Wednesday, 11 September 2024

Ministers statements: government achievements

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:10): I am delighted to rise today to update the house on how our government is delivering for Victorian families, helping busy families – helping them get to work and get to university sooner and safer and also investing in those frontline services that families rely on. We are focused on building for the future, delivering those projects that we know Victorians voted for – the Suburban Rail Loop, the Metro Tunnel, the West Gate Tunnel, the North East Link – projects that are all under construction right now. On top of that, we are building hundreds of schools and removing 110 dangerous and congested level crossings, and we have created more jobs than any other state. Delivering on those jobs and opportunities, the Victorian economy has grown by more than 9 per cent over the past two years, more than New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. On top of that, business investment has grown in Victoria by 13 per cent in the last year. That is six percentage points higher than the rest of Australia. Despite our blockers and knockers on the other side of the chamber, we have approved more –

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: There is the blocker. There is the knocker. Hello, blocker and knocker. They are the chief blocker and knocker.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, I would like to make just one more point: the Premier should not be using ministers statements to attack the opposition.

The SPEAKER: Manager of Opposition Business, I ask you to make your points of order in the correct manner.

James Newbury: On the point of order, Speaker, for clarity, I was just making one point.

The SPEAKER: The Premier will come back to the ministers statement.

Jacinta ALLAN: We are also approving more home builds than any other state in the nation. It is not just jobs, transport and services; we are also delivering a simple, commonsense change that will help save lives, introducing new legislation to allow pill testing in Victoria, starting with an implementation trial. This will include mobile services at festivals and a fixed trialling site. It is not the only big trial going on, though, is it?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Member for Bentleigh, you are warned. Member for South-West Coast, this is your second warning.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is unpleasantly defying your ruling.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Cindy McLeish: On a point of order, Speaker, yesterday I raised a point of order about the procedures for taking a point of order as per page 133 of Rulings from the Chair. It was that the member with the call must give way. Now, again –

The SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order?

Cindy McLeish: The point of order is that the Premier is defying that ruling because each time the Manager of Opposition Business –

The SPEAKER: The Premier has been required to be seated when I have asked her to be seated. There is no point of order.

Cindy McLeish: Further to the point of order, Speaker, it specifically says:

When a point of order is taken, the member with the call must cease their remarks and sit down …

In this instance and yesterday the Premier continued to grandstand rather than sit down. She did know that the Manager of Opposition Business was on his feet. I ask you to remind her of the practices of the house.

The SPEAKER: I remind all members of the Rulings from the Chair and the standing orders, and I ask members to make themselves familiar with the Rulings from the Chair and the standing orders. Members who call a point of order have the call, and members on their feet are required to be seated when a point of order is being taken.

Jacinta ALLAN: Like all trials, in this trial of the century there will be a lot to discover, a lot of evidence given, a lot of evidence to collect, and that is what is on trial – (Time expired)