Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Department of the Legislative Council

Report 2023–24

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:48): I rise to speak on a report that has just been tabled in this place, the annual report of the Department of the Legislative Council. In doing so I will take a brief opportunity to again acknowledge –

David Davis interjected.

Michael GALEA: A cure for insomnia, did you say?

David Davis: The report.

Michael GALEA: I thought the Legislative Council was a cure for insomnia, Mr Davis, perhaps some of our late-night committee-of-the-whole sessions. I know I for one find this place invigorating at all times of day, as I am sure you do too, Mr Davis. We all do have the great privilege of being in this place, whether for a long time or a short time, to passionately represent the views of our constituents and our values and our beliefs. It is a great privilege to be here to do that, and in doing so we are very, very well enabled by the incredible staff of the department, two of whom I see in front of me here in the chamber and many others who work in various support roles – clerking roles and tabling office roles as well as attendants – and indeed staff covered under the Department of Parliamentary Service, such as those poor long-suffering people who have to listen to us through the broadcast and transcribe everything that we say for Hansard.

It is a very special privilege, as I say, to be here. It has been quite a big year, as the report clearly shows. We had a resignation from the Council in the past 12 months, with the good Dr Bach driving, as Charli XCX might say, to the airport, to the airport, to the airport to get away from the dysfunction that is the Victorian Liberal Party. We did indeed see a new member come in as part of that. I know that very much for many of us in the chamber we greatly miss the good Dr Bach and his quirky and eclectic and often entertaining contributions in this place as well as his detailed knowledge of his brief, which is something that we are certainly feeling the loss of now from those members opposite. But while we might miss the good doctor, I was very surprised to hear Mr Davis himself in fact today make some rather disparaging remarks about Dr Bach, which I was very, very disappointed to hear. I am sure that the good Dr Bach will be disappointed to hear one of his former colleagues talking him down so much and running him down, which is, sadly, just so typical of what we see: the chaos and the dysfunction and the disunity. We heard a motion read into the chamber earlier this morning about team building. I think Dr Heath made the reference that Labor MPs enjoy getting together to team build. Well, that may be the case, but something that the Liberal Party certainly could do with a little bit more of is some team building. I am sure that my good colleagues in the National Party, who are shackled to these people, would no doubt agree with me on that.

Melina Bath: Is this a cheerio?

Michael GALEA: It is a cheerio for you, Ms Bath, because I am speaking the silent cries that you cannot about the dysfunction of your coalition partner that you have to endure day after day, week after week. Who is the leader? Is it going to be Mr Wells, the member Rowville? Is it going to be Mr Crewther, the member for Mornington? Mr Battin, perhaps? In fact I think every member of my region who is in the Liberal Party is running for the Liberal leadership at this stage.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, this is an opportunity, this section of proceedings on a Wednesday, to deal with government reports. It is not an opportunity to deal with a general attack on the opposition, personnel, individuals and so forth without any context beyond the Legislative Council committee report.

The PRESIDENT: I am not too sure about the attack on any individual party, but I think, Mr Davis, if you had said relevance, I probably would have upheld that. I will call Mr Galea back to the report.

Melina Bath: On a point of order, President, on relevance.

The PRESIDENT: I 100 per cent uphold Ms Bath’s point of order. I will call Mr Galea back to the report.

Michael GALEA: I thank you, President, as indeed I thank Mr Davis for allowing me to continue for so long before his point of order as well. There are very many other things that we do get done in this department, in this chamber. I do note as well – taking up Ms Bath’s interjection from just before – with regard to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association there will be some things in the report I dare say for next year, such as when Ms Lovell and I were in Tuvalu at the start of the financial year, and indeed a few of us will be in Sydney shortly for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which will be good to see on Australian shores as well. So there are very many things, and once again I express my very big appreciation of and thankyou to the amazing staff, who very patiently put up with all of us and allow us to do what we do in this place.