Motion: Item be Postponed: Government Sledge Motion

MOTION

‘ITEM BE POSTPONED: GOVERNMENT SLEDGE MOTION’.

Thursday, 19 February 2026.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:31):

Firstly, I do note the Government has just moved to adjourn debate till later this day, and it was not the Leader of the House again. We have had two procedural Motions and a missing Leader of the House. The Leader of the House has not spoken on one procedural Motion that I am aware of other than the Government Business Program. I do not know what we are paying her for. What are we paying her for? Unfortunately –

The SPEAKER: Order! Could Members leave the Chamber quickly and quietly, please.

James NEWBURY: We have a Government that for two sitting weeks in a row has tried the same trick and has failed twice. And we have lost the Leader of the House again. She has left the Minister for Creative Industries in the Chamber – here he is. He is about to say more than the Leader of the House ever has – Members interjecting.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Simmer down. Colin Brooks: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, I am not sure what is going on over there at the moment. The Member for Brighton seems to be obsessed with the Leader of the House.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The point of order is?

Colin Brooks: This is a procedural Motion about when the debate is adjourned until.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Member for Brighton will continue on that procedural Motion, I know.

James NEWBURY: I very much appreciate the Minister’s Point of Order and feel that he would make a great Leader of the House. He would be far more capable to be Leader of the House.

The Government, as we know, has again tried to debate an important Bill. There are many Members on our side of the Chamber who want to speak on this Bill because they know their communities are being screwed over and are having no say in what the government is doing to regional Victoria again. We on this side of the House know that when it comes to what is happening in regional Victoria, those communities are having all of their rights and all of their say ripped away.

The Government is moving from a Bill that deals with the rights of regional Victorians when it comes to the energy rollout and instead is trying to waste the Parliament’s time again on a sledge Motion. What that tells me is that for a second week in a row – when they moved this Motion, when they tried this trick in the last sitting week, I thought to myself at the end of the day, ‘Well, that’s the last time they’re going to try and adjourn debate so that they can deal with a sledge Motion’. I thought, ‘It’s not possible for them to do it twice’ –

Members interjecting.

James NEWBURY: The Government tells me I am not speaking loud enough. I am only too happy to oblige. I thought to myself, ‘How can the Government possibly be so tactically stupid?’ But here we are again, and when you look at what happened outside the doors of this Parliament this morning, I can understand why they are moving an adjournment Motion. Wasn’t the Premier’s press conference a train wreck? Wasn’t that a train wreck?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I think I can pre-empt the point of order, Minister for Creative Industries.

Colin Brooks: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, I can pre-empt what you were thinking I was going to raise, but I was actually going to raise something I think is probably different. This is not on the adjournment Motion that we have spent the last half-hour debating, this is on the motion that has been moved for this to be considered later this day, and what the Premier did on the front steps is not relevant to the debate that is being put in front of the House.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The point of order, as would be appreciated, is succinct. Member for Brighton, back on the adjournment question of when.

James NEWBURY: However, the reasoning –

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: On the point of order?

James NEWBURY: No, I am speaking to the matter. The reasoning why the government is adjourning until later this day is entirely relevant. The reasoning for ‘until later this day’ is entirely relevant, and to deflect from the Premier’s train wreck would be the reason that I put to the Chamber.

Members interjecting.

James NEWBURY: Well, it was a train wreck. What would you call it? You guys are all briefing the media.

Paul Edbrooke: On a Point of Order, this is a train wreck, Deputy Speaker. Please bring the Member for Brighton back to the subject at hand.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will take it that is relevance. Member for Brighton, continue with the –

James NEWBURY: I can understand why the Members are touchy about what has happened with the Premier this week.