Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Motions

Budget papers 2024–25

Debate resumed on motion of Steve Dimopoulos:

That this house takes note of the 2024–25 budget papers.

Natalie SULEYMAN (St Albans – Minister for Veterans, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Youth) (11:26): I rise to speak on the take-note motion for the 2024–25 Victorian state budget. This budget is absolutely focused on supporting families with the cost of living, in particular in the electorate of St Albans, including the $400 school saving bonus, which is again helping families with the essentials – for instance, school uniforms, glasses, camps and sports – and really easing some of that pressure on families. We know that our government understands and really supports Victorian families to be able to support their families and children, in particular where we are seeing such challenges in our local communities. As I said, as the member for St Albans I am very proud of the record of our government, whether it is investing in our local schools or removing –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, if I may, I believe the member for Thomastown was in continuation on the debate on this motion and has not been given the opportunity to continue.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Alison Marchant): The member did not take the call, so the minister was called to start her contribution.

James Newbury: Further to the point of order, Acting Speaker, I understand because of the motion that is before the house now the member will not have the opportunity to finish their speech, because they do not get a second opportunity.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Alison Marchant): The minister has the call.

Natalie SULEYMAN: As I was saying, I am really proud. The first level crossings to be removed by our government were the Main Road level crossing and Ginifer Station being rebuilt, which saw the removal of the Furlong Road level crossing. These were two level crossings that had taken too many lives in the past, so it was really important and also had an impact on our community to see these level crossings removed for good by our government.

Another accomplishment was of course building the new Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which I must say is one of the best hospitals that we have when it comes to supporting women and children. The hospital provides a range of dedicated world-class health services, and I do want to make a shout-out to all the nurses, who do such a fantastic job, and the healthcare providers at Western Health, Sunshine Hospital and Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital. They do really provide excellent care and service to women and children and also to general constituents across my electorate.

When it comes to building and investing in health, we also built and expanded the new Sunshine Hospital emergency department, again addressing some of the capacity issues and making it much more comfortable, with an area specifically designed for children. It was really important to have an emergency department that is able to facilitate treatment for adults but also for children and babies.

Of course there is so much more that I could talk about, from transformative upgrades to local schools to delivering free TAFE in particular for Victoria University’s St Albans campus. I was recently out at the campus in St Albans seeing the cyber hub, which again is a fantastic investment, and meeting with some of the students who have been taking up the free TAFE opportunity. Whether it is students that are able to continue on from secondary college or mature students coming back into studying or those who are transitioning into other roles, free TAFE has really made meaningful impacts on people’s lives. As I said, the Victoria University TAFE campus at St Albans and Sunshine really do speak volumes when it comes to transitioning and supporting young people into secure jobs.

There is so much more. This budget continues to invest in supporting young people, with our $5 million investment to deliver wraparound support for young people who need it most through the Living Learning program. We have seen the change that the Living Learning program makes, whether it is in the south-east or the west, when it comes to also funding the continuation of support for Aboriginal young people. Additionally, there is an overall investment of $30.6 million in the youth portfolio to support young people. We know that we are focused on supporting all young people regardless of their background or their postcode or their circumstances or their locations. We really are supporting young people – for instance, our investment and partnership with Hester Hornbrook Academy. I have had the opportunity, together with the member for Albert Park, to actually see firsthand the work that Hester Hornbrook college does for young people. They do really make a difference. They have tailored support and practical support, I should add, for young people, again allowing young people to be able to study and more importantly receive those wraparound services as well that transition into a healthy, secure pathway for young people.

Another one is the mammoth work that we have done in the veterans portfolio. I am really proud that we are continuing to lead when it comes to supporting our veterans and their families, including by rolling out Australia’s first Victorian veterans card, which has helped over 15,000 veterans in the last 12 months. In a short period of time it has had a fantastic response from veterans who are signing up to the Victorian veterans card. We also know that this is a very small way of thanking and acknowledging our veterans for their service not only to the state but also to this nation. We owe it to our veterans to give back in a small way and, as I said, recognise their sacrifice and service to our community. In the last four years the Allan Labor government has allocated more than $65 million to the veterans portfolio. We are the first state government to create a veterans portfolio, and we have been consistently leading on initiatives when it comes to supporting our veterans.

We are continuing to commit to and recognise the importance of commemoration services throughout Victoria, but we are also supporting our current and former ADF personnel when they need support. That is why in this budget we will deliver $2 million for veterans capital works programs. As I said, this program provides integral funding to organisations that support veterans and their families to make sure that their facilities are fit for purpose. Veterans have buildings that are used not only by the veterans and their families but also by local communities, which is important. I have had the opportunity to meet many stakeholders and see firsthand, for instance, some of the work that the RSL does in this space. We have been able to work in partnership with RSL Victoria in continuing to make sure that they have our support and, in particular, support for their facilities as well. I do also want to thank the volunteers at the many RSLs across Victoria, who work each and every day to support veterans and their families.

We also have had some pretty exciting news in the last week, and that is that the National Vietnam Veterans Museum has finally been provided with a permit to progress its project. As many would know, there has been a commitment by our government to support and assist in building a new National Vietnam Veterans Museum at Phillip Island. I am looking forward to continuing to progress this project. This is a very significant project for the Vietnam veteran community. We are really looking forward to finalising the project and making it a reality.

We all know that small businesses are the backbone of this state. We have over 700,000 small businesses, who create local jobs and growth and absolutely, positively contribute to their local communities. We have been working very hard in the last 12 months on delivering the $17 million multicultural small business package. This, again, was an election commitment, a commitment that will deliver $10 million to upgrade local cultural precincts – for instance, Chinatown, Oakleigh, Springvale and many other areas which have cultural significance. This is also really important for small businesses within those precincts. We will also provide $5 million to upskill current staff within small businesses by providing 500 $10,000 scholarships. We are on track to be able to support trader and commerce groups, because we know that trader and commerce groups do valuable work on behalf of businesses. We will be investing $2 million towards multicultural traders organisations.

As I said, Victoria is a place with a rich and diverse cultural fabric. This is one of our greatest strengths. Not only are we the foodie capital and the events capital, but quite frankly there is so much on offer when we talk about Victoria. The investment that we are making in small businesses is about backing our small businesses so that they can grow. More importantly, we continue to support diverse small businesses who share their cultures and make a strong contribution to our state’s economy.

This budget also delivers an investment to continue our programs and services through Business Victoria online. We know that businesses struggle with time; they are time poor. They really do need to be able to access correct, evidence-based resources whenever these are available. That is why I am proud to say that there are over 140,000 subscribers to our Victorian small business newsletter, which is sent out every fortnight.

I could continue on and on about our investment when it comes to small businesses, but we are absolutely investing in programs, whether it is the Business Victoria newsletter and webpage or our business bus, which is in its 14th year of service and goes out to every single local government area and provides information, mentoring programs and support so that our businesses in Victoria can continue to grow and continue to be supported throughout their precincts. Only a Labor government will make tough decisions and also make strong investments. Whether it is in our local communities or within Victoria, we are making the right investments, supporting families and most importantly supporting young people, small business and of course our veterans. I am very proud to be delivering across all portfolios and supporting hardworking Victorians and their families when they need it most. I recommend this motion to the house.

Tim McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (11:41): I am delighted to rise and make a contribution to this reply to the budget. Those of us on this side of the house for many years, in fact decades, have been saying that Labor cannot manage money and they cannot manage major projects. This budget has proved conclusively that they cannot manage money, and haven’t the chickens come home to roost this time around? It is a disgraceful example of waste and mismanagement. This is Labor. Ten years of debt and deception, 10 years of waste and mismanagement, 10 years of spin, and it all comes down to this. But Victoria is not broke; let us be clear about that. This is out of poor decision-making from a tired, lazy government, and Victorians are paying the price.

In 1970 Victoria’s debt was around about $6 billion. In 2014, when we left government, it was about $20 billion. That was 44 years to go from $6 billion to $20 billion, and in 12 short years this government will turn $20 billion into $190 billion worth of debt. Forty billion dollars of that is blowouts – Labor blowouts. That is not projects, that is just blowouts. And you have got the Treasurer, like the former Premier, about to do the midnight flip – adios, amigos. He is about to disappear and leave us holding the baby. That baby will only ever know tax on education, tax on health and higher energy prices – higher than any other state – all because Labor cannot manage money and Victorians are paying the price. These two, the Treasurer and the former Premier, must be rounded up and brought to justice.

Alongside these two, a significant partner in crime, is the blowout queen, the member for Bendigo East, the current Premier, the only woman in Victoria who can turn the North East Link from a $5 billion cost to $26 billion and can also turn the West Gate Tunnel from a half-a-billion-dollar cost to $5 billion. As a drive-by she can systematically rip millions from cancer research and shut down the Victorian tourism industry in a single bound. Meet Wonder Woman. No wonder she is the Premier, because nobody else can match that skill set. Nobody else can come close. Labor cannot manage money and they cannot manage major projects. Victorians are paying the price, and regional Victorians even more so because we do not even get the benefit of these Melbourne-centric projects. We are all going to share in that debt and we will all pay that price, but we do not get the benefits of the spend that is happening here in Melbourne.

This year’s budget was called ‘Helping families’. Well, it is helping them get further into debt, helping them to pay higher energy prices, helping them to pay school tax and helping them to pay a health tax. This budget is not helping families. It is not about fair outcomes. It is not about better access to services. It is not helping families at all. It is hurting families. And this cost-of-living crisis is something we have never seen before at this level. A decade of debt and deceit has finally caught up with this Labor government, and when the music stops there will not be enough chairs to sit on. In 2026 we might find that there just will not be enough chairs to sit on. There will be a rush from those in the backbench, who did not cause this mess. I admit they did not cause this mess, but they are certainly going to pay for it in seat losses in 2026. It is all because they would not stand up and they would not speak up, and they will pay that price.

At Wangaratta High School in 2014 we finished stage 2. We are very proud of that achievement – we got stage 2 finished. Then Wangaratta High School waited 10 years to get a commitment from this government, and they finally, at the 2022 election, got $11.7 million for the final stage. It would have been the first significant investment in our region in 10 years, but that just turned out to be a cruel hoax, because that got pushed back. They found another school, other places to invest. They told Wangaratta, ‘We’re no longer going to upgrade your school this year. Sorry, we’ve changed our mind. We thought you deserved an upgrade, but we’ve changed our mind.’ It is the old story: say one thing before an election and do something different after an election.

Let us look at the roads maintenance budget, another underfunded area – four years in a row. But I do not need to tell you or my constituents, because they are telling me. They are telling me they are the worst roads on record. They have never seen them so bad. Instead of fixing roads, we get temporary speed restrictions or we get patching. Patchwork is not a road network. I look at the Wangaratta-Whitfield Road, the Great Alpine Road or the Murray Valley Highway. Ninety-one per cent of Victoria’s major roads do not meet current standards. Lives are at risk every day, and Labor will blame COVID or interest rates, but they will never blame themselves.

The Liberal–Nationals in 2014 were ankle-deep in debt, as I said – $20 billion. The former Premier put us up to our neck, and now our current Premier has a bloody-minded approach around the Suburban Rail Loop and the $216 billion with which they will build a train line from nowhere to nowhere. Well, our debt will be well and truly over our heads. And if you think we are drowning now, think again, because you ain’t seen nothing yet. Still the backbenchers sit quietly, too scared to speak. We have seen what happened to the member for Mordialloc, or the minister for Mordialloc. Do not speak up or you will pay the price. Instead Victorians are paying the price. Labor cannot manage money and Labor cannot manage major projects, and Victorians are paying the price.

We are now being warned we will pay a price for the hospital mergers. In my electorate Cobram have already cut out their theatre. It was only 1½ days a week, but they had to make savings and they have cut out their 1½ days a week of theatre. People have to go elsewhere; they have to travel further. Yarrawonga, GV Health, Alpine Health, Wangaratta – local health will not remain local. The Minister for Health only weeks ago said it would be irresponsible if we did not look at mergers. I think that is just code for saying, ‘The deal’s been done; we just haven’t told you exactly how it’s going to roll out.’ I am sending a warning to all in the Ovens Valley and all regional Victorians: merging hospitals will be a disaster. Waitlists will get longer, health outcomes will be worse and communities will pay a massive price. Those backbenchers often say, ‘Well, what would you do?’ We would keep local health local, we would stop the health taxes and we would give the community choices, not ultimatums.

Youth crime is escalating in Victoria. We see it every night on TV. Instead of investing, this government is cutting services to police and other services. How can we expect improvement with cuts like we have seen in these budgets? Youth crime will go up and personal safety will go down. What else would we do? Well, we would improve bail laws and we would crack down on repeat offenders, and we know that jail means jail.

On top of the cost-of-living crisis affecting many families, there is also a housing crisis, and this crisis is home-grown. There are 55 new or increased taxes, and 27 of those are levied against the housing sector. Building a new home should be affordable, but it is not. Building houses for tenants should be affordable, but it is not. The majority of housing providers – those who provide housing to renters – are mums and dads. It used to be a win-win. Investing in a house puts a roof over somebody’s head, and at the same time it is an investment for their retirement into the future. Well, mums and dads are now worried about their own home. They are worried about their own cost of living, and that is why we are seeing this lack of investment.

And the Premier says, ‘My goodness, how did we get here?’ Well, it is you, Premier. It is your decisions. That is how we got here. They will blame COVID and they will blame interest rates and climate change and anything they can, but they will not take responsibility for themselves. They will never admit that they got it wrong, nor will they ever apologise. So Victorians will need to make tough decisions for families into the future.

Labor does not deserve the privilege of running Victoria’s finances. They cannot manage money and they cannot manage major projects, and all Victorians are paying the price. As I said, that is Victorians in regional Victoria and metropolitan Victorians; across the board we will all have to live with the debt for many years to come. This budget handed down by the Treasurer, who has got one foot out the door, is woeful – poor choices. The former Premier and other former ministers have retired comfortably, unaware of the cost-of-living crisis. This was no vision for a budget for Victoria. This was no plan for the future. What was handed down was a dead weight, a burden, a stain our families.

When given the chance, Liberal–Nationals will roll out the red carpet for small business, not red tape. We will prioritise families and we will prioritise communities, not overpriced infrastructure. With the $9 billion per year we are paying in interest, that is $25 million a day. Member for Croydon, I ask you: what could you do with $25 million a day? In my electorate we could do up Wangaratta-Whitfield Road. That is just one day’s worth of interest. Yarrawonga and Wangaratta schools would get their final stages with one day of interest. We would improve health services at Alpine Health. We could upgrade 10 local football–netball communities, make life better for them and give them better services.

We know that Labor cannot manage money. Victorians deserve better. We have had 10 years of waste and deception, and the current Premier has her fingerprints all over it. This ship is taking on water – a lot of water. They have even got two former MPs that do not even turn up to the house anymore. They do not even show up, the member for Ringwood and the member for South Barwon. In fact the member for Ringwood would often say of one of the Liberal members who had extended leave recently, ‘I hope he’s not getting paid; he hasn’t turned up.’ Well, I reckon the constituents of Ringwood would also be saying, ‘I hope he’s not getting paid.’

For those who think it cannot get worse, think again: 55 new and increased taxes, business going broke, businesses leaving Victoria. Victorians are paying the price. We have already seen that. I saw an example the other day where a business was charging a dollar to heat a muffin in a bakery. It was national news. But that is an example of what business has to do to stay afloat. They cannot keep up with the costs, the constant punishment they are getting from this government, whether it is energy prices, interest rate rises or the cost-of-living pressure. Businesses are really feeling the pain.

We are also passionate about the timber industry. We have seen what Labor and the Greens did to that industry. They shut down a perfectly sustainable industry, and Labor betrayed their workers, the native hardwood industry. You could see that in the house. Those in government who spoke on this bill were very meek, very quiet and very short, because they knew they had let down their co-workers – people who vote for them. They have let them down; they have betrayed them. The irony of this is they have done this to protect inner-city seats. Jump in bed with the Greens and that is what is going to happen. 15,000 ‍workers lost their jobs – and they lost livelihoods, not just their jobs. What is next? Will it be the fishing industry, the hunting industry or the four-wheel driving industry? What is going to be next?

Victoria is being run by financial terrorists. Twenty-five per cent of Victorians live in regional Victoria, and we get 2 per cent of the budget. Thirty years ago we were saying Labor cannot manage money. Twenty years ago we were saying Labor cannot manage money. Ten years ago we were saying Labor cannot manage money, and again not only are we saying Labor cannot manage money, they still cannot manage it today. This has been a disgraceful budget, and Victorians will get to make a choice in 2026. All those on the back bench are very chirpy right now; we look forward to how you go in 2026, because people in your electorate will make decisions.

Clearly people on the backbench – there are about 17 or 19 of you in that back row – are all starting to get a bit nervy. Why don’t you step up? Why don’t you talk to the ministers? Talk to the Premier. Try and get something before it is too late. Do not just sit quietly. Do not just yap in this place. Go and see the Premier and the Treasurer and say, ‘Let’s put our hand out. Let’s help our constituents.’ But, no, staying quiet is not going to help you in 2026, and you will find out what it is like to be in a regional seat when you get neglected and the government for Melbourne will not hand out money in the regions. They just continue to pour it down holes in Melbourne. I commend this budget to the house.

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (11:55): I am pleased to talk on the 2024–25 Victorian budget, which is not only helping families but is doing a lot to help communities more broadly across my Ivanhoe electorate, which I have had the great privilege to represent since 2010. Much has changed since that first term in this place. We have been able to provide significant investments in the Ivanhoe electorate. One of those particularly in this budget was $14 million for Heidelberg Primary School. There are some 600 ‍students there at Heidelberg Primary. Can I just say they have been very patient, and their families, as we work through this investment that will make significant changes at Heidelberg Primary. It has also got some heritage overlays. It has been a fixture of the community there for well over a century. That program will see modernisation of the school, including a new gymnasium and learning centre – really significant projects – and I am pleased that I was able to attend with the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education recently to give that good news to Heidelberg Primary.

I also wanted to touch on a broader government program of $5 million for the Victorian African Communities Action Plan, VACAP, as a past chair of VACAP. The work is done locally in my community with Himilo Community Connect, auspiced by Banyule Community Health in West Heidelberg. The community health service was rebuilt by the Bracks Labor government. The work that is done around this financial initiative from the government in the budget of $5 million for the Victorian African Communities Action Plan around homework clubs and those grants is really significant. They provide support and a safe place for young people who want to continue their education and do their studies after school to do that in a collaborative environment in local communities. Those homework clubs provide hundreds of students in my local community and in others in the north with great support to continue their studies and support after school hours. That funding for the homework clubs I am hopeful will also see funding flow to Himilo community programs in my electorate.

Can I say also that a very significant announcement was made with regard to the Austin Hospital around the new expanded emergency department. The emergency department at the Austin treats some 90,000 patients a year. It is only built to treat some 45,000. We are going to be able to not only cater for that 90,000, which we see every year at the Austin emergency department, but we are also going to boost its capacity by some 30,000 emergency patients every year, with 29 additional emergency treatment spaces. That is all part of a $275 million investment in the Austin Hospital emergency department.

It builds on what the Labor government did under both Premier Bracks and Premier Brumby, which was not only to save the Austin Hospital from privatisation under the Kennett government but to then rebuild two hospitals on one site, the new Austin Hospital as well as the Mercy Hospital for Women in Heidelberg. Not only did we do that, but we were then able to build on those successes with the investment in the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre. It is a fantastic hub out there that has been built on by successive Labor governments, and this $275 million investment at the Austin is very significant for my community and one that will support communities right through the northern suburbs. Both my colleagues the member for Bundoora and the member for Eltham, and others, will make sure that their communities benefit from the great support and the professional commitment and dedication of our healthcare workers at Austin Health.

Just going back to education, I thought I would touch on a few of the significant investments around education we have made in the Ivanhoe electorate in past Labor budgets. Can I just touch on a few of those. We will be opening the new redevelopment at Banyule Primary School with some $12.3 million there. We did open the $5 million school hall a couple of years ago, and we will be back there soon on that $12.3 million capital investment at Banyule Primary, which has nearly concluded.

At Viewbank Primary we will be going out there to open the $6.9 million redevelopment of the administration and classroom buildings. That builds on the $3.8 million investment that we have made for new, modern classrooms previously, so they are really significant investments that will be opening soon at Viewbank Primary. Already the students in the beehive and the tree house at Ivanhoe Primary are benefiting from some $6.5 million in capital investments.

At my old school, Viewbank College, which used to be Rosanna East High School, there is some $11.5 million for their new performing arts centre, which has been getting great use, built under a Labor government here in Victoria. A brand new Olympic Village Primary School in West Heidelberg for $6 million has also been built and invested in by our government, and a $5 million new science block at Macleod College is providing great service to students in the electorate. At Waratah Special Developmental School over in Bellfield the construction of a $6.8 million redevelopment is underway, and I look forward to going out there to kick the tyres and see how that is going very soon. We drive past regularly on our way in to this place.

At my daughter’s school – she is in grade 6 this year at Rosanna Golf Links Primary School – we have seen a very significant redevelopment in past years. It is also a regional deaf school in my community, servicing the northern suburbs. It does a fantastic job. We have seen well over $6 million in investment there that has seen modern classrooms, the redevelopment of the school hall and modern facilities outside as well. It has been very, very effective. They are just some of what I wanted to touch on around the investments for schools in my electorate.

It would not perhaps take too much time to mention the level crossing removal at Rosanna and the brand new station. The duplication of some 1.5 kilometres of track between Heidelberg and Rosanna and the additional tunnels that we have built there to connect services provide capacity for additional train services there on the Hurstbridge line, and to break open a bottleneck that has been there for over a century has been quite significant.

The North East Link will take trucks and traffic off roads in my electorate and particularly off Rosanna Road. It is really significant, and it is significant for another reason: that virtually the whole project in my electorate is underground in the tunnel. It does pop up there just to the north, where we link up with Watsonia north of Yallambie Road. Not only is it a very significant project for jobs, but it will transform the local community in terms of moving trucks and traffic that are trying to get to and from the ring road, to and from the Eastern Freeway. We are not going to have them doing that driving through the middle of residential streets in the Ivanhoe electorate. That is a very significant project. There are a few more years to go, but you cannot miss it, and the local community are very supportive of that project.

It is also an opportunity to be mindful that many people are doing it tough at the moment, with high interest rates and cost of living around inflation and the like. That is why our government has invested some $400 in the school saving bonus and has invested in free kinder. I was out doing the sod turn at a $3.6 million redevelopment at East Ivanhoe Preschool on King Street just last week, which will cater for 110 preschool students. The old kinder was quaint, but we have knocked it over and we are building a new one for many young families in East Ivanhoe. There are our free zoo visits and Melbourne Museum entry for kids under 16, half-price camping fees at bookable campgrounds, $200 Get Active Kids vouchers, projects around early parenting centres, baby bundles, prep bags, kinder kits and the Smile Squad, which was out at Heidelberg Primary School just recently. And capped V/Line fares at metro rates really do provide so many dollars back into the pockets of our regional commuters, whether you are from Geelong, Gippsland, Bendigo or other places. Can I say also we could go to school camps or on school excursions, and we have funded the school breakfast club program. But I do want to return to a couple of elements that relate to my portfolios that I have the privilege to drive for the Allan Labor government.

Particularly in the racing portfolio, our $72 million Victorian Racing Industry Fund has been very significant in providing partnership upgrades across so many community facilities. We have seen across our racetracks and across our racing clubs some 650 community not-for-profit organisations share in racing club facilities. Particularly in our regions, if we can upgrade and update those facilities, they get used for so many other community activities. We need to remember too that there is economic activity of some 34,500 full-time equivalent jobs in the racing industry and $4.7 billion in economic activity. It is huge, particularly in our regions. It generates some 9000 full-time jobs in regional Victoria. As Acting Speaker Addison would know, across the Ballarat region it is the home, really, of regional horseracing, and so many people are engaged in the industry there and the sport across the Ballarat region. Not only have we done that, but our Major Racing Events Fund, MREF, which is about promoting innovative new events across Victoria, has been a very significant program, and I am very keen to see that we can expand that and the work that it is doing to provide support to new and innovative racing products across the state – that is a $15 million program.

I also want to take the opportunity to again thank the work of Victoria Police. As Minister for Police I get to meet people across many stations with my colleagues and see the hard work that continues every day and every night. Regardless of the weather, regardless of whether it might be holidays for some at different times, police are always there. They are often the first port of call for people when the chips are down. When we are under pressure, when we are not feeling safe, the first people we call are Victoria Police. They are always there, and I want to thank them for the work that they do every day. There has been $4.5 billion in investment from our government in Victoria Police. We have delivered 502 additional new police officers, and 50 protective services officers come out of the academy every fortnight. We have double squads graduating to continue to provide the services that we need from Victoria Police. We have also introduced significant legislation in this Parliament to back the Chief Commissioner of Police and his team with the additional powers and support that they need under law in this state.

What we also need to be mindful of is that our offence rate here in Victoria remains below 2019, pre-COVID, levels. That is pretty significant when you bear in mind a lot of people were not out in the community through the COVID pandemic, although our police certainly were. Our offence rate, whilst always challenging, still remains lower than prepandemic levels, and that is a very significant element that goes to the hard work and the investment in Victoria Police. We have also seen a range of operations that police are engaged in, whether that be Operation Alliance around youth gangs, Operation Trinity around aggravated burglaries, the work that the Lunar taskforce is doing around organised crime and illicit tobacco products or the work of Operation Park around the protests that we see with regard to the Middle East and to keep people safe. This work is ongoing. It is very significant work. I want to take the opportunity again to note the $215 million investment from our government for new tasers for Victoria Police so they have another tool in their armoury to keep communities safe and also to deal with those who seek to cause harm not only to them but to other members of the community.

We have seen $1 billion in investment for new and upgraded police stations. We will be out there in South Melbourne with the member for Albert Park shortly. We are knocking down what is there, and we will be doing a bit of a sod turn on what is to come. I also note the member here with regard to Point Cook, where we have got continued, progressive work happening there on planning works, and we are on track with our new build there out at Point Cook to support the community with a new station. I look forward to getting back out there to check on our work with the local member. There are other significant developments at Clyde North and also at Narre Warren. If you are in Benalla any time soon, you should see the slabs being poured and the works underway on the new Benalla police station, which will also provide a very substantial hub for emergency management right through the fantastic north-east. Always for the north but particularly for the outer north-east around Benalla and surrounds, it is very significant that there is a new development there on the Benalla police station site.

I think it is really important to also note some of the work that is so important that Victoria Police do, such as to understand our Made for More campaign, which seeks to recruit additional police to serve our community. I again say to all Victorians, if you want a job that provides great rewards and a great opportunity to serve your community, the doors are open at the police academy. I would encourage people to give it great consideration; there are many opportunities. When you have a government that is investing in health services there are opportunities to provide careers in nursing. From our investment in education there are plenty of people that want to go and teach our kids. And there are also opportunities to join Victoria Police and serve as first responders. There are a vast variety of opportunities there for young people, but also our average age at the academy is 29. Many people have career changes and come in with a depth and breadth of experience in the community and then seek to serve their community to keep people safe. Those opportunities are there too.

I did want to circle back to my local community in the Ivanhoe electorate. I want to thank them for their advocacy and the work that they do together. With Banyule City Council – not everyone thanks their council – I am fortunate to have a very strong working relationship with the mayor Cr Tom Melican from our time together on Banyule council and through his continued work as the mayor there. We work very closely to combine our efforts and to combine the community’s resources to make sure that we can build so many new projects, including the Macleod pavilion for the junior team at Macleod Park, which is coming along very nicely. There is the work that we have done on new netball courts out there at Macleod and just recently the opening of the redevelopment of the Ivanhoe golf course clubrooms.

Wherever you go across our electorate, in partnership we are doing so much work together. There is the new Ivanhoe library. We are turning the sod on the brand new Rosanna Library opposite the newly removed level crossing and new station at Rosanna, a joint project between Banyule council and the Allan Labor government. There is so much going on across my electorate and so much work that we are doing together, but it does not happen without the support of the local community and the people of Ivanhoe. I want to thank them again for always working very hard and keeping me accountable but also working in partnership to make sure we get the best results for our community. I commend the budget to the house.

David HODGETT (Croydon) (12:10): I rise to speak on the budget papers, and I will state at the outset that I want to confine my comments to a number of important local projects in my electorate of Croydon, ones that I have raised many times in the past and continue to fight for funding for and ones that I will continue to advocate for, because they are worthwhile. They are important, they contribute to the local community and they are in need of funding. They should be prioritised, and so I wish to make a number of comments on a handful of those. It is not an exhaustive list, but they are probably the main priorities that we are working on at the moment to advocate for to the government, to prosecute the case for funding towards these worthwhile local projects, which will make an immense difference in my electorate. Then, time permitting, I do wish to make a few comments on funding for the critical stroke programs and the important work of the Stroke Foundation. Again, time permitting, I want to make a number of comments towards the end of my contribution on some feedback and comments I have received on housing. We know there is a housing crisis, and I want to comment on a local project in Croydon and some further feedback for the government to focus on to deliver better outcomes there.

I will commence with the Mooroolbark footy club. We need to create equal sporting opportunities at the Mooroolbark Heights Reserve. This is the home of the Mooroolbark Football Club and the Mooroolbark Cricket Club – both great local clubs and organisations in my electorate. The pavilion was built in 1970, so it is in much need of an upgrade and investment. Today the clubrooms are too small for the demands of the club as well as the growing participation in women’s teams. I think at my last count, and there could be more this season, in terms of the women’s teams we have four junior teams and one senior team, who incidentally were the 2023 premiers – the Mooroolbark Football Club senior women’s team – and we now of course have got a vets team, coached by Alison ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, a terrific person and a great member of the Mooroolbark footy club who makes an enormous contribution to the team there. So I give Alison a quick shout-out there.

But the facilities need investment. Over the years they have had upgrades to the local toilets, a lick of paint and a few things like that, and the club indeed have invested their own money and their own labour into improvements at the club – the outside verandah and a few things like that. But we need local government, the Shire of Yarra Ranges, the federal government and the state government to come on board to do these clubs, do them once and do them properly. There are plenty of examples in and around the place where clubs have been done with contributions from all levels of government, and they did them, they did them properly and they did them well. And then they will do the area for the next 50 years. So rather than a bandaid solution or a quick fix here and there, we need investment in those local facilities. I know Aaron Violi, the federal member for Casey, is working hard to try and turn the federal focus to funding for the Mooroolbark Heights Reserve redevelopment, and I too will continue to advocate and prosecute the case for them.

While I am talking about the football club, given it is football season I will give a shout-out to Trent Georgiou, who had his milestone 200th game at the club recently. I think in the same match we had the senior debuts of Jack Campbell and Harrison Chilver. We are investing in our youth at the local club there, and hopefully they will go on to have long and successful careers at the Mooroolbark Mustangs. I should declare my conflict of interest: I did play with the club many years ago at Mooroolbark. So yes, I have fond memories of running around the field there many years ago. But I cannot emphasise the importance of this level of sport and investment in this level of sport and the benefits to the local community. So I will continue to advocate for funding for the Mooroolbark Heights Reserve.

I want to mention Melba College, which is a great local school. It has had funding commitments in the last couple of elections from both sides of the house. I fought hard for stages 1 and 2 funding, and we now need stage 3 funding for this terrific local school. You cannot leave a school unfinished. It has been promised, been promised and been promised. They had the funding and then it was withdrawn in one budget. Again, they had funding for stage 3, which will invest in a new performing arts centre, a new college oval and improved parking. The old school buildings that contain asbestos would be removed as part of those works. We need that stage 3 upgrade for Melba College to replace the current outdated facilities at the school. It is a victim of the current budget. The funding was promised, and it has been pulled from this year’s budget. The government’s language is that it has been deferred, but we all know what that means – it will be cancelled; it is not going to be done. It has been earmarked as one of the schools that is not going to be finished. It is so important if you are going to invest in the redevelopment of a school that you finish the job. Please, stage 3 funding needs to be considered. It was not in this budget, disappointingly. I know the school community is bitterly disappointed, but we will continue to advocate for that stage 3 funding.

Maroondah Hospital I need to mention. It is an important facility in the east. Communities across Melbourne’s growing east deserve great healthcare facilities and investment in their hospitals. Maroondah Hospital is in Ringwood East. It is one of several major public hospitals that continue to experience regular ambulance ramping and elective surgery delays as existing infrastructure fails to keep up. On top of that, we know that Eastern Health’s primary catchment area population is expected to grow by about 13 per cent between now and 2031, with an ageing population across several local communities. In 2018 the Labor government promised a brand new emergency department. If you rocked up and had a look at what they delivered, it was a tent and two portaloos. Then in the 2022 election the Labor government promised over a billion dollars to rebuild and rename the hospital, again mentioning that it would have a brand new emergency department, which had also been promised back in 2018. If you go back and look at that promise, the government said it was in the planning stages. Four years later, it was still in the planning stages. We have had two promises – in 2018 and 2022. We have had two budgets, and we are wondering when construction will begin. The Premier at the time said construction would commence in 2025. Well, here we are nearly halfway through 2024. The government has had 10 years to do something – two budgets, two election promises. When will construction commence on the brand new Maroondah Hospital in Melbourne’s east that delivers healthcare services for so many people in our local community?

I wanted to mention the Eastfield Eagles. The Eastfield BMX club needs $40,000 towards upgrading its starting gate. This is a fantastic local club. It is utilised by approximately 100 people in the local community that visit the BMX track every week. It has 55 members across all ages, with 60 per cent of them being juniors, or 12 and under. The club also has a strong female membership. It has produced a Commonwealth Games participant and an Olympian. Other sports, like your cricket, your netball, your tennis and your footy, always get the focus, but let us not forget some of these other clubs that have great membership. They are great contributors to the local community. Nick McGowan in the other place has been a strong advocate for funding for this club, and I have been a strong advocate for funding for this club. They need substantial funding for their brand new starting gate so people can continue to race and participate. Again, I have asked the minister on several occasions to have a look at that funding, and I will continue to prosecute that.

I did, again, want to mention Sport and Life Training and the fantastic work done by founder David Burt and his team. Sport and Life Training – SALT, as they are known – do so much work with many sporting clubs across Victoria, including in regional areas, delivering mental health and wellbeing courses. They need about a million dollars. This sounds like a lot of money, but in the scheme of things of the state budget and the scheme of things of cost blowouts on major projects, a million dollars would be a great way to allow SALT to deliver their fantastic programs, which do so much in terms of mental health and wellbeing right across the state. They would be able to develop programs with their facilitators. They would focus on regional areas, where people and clubs often struggle and need that support. Again, I would advocate for funding of up to a million dollars, or more if the government is of a mind to give more, to SALT.

I have a work experience student with me at the moment, Alastair Lowrie, who is from Luther College. He was in yesterday, and he will be in again tomorrow. He is a great young man who knows the importance of investing in local schools. We have had the opportunity to visit two local primary schools this week, and Alistair saw firsthand the importance of investing in local schools. So I want to put on record in my contribution to the budget papers here a question on the Yarra Road Primary School. We want to know: when will that school get the much-needed funding to enable them to replace portables that are no longer fit for purpose? It is a terrific local school with a great school community and a great principal, but they need to be supported with funding. As I said, they are a few of the important new priorities in my electorate. It is not an exhaustive list, but they are certainly the ones that I will continue to prosecute to the government for funding.

I did want to talk briefly about the work of the Stroke Foundation. The Stroke Foundation did give us all a prebudget submission, and it was very disappointing that their submission for funding went unheard by the Victorian government. The Premier and Minister for Mental Health need to reverse their decision not to fund the critical stroke programs and have a look at the important work that the Stroke Foundation do. They were calling for funding on the much-needed FAST – face, arms, speech, time – community education campaign and StrokeLine navigator program, but as I said, those calls for funding for those important programs have gone unheard by the Victorian government. I implore people to have a look at the prebudget submission and the important work that the Stroke Foundation do.

I will just mention a few things from the government relations adviser, who provided this information to all members of the house:

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Victoria and a leading cause of disability, yet Stroke Foundation receives no funding from the Victorian Government. Stroke is a time-critical emergency, where every minute matters. When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells every minute!

In Victoria, around 7,000 residents experience a stroke for the first time every year, and 2,200 lose their lives. More than 113,000 survivors of stroke reside in our state, highlighting the need for ongoing and urgent investment in prevention, treatment, and recovery supports.

Right now, only 1 in 3 Victorians …

• experiencing a stroke get to hospital within the recommended 4.5-hour window for treatment.

• know the signs and risk factors of a stroke happening to seek urgent medical help.

• are discharged from hospital after stroke without appropriate knowledge and advice for preventing secondary stroke and this can be remedied by investing in our StrokeLine Navigator Program.

The Stroke Foundation delivers impactful campaigns and programs in other jurisdictions. They have done so for over a decade. But Victoria has failed to invest for many years, so we need the Victorian government step up to support the work of the Stroke Foundation. We urge the government to support the Stroke Foundation’s call for the much-needed Stroke Foundation programs in Victoria. As I said, the Stroke Foundation did provide information to each and every member of Parliament in this place and indeed the other place by region and by their electorate, so it is important to have a look at the great work that they do and look at funding them.

I am going to run out of time to give full justification to some of the comments I have received, so perhaps I will touch on this and I will come back in other opportunities in this house to raise matters on housing. We know we have got a housing crisis. Certainly in terms of maintenance services to do with public housing, I continually hear from organisations that do disability maintenance works or modification works, like shower handles and ramps, that most of their business is rectifying houses when people move out and they need to be rectified before they can be reallocated to another family or another person. The houses of course get a fair bit of damage, as you could well imagine. I am informed that hundreds of houses sit empty. They are not getting fixed because they are told that there is no money in the budget for rectifying these houses, so they sit idle. And this has been going on for over 12 months. So I ask: how many houses are sitting unallocated during this housing crisis? There is an opportunity for the minister to address this and turn this around so that more public housing is available to allocate to those in need.

As I said, the minister, Harriet Shing in the other place, came out and launched a brand new apartment block in Lusher Road – 137 new units of beautiful brand new public housing in my electorate of Croydon. Tick, that is all great. It met the KPI; that is fantastic. But I would implore the minister to do follow-up action around some issues there in terms of safety concerns, antisocial behaviour, the living conditions and the management of that building at Lusher Road. It is one thing to build 137 brand new units and meet the KPI and put on a media event and say all is well: ‘Tick, tick, tick – we’ve met this.’ But what about follow-up? What about the management? There are many examples from concerned locals about that. I will use the opportunity to talk about that more in this place on another occasion, because we need investment and housing in Croydon.

Emma VULIN (Pakenham) (12:26): I rise to speak on the 2024–25 state budget, and I want to congratulate the Treasurer and his team and acknowledge that this is his 10th budget. I also want to talk about the difference that this budget will make to the people in my community who live in the Pakenham district. There has been a lot happening locally. We have seen the opening of not one but two new train stations, East Pakenham and Pakenham, which opened on 3 June. Now our trains travel over the new rail bridge and 7.8 kilometres of new track. Passengers have been able to board the services at East Pakenham station, adding a new stop on the Pakenham line, and I joined a large crowd catching the first ever train from East Pakenham with an early start of 4:05 am on the Monday that it opened. As Melbourne’s newest station, East Pakenham station will provide access to the metropolitan network for the 7200 new homes being built in the coming years with the infrastructure that residents need ready before they move in. The new station also improves reliability, allowing metro and regional trains to bypass each other, reducing congestion and delays.

I also want to mention that Brunt Road level crossing on the edge of my electorate in Officer was removed in April, one year ahead of schedule, with a new road bridge constructed over the rail line which is now open. I saw the first traffic drive over the bridge and saw the pedestrians and dogs also make use of the new path as the crew and I took a stroll at dusk to inspect the beautiful views and admire the new build. Now three more level crossings are gone for good. They have been removed from McGregor Road, Main Street and Racecourse Road. With these removals we have now brought the total to 80 level crossing removals through the level crossing removal project across the state. That is 80 new locations across Melbourne where it is safer and easier for everyone to get around.

The new Pakenham station itself is a wonder. The state-of-the-art roof canopy shines out over Pakenham, over our local township, and the new 2.5-kilometre rail bridge in Pakenham creates more than six MCGs worth of open space for the local community to enjoy. It will have a new playground, parkland, seating area and half a basketball court once we see the completion of this part of the project. The new forecourt, complete with seating and landscaping, is next for completion. 219 parking spaces are available in the north car park, with 450 new spaces to come on the south side. I visited the site more than 10 times over the course of construction, and every time so much more had happened. I want to give a shout-out to the team who have been working so hard on this project.

With the old station at Pakenham now demolished, work has begun on the new bus interchange. The project is part of the $29.74 million package for upgrades to bus infrastructure. Passengers will be able to easily transfer from the train to a local bus to get home, reducing the need to drive to get to the station, or even walk for that matter. Speaking of buses, more than $22.6 million has been provided through the Growth Areas Public Transport Fund as part of the 2023–24 growth areas infrastructure contribution (GAIC) funding round to support local bus improvements. This funding will see routes ‍925 and 928 expanded in Officer and Pakenham, with more details to come. This is really needed in my community. I was advocating for this even as a candidate. For some time I have been talking to my community and found out that there is actually quite a lack of buses and that the routes needed to be extended, so I am really happy. It was a positive surprise for me and my community.

Pakenham will benefit from more than $45 million worth of projects funded through the GAIC funding, supporting Victorian families in our fastest growing suburbs. The Pakenham projects include $22.6 million for new and extended bus services, which I just talked about; $8.4 million to improve pedestrian access to the Pakenham Community Hospital; $6 million to improve traffic at the McGregor Road corridor, duplicating the new rail bridge underneath and adding traffic lights to Henty Street; $4.3 million to extend John Street near Pakenham Community Hospital; $2.8 million to upgrade the intersection of Princes Highway and Arena Parade in Pakenham; and $1.3 million for road and other upgrades for our new SES in Officer. While I am talking about that, I also want to encourage anyone in the Officer area who has thought about joining a local emergency service to contact the SES and find out what it is like to be a volunteer for your community. This is a massive investment which will make a huge difference, particularly in the Pakenham township.

The state budget also delivers for community sport. The Pakenham Pumas Baseball Club will receive $100,000 in funding from the Victorian state budget to improve club facilities. The Toomuc Recreation Reserve in Pakenham is a hub for local sporting activity, so I am thrilled that they will get $175,000 to be shared by some clubs for facility improvements – firstly, the fantastic Pakenham Lions Netball Club, where I was so happy to pop in and tell them the wonderful news that they were going to get $14,000 from the 2024–25 budget to go towards improved lighting so they can safely use both of the courts at night. Secondly, Pakenham Football Club will get $120,000 from the state budget to go towards improved lighting of their footy field. This is another significant cost that they have been working towards. Lastly, the Pakenham Cricket Club will receive $20,000 from the budget to assist with some finishing touches for their club.

Community sporting clubs in my electorate have also benefited from the sporting clubs grants program. The program helps grassroots clubs and organisations to address barriers to participation, develop safe and sustainable practices and build social and active local communities. They have benefited from new uniforms for new clubs and training and support for club officials. While I am talking about sporting clubs, it is important that everyone can access opportunities to participate in community and sporting activities. The Allan government has again invested in our young kids through expanding our Get Active Kids vouchers, providing $200 to help eligible families with the costs of sporting club registrations, uniforms and equipment.

When you have a growing community like mine it is vital that families have great places to play. The Officer District Park is an example of how our state government is helping make that happen. Works have started on the 10-hectare Officer District Park. Stage 1 includes a multilevel adventure play space, a fitness zone and stairs, a dry creek bed with nature play and water play and a dedicated dog off-leash area. Macy, my dog, is hanging out for this completion, and to be honest so am I. This government’s contribution has been $2.2 million towards the $7.23 million project by Cardinia Shire Council, and they have already installed two 20-metre-long slides, which look amazing. You can see them. I was watching the football game at Officer on Saturday, and in the background you could see these two really long slides up on the hill. It is all in the one district park, so you can see them from afar.

Let us talk about education. Helping our community to learn and grow and having the facilities that support them is just so important. This government has continued its commitment to providing state-of-the-art facilities and learning spaces for students in my district. Yet another primary school is underway and under construction in my electorate as we speak. Pakenham North West primary school will be the ninth new school in the Pakenham district from the Allan–Andrews government. It will be for students from prep to grade 6 and will be able to enrol 525 students when the first stage of the school is complete. When open in term 1 2025 the school will include an administration building, a learning neighbourhood, hardcourts, a car park and a sports field, and a community hub will follow later. A shout-out to Zania Cope, who has been appointed principal of the new Pakenham North West primary school.

But education does not start at prep, so next door a kindergarten is under construction too. I recently visited the Thewlis integrated child and family centre construction with the Minister for Children in the other place. This centre is funded through the Building Blocks capacity-building grants. Our state government is partnering with Cardinia Shire Council to build this early learning centre. It will have four kindergarten rooms, additional spaces for maternal and child health services, playgroups and community programs.

This will allow the centre to offer 132 new kinder places for local three- and four-year-olds. Speaking of our three- and four-year-olds, we are continuing our delivery of free three- and four-year-old kinder. This budget invests $129 million to continue our free kinder and the statewide rollout of our three-year-old kinder. This is saving families up to $2500 per child per year. It was interesting to see that 140,000 families benefited from this initiative last year. The Thewlis integrated child and family centre is taking shape and scheduled to open in early 2025, as I said, right next door to Pakenham North West primary school. This is not something new for our government; this is what we do. In February Kurmile Primary School opened in Officer, and right next door is Toun-nun integrated child and family centre. There is a definite pattern here which is helping achieve great early learning outcomes for our local families and saving parents from the double drop-off.

I had the privilege of recently opening new learning spaces at St Brigid’s in Officer. The funding provided by this government assisted with the refurbishment of additional general learning areas, including internal breakout spaces complete with landscaping and a connected covered walkway from the main school building to learning areas. On the environmental front Pakenham Lakeside Primary had solar panels installed through the greener government school buildings program. This government has set a goal of net zero greenhouse emissions by 2045, and to support this goal the government established this program to help schools become more sustainable. Pakenham Lakeside school has taken up the challenge to make a difference, so well done to Pakenham Lakeside on taking this positive step.

Cost-of-living pressures are real in my electorate, and one of my favourite programs in schools has received a boost. Our popular school breakfast program is being expanded to every government school across Victoria, which is something that I am personally really happy about. School breakfast clubs provide free healthy breakfasts for students as well as lunches, snacks and take-home food packs for students experiencing disadvantage or financial strain. The program has been running in most state schools in my district for several years. Up till last September, in 2023, more than 630,000 meals had been delivered in my district alone through the program. Its expansion is a great addition to support local families and students. We know that kids cannot learn on an empty stomach, so that is why this government will make sure that no student starts the day hungry.

We also announced our $400 school saving bonus. This is a one-off payment to assist families at government schools or eligible students at non-government schools with the cost of school essentials and extracurricular activities that make school fun – things like uniforms, camps and excursions, although uniforms are not that much fun.

We are tripling the size of our free Glasses for Kids program. Our free Glasses for Kids program is already helping 34,000 students across Victoria see more clearly in the classroom, and funding of $6.8 million in the Victorian budget will expand the program to reach a further 74,000 prep to grade ‍3 students at 473 government schools across the state. By providing free screenings and glasses for students who need them we can help identify vision issues early and stop them holding young learners back. I remember when I was in grade 1, I think, that was when our school actually did eye tests, and they found out that I was 90 per cent blind in my left eye, so for a couple of years in primary school I used to have to walk around with a pirate patch and I was teased a lot. But I am glad we are rolling this out in schools so other families will discover when –

A member interjected.

Emma VULIN: Go pirates! The other thing that I love is that our Smile Squad school dental program is being rolled out to busy families. I know that it is hard to remember every six months to go back for your dental check-up, so it is good they are providing them at schools and making it easier for parents.

As the Education State, the government will continue funding to the value of $5.13 million for our Victorian African communities via the 14 African homework clubs available across the state, and I know the member for Cranbourne and I are both very grateful for that. We have some fantastic African homework clubs in our electorates, and they do wonderful work for some of our most beautiful African communities in our electorates.

In Pakenham the living and learning centre continues to provide and empower this service on a Tuesday and Thursday. It is a safe and encouraging environment for our young kids. I also want to give a quick shout-out to Miriam and Glenda, who run my living and learning centre in Pakenham and do a wonderful job.

We are committed to health. In the most recent state budget the investment includes $8.8 billion to fund our hospitals over the long term, giving them certainty in planning for their future ahead. Another thing that we saw was one of 12 women’s health organisations is set to receive funding. I was very delighted to get a phone call from Kit McMahon, the CEO of Women’s Health in the South East, who was very pleased with this announcement. I am really grateful for the work that they do in her team.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (12:41): I rise to speak on the 2024–25 budget. It was the Premier’s 10th budget as a member of this tired, exhausted and out-of-ideas government. It was her first as Premier. It was her opportunity to set a new course. It was her opportunity to correct the mistakes of the last 10 years. It was her opportunity to demonstrate what leadership she will bring to this state and how she will overcome the challenges that our state faces, which are more acute than any our neighbouring states and territories face in this country. But she botched it and so did the Treasurer. They had a chance. As a new Premier but an old minister, she had a chance to set a new course – fluffed it. We have a budget that instead of providing cost-of-living relief and instead of providing a green light to investment from across the country and across the world, miraculously and at once lifts debt, lifts taxes and sees interest on that debt increase. It actually sees unemployment increase from 4 per cent this year to 4.75 per cent – nearly 5 per cent – and it sees growth in our state, gross state product, actually taper down.

It was a budget not just of failed opportunities. It is hard to know how best to characterise this budget. It is almost as if we might call this budget a ‘That’ll do’ budget for a Treasurer who is just about to walk out the door. We hear speculation about what he is doing. We can read his body language. His head is not in the game. It has not been in the game for a long time. But let me just talk about a few of the key issues in this budget. Debt – let us just look at the absolute dollar value of debt. We have it going up from $156 billion next financial year to nearly $190 billion. On average over the forward estimates the dollar value of our debt – if we are to believe those figures, by the way – will increase by somewhere between 8 and 10 per cent. It could be more. We know that as a proportion of GSP net debt actually increases. So much for last year’s four-point debt reduction plan, which has been replaced, because it failed, with a five-point debt reduction plan in this budget. Debt as a proportion of GSP rises from 22.3 per cent to over 25.2 per cent, and you know what, it does not add up. This is what we call in the business ‘Labor economics’. They have a debt reduction plan that sees debt go up over the forward estimates.

Let us just look at the government’s own numbers. It says that average revenue growth over the forward estimates is 3.6 per cent, but I have just read you the percentage net debt to GSP figures, which show that net debt continues to rise, and it rises by the order of about eight to 10 per cent. So how do you reduce debt if your revenue is less than the absolute figure on the debt? It does not add up. But it is consistent with the story of this government, and the rot set in a long time ago. I went back and looked at tables 1.1 and 1.2 in recent budgets, and you can see the rot set in in Labor’s fifth budget in 2019–20, where in the space of the forward estimates it doubled – more than doubled – debt, not only as a proportion of GSP but in terms of absolute dollars, from $20 billion in the 2017–18 year to $55 billion in the 2022–23 year. From then on the story has just got worse. Yes, COVID added a little bit, but the debt train left the station way back earlier in this government’s term. What it means is that there is no real plan to cut debt.

Let us just talk about a matter related to our debt, our credit rating. We have a AA credit rating; it is one of the worst in the country. But the figure I quoted before of $156 billion is not what Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s actually look at. They actually look at a different figure in budget paper (BP) 5, which has our debt this year at $160 billion when you look at the non-financial public sector. So when you look at the real stats – what Moody’s and S&P are looking at – our debt is a lot worse. And it will be a lot worse than $190 billion in four years time; it will actually be closer to $230 billion, and that is on current forecasts in the budget. So in terms of debt, not only is it a paradox, it is a complete white flag to reducing debt.

The five-point debt reduction plan, I should say, evokes laughter for another reason. They predicted in last year’s budget the debt would be 25.1 per cent of GSP in the 2026–27 year, and we know that six months ago it had already blown out to a higher figure. So the fifth element of their debt reduction plan was to get that back to where it was six months ago. I mean, this is a circus, this government, and there is no plan that reassures Victorian households or businesses that this government knows at all what it is doing.

The problem gets worse when you look at tax. We know that payroll tax will rise under the budget by about $11 billion in this next financial year, an increase of 5 per cent. We know that land tax will increase by about 8 per cent and stamp duty by even more than that. And yet the government says, ‘Well, revenue growth is only going up by 3.6 per cent.’ It is a lie. The burden of the government’s financial mismanagement is falling on Victorian households and businesses, and we might as well just call out the property policy of this government for what it is. When you boil it all down, with such punitive land taxes and punitive stamp duty, what they are really saying is, ‘You ought to own only one property.’ If you are somebody who has an ethic of aspiration, an enterprising spirit, if you want to exercise choice, this government says, ‘We will demonise you with punitive taxes.’

It is no wonder that employers are looking for the exit – they do not want to invest in this state. They do not want to invest in this state because WorkCover alone will rip about $5 billion out of employers because of this mob’s total mismanagement. That is $5 billion in extra WorkCover premiums over the four years and nearly $18 billion over the next 10 years. That is on top of the increases to payroll tax that they introduced last year as part of their COVID debt repayment plan, remembering that COVID actually constitutes a relatively small proportion of overall debt. But because average revenue growth is only 3.6 per cent and those figures I quoted before about growth in payroll tax, land tax and stamp duty are much higher, they are punishing aspiration; they are punishing the drivers of growth in this state – totally the wrong thing to do. While they are at it, by punishing people who have worked hard and invested in more than one property, they are saying to parents who have worked hard to send their kids to an independent school, ‘We’re coming after you too. We’re whacking a payroll tax on your school.’ So after all of the sacrifices that you have made as a family to give your children a values-based education or an independent-based education, this government is saying, ‘To hell with that. We need your money. We’re going to shake you down for cash because our debt is out of control.’

Investors in property have the same deal. We saw the April ABS figures that show that only 30.6 per cent of new loans were procured by investors. That is the worst number in the country. It is well down on previous years. What is it saying? t is saying, ‘Under you lot we don’t have the confidence to invest. There’s no point, there’s no return, there’s no purpose.’ And who pays the price? As always under this lot, the most vulnerable pay the price. Rental bonds for the year were down 15,600 – 10,400 for the last three months. So what is that telling you – it tells you that our most vulnerable in society cannot get a roof over their head because this mob cannot manage the Victorian economy or the budget. They are driving out investors, as I said.

Despite all of that, like it did with its debt reduction plan, the government says, ‘Don’t worry. By the end of this year we’re going to release an economic growth statement.’ There it is in BP2 – an economic growth statement. Based on what – higher taxes? Supply of housing stock crashing? People not investing in property? Business firms collapsing because the price of procuring labour and materials is going through the roof? Economic growth statement – are you kidding us? We cannot wait to see what your economic growth statement is. You have committed to it in BP2. Let us see what it actually says.

Then we come to infrastructure – the biggest part of the fraud in this budget. They say, ‘Oh, we’re bringing the infrastructure down from $24 billion this financial year, and it will go down year-on-year till we get to about $15.5 billion in 2027–28.’ But what they do not tell us – and they think we would not pick it up – is they have not put the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) in that. So concerned was I that I actually wrote to the Victorian Auditor-General. I wrote to the Auditor-General.

Lauren Kathage: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, I know that the Leader of the Opposition likes to have a crowd. The members for Mornington, Warrandyte and Eildon were speaking and interjecting out of their seats.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Juliana Addison): I remind all members to be in their seat if they wish to call out, which we do not encourage.

John PESUTTO: I was concerned about this fraud. We saw it last year with the Commonwealth Games when on 20 April cabinet met. They increased the envelope for the Commonwealth Games from $2.6 billion to $3.6 billion and confirmed it in the budget but buried it in contingency. We saw that trick; we had seen how that show ended. So I actually wrote to the Victorian Auditor-General on 23 May about this. Here is the point: buried in BP5 are the asset contingencies, about $33 billion of them, right, for asset commitments that the government has made but is not telling us about. They have made commitments, they have made decisions, but they are not telling us about them. Then you reconcile all of this. BP4 then says that the cost over the forward estimates for the SRL is – wait for it ‍– TBC. So we have got a massive pool of $33 billion of the $37 billion in BP5, they are not telling us what the year-on-year costs committed to the SRL are in BP4 and then we have butter fingers Minister Pearson tell this Parliament in February that all contracts are going to be signed. When you take all of that together, how can you say you are going to commit to upwards of $41 billion in contracts before this term is out, have a pool of money in BP5, then deny the Victorian people information about what those year-on-year financial commitments to the SRL are going to be and think you are going to get away with it? It is a fraud, like everything else in this government. They do not have a plan for delivering it, and we expect that the federal coalition will confirm the position that there is no money from them, so where are they going to get the $12 billion from the Commonwealth?

Brad Rowswell interjected.

John PESUTTO: Oh, Albo is going to commit it. Albo has got $12 billion to throw around, has he? There is no plan.

John Setka, the leader of the CFMEU in Victoria, is one of the most irresponsible, reckless and abusive leaders. Let us be clear who is running infrastructure in this state – it is John Setka and the CFMEU, it is not this government. They are beholden to him, they are craven and they are cowardly, and the next time anyone in this government gets up and lectures anybody else about male behaviour, let us see what they are going to do about Mr Setka. Is what he says what you believe? Do you believe that what Mr Setka says is correct and acceptable in our community? Let us see what he does.

I can only say at a personal level and a local level that all of this affects all Victorians, and in particular my people in Hawthorn, the people I am very honoured and privileged to represent. But we have schools that are crumbling. I have been to my local schools, as all members tend to do. I see plaster falling from the walls at Camberwell Primary. I see kids at Canterbury Primary who tell me that they do not like going into certain classrooms because they are too hot in summer and too cold in winter. That is not a conducive learning environment. Auburn Primary has not got any money from this government for as long as anyone can remember. Auburn South needs money. Auburn High needs money. No-one is getting it. There is no work on local infrastructure. This government boasts an infrastructure program, but it is actually not delivering. It is focusing on big projects that will take even more time than we ever anticipated to conclude, and Victorians right across our great state are suffering. It may not be the time for an election, but it is time for change in this state and we are prosecuting that. We have outlined an agenda to boost productivity, to attract investment and to make our tax regime the most competitive in the country and the most attractive in the country, because unlike those opposite it is only through that investment that we will get the jobs, the housing and the services – (Time expired)

Eden FOSTER (Mulgrave) (12:56): I take great pleasure in following that performance by the Leader of the Opposition. The performance was so great that I question the concerns, maybe, behind the leadership there. A wonderful performance, but I am not too sure about the substance of it all given that those opposite when they were in government previously sold schools, closed schools and cut hospitals. We are having to rebuild schools to make up for that. Let us reminisce on the past Kennett era, shall we? It traumatises me a little bit. I am old enough to remember those days.

I am happy to stand here in support of the 2024–25 budget in this take-note debate and what it is doing for families across my electorate of Mulgrave. Unlike what those opposite have suggested today and in the past, this budget is responsible and it tackles the biggest challenges that our communities face. This year’s budget is all about helping families with the cost of living. We know that meeting the fortnightly, monthly and quarterly bills is becoming harder, and we are determined to pitch in and take away as much of the pressure as possible that is currently on families.

I would like to begin by providing some context about the areas that I represent and their needs and priorities. My office has been running a community survey for the last few months and we have been out and about doorknocking and having street stalls on a regular basis to talk to members of the community. We are talking to members of the community about their needs not only for the budget but also for the future beyond the next 12 months. We have talked to hundreds of people across Wheelers Hill, Springvale, Noble Park North, Dandenong North, Noble Park – you name it, we have been there in the electorate. It is the priorities of our community that the Allan government is focusing on it this year’s budget: cost of living, health and education.

As I am sure everyone in this chamber is aware, the cost of living is the number one concern for people across the state. That is why the Allan government is working hard to relieve the cost-of-living burden on many families. The $400 school saving bonus is going to make a massive difference for families across my electorate. The vouchers go towards school camps, uniforms, stationery and any other school-related costs that come up for families. The bonus will be provided during term 4 of this year, making sure families have time to plan and budget for the 2025 school year. A child should not be left behind and unable to participate in the school events that build relationships and memories because of the rising cost of living, and we are doing what we can to ensure that no child is left behind. As I am doorknocking and telling families about the $400 school bonus in my electorate, they are so pleased to hear about this. They see that they will benefit greatly from this and are so delighted. $21.1 million is being invested to make sure that no child at a government school goes hungry. The school breakfast club is being expanded to include every government school for the first time. I recently went to Silverton Primary School to share in their school breakfast club. I had breakfast beforehand, but –

The ACTING SPEAKER (Juliana Addison): At this point, talking about breakfast, we are going to break for lunch. We will continue after question time.

Sitting suspended 1:00 pm until 2:02 pm.

Business interrupted under sessional orders.

The SPEAKER: Before we commence questions, I acknowledge in the gallery today the Honourable Theonila Roka Matbob, who is a minister in the Bougainville House of Representatives.