Motion: Government Business Program

MOTION

‘GOVERNMENT BUSINESS PROGRAM’.

Tuesday, 3 March 2026.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (13:05):

I rise to speak on the Government Business Program and oppose the Government Business Program. It is a Government Business Program that has changed. I do want to give a bit of background.

When the Attorney-General’s office contacted me in relation to a new Bill that the Parliament was to consider today in the Assembly – a new Bill which splits off the strengthening of hate speech laws – at that time, on behalf of the Coalition, I said to the Attorney I would ask and hopefully see that Bill be considered immediately when the House commences. I proposed that the Bill be considered today and be acquitted by 5 o’clock today. I asked the Attorney on behalf of the Coalition if, by 5 o’clock today, that Bill could be taken away from the normal 5 o’clock Thursday finish for Bills, and that this particular Amendment, through the Bill, be considered by 5 o’clock today. I say to the Government, in relation to accepting that request from the Coalition, that that was a good thing, and I do not think that reflects on our broader views of the Government Business Program.

This is a Government Business Program, as I have said for a couple of weeks in a row now, is so mismanaged that the Government is seeking to pull stunts every single Thursday. Every single Thursday the Government pulls stunts. Each week the Government say in this debate they will not pull stunts. I note that the second item on the Notice Paper is another sledge motion which just bells the cat that Thursday we will see another sledge.

What this Government Business Program is about is management of time of this Chamber. When we have Bills listed for consideration before 5 o’clock on Thursday, it would be fair for Victorians to assume that debate in this Chamber until that time was on the Bills that are listed, unless the Leader of the House raised another matter that could be considered through the week. It is fair and
reasonable for Victorians to assume that. In fact, when there are other motions that are to be considered, often the Leader of the House, especially when they are bipartisan motions, will note in her contribution on the Government Business Program that, in addition to the Bills of the week, we will be dealing with whatever the other thing is. What we have seen over recent weeks is the Government seeking to use the whole of Thursday afternoon to deal with motions that attack the Opposition, and of course on every occasion –

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, the Government Business Program clearly outlines the four Bills that are being debated, and I ask that you ask the member to come back to discussing the Government Business Program, which is the four Bills that are on the Program.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Leader of the House, you were allowed context, and I will allow the Member for Brighton the same courtesy.

James NEWBURY: Of course, the Leader of the House does not want me to give context – which is completely reasonable in the debate on the Government Business Program and how the time of the week is apportioned. I give context because not only have the Government, each week on the Government Business Program debate, said that they would not be debating other motions and then done so, but the Notice Paper today lists a sledge motion as the second item, which shows that is what the Government will do.

It is worth noting that on each of those occasions on Thursdays the Leader of the House has never spoken. The Leader of the House has never had the courage to speak and has always sent out backbenchers. Then, on moving the substantive motion initially, the Government Minister last week spoke for 8 minutes of the 30-minute allocation – very short. To the Minister who is at the table, in no way am I reflecting on the quality of the debate, but it did not go for the full time.

And so, I will say that, as much as I enjoy procedural debates and speaking on these motions, I do not know why the Government wants to keep giving me the best part of an hour of debate time every Thursday afternoon rather than dealing with substantive matters. So of course we are going to oppose the Government Business Program, because the Government is misusing Chamber time. It is shameful. It reflects on them, and sadly, every Victorian is let down.