Wednesday, 31 July 2024

Statements on parliamentary committee reports

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee

Report on the 2023–24 Budget Estimates

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (10:50): I rise to make a contribution on the report on the 2023–‍24 budget estimates, and I particularly want to refer the house to page 88 of the report, which highlights the state government’s capital spend on infrastructure. We know infrastructure is a really important part of the state’s job and the government’s responsibility, and in fact we have been reminded of that for 10 years under the Allan–Andrews government and particularly from Premier Allan when she was responsible for infrastructure in that time. In fact on many different occasions we have had the issue of ribbon cutting, of celebrating the success, of talking about how wonderful the Big Build has been. But revelations particularly in the last few weeks in terms of the corruption, with the CFMEU embedded in the Big Build, which not just the opposition but many well-respected commentators, including 60 Minutes reporter and Age reporter Nick McKenzie, are calling the big rotten build, have meant that what were once the signature projects of Premier Allan have now become the scandalous projects under Premier Allan. One would certainly hazard a guess on whether the Premier and the Minister for Transport Infrastructure are up to celebrating the success until this is cleaned up.

We have seen that this report, particularly in the discussion around issues in section 6.3 of the report, highlights the West Gate Tunnel as a major component of the spend. It talks about a number of the projects and a number of the costs. If you look at $100 billion worth of infrastructure spend and we know up until now $40 billion worth of blowouts in infrastructure, you would attribute much of that infrastructure spend and blowout to the corruption that we have now seen – $40 billion of taxpayer money out of $100 billion of investment. That I would consider a massive fail, an absolute fail. To think we cannot build our hospitals, we cannot invest in our schools, we cannot invest in our roads – everything that this government is responsible for now has to take a haircut because the government are more interested in lining the pockets of their CFMEU mates than actually doing their job of ensuring all Victorians get a fair go. I think Victorians are fed up with it – they are absolutely fed up with it.

Looking into this particular committee report, I had year 10 students from Beth Rivkah Perl, Batya and Adi have a look at the CFMEU corruption. These are year 10 students. These year 10 students prior to now actually did not really understand who the CFMEU were, and after they looked into it and particularly a number of the reports they were really concerned about the fact that here are a government that have allowed this to happen under their watch, a government that have been negligent in allowing this to happen under their watch, particularly when it has been raised so many times and dismissed by their Premier. I note that 12 months ago we raised a number of questions in question time to the Premier about infrastructure, about these very projects and the fact that bikie gangs were embedded in these projects, and the Premier dismissed them. Instead of actually answering those questions, the Premier just spoke about the celebration of cutting ribbons on major projects, rather than ensuring the Premier does financial due diligence on these projects and understands what they cost and where the money is going.

Follow the money. Follow the donations from the CFMEU to the Labor Party. Follow the money. If anybody wants an understanding of why, of what the motive is, they only have to follow the money, where you have got the Labor Party’s major donor John Setka and the CFMEU giving money to the Labor Party and the Labor Party running a protection racket for the CFMEU and allowing them to be embedded into major projects.

Danny Pearson interjected.

David SOUTHWICK: The infrastructure minister says it is why they suspended them from the party. The infrastructure minister needs to know this has been happening for 10 years under their watch. When you have been caught with your hand in the cookie jar, then you act. It is too late when you have been found out. This government has been found out, and this government is not fit to clean up the mess.