Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:11): (1295) My question is for the minister representing the Premier. Last week, on the very same day that a koala was tied to the back of a vehicle and dragged down a street, the Premier confirmed she will not be honouring her government’s commitment, made 10 years ago, to fix our state’s broken animal protection laws. The animal care and protection bill has been drafted since 2023, but the Premier says that a ‘busy legislative agenda’ is the reason for it being binned. I note that this week we have three bills in this place. In the lower house there are just two. The government has motions ready to go in case we need to fill time. Can the Premier explain the real reason why she is breaking her promise, which is leaving countless animals to suffer while authorities have no power to act or intervene?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:12): I thank Ms Purcell for her question, which she has directed to the Premier. Obviously a lot of the animal welfare initiatives and funding measures would be a matter for the Minister for Agriculture, who would be well placed to answer some of those. But given that the member has requested an answer from the Premier, let us send it to her in the first instance in accordance with the standing orders.

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:13): I thank the Treasurer for referring that on. The government took their promised animal care and protection bill to multiple elections. They promoted the so-called ‘positive animal welfare’ agenda in materials and plastered it on corflutes. They took stakeholders, many of whom are volunteers, through multiple gruelling rounds of consultation over many, many years. Five different agriculture ministers have worked on this legislation since it was committed to before it was binned. Now the Premier is apparently too busy to keep her word, but I am willing to offer a solution by introducing her bill and using my own general business time to ensure its passage. All the government needs to do is hand it to me to introduce in my name. So my question is: will the Premier take up my offer to help her keep her decade-old commitment to Victorians?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:14): I will add Ms Purcell’s supplementary question to the substantive.