Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:22): (1329) My question is to member for South-East Metropolitan Region Mr Galea regarding notice of motion 1382 under standing order 8.01(b). Mr Galea, your colleague Minister Luba Grigorovitch, the member for Kororoit, provided a character reference for a taxidriver to gain citizenship who was convicted of indecently assaulting multiple women in Geelong. You say in your motion the opposition should get behind the government’s reform agenda to prevent the inappropriate use of character references. Will you urgently bring on your motion, given the serious lapse of judgement by your minister?

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: I know, and he is entitled to ask a question about when the member would like to move his motion.

 Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:23): I am very pleased to receive my first question in question time. Thank you, Mr Mulholland. It is a pleasure to speak to motion 1382, which you have drawn my attention to today. Indeed these are very important reforms which have been brought in by the Attorney-General. This is a government that takes victims and victim-survivors very seriously, which is why this is such an important reform for particularly those victims of abhorrent sexual crimes. I am a little bit surprised, Mr Mulholland, that you have sought to bring this to the chamber’s attention in light of the fact that I believe this notice of motion arose at a time when your colleagues were dealing with a bit of a difficult situation, one of whom is leaving the chamber right now, owing to the fact that character references from people in your own party drew great –

The PRESIDENT: Mr Galea, I am sorry. It is a new thing now. I am very mindful of setting precedents for future parliaments and future presiding officers, so I think you really need to limit your answer to the timing of when you may consider bringing on this motion.

Michael GALEA: These are very serious, very important reforms, notwithstanding the fact that the current situation is perhaps the only way in which the Liberal Party can actually have its candidates vetted properly. However, I do look forward to having the chance to discuss this further in a debate on this motion at a time very soon.

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:25): Mr Galea, the Administrative Review Tribunal said the offender was guilty of ‘serious past crimes, implausible current narrative, and continuing lack of insight and acceptance of responsibility’. Given the serious nature of Minister Grigorovitch’s shocking judgement and the fact that she has written at least six problematic character references, will you commit to debating this motion before the end of this year?

 Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:25): The comments that you are making, Mr Mulholland, go some way outside the scope of this motion, which is in relation to character references in courts of law, so I would draw your attention to that. However, Mr Mulholland, I would not dare to presume to override my whip, and I will confer with him about a potential future opportunity to debate this very important motion.