Thursday, 19 February 2026

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (18:51): (2349) My adjournment matter is directed towards the Minister for Carers and Volunteers. Neighbourhood houses across the Eastern Victoria Region alone deliver extraordinary value. Each year they generate $97.5 million in community benefit, support 742 jobs, mobilise 2387 volunteers and facilitate more than 249,000 visits. For every dollar invested they return $3.84 in value to the community. These are real community hubs keeping people connected, fed and supported. Despite this proven value, neighbourhood houses are losing their fight with the state government to provide funding to simply stay open. This wilful neglect stands in devastating contrast to Labor, which has allowed so much money to be funnelled into crime syndicates. We now know that $15 billion of taxpayer funds was allowed to fall into corrupt and criminal elements on major infrastructure projects. That is $5000 for every Victorian household. These projects were overseen by the Labor government and Labor ministers. These ministers stood at the centre of Victoria’s largest infrastructure spending program in history and were continually informed of corruption but left it unchecked. The action that I seek from the minister is that the government commit to securing stable, long-term funding for neighbourhood houses and explain why programs with proven economic and social returns continue to face uncertainty while $15 billion is somehow channelled to crooks.