Wednesday, 28 August 2024

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Steve Dimopoulos:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Josh BULL (Sunbury) (18:03): I am pleased to spend quite a bit of time in the house this afternoon, and I move now to what is another –

Steve McGhie interjected.

Josh BULL: Absolutely, member for Melton – not as much as you, though. I am pleased to have the opportunity to be moving to what is another important bill, which goes to a relatively straightforward change to the provisions around the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. What we know is that both Melbourne and our state are certainly hives of activity when it comes to conferences and when it comes to international travel. People are wanting to come to our city and our state for all that they have to offer. There are of course a range of great venues right across our city, and we know that the visitor economy contributes a significant amount – billions of dollars – to our economy for a vast range of conferences and gatherings. They are of course attended both domestically and internationally. The provision in this legislation goes to what stand as the governance arrangements for the trust. We know that the governing legislation has adequately served since its enactment; however, there is an opportunity that exists to update the act to enable the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) trust to better support Victoria’s tourism and events industry.

The main change through this amendment is of course to change the trust’s legal name and the name of the act, which is why we are here this evening – to do a whole range of other work but also to make this change. The trust we know has served for a significant period of time, and this bill changes the name of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 to the Victorian Convention and Event Trust Act 1996. That is to more broadly reflect the broader scope of what the trust delivers and indeed aspires to deliver with the facility and the new facility, which I will come to, but also reflect the status as the facility’s operator across Victoria. Ensuring that these governance arrangements are fit for purpose, making sure that they are contemporary and ensuring that there is compatibility with statutory authorities as well is of course an important change that this piece of legislation delivers.

More broadly, though, in the year ending March 2024 our visitor economy hit a record high of just short of $40 billion, reaching significant tourism targets that are set. Business events, including those held at MCEC, play a critical role in that success, and the 2024–25 state budget provided $6.4 million over two years to support the Business Events Fund. This will enable Victoria, as I mentioned earlier, to continue to secure that strong pipeline of international business events and build on the more than $24 million allocated from 2021–22 to 2024–2025 in the 2021–22 budget. Do not ask me to say that again. What we know and understand is that these are big numbers, and I can see those opposite shaking their heads. But these are big numbers, and they go to what is something that we should all agree on, and that is that we are a great city and a great state. People travel from all over the world to do business, to invest and to share in what is a great major events calendar and a whole lot more. And whether that be the AFL, the AFL Grand Final, the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open, the grand prix and so much more that we can offer right across our city, it is of course something that is incredibly important. But the governance arrangements around the drive for international visitation, research, industry, greater international collaboration and partnerships in education, science, transport and health are really important arrangements, so making sure that we have these opportunities but also having an act that reflects contemporary arrangements is a really important piece of work.

I do want to acknowledge and thank the many, many workers – the staff – who contribute to making these events happen. It is fair to say that as members of Parliament we do get the great opportunity and the privilege to effectively attend an event, hopefully give what is a well-received speech and speak to a lot of people at any one point in time. But it should never be lost that events such as these are a lot of work. They are a lot of hard work, and the staff who put our major events together do deserve a shout-out, an acknowledgement for the work that they do, because it is certainly a big logistical undertaking. I think sometimes we can gloss over just how much work is done to put on not just major events but conferences, including conferences that may take place in a venue that we are referring to in this legislation. We know that the Business Events Fund and the major events calendar do not work in isolation. They work as part of a network that we as a government are very proud of, and I want to extend an acknowledgement and thankyou to the staff and acknowledge the many, many, many thousands of people who work hard to put these arrangements in place. This goes to what I mentioned earlier – those arrangements that have been sought by the trust to better, more accurately reflect what the trust sees itself as and, more importantly, the work that is being done.

It is a significant undertaking. There is a great deal of work, and it takes, as I mentioned earlier, multiple agencies to put all of these things together. There is also the reflection within this piece of legislation of the increase, from seven to nine, in the number of board members. We know and understand that this is a relatively minor change, but what is not minor is the visitor economy: the international and domestic guests that come for our major offerings and the work that goes into providing for safe, secure, well-maintained and terrific venues. In the end, when we go to these venues, whether it be for a conference or a speaking engagement, I think we are fortunate to have these facilities within our community. That is why we as a government will keep investing in them, we will keep supporting the work that is being done and we will keep listening to trusts and the like to make sure that they have the resources and the governance arrangements that they deserve.

What we are doing through these arrangements – I know that there are quite a few speakers on our list who want to make contributions on this legislation – some of those arrangements particularly relate to the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, which is on track to open in 2026. I know the member for Geelong – a very fine member who was speaking to me about this matter just a couple of days ago, and who certainly is a champion for her local community and someone who gets things done time and time again – is very excited for what this is going to mean for the Geelong and broader community. These are important measures and important steps. It is about being contemporary, it is about making sure we are listening, and with those remarks I happily commend the bill to the house.

Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (18:13): I rise today to give a contribution on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. I must say, I was a little bit put out as I did not get to stand to speak on this yesterday, so I am very pleased that in the last little bit before we go to the adjournment that I can stand up. Although we need to do this stuff, it is not life-changing stuff for the people down on the Latrobe Valley, but they will be sitting there watching the contribution. I do thank the member for Nepean for his lead yesterday and also the time that he put in to explain to us what this was all about. The bill has been introduced by the government in order to address and reflect changes to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust’s operations and remit. This includes the addition of the new convention centre in Geelong. I have a son who was living in Geelong and had the opportunity to drive past where the site was, and they had just started construction on that 12 or 18 months ago when I last went past. So this also takes into consideration the new Geelong convention centre, which will be a great asset, I am sure, for the people of Geelong. These changes have been broadly viewed and are uncontroversial, with the bill necessary to address basic and expected changes to the trust’s operations.

We have all been to the Melbourne convention centre; we have all walked past it. I know that as a country lad, when it was first open we would come up. There have been boat shows there which I have attended. There have been other functions that I have been lucky enough to go to, taking family members as well. It is a great asset for the state to be able to hold these conventions right throughout and to have the amount of people that we can actually have in there. I think over 5000 people can be seated in this venue. The total size is 70,000 square metres. As a plumber, seeing the size of the roof on the convention centre is mind-blowing, to be able to have a structure of that size and quality under one roofline. So it is a great venue to be had. As people have spoken about in this chamber, it is affectionately known as Jeff’s Shed. It was built across different governments and extended to make sure that the people of Victoria have one of the best venues in Australia to be able to hold these conventions at. As I said before, it holds over 5000 people. The official number is 5541, and if you think about getting that many people into the venue and servicing them with food and drink, our hats go off to such a large employer inside our state, and our thanks goes to all the people that work there and keep us safe when that is on, which is really fantastic.

Going back, the main purposes of the bill are to amend the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 to change the name of that act and the trust established by the act; to expand the functions of the trust – so we are just ging through with some governance here, making sure that we have got everything right; and to modernise the trust membership and governance arrangements. The bill will also make consequential amendments to other acts that refer to the trust. As we can see, there are key things that need to be done to make it work better and modernise it a little bit, I should say.

The key policy context for this bill is the expansion of the trust’s remit to include the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, as we spoke about, which is slated to open in 2026. We are in 2024 now, so in a couple of years time that will be opening. Hopefully having that in Geelong, being a regional centre – it is a city, but it is a regional centre – gives hope that there will be other convention centres, probably not on such a grand scale, that can be built around regional Victoria.

One of the issues that I think the member for Nepean highlighted was access and ability to get to the new convention centre in Geelong. I know that you only have to travel along the Geelong roads at times to see the traffic. Like the Monash Freeway up here when I travel home of a Thursday night or Friday morning, it does take time to get there. I hope that, expanding into the future, the fast rail does get built, so that if I am landing in Melbourne or if I am coming from the Latrobe Valley, I can jump on a train – maybe I can use the new Metro Tunnel system and the Suburban Rail Loop somehow, because otherwise I will not use them – and be able to get out to the Geelong precinct. Normally on our train travel down we get to Pakenham and have to get off. We get on buses and get brought in here at the moment. Our V/Line bus service is very, very good. Speaking about the Pakenham changeover, if we get off the bus to walk back to the train, we have to walk over 100 metres that are not covered to get to our train station. Maybe with that connection I might have to look at making sure that we have an undercover area. Heading back to the Melbourne convention centre, as I spoke about that roof line before, probably not as flash but something 180 metres long that can actually cover our patrons that are using train and bus facilities at that exchange. It would be great to be able to do that.

As I said, we have a lot of schools from right around the state that go to the convention centre when they come down for their Melbourne visits. I know that schools in my area come down and are lucky enough to come into Parliament House. I have got to try and get the schools that do come down to come in on a sitting week. I have a lot that come down in non-sitting weeks. Hopefully we can tune that up. They also get to go to down to Jeff’s Shed, as it is affectionately known to everybody around the place, to have a look at exhibitions and expos that are down there. It is, as I said, a great asset to not only the people of Melbourne but also our regional communities that can come down and access it.

Over the journey I heard the Leader of the Nationals talking about the boat show and the fishing convention that was down there. I have got a lot of mates that have boats and rave about the boat show down at the Melbourne convention centre. Just out of my area in the Latrobe Valley and into the member for Gippsland East’s area there are a lot of people that have that boating lifestyle, up around Metung and the Gippsland Lakes. They talk about having all the boats underneath that one roof line of the convention centre. It is not only the boats that are in there. There are personal watercraft and there are fishing expos, as the Leader of the National Party said, so there is something for everybody. There are a few other expos that have been held down there which are very important for our local community in the Latrobe Valley, and we make sure that we can get down there.

As I said, these changes that are being done will make sure that the trust works properly and can give some discretion to the trust to be able to make sure that it runs properly and combines the future Geelong exhibition centre as it moves forward, because time is ticking on. That is going to be open in a couple of years. It is going to be a great asset. We do not oppose it. I think everybody is happy that we need to be able to do all of this and dot the i’s and cross the t’s to make sure that, as we move on, the convention centres will run smoothly into the future.

Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh) (18:24): I rise to make a brief contribution on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024 – brief because I know that there are other members who want to speak on this bill tonight. The changes outlined in this amendment bill will strengthen Victoria’s position as a premier destination for tourism and events both nationally and globally. And why are we a premier destination for tourism and events? Well, we are the sporting capital of Australia and we are the arts capital of Australia, but we also have these beautiful regions throughout the state. As many of you know, I have been deeply engaged with our wine industry over the last few years. One thing that sets us apart from the rest of Australia is that Victoria has 21 wine regions.

Belinda Wilson interjected.

Nick STAIKOS: We do need to do a tour, member for Narre Warren North; I can arrange that. When you think about the contribution that our winemakers make, and I think we have got something like 800 wineries across Victoria, most of them are small businesses. Most of them are mum-and-dad boutique wineries, but without them the Mornington Peninsula – and the member for Nepean is here ‍– would be unrecognisable. Without our winemakers the Yarra Valley would be completely unrecognisable, and the same goes for the King Valley, Rutherglen and a whole host of others, so there are a lot. There is the Bellarine as well, member for Geelong, so there are a lot that make up this state’s status as the premier destination for tourism and events.

This bill, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024, is very important indeed because the act has long served as effective regulation of the trust governance and these changes are simply modernisations to the act in order to embed contemporary governance arrangements. A key aspect of the bill is to rename the trust and the act to more accurately represent the broader scope of responsibilities and expand the influence of the trust. These proposed changes will rename the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 to the Victorian Convention and Event Trust Act 1996. This new title will capture the trust’s expanded role, especially because it encompasses responsibility for the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre. I was just talking about that with the member for Geelong, who sits a few places away from me, and the member for Geelong tells me that she is very much looking forward to opening this fantastic new monument to her region in 2026.

This government listened to the trust’s preference for the term ‘event’, which they believed better reflects the broader scope of their current and future work. This choice is particularly relevant with the addition of the new Geelong Convention and Event Centre, which also incorporates the term ‘event’ in its name for the same reason. The change, however, is not just in name but also in function, ensuring that the trust’s role in supporting Victoria’s tourism and events sectors is more robust and adaptive to current and future challenges.

In addition to the renaming, the bill introduces several enhancements to the governance structure of the trust, updates that are designed to align the trust with contemporary governance practices and the expectations of our community. Firstly, expansion of trust membership: the maximum number of part-time trust members will be increased from seven to nine. Secondly, appointment of leadership roles: the amendment will enable the minister to appoint a deputy chairperson and/or an acting chairperson. This ensures continuous and effective leadership within the trust, even in the absence of the chairperson. Thirdly, strengthened conduct provisions: the amendment expands the scope of conduct that may lead to the removal or suspension of a trust member, aligning the trust with comparable statutory authorities. Fourthly, updated vacancy provisions: the automatic vacancy provisions will be amended to state that the office of a trust member becomes vacant if the member becomes insolvent under administration. Fifthly, voting rights clarification: the amendment clarifies that acting members of the trust will possess the same voting rights as substantive members, ensuring equal participation in decision-making processes.

As I said earlier, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is the premier event venue in Victoria and through the effective stewardship of this trust has continued to host fantastic events this year. Earlier this year I represented the government at the opening of one of those events. It was the Lions Club international convention. More than 10,000 people attended that convention from all over the world and more than a million people were watching it on the live stream from around the world because there are a lot of Lions members around the world. The sheer scale of this event was truly remarkable. What was really great about this convention was that these more than 10,000 visitors stayed in our hotels, enjoyed our restaurants and bars and visited amazing tourist attractions. Some might have even visited our 21 distinct wine regions that I spoke of earlier. Seventy-five per cent of the attendees were from overseas, and many of them stayed for longer and dispersed into regional Victoria. Even some of the leaders of the Lions that I met on the day had holiday plans booked after the conference, and I did speak to a number of Lions members, not all 10,000 but a number of them – nearly all 10,000 – and they had some holidays booked as well for the conclusion of the conference. It is why the Allan government supports business events like these – because every dollar we spend attracting them pays dividends.

I support this legislation. I think it just adds to the diversity and to the ecosystem around our tourism agenda here as a government. I commend the bill to the house, and I wish it a speedy passage.

Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (18:31): I also rise today to speak on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. This bill represents a step towards modernising and expanding the scope of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust, and the updates are a necessary and welcome change to how the trust operates, so we will be supporting the bill. However, while the bill concentrates on the changes necessitated by the new Nyaal Banyul convention centre in Geelong, the trust is not just responsible for the convention centres and the exhibition centre. It also has some responsibilities for our World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens, which is of course in my electorate and a place that is really dear my heart. This bill has unfortunately missed quite an important opportunity to provide much-needed support for this historic building, which has some challenges which I would like to talk about in my speech today.

The Royal Exhibition Building highlights Victoria’s incredible cultural heritage, with the building recognised globally for its historical and architectural significance as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. The building and the surrounding Carlton Gardens are absolute treasures which deserve our utmost care and attention. However, the management system of this World Heritage site remains hidden deep within other legislation, and as such the asset is consistently undervalued and also overlooked.

First, let us consider the current inclusion of the Royal Exhibition Building within the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996. This inclusion, while initially perhaps a convenient measure, has proven unable to meet the unique requirements of managing a World Heritage site. The responsibilities that come with its World Heritage status demand a more specialised and dedicated approach, something that only an independent management authority can provide. Several passionate local groups, including the Protectors of Public Lands Victoria and the Friends of the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, have contacted me and I have had contact with them over many years ‍– the last 10 years I have been in this place – regarding their concern about the current management of the Royal Exhibition Building. Really it is about time that we fix this. They argue, and rightly so, that independent legislation and a dedicated management authority must be introduced to govern this site effectively. Such an authority would ensure that the government is meeting all UNESCO obligations for World Heritage sites and that the Royal Exhibition Building receives the attention and resources it needs to fulfil its potential as a cultural and economic asset for Victoria.

Our government must honour the historical commitments it has made. In 2004 the Victorian government assured that a separate board would be established to manage the site – 20 years ago – but unsurprisingly, this commitment remains unfulfilled. UNESCO requires exemplary governance structures to protect World Heritage sites, and we are so fortunate that we have this World Heritage site. We need to look after it, and we must ensure that we meet these obligations. New South Wales and Tasmania have managed to do so to protect the Sydney Opera House and the Port Arthur Historic Site, so there is no reason Victoria cannot do the same.

The governance structure of the Royal Exhibition Building is needlessly fragmented and has not served the site, and it has not served our state well. It has led to a lack of coordinated management, a lack of public accountability and inadequate preservation of this significant cultural site. I have visited the exhibition building many times, but I visited just a short time ago and saw some of the challenges they are having around preserving the site with the small budget that they are given – even challenges around ensuring disability access. There has been some federal money committed, which was as a result of advocacy from the federal Greens leader Adam Bandt. He managed to secure $20 million for the upgrade and restoration of the dome at the exhibition building, and many people here might have actually gone and taken the tour, where you get to go up to the dome and the top of that building. What an incredible experience that is and how fortunate we are that we were able to do that restoration, but there is a lack of funding to maintain the site. We saw some incredible paintings on the inside of the site. I personally did my university exams there. People might know the building from university exams – not a very fun experience, but a beautiful place to do them. Perhaps other people have happier memories of going to the exhibition building – concerts and fairs. We have so many different events that happen there. The Affordable Art Fair is on there this Friday. There are some beautiful paintings. When you go in there if you look up you can see these incredible paintings, but they do not have the money or the resources to do the restoration of those paintings and to ensure that they are not being degraded over time. All of these things are matters where a better governance structure could assist them in in doing that work that is so necessary to make sure that it does not lose World Heritage status, that we do not lose this incredible, incredible piece of Melbourne’s heritage.

The authority is important because it would be a place that is responsible for preserving and promoting one of Australia’s few World Heritage sites. Such an authority should have statutory independence. It should be publicly accountable and receive appropriate funding to manage the site effectively. Essentially it should not be at the whims of the government of the day. It should be given ongoing secure funding to ensure that we are maintaining this beautiful area, the Carlton Gardens, which are incredible, as well as the exhibition building. Such an authority could also work to enhance public recognition of the Royal Exhibition Building’s significance and improve its conservation, ensuring it remains a vibrant part of our community and economy. A lot of people do not even know that it is World Heritage listed, that we have this incredible site right in the middle of our city, just in short walking distance from Parliament House. The economic and cultural benefits of a properly managed World Heritage site are absolutely immense. A well-supported Royal Exhibition Building can attract tourism, provide educational opportunities – outside of the exams, hopefully – and serve as a focal point for cultural events, all of which contribute to a vibrant economy for our state while ensuring we do not risk losing UNESCO recognition of this site.

The Greens support the amendments proposed in this bill, but I am disappointed that it does not go further and make other much-needed changes to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act ‍– namely, establishing a dedicated management authority for the Royal Exhibition Building and the beautiful Carlton Gardens. If the government is unable to do that in this bill, I really urge it to commit to doing so soon in a separate piece of legislation. I would be more than happy to work with the government to do that and to sit down with the community groups, who are so deeply invested in this and are putting in countless hours of volunteer time to preserve and advocate for this incredible site, to ensure that the site is preserved, that its potential is realised and that it is protected for our children and grandchildren.

Chris COUZENS (Geelong) (18:39): I am pleased to rise to contribute on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. I know that they are fairly simple changes, but this bill is actually really important to my community of Geelong. The bill changes the name of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 to the Victorian Convention and Events Trust Act 1996. That trust will be also managing the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre once it is complete. This bill will strengthen the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust governance arrangements in a number of ways, which we have already heard about in this place, so I really do want to focus on the Geelong centre and what this means for Geelong.

The Nyaal Banyul Geelong convention centre has engaged the Wadawurrung, the traditional owners, right from the very beginning, and there has been a lot of conversation about the convention centre, which I will get on to in a moment. But the Wadawurrung traditional owners have given the Geelong convention centre the name Nyaal Banyul, which is ‘open your eyes to the hills’. When you are standing on that beautiful north-facing – which is rare – site where the convention centre is being built, you look towards the bay and you see the You Yangs or Wurdi Youang, which is the Aboriginal name for it, and that is how the name came about. So ‘open your eyes to the hills’ has been gifted to the Geelong convention centre, and we are really excited about that.

Both the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre will be managed by the trust to leverage expertise and opportunities for collaboration across each centre, and this collaboration will cement Victoria as a premier global destination for events. We are very much looking forward to those opportunities in Geelong. This Geelong Convention and Event Centre has been in the making for over 30 years, and I do want to acknowledge all those Geelong stakeholders that have been involved in that journey, those that are no longer with us and those of the present who have worked tirelessly to get this commitment. I am really proud that the Andrews–Allan Labor government have made that commitment. It is now coming out of the ground. You can see the Crowne Plaza has already got its signage up and is getting ready, and the rest of the centre, which is significant on our beautiful north-facing waterfront, and the Geelong community are really excited about it.

Geelong is the largest regional city in the state, so we have many visitors to our region and tourism opportunities. The convention centre has already created an enormous number of jobs on construction and will do up until its opening in 2026, but it is also engaged with our local TAFE in terms of apprenticeships. It is engaged with our local organisations, such as GROW, which will actually provide employment for long-term unemployed people in my community, so it is doing a whole lot of things as well as ending up as a significant opportunity for the Geelong region. Of course the jobs that will come from that in the future once it is finished are also significant for my community, and the federal government have contributed funding to this as well.

I do want to acknowledge the Honourable John Brumby, who has been very actively involved in the conversations around the Geelong Convention and Event Centre and the engagement with the Wadawurrung community, making sure the Wadawurrung are involved from the very beginning in the artworks that will be commissioned for that. But also what is really pleasing is the opportunity for the Wadawurrung to display many of their artefacts in the foyer entrance once it is complete. There will be glass cabinets provided for the Wadawurrung to display some of their artefacts, which is really important. People like Wadawurrung traditional owner Corrina Eccles are committed to engaging with the trust to ensure that their cultural heritage is acknowledged. There is a corner of that site where the first Aboriginal child was stolen from the Aboriginal community, which has great significance to the Wadawurrung people. Also, there was a building on that site, which was demolished, and the Wadawurrung say those bricks that that building was built out of were ochre from their country. They want those things acknowledged, and they have a commitment from not only the Honourable John Brumby but the broader community that that will happen.

This is really exciting for Geelong. It is a 1.6-hectare waterfront site that will see a 1000-seat venue, two large exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, conference facilities and flexible event spaces. Included in that is the very strong commitment to ensuring that there is disability access, state-of-the-art disability access, and my understanding is that expert consultants have been brought in to ensure that that happens. It is really important for people with disabilities to be able to access our waterfront. Things have been changing and becoming better and better along the Geelong waterfront, but we want to make sure they have access to all the facilities to meet their needs so that they can use those sorts of facilities.

I also think it is important to point out that, along with the convention centre, we also have our beautiful new Geelong Arts Centre, which was recently opened and completely rebuilt, and we have our beautiful Geelong Gallery, which hopefully will have a redevelopment in the future. That arts precinct is really important. You make your way down past the Geelong National Wool Museum. There are all sorts of connections that can be made with this exhibition centre that we have not been able to make before. The opportunities are unlimited for what this will do for my community but also for Melbourne and Victoria more broadly. I know people are piling on our cheap train rides now into regional Victoria and coming in to Geelong from other outlying regions to enjoy what we have now, whether it be the gallery or whether it be the Geelong Art Centre or the National Wool Museum. Now they will be able to come to events and exhibitions at the new Nyaal Banyul centre once it is completed in Geelong.

This is really exciting for my community. I can see and feel the excitement across the community, because we can now see it is coming out of the ground. Although there is still a fair way to go before the building is completed, you can actually see the physical change happening week by week, which is really exciting. And the workers on the job are really excited about that; the apprentices are really excited about that. We are really looking forward to that. I think there is that connection that we have been able to make to different services in our community to support long-term unemployed people and to support TAFE students. Our Gordon TAFE is providing those apprenticeships, as is Gforce, another service in our community; they are all involved in ensuring that we have the best possible outcome for the Nyaal Banyul centre once it is completed. So a huge thanks to all those that have been involved, and in particular to Regional Development Victoria, who have played a significant role in managing this. This has been many years of conversations, but I know this outcome and the involvement of the Melbourne trust will make a big difference.

Gary MAAS (Narre Warren South) (18:49): I too rise with some excitement to contribute on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024, and with 12 minutes left on the clock, I might be seeking an extension at some point as well. It was really terrific to hear from the member from Geelong and to hear of her excitement but also to hear of the benefit that the new Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre will have for her community. To know that it is rising there from a former car park and what it is about to become is really exciting for her community and that whole Bellarine community.

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill amends the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 to change the name of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust while also modernising and strengthening its governance. It is an opportunity to enable the trust to better support Victoria’s tourism and events industries at both the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, which is set to open in 2026.

It is no secret that Victoria has a bustling and vibrant tourism and major events calendar. Already we are home to buzzing sporting events such as the Formula One Grand Prix and the Australian Open, but we do also boast global forums, business events, festivals and multicultural events. Victoria really is the place to be.

Tim Richardson interjected.

Gary MAAS: Yes, indeed. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre has long been the venue of choice. It has great facilities and a central location and really is a blank canvas for some wideranging events. Just personally, I was quickly jotting down some notes of some events that I have attended over a few years. They range from ageing Canadian folk-rock singer Neil Young through to the architect Kevin McCloud through to various health and superannuation conferences.

Tim Richardson interjected.

Gary MAAS: Get some keynotes. Well, there is nothing like doing a keynote at the MCEC. But, no, I cannot say I have done that, member for Mordialloc. But thank you for helping me pad out at least 20 seconds.

The Workplace Incidents Consultative Committee I mention here too because while we look at this convention centre as a large venue that helps facilitate large-type events, we actually hold the Workplace Incidents Consultative Committee meetings there. It only has 15 members. It meets about 12 times a year, but it needs facilities which support all-day board-type meetings. The Workplace Incidents Consultative Committee meets there, and I have spent a bit of time at the convention centre with that terrific committee and the work that it does.

As has been often mentioned throughout discussion of this bill, the name of the convention centre has been Jeff’s Shed, and for some reason that name has stuck around. Thankfully the government that built it did not stick around in the same way.

The amendment bill brings the trust into contemporary governance and gives a more holistic leadership as a government-owned body which supports not only metropolitan Melbourne’s tourism and events but also those in regional Victoria. With the trust taking on board Geelong’s new Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, the amendment reflects the trust’s operations that this major regional facility will have alongside the MCEC. With that set to be completed in 2026, the Geelong Convention and Event Centre is an exciting development for Victoria which will attract growth, many major events and new jobs for the City of Greater Geelong. The Victorian government is investing some $260 million in that project, with the Australian government contributing more than $30 million and $3 million from the City of Greater Geelong. It is an excellent example of partnership across all levels of government that will have a real impact and incredible flow-on effects for that fast-growing regional city. The bill will allow the GCEC and the MCEC to work in collaboration to ensure both Melbourne and Geelong are secured as destinations for major events for many years to come.

Our tourism and events industries have had to make many changes post COVID-19, but those changes are dealing with all of those emerging and some ongoing challenges that have come post that time. The bill expands the functions of the trust to support these industries as they adapt to a new world. This bill will improve transparency and accountability of the trust and how it operates to ensure that you can continue to develop and promote and manage those facilities in collaboration with the tourism and major events portfolio. It does this in a few ways: firstly, by increasing the maximum numbers of the trust from seven to nine part-time members to reflect new responsibilities with the appointment of the GCEC under the trust; secondly, by enabling the minister to appoint a deputy or acting chairperson if needed; thirdly, by expanding scope of conduct to ensure greater consistency with other similar statutory authorities in that portfolio; and, fourthly, by updating the act to make it clear that an acting member has the same voting rights as substantive members.

As I said previously, we do know that Victoria is the place to be, it is the place to visit, and in the year ending March 2024 our government’s 2024 tourism target was hit more than a year ahead of schedule, with Victoria’s visitor economy reaching a record high $39.3 million. And it is major events that have people attending from far and wide that play a role in this success. This includes those business events or forums held at MCEC as well. It is why our government, our state government, is committed to ensuring a strong pipeline of international business events and why in this year’s state budget we have provided $6.4 million over two years to support the business events fund. This builds on the more than $24 million that had been allocated for 2021–22 through to 2024–25 in the 2021–22 state budget. This fund itself helps to maintain our state’s status as an attractive destination while also supporting business events that promote international tourism, innovative research, collaboration and knowledge. Not only is it good for our standing on the national and global stage, but the best part is it really does help support Victorian jobs too. These events also keep our nightlife bustling and our hotels filled while attendees enjoy our restaurants and cafes or while they head out to regional Victoria. In 2023–24 the Melbourne Convention Bureau secured 19 international events using the business events fund, which will deliver around $133 million to our state when they are held. These events, supported as part of the fund, range from the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in 2023 to the World Indigenous Cancer Conference held in 2024, and the 2024–25 budget provided an additional $1.724 million to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust to carry out final operations for the Geelong Convention and Event Centre.

In conclusion, I am proud to serve in this government in one of the best cities in the world, and we are a government that is dedicated to strengthening and modernising systems and the governance that ensures our city remains a leader on the national and global stage, and with that I commend this bill to the house.

Ella GEORGE (Lara) (18:59): It is a pleasure to make a brief contribution this evening on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events for his work on this important legislation and his ongoing commitment to the incredible region that is Geelong through legislation like this and various investments. As we know, the amendments to this bill will reflect the trust’s new role as the operator of the Geelong Convention and Event Centre. In Geelong, if you drive past the site on a daily basis, you can literally see it going up in front of our eyes. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity for the community, and we are incredibly excited to be welcoming the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre precinct to our spectacular town.

Business interrupted under sessional orders.