Tuesday, 16 August 2022

Southern Metropolitan Region

Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (12:18): (1910) I want to raise a matter with the Treasurer. It comes out of some FOI requests that I have received, including the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority request for a Treasurer’s indemnity in relation to the North East Link. This document discloses in the first instance for the first time that the project has reached $18 billion. That is a more than doubling of the project’s cost, a huge cost blowout, and shows that this government is incompetent, cannot manage money, cannot manage major projects and is actually not able to constrain these major projects in such a way that they can stick to their initial budget. The documents also show a Treasurer’s indemnity, and this shows Victorians are on the hook because the government could not manage this project properly. I want the Treasurer to release the information as to the scale of that indemnity. Come clean with the Victorian taxpayers. Tell us how much you have— (Time expired)

Mr Gepp: On a point of order, President, could I ask you to review Hansard in relation to that alleged constituency question from Mr Davis and consider a subsequent ruling.

Mr Davis: On the point of order, President, I should say the North East Link begins in the north of my electorate, in Kew, and actually is a road that directly and deeply affects my electorate.

The PRESIDENT: I uphold the point of order. I will review Hansard.