Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Parliamentary precinct safety

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (19:18): (619) The matter I wish to raise is for the Premier, and the action that I seek is for the Premier to do whatever is necessary to ensure that there is safety within the parliamentary precinct for everybody that works here and for everybody that visits here. What we have seen unfold particularly in the last 24 to 48 hours is very disturbing. I have actually just come from my office after watching footage of an incident that happened yesterday involving an individual, somebody that I certainly do not agree with on a lot of things. I will put his name publicly: Avi Yemini. I do not agree with a lot of what Avi does and what Avi says, but in this particular incident Avi came to the Parliament, was assaulted and was told by one of the lead protestors out there that ‘This is my precinct’. He verballed the PSOs very aggressively, said that he was going to come after his mother and do horrible things to his mother. This is horrific footage. There has been an escalation certainly in what we have seen.

Only 48 hours or 24 hours before that we saw a Sydney Swans supporter come out of a pub and be assaulted simply because he asked what the protesters were doing. We are one step away from something horrific happening here. I am really concerned for everybody. I am concerned for members of Parliament. I am concerned for visitors that come to this Parliament. I have had two schools that have cancelled visits to the Parliament because of their safety. I know that one of the schools did not attend an Anzac Day service because of safety concerns. I just feel enough is enough. Nobody owns this precinct; this is the people’s precinct. Anybody should be able to come and visit safely and not have to think or look over their shoulders.

There have been times when I have had to take a long walk around to get to my office because of the threats and intimidation that I have had. I have had people follow me from the precinct to the coffee shop. Enough is enough. No-one should have to operate like this. No-one should have to work in any workplace like this.

Everybody has a right to protest, everybody has a right to have their views heard, but nobody has a right to intimidate, to threaten, to bully, the way that we have seen these people out the front here do. These people have encroached beyond the public steps into the precinct. Enough is enough, and I ask the Premier to take action to ensure that those individuals stay where they belong, in the public precinct, and do not own this particular Parliament like they think they do.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Pakenham, in regard to the member for Caulfield’s adjournment item, as it related to the parliamentary precinct, that falls outside government administration, as Rulings from the Chair, 24 February 1998 from Speaker Plowman, says. Is the member able to maybe rephrase the action to relate it to government business for the Premier?

David SOUTHWICK: Sure. I would ask for the Premier to work with the opposition to look at how we can ensure that there is safety for all those that work on and visit these premises, and also work with Victoria Police.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you.