Wednesday, 7 February 2024

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Home building industry

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): My question is to the Premier. Jess from Doreen, a single mum with a young daughter, worked hard to achieve the great Australian dream of home ownership, but the dream has turned into a nightmare. When Montego Homes is liquidated she will not be able to access the support payment scheme provided to customers following the collapse of Porter Davis. This is also true for customers of collapsed home builder Chatham Homes. Why won’t Labor extend the scheme to Jess and the scores of Montego Homes and Chatham Homes customers when it was offered to others?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:03): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. I am sure all of us understand the very difficult situation that Jess and her family find themselves in. If it is your first home and you have been working through with your builder to build that home, that is indeed a very devastating set of circumstances for Jess, and my thoughts are with her. And, as the Leader of the Opposition has identified, there are a number of other now former customers of Montego Homes who have been caught up in this situation, and they deserve our respect in how we debate this issue and discuss this issue in the Parliament.

In terms of the set of circumstances that we saw last year with Porter Davis, our government acted quickly to support those families. The Treasurer and I have already met and discussed the situation today around Montego Homes. I appreciate there is further information to be provided, because this did happen last week and obviously for people like Jess some have been identified as being affected. We want to make sure that we get a full appraisal of the former Montego customers – there is a workforce that it also impacted here as well – and that we get further information as we consider, as we have done so previously, the government’s response to the situation that Jess and others find themselves in.

What we also know, whether it is Montego Homes last week or Porter Davis last year, is that this has identified that we need to take action as legislators in this place to make the legislative change that provides the future consumer protections –

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, I just ask you, on a point of relevance, to draw the Premier back to the question. The question is about why the scheme for Porter Davis was not extended to others.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: Thank you, Speaker. It is one thing – an important thing – to take action to support people who are affected by situations now, but where there is an opportunity to act to make changes so in future people like Jess and others can be protected, it is incumbent upon all of us to act. Given there is a bill that is before this house this week, I would urge the Leader of the Opposition to not delay, to not proceed with the stalling tactics that the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues have pursued this week in this place –

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, can I ask that you draw the Premier back to the question about why the Porter Davis compensation was not extended to people like Jess who are affected by the Montego Homes collapse.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Assistant Treasurer! The Premier was being relevant. The Premier has strayed a bit from the answer that she was giving. I ask her to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: The question gave the example of Jess in Doreen and her circumstances and referred to the situation with Porter Davis. What it highlights is we need to make change. We have the opportunity to act, and I urge the opposition leader to join us in that action.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): Jess is in the gallery today.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition knows that you cannot refer to people in the gallery. I would ask you to direct your comments through the Chair.

John PESUTTO: Thank you, Speaker. The administrator for Montego Homes, Cor Cordis, was advised by the Premier’s office that there is no money to extend the liquidated builders customer support payment scheme. Is this advice the reason why the scheme has not been extended to Victorians like Jess?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:08): As I said in my answer to the Leader of the Opposition’s substantive question, the Treasurer and I have already met today. We have already discussed the situation that is occurring with Montego Homes, an event that occurred last week, and we are getting further advice and looking at how we can support the people who are impacted. I gave that answer to the Leader of the Opposition’s substantive question. We have the opportunity to act and act quickly, and I would urge the Leader of the Opposition to put the politics aside, put down his amendment to review and defer the passage of the legislation and act with us now to support other families who may be impacted in the future.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the Premier knows that the opposition has said that not only will it pass but –

The SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order. The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business knows that that is not a point of order.