Tuesday, 2 May 2023
Business of the house
Program
Business of the house
Program
That, under standing order 94(2), the orders of the day, government business, relating to the following items be considered and completed by 5 pm on 4 May 2023:
Address-in-reply to the Governor’s speech
Disability and Social Services Amendment Bill 2023
Statute Law Amendment Bill 2022
Water Legislation Amendment Bill 2023.
This is another government business program with many options for members to make a contribution to debate here in this chamber. Each of these bills and indeed the motions that have been foreshadowed build on the important work that our government is delivering and the many commitments that we have made to the people of Victoria.
We will also see in this week’s government business program a further opportunity for another two members on the government side of the house to make contributions to the address-in-reply. Obviously, that is an opportunity that many members relish. It is that time when you can get on your feet in this place and talk about the way in which the Andrews Labor government is really delivering for the communities that we represent. I offer that to all members of the house, that opportunity, because indeed ours is a government that governs for all Victorians, whether it be bringing back the SEC, putting power back in the hands of Victorians, capping V/Line fares at metro prices – and what a fantastic initiative that has been, not just for the people in my electorate of Macedon, where we proudly have seven V/Line stops, but importantly for the people of Melbourne who are taking the opportunity to come to the regions and spend their money in country Victoria and boost our economy, create great jobs and ensure the vibrancy of our tourism industry.
Of course there is a great opportunity in the address-in-reply to talk about all the hospitals that we are building. As Minister for Health Infrastructure I am incredibly proud of the more than $20 billion of investment that we are making in health infrastructure in this state. It is an opportunity to talk about our government’s commitment to giving women’s health care the focus and attention it deserves, with $71 million committed in the lead-up to the election to establishing women’s health clinics across our state, and I am delighted that the member for Northcote, the Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health, is here in the chamber. I know that she has already taken many opportunities to talk about the important work that she is doing in women’s health. So of course we look forward to hearing those contributions.
If I can talk a little bit about the bills before the house, the Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Bill 2023 emphasises the government’s ongoing commitment to better supporting more than 1.1 million people who are living with a disability here in Victoria. The bill makes important and critical amendments to enhance services, safeguards, rights and protections for people with a disability and seeks to address national disability insurance scheme implementation issues and unintended regulatory burdens and operational difficulties. It will include reforms to residential tenancies protections, information sharing and privacy, treatment plan provision and compliance measures for care providers, amongst other things.
With the Water Legislation Amendment Bill 2023, I know that water is obviously an issue of concern to each and every one of us in this house, and that is why this bill seeks to clarify sections of the Water and Catchment Legislation Amendment Act 2021 to continue to protect the existing rights of Victorian water users, provide more flexibility for them to manage their own delivery risks and improve powers to manage delivery shortfalls. So these are obviously very important bills.
The Statute Law Amendment Bill 2022 offers the chance for this house to contribute to discussion on a range of topics encompassed in the bill, including treaty, First Peoples and Aboriginal heritage; housing and the Big Housing Build; pet rehoming; and the Andrews Labor government’s continued work on modernising the state’s animal care programs. So of course I look forward to hearing contributions to the debate throughout the week.
The Minister for Energy and Resources and Minister for Climate Action has given notice of her intention to bring a motion to the house, which I also look forward to debating. I look forward to the contributions of all members of the house on this really important motion, because let us remember that securing the energy future of our state is something that our government has worked tirelessly to do since we were first elected in 2014. The minister for energy has shown extraordinary energy in the delivery of all of the commitments that we have made to the people of Victoria. I commend the government business program to the house.
James NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:08): I would like to start my contribution on a positive note and say that the coalition will not be opposing the government business program, but the positive contribution unfortunately will end there while I make a number of other broad comments.
What we have seen over recent sitting weeks is a government, sadly, that has no agenda and is frankly misusing Parliament. At Parliament we sit for three days, which is not so much, and 1½ days in, the government is moving away from their scheduled business program and moving on to whatever item on the notice paper they feel they can make a political point with, which is disappointing. It is disappointing for a number of reasons. It is disappointing because the house could be doing so much had the government the foresight to be working on and developing new laws and proposing issues of importance. Instead the government is misusing the time of the house to effectively run a second matter of public importance. For those that are not aware of the mechanisms of the house, most weeks the government or opposition have the opportunity to raise a particular issue and the house will spend some time debating that issue. But because the government has run out of things to do, they are using about half of the parliamentary sitting time each week for creating a new item of interest and sadly using that item and turning that item into a political hit, really. It is a political hit on the opposition – it is no more than that – which is disappointing, because when it comes to energy security, when it comes to renewables, at the last election the coalition brought forward some wonderful policies, some nation-leading policies, in this portfolio space. As Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change, there are a number of policies that were brought to the election that were fantastic policies, and I am really proud of those policies.
One of them that the government has not picked up on is legislating the 2030 target, which is something that the community actually wants. The community want to see less politics in the environment space, and they want to see certainty of where government is going. That was some of the thinking around the proposed policy at the election, which was supported by not only so many people but also peak bodies and interest groups, and not just in Victoria. One of the difficulties I think with the running of government especially in Victoria is the lack of transparency, and we know when it comes to this portfolio space there just is not enough transparency in the operation of government. So the coalition introduced a number of policies in this space which would have done that.
Not only will the government waste time with another political hit job, or what I like to refer to as a sledge motion of the week – and that is what it will be – they are failing to talk about the issue that frankly most Victorians are thinking about right now, and that is the issue of a lack of integrity in Victoria. And we saw it today. When the Premier stood up you could almost feel the lack of integrity in the way he responded to issues in question time. I would say it is disappointing that when we look at the way that Parliament is going to operate this week we will not be considering a matter that is so important in Victoria. When you hear the Victorian Ombudsman make the comments that she has made, there is no doubt that these types of issues are the issues that deserve the attention of the house, and that is why the opposition, through me, has moved a motion in that regard. I look forward to it and hope that the government will consider debating my motion as well as their sledge motion this week – another sledge motion and one that we see is entirely to cover the fact that the schedule is so light on.
Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (15:13): It is just terrific that the member for Brighton uses his opportunity in the government business program debate to sledge the government about sledge motions. Irony has been lost. The minute you cross Bay Street, irony goes out the window. There is just no sense of what is actually real and important for both this chamber and people in this place. To sledge so mercilessly the government for bringing on sledge motions is spectacularly tone-deaf –
Will FOWLES: in your words, not mine – from the member for Brighton but nonetheless altogether unsurprising.
Three bills are before us this week. I am not sure if the Manager of Opposition Business actually indicated whether the opposition would be supporting the business program.
Members interjecting.
Will FOWLES: Well, yes, but it is hard work with him – you know that. Well, that is very good; I am glad you are not opposing it.
Three bills are before us this week. The Water Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 sets the framework to regulate the place, rate and time of taking water. That is an important matter for this Parliament to consider in the context of the floods that went through parts of northern Victoria last year – a very important matter for the government to consider. I look forward to some very interesting contributions there. For those of us who spend any time in, near or on the Goulburn it is very germane that we should be having that debate as we move out of the La Niña cycle and into perhaps another weather cycle as we head into the winter after what was probably one of wettest springs on record.
The Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Bill 2023 of course amends the Disability Act 2006 regarding the secretary’s functions, information sharing about persons with disability and people subject to restrictive practice and supervised treatment orders, residential services and the use of restrictive practices and amends the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. We heard a bit about amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act a little bit earlier today, didn’t we, and I know the member for Northcote will agree with me fulsomely when I say that it is extraordinary that some would seek to come into this place and lambaste the government for making very important reforms – like ensuring people have running water, the ability to hang a picture or the ability to keep a pet – and give us the whoop-de-do treatment in relation to the very important reforms that we have made on residential tenancies over the life of this government. So I am very pleased that there will be another opportunity to revisit that act, because it is a very, very important part of public policy.
Indeed housing supply is a very, very important part of public policy, and wouldn’t it be nice if those who sought to claim credit for aspects of housing policy while simultaneously denigrating the very great advances being made in this arena by the federal Labor government – wouldn’t it be great, if just once – just once actually approved a social housing project in their LGAs. Wouldn’t it be terrific if just once they could stick their hand up, take a hard decision and actually approve one of the very valuable social housing projects, whether it is in the LGAs of Merri-bek or Yarra. It would be terrific if they actually made such a monumental political statement as to support social housing at the grassroots level.
But I digress. The third bill this week is a humdinger, and I know it is a humdinger because I think I am one of only two people on the speaking list for this one. Not having read the bill book, I suspect it is because it is really, really interesting, as statute law amendment bills in fact tend to be. I am told that the purpose of this bill is to revise the statute law of Victoria to make minor amendments to the Competition Policy Reform (Victoria) Act 1995 and for other purposes. Statute law may very well be interesting – fascinating, indeed – to some black-letter lawyers in this place, but to others it is necessarily the great opportunity we seek to have to talk about what is going on in our communities, which brings me to what is going on in our communities. It is absolutely terrific to see work underway on the level crossing removals at Dublin Road in East Ringwood and Bedford Road in Ringwood as part of this Labor government’s outstanding Big Build project, and we look forward to continuing that work over the course of this Parliament.
Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (15:18): As the member for Brighton did point out when he rose to speak earlier, we are not opposing the government business program this week. In fact we are quite enthusiastic about it.
Danny O’Brien: I wouldn’t go that far.
Jade BENHAM: Well, even though some might not find water legislation and the amendments that we are debating this week exciting, it is exciting for those in my communities up along the Murray River and those irrigators that it affects. We are actually quite enthusiastic to debate these things, and statute law, these sorts of amendments, surely is good legislative housekeeping. I am sure it is amazing, but there is some robust debate to be had, obviously, on the program this week. As I was saying before, water legislation amendments are ones that can divide communities, particularly along the River Murray and downstream of the choke, which is where we are talking about as far as my electorate goes. Thankfully, though, this one could be good news, particularly for water users and food producers in our area. Water can be a highly contentious issue when we start getting into the rules around the unbundling of water, environmental and recreational water and how that is used and how one rule is okay for some and not for others with regard to irrigators, environmental water-holders et cetera. So I am quite enthusiastic to speak on this bill amendment, and I am looking forward to hearing from my colleagues also in regard to the amendment. It does centre largely around the place and time of take, which will heavily impact those food producers and irrigators in my part of the world.
Also the Disability and Social Services Amendment Bill 2023 makes changes which have been spoken about in this place earlier today. These amendments have been requested by the disability sector and will remedy some of the oversights of some previous legislation that perhaps was not right in the first place. So we are not opposing the government business program this week, and I look forward to some very robust debate in this place.
Darren CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (15:20): It is with some pleasure that I rise this afternoon to speak on the government business program. For those that might be listening that are not necessarily overly familiar with the procedures of this place, one of the great opportunities of being in government is that the government gets to set the government business program for the coming week. In this context we are going to have a very, very busy week debating three important bills, and we have heard contributions from people across the chamber about why those bills are important to various communities that people in this place do represent. We also have this week that opportunity to debate a very significant and important resolution, and that is about re-establishing the State Electricity Commission. That is an important election commitment that the Andrews Labor government took to the people late last year, and I know that certainly very much played a significant role in the election outcome.
I think when we think about the energy security of this state and the things that we need to do to make sure that we provide the necessary electricity to commerce, to industry and to households, the State Electricity Commission will play a very important role in the years and the decades to come, and I actually commend the government in bringing this forward. I certainly know that so many of my Labor colleagues wish to make a contribution on this motion because we of course see the wisdom of re-establishing the State Electricity Commission. The Manager of Opposition Business bemoaned the government bringing this forward. One of the realities of being in opposition is that you do not have the opportunity of setting the agenda for this place – for this Parliament. That is the nature of being in opposition. We as the government wish to bring forward the things that are important to the people of Victoria as we see it. That is the pleasure and privilege of being in government.
I look forward to making my contribution on a number of these bills. I look forward to making a contribution on this very, very important motion, and indeed I challenge those that might disagree with the Andrews Labor government’s view that this motion is important. I challenge them to come into this place and put on the public record what their views might be about re-establishing the State Electricity Commission. I certainly look forward to looking at the history of the State Electricity Commission, and I very much look forward to discussing in this place the privatisation agenda of the Kennett government when they flogged it off to overseas interests, and I look forward –
Wayne Farnham: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, on relevance, I think it is all well documented that Joan Kirner started the privatisation of the SEC.
The ACTING SPEAKER (Paul Edbrooke): That is not a point of order. The member shall remain seated.
Darren CHEESEMAN: People, clearly, in this chamber, it would appear during my contribution, have some views on the State Electricity Commission, and I challenge them to come along to this Parliament, to come along to this debate and to put their views on record about what they think of the Andrews Labor government re-establishing it. It is well and good to make comments when you do not have the call in this place, but I challenge them to come along and make a contribution. This is an important debate, and I commend this to the Parliament.
Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (15:26): I agree with the member for Brighton and his statements earlier, and we are not opposing the government business program. I am not as excited about the Water Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 as my colleague the member for Mildura. I am actually quite disappointed. When I saw it come up, I thought, ‘Finally, something to do with water – something that might help my electorate.’ But unfortunately, they are just largely structural changes. I do appreciate, member for Mildura, how it will benefit your community, but I think the government has missed an opportunity and I think they have run out of ideas. I know the government needs the Greens. But you do not have to recycle bills all the time; you can think of something new.
I would have thought over the last five weeks, with what has occurred in the construction industry in particular, that a minister would have put a bill forward to protect consumers and the industry as a whole. We have seen Porter Davis go down. We have seen other building companies go down. This government has put out a $15 million rescue package, and I would have thought the minister responsible would have come to this Parliament this week and put forward a bill that would protect the consumers and the builders within this industry. The industry is in a lot of trouble. We have thousands of families now –
A member interjected.
Wayne FARNHAM: What was that? We have thousands of families now that will not have their homes finished. I do not know, mate, I would not be laughing, because there are thousands of people out there that are not laughing. My apologies, Acting Speaker.
I am really disappointed on the water bill because there is nothing to do with drainage – absolutely nothing to do with cleaning the drainage through West Gippsland. My community floods from east to west, and there is no investment and there has not been investment by this government to help with the drainage in my area. I am really disappointed too given that the Minister for Water represents Eastern Victoria Region. It is in her backyard. She knows about the drainage issues down there, and she had an opportunity. She could have brought it into this bill, brought it into this Parliament and fixed these issues. Right now my community has a petition up to fix the drainage, that is how serious it is getting. Communities do not put petitions forward if everything is okay. I am very disappointed that the Minister for Water could not actually address this issue in these bills.
It just seems as though the government is out of ideas. I mean, we are recycling bills. We have not thought of anything new. As I said earlier, with what has gone on in the last five weeks, I would have thought the government would have come in with something this week to protect consumers and the construction industry. We are not opposing the bill, obviously, but I tell you what, I am actually really disappointed in the government. Couldn’t it do better?
Motion agreed to.