Wednesday, 31 July 2024

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): My question is to the Premier. A 2022 letter sent to the Premier by an Indigenous labour hire firm in relation to CFMEU misconduct stated:

On the 11th of April I met with Vicki Ward to outline the continuation of what we believe to be coercive behaviour, and have been in contact with her over the course of the past week.

Did the member for Eltham raise the concerns of this Indigenous labour hire firm with the Premier?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:21): In terms of the correspondence that the Leader of the Opposition refers to, the 2022 correspondence, I have already outlined my response to that matter.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the question went to whether or not the member for Eltham raised the matter with the Premier. This is an extremely serious allegation in writing, and I would ask if you could direct the Premier to answer this very serious allegation.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has answered the question.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Serious borderline contempt.

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, on sessional order 11 – answers being direct, factual, succinct and relevant – the question was: did the member for Eltham raise the concerns of the letter with the Premier? In no way could anybody credibly argue there was any relevance to what the Premier said in response. She did not address any aspect of the question. This is a mockery of the sessional orders this government brought in. Speaker, with respect, it is unfair for the Premier and her ministers to expect that you run a protection racket for this mob.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The house will come to order. The Leader of the Opposition needs to be very careful about impugning the Chair.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, there is no point of order. Rulings from the Chair is very clear on this matter, and I refer you to page 152, chapter 22, ‘Questions’, where Speaker Maddigan was extremely clear:

Standing order 58 provides that ‘a minister will have discretion to determine the content of any answer’.

I would further contend that the Premier has been entirely relevant to every question that has been put to her today, and I ask that you rule the point of order out of order.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: If I continue to hear contemptuous remarks in the chamber, members will be removed from the chamber.

James Newbury: Further to the point of order, Speaker, I refer you to the Speaker Maddigan ruling of 26 August 2003. An extremely serious allegation has been put about the member for Eltham. In no way did the Premier respond to that. If I refer to that ruling, she only responded generally. At no point has the Premier responded in relation to the very serious allegation put about the member for Eltham.

The SPEAKER: The Premier answered the question that was asked, the Premier was relevant to the question that was asked and the Premier has concluded her answer.

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): Once the Premier became aware in 2022 that allegations had been raised with the member for Eltham, did the Premier ask the member if she had referred the complaint from the Indigenous labour hire firm to Victoria Police?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:25): In answering the supplementary question, it presupposes answers that I have not made in answer to the substantive question, and what I will say –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier has just confirmed that she did not answer the previous question.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: In terms of the presumptions that are in the supplementary question, I refer the Leader of the Opposition to previous responses I have given in this house and also publicly in terms of the allegations that were raised in this particular correspondence – how they were handled by me and my office at the time. Those allegations were raised, and those allegations were referred to the relevant agency for their response.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, question time is an opportunity for questions to be put to the executive and in this case the Premier. It is not about whether or not the Premier spoke in a press conference about whatever matter. Questions have been put today, and questions have not been answered. This question specifically asks if the Premier had asked the member if she had referred the matter to Victoria Police. It is a very simple question. It is not the job of the Premier to refer to press conferences, and I would ask you to ask the Premier to answer that question specifically.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has concluded her answer. The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.