Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Bills

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Enver Erdogan:

That the bill be now read a second time.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (17:44): I am pleased to rise and make a contribution on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. It is an interesting bill, and I have got some great statistics which I am going to put on the public record – statistics that have been so helpful; they indicate where the government is failing in its events and tourism strategy. As you would expect, I am fastidious and focused on some detail here.

The bill itself is fairly unexceptional, and the opposition are not going to oppose the bill. The bill does not do much. It changes the name of the act and the trust. It expands, allegedly, the functions of the trust. It modernises the trust membership and governance – well, I do not know; it claims to, in any event. It changes the name of the act to the Victorian Convention and Event Trust Act 1996 to reflect the statewide remit in relation to tourism and events. It also renames the trust, according to the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee, to the Victorian Convention and Event Trust and gives additional functions to support Victorian tourism and events – and my God, do they need it. Victoria’s position with events is in freefall, and when I provide statistics later you will see change is needed. Whether this change will do a single thing is entirely another matter. The minister may make a determination published in the Government Gazette specifying a matter in relation to which the trust has additional functions. So instead of the Governor in Council doing that, the minister does it. These are the decisive, earth-shattering changes that we are making now. It also makes a provision for temporary vacancies and procedures at meetings and inserts a new part 6, which has some transitional arrangements in it.

The minister said in the second-reading speech the trust will be the operator of the new Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, which is scheduled to open in 2026. We support the Geelong Convention and Event Centre strongly – always have. We made announcements during the election campaign pushing strongly in that direction, and we believe that the opportunities for regional Victoria must very much be the focus of government. The bill will allow for the functions of the trust to be expanded, the minister said, via a determination by the minister – goodness, he will be able to think of something, write it down, send a letter, and they will be able to do more. Well, that is nice. I am pleased about that.

But what I think we have got to focus on more sharply is what is happening to tourism and events and business events in Australia now and in Victoria in particular. Recent data from Tourism Research Australia, which is a branch of Austrade, shows that in the space of a decade Victoria has gone from being easily the leading state for business events to being third behind Queensland and a mile behind New South Wales. Market share in 2014 was 36 per cent. In 2014 Victoria was easily leading with business events, with the share of business events direct spend in Victoria on 36 per cent, New South Wales on 27 per cent and Queensland on 15 per cent. Market share in 2024 for Victoria was 21 per cent. The new data from TRA – that is Tourism Research Australia, a branch of Austrade – for 2023–‍24 tells a very different story, with the share of business event visitor spending for Victoria on just 21 per cent, a mile behind New South Wales on 31 per cent and Queensland on 22 per cent. A drop in share of spending equates to a loss of billions of dollars a year in Victoria to its businesses and people.

The Australian business events market has softened more generally. The TRA data showed that the total business event spent in Australia has dropped by 5.3 per cent from 2022–23 to 2023–24 as confidence in the economy has decreased. The current outlook, you would have to say, is not up to par. If you look at the share of nights stayed – the same source of information – by business event visitors, it is even more stark, with Victoria on 18 per cent behind New South Wales on 33 per cent and Queensland on 20 per cent. If you look at the regional spend, the data shows that the total regional spend of business event visitors in Victoria is less than half the total spend in regional New South Wales. This is why the Geelong Gallery is actually important, and it is important that it focuses on events and outcomes that the community want. It is important that it focuses on delivering for Geelong and the region, Victoria’s second-biggest city, but it is also important that it delivers for a broader gamut across the state. The truth of the matter is we have serious weaknesses there. The data shows that the total spend on business events in regional Victoria is less than half the total spend in regional New South Wales and only just over half the spend in regional Queensland, excluding the Gold Coast.

Business events versus major events is another serious point here, and I will come to major events in a moment because as a number of people in this chamber will understand we have taken a close focus on the Commonwealth Games and the government’s undoubted failures there. A lot has been said about major events, but studies have shown that the direct total spend of business events in Australia is about 10 times that of major events. While major events happen in particular locations a number of times a year, and they are important and they should be maximised and we should use them in a constructive way, business events happen right across the whole state – regions and city – all the time through the year. They provide local employment and many benefits. Business events drive change and innovation across organisations, industries and communities. They are a very significant part of our economy, and they are under-recognised by governments, including in particular this government.

Noting that business events comprise conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, meetings and the like, it also is important for not-for-profit and government sectors. There are a number of points I would make. Ms Bath will remember the inquiry we did during the COVID period, during the pandemic, as our economy was being smashed by the worst and most extreme lockdown rules in Australia and indeed in the world. It is important to remember here that Australia had very significant lockdowns in all states and territories, but Victoria was the standout. We had the longest lockdown, we had the biggest number of deaths and we also had the worst economic damage. We got the terrible trifecta of most lockdown, most damage, most deaths – and most smashing of the economy with small business, including the events sector and the tourism sector, which were very high on the list of parts of the economy that were absolutely shellacked by Daniel Andrews’s decision to personally lock down the Victorian economy and the failure of his cabinet to stand up to him, and the decision of the so-called ‘crisis cabinet’, which was a kitchen cabinet of eight members which just sat around and did what Daniel Andrews told them to do. The overrunning of normal Westminster tradition –

John Berger: On a point of order, Acting President, he is not talking about the bill at all, he is just ranting on about irrelevant things. If you could take him back to the bill, that would be appropriate.

David DAVIS: On the point of order: to the contrary, I am focusing very closely on this, and regional jobs and economic growth are specifically mentioned in the minister’s second-reading speech. It talks about Geelong, and one part of this bill is to move the Geelong convention centre into the same auspice as the Melbourne one and in doing so to advantage regional jobs and regional outcomes. Now, that is exactly what I am talking about, and I am talking about it in the wake of COVID. We have got to recover from the damage that was done. I will just run through some –

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Michael Galea): This is now debating, Mr Davis. First speakers do have more leeway than most; however, I will ask Mr Davis to come back to the content of the bill.

David DAVIS: As I said, in the second-reading speech it says the trust is set up in such a way that the Geelong convention centre and event trust is brought into the control of the central trust with the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and it is specifically the government’s intention that it will be a major driver of jobs and economic growth for Victoria, particularly regional Victoria. The minister said that in his second-reading speech. That is precisely what I want to talk about here – the difficulties that have been faced post COVID and the need to build back. I should say that the share of business events is much lower, not just post COVID but since 2014, and I laid out those statistics from the relevant Tourism Research Australia, which is part of Austrade, and the impact of a number of the decisions that have been made over the recent period. So we have got some real challenges here. We have got some outcomes that the community would not want to hear about – they would see the deterioration in Victoria’s position as quite unfortunate, I might say.

This bill does not grapple with the severity and the significance of Victoria’s slippage on a national level. It does not grapple with the issues that need to be grappled with. It is a minor bill that does some tinkering, and the tinkering whilst unexceptional in itself is not directed to really dealing with the major economic problems. There are other problems in this regard too, I should say. Melbourne’s position as the centre of tourism for events – both major events and business events – has slipped. We know that the international festival and White Night have not really been managed in the way that they should have been and delivered in the way that they should have been. I think there are questions that are beginning to be asked about Rising and whether it understands what it needs to do. I think there are real issues about Creative Victoria’s focus here. There is some confusion with groups like Rising that have got funding from several sources and have got different objectives laid out by Creative Victoria and Visit Victoria, so you have got to ask questions about some of that.

I was interested to receive an FOI just today, and I have saved the best till last. This looks at Rising and the Rising festival, and it explicitly points to problems with the model of the Rising festival. This is a brief I might add, no less, to the minister, dated 2022, so it is not a recent brief. It is a brief that has taken a while to come, and it says here that Creative Victoria and Visit Victoria jointly fund Rising’s operation, but each has different performance indicators – KPIs – that Rising must respond to. So you have got Creative Victoria here and Visit Victoria there. These are bodies that have got to work in harmony rather than at loggerheads. The brief to the then minister says:

Creative Victoria’s KPIs focus on cultural and organisational outcomes, while Visit Victoria’s KPIs are centred around social and economic outcomes:

Broadly, Creative Victoria’s cultural outcomes aim to ensure that engagement and programming opportunities continue to increase in number and diversity for both audience and the creative sector …

…

Visit Victoria’s Social outcomes include a focus on accessibility … geographic and financial, and catering for audiences of varied abilities …

It is very clear that some of the tension that is there in the background of this festival will need to be addressed. A final internal report to Creative Victoria and Visit Victoria said this is an evaluation of Rising against KPIs in the agreement between Rising, Creative Victoria and Visit Victoria. It said:

An Economic Impact Assessment. Coordinated by Visit Victoria, this is an independent assessment … The report will articulate the overall expenditure stimulus and also a breakdown of Host Region (Melbourne) impact and Victorian Impact.

Rising at that time achieved 81 per cent of its net box office revenue target and sold out 55 per cent of its events, but:

The vision for RISING … is to “grow to deliver a suite of complimentary events and projects beyond the festival itself, allowing for … significant outcomes for artists and supporting organisational sustainability”. However, it is acknowledged that this is a secondary consideration to the Festival and the “long-term vision for the entity will be achieved by focussing first and foremost on making RISING the festival that Melbourne knows and loves.”

You can read some of these analyses and see the confusion in some of the government’s approach and the lack of clarity in delivering for Victorians. We obviously want social outcomes, but we also do want strong economic outcomes and increased visitation. I cannot, on this particular bill, not talk about the Commonwealth Games. There are a number of members in the chamber who are on the Commonwealth Games committee, and we have heard extraordinary evidence. What is clear is the government does not want to come clean on a lot of that evidence. There is a huge host of documents that have not been provided that were actually due today and have not been delivered to the chamber despite the chamber’s very clear indication that they should be delivered. To strip down what has happened with the Commonwealth Games, the government cancelled the games. They had bogus figures. They claimed they were much more than –

John Berger: On a point of order, Acting President, Mr Davis is going on a rant again. I think you should take him back to the bill.

David DAVIS: On the point of order, Acting President, you will understand the importance of visitation figures and understand the importance of events. It is the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre that we are talking about –

Jaclyn Symes interjected.

David DAVIS: No, and I was about to propose that one solution they could have undertaken was to bring some of the events to Melbourne. That is exactly what I was about to say, Minister.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Michael Galea): It is a bit of a stretch. I ask Mr Davis to come back to the bill, please.

David DAVIS: Acting President, as you will understand, the major events focus is an important one, economically and socially, for Victoria, but bringing events to Melbourne is incredibly important. The leadership provided by the Melbourne convention centre is an important part of that, but also our sporting events are important, and the failure with the Commonwealth Games was an absolute humdinger. They spent money – hundreds of millions of dollars – propping up what now turns out to be Glasgow’s opportunity. I wish Glasgow well and I hope the Commonwealth Games proceed, but the truth is that this is another sign that the government’s events and visitor strategy is in absolute and utter chaos. We saw this through the pandemic. We have seen a steady slide over the period in Victoria’s position vis-a-vis other states and territories, and now we have enormous reputational damage to Victoria’s position through the decisions on the Commonwealth Games.

The state government ought to have looked at other options. They could have brought many of the sporting events to Melbourne. We did, after all, host the Commonwealth Games – a major event in the terms of this bill – in 2006, not so long ago. Some of us remember that. It was a successful Commonwealth Games, and we could have hosted another one. But the government instead chose to damage the state’s economic position, damage our reputation, cancel the event and spend hundreds of millions of dollars ultimately propping up a Glasgow event. I wish Glasgow well, but this is an event that could have been held here with a competent government. We do not have a competent government, we have an incompetent government. Whilst this bill, as I say, is unexceptional in itself, it is a bill of very slight moment in the long haul and a sign that the government has lost its way. Whilst the worthy small items in the bill are items that we do not in any way oppose, the truth of the matter is that Victoria’s position compared to other states is slipping and slipping badly, and this bill will not fix that.

John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (18:03): I rise to contribute on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. This is a bill for an act to amend the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 to change the name of that act, to change the name of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust, to modernise governance and operational provisions and for other purposes. It is one of Melbourne’s heritage and cultural icons. While it might not sound like the most exciting topic, it is crucial to making sure that places like our exhibition and convention buildings are well taken care of. The trust responsible for these places was created in 1994 to oversee the construction and development of the exhibition centre. Then in 1997 the trust became the manager of both the exhibition and convention centres. On 28 August 2002 the trust was also put in charge of the Yarra River Maritime Reserve to promote good management of that area, although this responsibility has since been revoked. Today the trust also manages the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens.

These spaces host some of the biggest events, conferences and festivals in Australia. For example, PAX, the largest gaming festival in the country, and the Good Food & Wine Show, the biggest consumer goods exhibition in Australia, are both held there. The Melbourne Art Fair, which brings in amazing local art, is now also hosted at the convention centre. But it is not just about events; these places are also very important to our students. The exhibitions here give them unique opportunities to learn about and experience art, culture and so much more. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 has served us well. It has delivered the body and framework for this culture and for the work to be delivered. However, now is a good time to update the act so that the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust can better support Victoria’s tourism and events industries. The change will also help modernise the trust’s governance. The main reason for this amendment is to change the trust’s legal name and the name of the act, which requires a change in the law. That is what good legislation and good governance is all about – getting it right.

Given the challenges faced by Victoria’s tourism and events industries after COVID, the bill will also expand the trust’s functions, as determined by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and help these industries to recover and grow. Additionally, the bill will improve the corporate governance of trusts, making sure that the professional and ethical duties of the trust’s members are up to date with current standards, community expectations and directors duties. On that, while the governance framework is currently working well, updating it will bring it into line with similar organisations across the state, including the Puffing Billy Railway Board and the tourism, sport and major events portfolio, strengthening corporate governance, which will make the trust more transparent and accountable. This will help protect the people who use its facilities and services and will also safeguard the trust’s reputation, as well as the government’s. The bill will improve the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust governance. I commend the bill to the house.

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (18:06): I am pleased to rise to make a contribution on this bill before us today. It is quite a simple bill, and the purpose of this bill is to amend the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 to change the name from ‘act’ to ‘trust’, to expand the functions of the trust, to expand the number of trustees from seven to nine, to modernise the trust’s membership and its governance arrangements and to transfer the powers from the Governor in Council to the minister, supposedly to enhance efficiency, as we are led to believe. This is not a government that works well on efficiencies, but that is the motive of this bill. In essence, it is really a bit of a spring clean.

Anyone who is my age and older certainly remembers the name Jeff’s Shed. Indeed Jeff’s Shed is the same age as my son, because they were born in the same year – my second son. That is certainly a wonderful date in my mind. In the last 28 years it certainly has been an iconic piece of infrastructure, albeit not necessarily that glamorous. It was often what was happening inside that was the glamorous part for Victorians and for international visitors. Indeed when I was in small business – I ran a health food store – we actually went on many occasions to see new opportunities, new products and new designs and visited Jeff’s Shed. Would you believe it accommodates over 5500 people in its 70,000 square metres of space. I note that there have been over its time – and I will not go into some of the more colourful events that have occurred in Jeff’s Shed – conferences, exhibitions, trade shows and meetings for the commercial, not-for-profit and indeed government sectors. I want to just touch on one of those government sectors in a minute.

Up until recently, up until 10 years ago, Victoria was very focused on business – small business, large business and business of all sorts – and attracting international business and interest. Ten years ago Victoria held the mantle and the market share of the business events space. We attracted the most business events of any state in the nation. Indeed many of them were held in Jeff’s Shed, or the Melbourne convention centre. Since that time we have dropped down. We have dropped way down, and we are below New South Wales and below Queensland in terms of the market share. Of course this is not just a theoretical drop, it is a drop of huge financial proportions. We have lost billions of dollars a year not holding those events, not just at Jeff’s Shed but indeed at other places – this bill talks about a new facility in Geelong – right across Victoria.

This government often talks about the events sector, but certainly it is the business sector that does the heavy lifting of bringing people in. Indeed Australia’s business sector generates around $20 billion – with a B – annually, and we can see that our portion of that is dropping back. That is a shame, because not only do people go and understand and learn and is there catering and a whole range of things, we also have people staying for extended periods of time, not only in our city having nights in hotels and rooming houses, whatever they are, Airbnbs until they are taxed out of oblivion by this government, but there is a whole market that exists around that.

What we did see of course was that during Labor’s lockdowns, during the COVID lockdowns, the whole events sector and business sector was smashed, and it was a complete and utter debacle. Another debacle of course, and my colleague the lead speaker Mr Davis has gone into it, was the Commonwealth Games debacle. It certainly was. And we are still feeling the pain – the reputational damage. We talked about that drop in the events sector and the business sector – that reputational damage.

Michael GALEA: On a point of order, Acting President, I believe that the previous Acting President gave a ruling about relevance with regard to this subject.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (John Berger): Thank you, Mr Galea. Perhaps in the interests of time, Ms Bath, if we could take you back to the bill.

Melina BATH: I am very interested in talking about some of the things that did occur in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. One of the key things that was fantastic back a little while ago when the Liberals and Nationals were in, between 2010 and 2014, was that the fantastic Deputy Premier the Honourable Peter Ryan established the Regional Victoria Living Expo. It existed for a number of years. It was all about 48 councils coming from regional Victoria. There was a subsidy paid by the government so that councils were not out of pocket. They were paid and they were able to come down here and show their wares, put out their shingle and say how fantastic it is to live in country Victoria. It was held at the Melbourne exhibition centre. Many of my Gippsland councils and others certainly turned up, and there were many positive associations with decentralisation, which is what we are about on this side of the house – supporting people to come and live, work and play in regional Victoria.

Now, what happened? It was funded until 2015, and then this government, the current government, turfed it out, axed it, saying it was not that important. We know that country Victoria is very important. We also know that the events sector is important. And without a doubt we need to put the business sector back in the limelight and encourage people to come back and work and play and conduct business. We need more business confidence. This government is trashing our international reputation. I do not have a problem with the bill, but this government certainly needs to focus on doing what matters for country and regional Victorians.

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (18:13): I rise to make a contribution on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024. It is an exciting time for Victoria’s tourism and events industry, and this amendment is not just about updating a name, it is about acknowledging the trust’s growing role, especially in its steps to operate the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, a major regional hub. This new investment in Geelong expands on the investment and positive impact that the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has been providing for decades. Collaboration like this helps shine a spotlight and brings investment to regional Victoria.

Of course an important part of Victoria is our cultural connection and acknowledgement of our First Peoples. It is so important that we see local language being recognised in the naming of this new infrastructure investment. For some, this will be their first introduction to local Aboriginal cultural history and connection to the land. The name ‘Nyaal Banyul’ comes from working closely with First Peoples. To integrate local Aboriginal culture, the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation has gifted this new name. I would like to say that this name is returning Wadawurrung language to our country at a site that was originally used for gatherings known as ‘baierr’ – there you go. The name means ‘open your eyes to the hills’. It is made up of two Wadawurrung words – ‘nyaal’, meaning to open your eyes, and ‘banyul’, meaning hill. This name was chosen to encourage people at the site to take some time to appreciate the beautiful landscapes of Wadawurrung country, one that I know the member for Western Victoria loves so very deeply.

As others have mentioned, the economic value of convention and events centres is a huge asset to the business community, but I want to talk a little bit about the vital role they play in supporting arts and culture by providing spaces where creative expression, collaboration and cultural exchange can thrive, offering platforms for performance, exhibition and cultural festivals that may otherwise struggle to find a suitable space. They can help nurture a sense of belonging, and I just want to reflect on my younger years. If you did not follow the in thing at school or you were ostracised by your school friends, it was really sometimes hard to find that safe space, to find your people. I just want to say that finding a safe space can be tough, and at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre you can find your people. As a self-confessed Klingon-loving Trekkie, which I have put on the record, finding my people at things like the convention centre is really, really important. Events and conventions have spaces for niches, and you can find community and connections. People can change their lives when they see that there is a community that gets them, that the things that they love are loved and valued by others and that there is a place for them.

In fact just last weekend the convention centre hosted the PAX Australia conference, the biggest video game and gaming culture convention in Australia, bringing an extraordinarily passionate community together over a subculture that they all love in a welcoming place that does not care if you are a furry, an elf, a demon slayer or a non-player character. Enjoying the panels, the events and the cosplay and feeling just so included in the community was a big part of this weekend just gone. We see this as well at the famous and hugely popular Comic-Con event, where Melbourne’s geek culture comes to life. For some isolated nerds out there you can find that you are not alone, and you can find a place for you that goes beyond the economic boost from hosting such events.

I want to talk for a moment about the recent Melbourne Disability Connection Expo 2024. It is coming up, and there will be fantastic resources that will enable discussion and inclusion. There are so many inclusive events for those in the disability community hosted at MCEC, and I know that conventions can be more than just travel, weddings and baby expos. These events reach people through different stages of their lives, and they can help us learn and celebrate new things about ourselves. I want to say that I am a big fan of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and support this bill very much. I will finish by thanking the minister for his tireless work in ensuring that Victoria attracts visitors and investment – visitors from all communities, all places and all spaces. I support these amendments and commend this bill to the house.

Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (18:18): The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Act 1996 has adequately served as the trust’s governing legislation since its enactment. However, this is an opportunity to update the act to enable the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Trust to better support Victoria’s tourism and events industries and to embed contemporary governance arrangements for the trust. The main driver through this amendment is to change the trust’s legal name and the name of the act, which requires legislative amendment. As the trust has been appointed the operator of the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, GCEC, there was a strong desire from the trust and other key stakeholders to change the trust’s legal name and the name of the act to reflect that the trust will operate a major regional facility.

I am really pleased to stand and support this bill today and to acknowledge that in the year ending March 2024 Victoria’s visitor economy hit a record high of $39.3 billion, reaching the Allan Labor government’s 2024 tourism target more than a year ahead of schedule. Of course there is no surprise that those opposite have been talking down what we are doing here, talking down Victoria, talking down our achievements and talking down this record high. I will not talk about the member who is here, having just arrived, but one previously here, Mr Davis, on an incredible day where the SEC has been enshrined in our constitution through legislation, rather than getting his head around that he is back talking about the 1990s, as was a member for the Nationals, and talking about Kennett. I am very surprised they want to be talking about the Kennett era or Kennett’s name, quite frankly, given the recent days they have had. But while they stay in the 1990s and stay talking negative, we are getting on with things, and I am absolutely delighted to support this bill.

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:20): I am also very pleased this evening to rise to speak on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Amendment Bill 2024, and a very straightforward and functional bill it is that we have before us today, one I will share a few comments on. Principally, as a few other speakers have noted, we do have the fantastic new Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, which is now going to be part of this trust officially and have a name that is going to officially recognise that as well.

Indeed, whether it be in Melbourne or in Geelong, our major events such as the ones held at these fantastic facilities are ones that do certainly appeal to all Victorians. I note my colleague Ms Watt’s contribution about some other functions that have been held there. I understand that there was a very popular PAX festival there over the weekend. My very first time there – I was very young; in fact it might have been when Jeff Kennett was still Premier – was when I went along to the car show, which I enjoyed very much as well. I recall seeing a prototype hydrogen car, which was exciting to see back then, and given how far things have come now it is exciting to see where things may go as well.

This bill will also make some relevant and appropriate governance changes, such as the formal incorporation of deputy and acting chairpersons for the trust to enable the smooth operation of meetings and other procedures.

I do return to Nyaal Banyul in particular because it is really exciting to see such a fantastic resource for the Geelong region, and I know the Minister for Skills and TAFE at the table is a proud local from the Western Victoria Region and has been equally passionate about this project. We got to see some of the passion that locals had for it at our committee hearings at the start of the year. Mr McIntosh and I were in Geelong, along with members opposite, on our little regional roadshow going around looking at the impact of the government’s investment in regional Victoria, in particular that $2 billion regional package that is being delivered.

Tom McIntosh interjected.

Michael GALEA: Indeed. As Mr McIntosh says, it is a massive regional investment which comes on top of and as part of this fantastic facility in Geelong, which is so very good to see.

I note that my colleague across the chamber Ms Bath, who sadly is not here anymore, did make the reference to Jeff’s Shed. That is of course the name that many Victorians have attributed to the original Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is quite interesting – I am not quite sure whether it is best to talk about relevance deprivation in terms of other things which we might be talking about with that particular character, but we are certainly seeing the resuscitated corpse of the Liberal Party’s former glory being extolled when we are seeing such horrific things said about women by that gentleman. Given the beautiful way in which Ms Watt explained the naming behind the Nyaal Banyul centre in Geelong, perhaps we might need a new moniker for that site over in South Wharf. Indeed it is a very large and very impressive centre in Geelong, as it is in Melbourne. It might just be the only building in Melbourne large enough to accommodate Mr Kennett’s large ego, but it is a very important asset that we do have in this city, in this state –

Gaelle Broad: On a point of order, Acting President, I am just wanting to perhaps remind the member to come back to the relevance of the bill.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (John Berger): I think that was incredibly relevant. Mr Galea, could I bring you back to the bill, please.

Michael GALEA: With pleasure. I will come back. I will actually say that was approaching the end of my remarks anyway, but it is a very important bill. Although very relatively minor and very straightforward, it is one that acknowledges the role that these fantastic facilities play, not just for the city of Melbourne but for all Victorians. I am very excited to see that being codified and that being changed, and therefore I do support and commend this bill to the house.

Motion agreed to.

Read second time.

Third reading

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (18:24): I move, by leave:

That the bill be now read a third time.

Motion agreed to.

Read third time.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (John Berger): Pursuant to standing order 14.28, the bill will be returned to the Assembly with a message informing them that the Council have agreed to the bill with without amendment.