Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Department of Treasury and Finance

Budget papers 2022–23

Mr GEPP (Northern Victoria) (17:09): I rise to make a statement on the 2022–23 state budget, and I want to commend the Treasurer for once again putting the people of Victoria front and centre in terms of this government’s policies, directions and spending. What a magnificent array of initiatives we have in northern Victoria. Just to cite a couple, Ms Lovell just banged on about Mildura. Well, I am happy to talk about Mildura: the $12.6 million, for example, that we have just given to the Mildura Specialist School for the replacement of portables with permanent classrooms; $6.35 million for the specialist school in Swan Hill; $23.78 million for the Verney Road School for the first stage of transition to a new site at the former Wanganui Park Secondary; and $2 million to continue the Shepparton Drug Court program. It goes on: $160 million for GV Health acute mental health facilities. It just goes on and on and on and on. Indeed I announced—I was there on budget day—$3.9 million for the Cobram and District Specialist School to deliver stage 2 of their master plan.

What we also did in this budget is we continued with our 10-year social and affordable housing strategy. We have committed further funding to that very, very important program. And of course I contrast our position with that stated by the opposition just a few short weeks ago in the most bigoted contribution I think I have heard in this house while I have been here, from none other than Ms Lovell. We can just refresh our memories for a moment. It was about how the quality of your shoes and the quality of your telephone determine whether or not you can live in Brighton. We have not forgotten. And of course we called upon the opposition leader to denounce that policy advocacy from Ms Lovell, but he has not done it weeks later. So we can only assume that what we actually got on that day was a deliberate policy announcement from Ms Lovell. If you do not think that it matters what we say in this place, and whether or not it has an impact—

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Mr Bourman): Order! Mr Gepp, we are probably getting a little far away from the budget. Could you just steer it back.

Mr GEPP: Well, it is about the Big Housing Build, Acting President, and the stated position of the Liberal Party in response to the Big Housing Build and the impact that it has on constituents in my electorate. If we do not think that it matters what is said about these things, and they are relevant to the budget 2022–23—

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Mr Bourman): Order! Mr Gepp, keep to the budget and move on.

Mr GEPP: Well, I am keeping to the budget, Acting President. I thank you for your guidance, but what I am doing is referring to the comments that have been made by those opposite in relation to initiatives contained within budgets in this place and how that matters to the people in my electorate. I will just give you a couple of examples of things that have come over in my email box from people in my electorate following that very bigoted policy announcement by the Liberal Party.

Ms Lovell: On a point of order, Acting President, I think that the member is flouting your ruling. You have asked him three times to come back to the budget. Now he is going to emails about something that occurred several weeks ago, which he is misrepresenting anyway.

Mr Gepp interjected.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Mr Bourman): Mr Gepp, Ms Lovell is entitled to be heard in silence. Mr Gepp, I think we will just stick to the budget papers. If you have a need to discuss this, perhaps we can do it by a substantive motion. But I think if you just stick to what is actually in the budget papers, that would help us a lot. So I do uphold the point of order.

Mr GEPP: If I could make a point of order, Acting President, there was no point of order that was actually made at the end of the day, but I do note that in Ms Lovell’s contribution she attacked the member for Mildura unabated and without any concern expressed from the clerks or anybody else in this place. But I accept your direction, and I will follow that direction.

What we have announced in the budget is a $5.3 billion social and affordable housing spend, with continued—

Mr Rich-Phillips: Acting President, my point of order goes to Mr Gepp’s reference to the clerks. President Atkinson ruled previously that it is completely out of order for members to reflect on advice the clerks may or may not give to the presiding officer. I ask that you consider that.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Mr Bourman): I am going to take Mr Rich-Phillips’s point of order under advisement and refer it back to the President. But you had moved on, so if you could just continue moving on, Mr Gepp, that would be great.

Mr GEPP: Thank you. As I was saying, we are very proud of the position that we have put to the Victorian people in relation to social and affordable housing. It is a progressive agenda that is going to build thousands and thousands of homes around this state, particularly in my electorate of Northern Victoria, where in some parts, places like Mildura and Shepparton, for example, $40 million-plus is being allocated to building affordable housing. So we are very proud of that. We do not judge who can live in those houses based on their footwear, the type of telephone that they carry or any bigoted proposition that says that if you do not carry the right phone or wear the right shape, colour or cost of footwear you are no longer relevant to that particular social housing build.