Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:37): I rise to make a statement on a report which was tabled in this chamber, the Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission investigation report concerning the member for Western Victoria Region and the member for Warrandyte district – otherwise known as manure-gate. In May this year we witnessed an act in this Parliament that was not only inappropriate but deeply disrespectful to this institution and to the people we serve. Members from both this chamber and the other chamber brought cow manure into Parliament House and delivered it to the Premier’s office. Let me be clear: this is the people’s Parliament, it is a workplace and it is a place where we welcome school groups, community organisations and members of the public, whether for tours or meetings or simply to enjoy the fine dining made by the incredible staff of this place. It is also a place with a proud tradition of protest. These steps of the building have long been a space for democratic expression, and rightly so. But what occurred in May went far beyond a protest. It was a stunt that undermined the dignity of this place. The report outlines the incident plainly:

•   on 20 May 2025 Mrs Beverley McArthur MLC brought a box purporting to contain animal excrement into the vicinity of the Premier’s office at Parliament House

•   on 20 May 2025 Mrs Nicole Werner MLA facilitated the act of bringing a box purporting to contain animal excrement into the vicinity of the Premier’s office at Parliament House.

This was a deliberate act carried out in a secure area of Parliament. It was not only a juvenile and inappropriate action but a reflection on the kind of behaviour that some on the other side seem willing to excuse or even encourage.

I want to speak personally for a moment. In recent weeks I have received a surge of messages online which are not only abuse but threats to my life. Comments like ‘Where’s a sniper when you need one?’ and suggestions that I should be pushed under a train are not just vile; they are designed to threaten, intimidate and silence. But they will not succeed. They will not stop me or this government from delivering for Victorians: whether it is opening the Metro Tunnel, providing real cost-of-living relief, delivering free kinder and free TAFE or bringing back the SEC, these are policies that improve lives. But they do not warrant threats to kill me or threats to my livelihood, my safety or that of others around me. Put quite simply, when those opposite claim that safety is their top priority, I urge them to reflect on the impact of their words and actions and who they seek to embolden in doing so. What we do in this place matters. How we conduct ourselves matters, and this Parliament deserves better. Victorians deserve better. Do not bring literal excrement into this place and then act like you are the holy purveyors of the high moral ground. We all need to do better. Inciting or encouraging such vile hatred and threats cannot be tolerated.