Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:58): (2454) My constituency question is for the Minister for Local Government, and it comes from mayors across south-west Victoria publicly opposing Labor’s proposed changes to Victoria’s rate-capping regime. Minister, will you rule out gutting the rate cap, or do you expect ratepayers to be punished for this government’s cost shifting? For months the Australian Services Union have demanded higher council wages and higher rates, and the government is now caving in to their edicts. The government already plans to increase councils’ employment costs with its dodgy jobs code, and the Herald Sun has reported it is now considering gutting the rate-capping framework. With four cabinet ministers and nearly half of Labor’s Legislative Council members holding ASU membership, the union’s influence over this government is impossible to ignore. Will the minister stand up for Victorian ratepayers, or will the union bosses get another victory?