPs but for all Victorians. The examples I have listed are just a few of the events that have been on this week. None of that work could be done without people like Mary-Dee and the rest of the catering team, including Jacquie and all her staff. Without their work we would not be able to do any of that, especially in what is a very beautiful, historic and awe-inspiring building but one that is very old and presents many challenges in terms of space and maintenance, again going back to the building and grounds staff and the projects team who do a lot of work to keep this whole show running. Whilst the whips are running our chamber excellently, we have the building and grounds team managing the building and everything around it.

This bill is an opportunity to speak about all of the wonderful things that our parliamentary staff do. I will make a brief note of the fact that in the Parliament of Victoria this week we are very lucky to have a delegation of Fijian MPs who have come to visit us. They met with those of us on the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee last week. It was wonderful to have them join us and for them to see our Public Accounts and Estimates Committee in its full glory, would you say, Mr Welch? PAEC at its full glory? I am struggling to find the right word that encapsulates the spirit of it. The full vim and verve of PAEC – that was the phrase that came up in PAEC last week – as Minister Pearson so eloquently put to us; they got to be part of that as well.

The relationships we have with the parliaments of Tuvalu, Nauru and Fiji are very important as our twin parliaments. We do have a role to play, not as imposing outsiders coming in to tell them what to do but as equals and as friends. Being a state parliament in particular we really have an opportunity in that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is not one of our departments. They do very important work federally, but we can approach these twinned parliaments from the state level more as partners than as their formal trading partners or security or defence partners. We can have that relationship, parliamentarian to parliamentarian. The amount of work our incredible staff – including Sally and Anne and many other staff in this chamber, and Bridget, who really drive that program forward – do on that program is a very important part of the work that we do for our sister nations just around the corner, just off our coast in the Pacific and with our Commonwealth family. There are many things to acknowledge, note and celebrate in the work our amazing parliamentary staff do.

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (16:28): I too rise to speak on the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025. This is an annual opportunity to say a number of thankyous to the Parliament staff but also the Department of Parliamentary Services staff in general. A budget is always about funding services across the state but it is also an opportunity to reflect on our own house. The successful functioning of the Parliament and the very heart of our democracy relies on a dedicated and often unseen workforce. As we debate funding the state, it is right that we acknowledge the people who make the work possible. As I have done on previous occasions, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to all parliamentary and DPS staff.

I thank the clerks for their procedural guidance. Stepping into the role of Acting President has been in some regards daunting and in other regards sometimes it feels quite easy until there is some kind of procedural complication or there is a conduct issue in the chamber and then it becomes very complicated and the guidance from the clerks is highly valued, in my experience. Hansard reporters also are not often very front and centre, but there is only one record of the proceedings of Parliament and that is what goes into Hansard. Not a visual record or an auditory record – it is the written record. I really want to thank the Hansard team for getting the facts straight on what has happened in this chamber.

The committee staff also – we are all, in this chamber, involved in committees in one way, whether appearing before them or actually as members of the committee. Again, the support teams for our committees do a power of work without recognition very often. Catering and cleaning teams also look after us on a daily basis.

This year, though, I specifically want to pass on my heartfelt thanks to the parliamentary security team. The Parliament of Victoria is driven by a dynamic, evolving threat landscape. We have all noticed the need for increased security over the last two years. The nature of some public demonstrations has shifted, and while peaceful assembly remains a protected right in Victoria, in recent times we have seen a rise in more volatile and unpredictable protest activities. Sadly, we know threats against members of Parliament and electorate offices are on the rise. The convergence of these reasons for higher security management means we are now getting used to greater security around Parliament House. They are the first people we see in the morning, and they are often the last people we see at night. They are the public face of our building, responsible for the safety and security of every person within the precinct, members, staff and visitors alike. I want to thank the teams who manage the front and back entrances with such professionalism and good humour, no matter the weather, which seems to be in extremes often, and especially in the context of what appears to me to be the slowest ever renovation in the whole of the universe. There are always changes going on in the building and there is always a door blocked off or there is some area inaccessible, so that always poses challenges as well for the security team.

Security officers – I spoke to a couple, including guest services. What they love most, almost universally, is the people that they are dealing with. They enjoy the daily interactions, the brief conversations and the feeling of being at the centre of Victorian democracy. They appreciate being part of a team and the sense of purpose that comes with their important role. They said to me that the challenges are the long hours, especially on sitting days, and spending so much time on their feet. Another challenge is the occasional need to de-escalate situations with difficult individuals – a task they handle with professionalism. Visiting Parliament, we know for some visitors, can be a very emotive and heightened experience, so it is important to have that experience in our security and guest services teams to handle those issues. I asked them how MPs can assist security and guest services. The answer is often simple and humbling: wearing our parliamentary IDs visibly helps them do their job efficiently and having a little patience and understanding at security checkpoints, remembering they are following procedures designed for our own safety. I know I have experienced frustration at the front door during changes as well, so I really do appreciate the steps that are taken.

To put a human face on this vital team, I want to tell you about one of the officers, a young woman who is lives in Wyndham Vale. She is from Punjab in India originally and she lives in Wyndham Vale with her husband. She has a child, and on average it takes her an hour on the train to get to Parliament in the morning. She works very long hours with short breaks, and we see her in a number of different locations around the annexe. She said that it is her experience with the people and the public that she really enjoys, and it really suits her because she is a sociable person.

I did ask guest services, and one of the guest services people has been with us for 29 years this year, so 30 years next year. He used to work at Avis, Myer, V/Line; Jeff Kennett, he said, paid him out. He used to be the President’s orderly – I believe the President does not have an orderly anymore – and a chamber attendant, so he has done quite a few things in this place. Apparently he had to set up the food for the President and serve the food when the President hosted ambassadors and things; that was a different time. He also conducts tours. He once conducted a tour for the former Speaker of the Canadian Parliament as well as another one for Theresa May, the former Prime Minister of the UK. And of course they have to deal with the mistiming of arrivals – for instance, someone coming too early, and if they are a very important person they then have to try and entertain them for a little while they are waiting for their host to come and get them. He said, ‘How can MPs help? Please read your messages accurately. MPs often go to the front door instead of the back door.’ ‘Register your guests’ – that is the other request – and the third one is that he found it tough on sitting days with the very long hours, before the hours were shortened with OH&S, because they have come in now where they do it more like a shift. He did say that he paid his mortgage off with all the extra hours, but it was pretty exhausting. He said, ‘Now it is better because we have OH&S. They provide us with seats and we are basically doing shift work.’

And then just to finish on a security officer, at the other end of the scale, this security officer has been working at Parliament for one year. He has to liaise with PSOs and MPs, the public and Parliament House. He also pointed out that he has to check who else comes in the building, so when there are caterers bringing food in, when there are guests for events, when there are entertainers coming in, all those people have to be security checked as well. There are so many different perspectives that security officers need to view in their role in keeping all of us safe. He had one suggestion that MPs could do: ‘Tell your guests to carry photo ID, because that is now required and it can get very complicated if they don’t’. So I really would like to say a big thankyou to the security team. I think it has been a tough year for them, and I hope that things are a lot quieter and more boring for them in the next 12 months.

Just in closing, I want to say this is a really important bill to make sure that the wheels of democracy are carried forward in an appropriate way, and everybody that works at the Department of Parliamentary Services and in this building deserves our recognition and thanks. I encourage all members to take a moment this week to thank the security officers, the cleaners and the caterers for their work. They are essential to the functioning of this Parliament, and I am proud to place my gratitude for their service on the record today.

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (16:38): In rising to make a contribution on the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025 I was reminded of the people that this bill serves, and that is the people of Victoria, and we could not do our jobs without the people that keep this place running day in and day out. To each and every one of you can I just say that you are the backbone of this place and deserve to be recognised for all your efforts. I have seen firsthand how many long nights and cups of coffee go into your work to keep our democracy strong. Your high standards ensure future generations understand both what we say but also what we mean and its impact on the Victorian people. Your professionalism, integrity and commitment ensures that this Parliament not only functions but thrives. Whilst the elected members here may change, the strength and continuity of the Parliament rests in no small part on your shoulders. In this bill today we see your support for us in our duties as you uphold the rules and traditions that give meaning to our democracy, during the long hours, often without public recognition, in service of something larger than any individual here – and that is the people, today and tomorrow, in Victoria.

In here we all talk about public service, but truly it is the folks that this bill pays that are the exemplification of the ideals of a public servant. More than that, you are the stewards of our democracy, and you work with discipline, care and a deep sense of responsibility. It is your knowledge, your discretion and your dedication that are essential to everything that we do, but I will also say it is so very much your patience. Many of you have served over many decades, witnessed changes to this place and guided in new generations of members, as well as young Victorians as they enter this building for the first time, their eyes full of bewilderment and amazement at what happens in here. You maintain the traditions that connect our work to the foundations of parliamentary democracy while also helping us to adapt to new challenges and modern expectations and to tackle old problems like how we get our printer working. We see your efforts in the calm efficiency of a well-run sitting day, in the meticulous records that you keep for history and in the safe and respectful environment you foster for all who walk through the doors. In recent years it is fair to say that we have asked more of you than ever before. From those new technologies that I mentioned to ensuring that Parliament continues its essential work in times of great uncertainty, you have met every one of those challenges with resilience and resolve. I offer you my thanks. We value all of you and we rely on you. We are all the better for your service and dedication to our democracy.

There are some folks that I want to shout out to. The cleaning crews’ behind-the-scenes efforts in offices, committee rooms, galleries, corridors and even public amenities go largely unremarked, yet their work keeps this magnificent building clean, secure, respectful and a place of pride for all Victorians. To the dining room and catering staff who go beyond, serving trays, hosting lunches, coordinating formal events and even sharing their culinary efforts with the community, thank you so much. Your warmth and generosity reflect the compassion of the institution you serve. I thank every one of the clerks, Hansard staff, secretariat staff, security staff and the capable attendants. Can I just give a shout-out to the new attendant who only began this week. I did catch her name, but I will just call her ‘sister girl’, because I reckon she is going to love this job. I definitely said she had done really well landing a gig here. Congratulations to the cleaning team, IT, the library staff, the dining staff, the committee researchers and the policy and administrative staff. Your efforts are essential pillars of our democracy. I will also say thank you to the finance team at the Department of Parliamentary Services. As we get to the end of the financial year, I am so incredibly grateful for all your efforts. Thank you so very much. Your contribution is not small, and it is absolutely not insignificant. The cycles of elections come and go and the public eye shifts, but your steadfast work underpins it all.

The building is more than bricks and mortar and gold, as you can see here. It is really a living, breathing institution, enlivened by those who care for it daily. The fact is that in this sitting week alone we have had representatives from parliaments across the world come here. There is something very magical and special about this place that means that we carry our gratitude today beyond words. May we continue to support and respect our parliamentary staff, ensuring they have the resources, recognition and respect they deserve, because without them this Parliament simply would not run. We are deeply grateful and here to say thank you. With that, I offer my thanks and commend the Appropriation (Parliament 2025–2026) Bill 2025 to the chamber.

Motion agreed to.

Read second time.

Third reading

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (16:44): I move, by leave:

That the bill be now read a third time.

Motion agreed to.

Read third time.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Michael Galea): 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.