Tuesday, 12 May 2026

 The PRESIDENT (12:03): I have a message from the Governor, dated 14 April:

The Governor informs the Legislative Council that she has, on this day, given the Royal Assent to the under-mentioned Acts of the present Session presented to her by the Clerk of the Parliaments:

12/2026   Education and Training Reform Amendment (Free TAFE Guarantee) Act 2026

13/2026   Electoral Amendment Act 2026

14/2026   Justice Legislation Further Amendment (Miscellaneous) Act 2026

15/2026   Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Act 2026

16/2026   Safe Food Victoria Act 2026

Bev McArthur: President, I want to raise a point of order concerning the continued locking of the chamber and the apparent restriction on members’ access to their workplace. I am not saying members should be permitted to misuse the chamber – dance on benches or, worse, damage property – or obstruct staff or bring the Parliament into disrepute, but that is not what happened here. This was about a video. The video in question was my video, which I was asked to remove and which seems to have caused the lockout. It included only a fleeting image of the chamber, for a matter of seconds in fact, while I was walking and speaking normally. If the concern here is the mere appearance of the chamber in a member’s communication, then that appears to be a new rule. If it is a new rule, members are clearly entitled to know where it is written, when it was made, who made it and whether it applies equally to all members. If it is not a written rule, then it should be not applied retrospectively or selectively or even applied at all. Parliament House is not a museum. I did ask for written rules.

The PRESIDENT: There should be limited words on a point of order, but keep going.

Bev McArthur: Thank you. I understand rules do exist for the broadcasting of proceedings, but that does not seem to cover usage outside the sittings. Members routinely need to use this chamber to walk through to gain access to other parts of the building, for a start, and every member of the house, in regard to social media, communicates with constituents through social media. It is not a quirk or an oddity. It is the primary channel of our democratic communication. Using the chamber as a backdrop is important. It signals to constituents that their representatives are doing the work they were elected to do in the place where that work is done. It does convey legitimacy. If we are honest, the official proceedings of this house reach only a tiny fraction of the Victorian public, while social media reaches more.

So, President, are you going to continue to lock us out of our workplace or are you going to review your decision? Because I have pointed out to you that nearly everybody in this chamber has used this chamber as a backdrop for social media presentations. If we are not going to be allowed to do that, might I suggest you work through the Privileges Committee or wherever else – the Procedures Committee or the chamber committee or whatever bureaucracy decides how you use these buildings. I am sure there is an important quango that is totally responsible for how everything happens here. So maybe have the meeting, have the committee presentation and give it to us in writing.

David Davis: Further to the point of order, President, I think not just Mrs McArthur and I are concerned but many others in the chamber are too. This actually is a restriction on the ability of MPs to do their work, impeding their ability to appear in the chamber, to host groups through the chamber, to engage with constituents and to send messages out from the chamber in non-sitting periods. I would put it to you this is a direct article 9 matter. I do not know where this has originated from. If there is some clear mechanism that this has come forward from, that is one thing, and perhaps that could be explained. Apparently there is no obvious mechanism. I ask you to step back and rescind it.

The PRESIDENT: So much in that. I will just take it on notice. I just will briefly say, though, Mrs McArthur, you feel like you have been victimised. That is not the case. When you replied to me I actually came back to you and said, ‘You made a really fair call.’ You sent me a number of other videos that were filmed in here, and I went, ‘Fair cop. Leave yours up, because this has got away from us.’ But I have got to say that this chamber is a place of debate, so if someone wants to make a political point in this chamber, there should be a right of reply for either side, whether it comes from this side or that side.

If we get to the point that someone comes in here and just does a partisan video and sends it out with that backdrop when no-one knows they are doing it, it is a concern, and it has not happened before. I know we are all big influencers now. We are all influencers, right? I respect that, but some of our electorates – all of our electorates – are hundreds of square metres –

A member: Kilometres.

The PRESIDENT: Kilometres, sorry – hundreds of square kilometres. There are heaps of places to do your influencing. There are only a few months. Mrs McArthur, if you get elected as the next President, you let it go – open slather – so anyone can come in here and gob off about anything at any time and have the backdrop of democracy there.

David Davis: President, hasn’t this been for more than a hundred years?

The PRESIDENT: I am trying to talk. It has not been for a hundred years. There has not been video – there has not been people filming in here. Since when did that happen? Good interjection.

David Davis: Very good interjection.

The PRESIDENT: Excellent interjection, there. Good for you. I will take it on notice. Once again, I do not see why people feel that they need to be doing their partisan videos in this chamber when they have got the whole state. If there is a new President in a couple of months they can go open slather. If people want to move a notice of motion, I am all for the will of the house. If people want to move a notice of motion that anyone can do any partisan thing and have a crack at anyone in here when they are not in here, when the idea is that we are supposed to be having a debate, we will do that. So I will take it on notice. Thank you for a comprehensive point of order.