Wednesday, 30 July 2025

Electoral Matters Committee

Inquiry into the Conduct of the 2022 Victorian State Election

Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (17:29): I rise to make a statement on the Electoral Matters Committee inquiry into the conduct of the 2022 Victorian state election, which was tabled on 30 July last year. We are told from a young age that it is good to tell the truth. It fosters trust in those we are truthful to and creates binding relationships. The Electoral Matters Committee understood the importance of trust in Victoria’s public institutions and its impact on the conduct of the 2022 state election. The report on page 147 says:

The Committee was disappointed to see members of Parliament amplifying inaccurate information that undermined trust in the electoral system.

The report goes on to say:

Members can give authority to information and therefore have a duty to be cautious in what they say.

In this report the committee found a link between the conduct of us as members of Parliament, the way we describe what is happening to our community when we tell mistruths, and the erosion of trust in our electoral system. Our democratic system is fragile. It is based on a social contract between elected representatives and the public that we represent them to the best of our abilities. People rely on us and take validity from our words. We have an obligation. All of that is at risk if, for our own political advantage, we tell a mistruth here or there, spreading misinformation or disinformation. The 2023 national survey of trust and satisfaction in Australian democracy revealed that 43 per cent of Australians are not satisfied with our democracy. I made some comments about this in November last year, and I make a similar plea to members today again to reflect on their words and the implications of them, because people’s words are powerful.

We have seen already today in amongst some contributions how mistruths continue to be spread by members of this place both here and in communities to score political points, to create outrage and to evoke fear. We heard Minister Shing during ministers statements today quite comprehensively debunking the claims that were being made by the Greens and others about their assertions about the redevelopment of the public housing towers in Melbourne. As Minister Shing said today, the towers are not being demolished while people are still living in them, despite the claims that are being made by some. These redevelopment sites are being worked on at the moment. The government is not selling that land in these redevelopments, despite the claims that are being made by some. And of course the redevelopment of these public housing towers will increase the amount of social housing provision in this state, again, contrary to the claims that are being made. Falsehoods have been continuously spread for months, and every time they are, they continue to undermine trust that people have in our institutions and they continue to undermine the operation of our democracy. And that does not support anyone. We hear it again and again from those opposite when they spread mistruths about things like the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, mistruths that are being whipped up by those on the opposition benches to perpetuate fear and division in the community – many baseless statements calculated to spread and confect public outrage. We know, in the context of some very distressing circumstances that we see unfolding in the Middle East, in the war in Gaza, the way that some have engaged in debate by spreading mistruths, by spreading falsehoods, for their own political gain, including the claim that is regularly made that Labor is arming Israel.

This is not unrelated to the increase in the temperature in our community. The way that misinformation, the way that disinformation, is being exploited and utilised for political gain is causing division in our communities, and it is having an impact on so many. We know the fear that many in our community, particularly many in our Jewish community, live in from encountering lies and hate on our streets. We have seen some exceptionally reprehensible incidents, and I think that as we try and take action as community leaders to calm tense situations, we all have an obligation to watch our words so very carefully.