Motion: Government Business Program

MOTION:

‘GOVERNMENT BUSINESS PROGRAM.’

Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:47):

I rise to speak on the Government Business Program.

And I do start by saying that, unfortunately, you will perhaps notice throughout my contributions this week a lessening of the sunny disposition that I normally possess in the Chamber, because of a broken toe. I do want to let you know before I commence my first contribution of the day that that sunniness will be a little less than normal, but we will persevere, nevertheless. I apologise in advance.

We will not be supporting the Government Business Program, because we have seen week in and week out that the Government Business Program that is proposed and what this house does are two different things. We see changes on a day-to-day basis that by Thursday mean that what was proposed is not the substance of what is delivered in this Chamber, and there are things in this Chamber that we should be debating, that should have been included in the Government Business Program.

I do say, and I have noted this before, there were no Private Members Bills accommodated. We are nearly at the end of the term, and Private Members Bills have not been accommodated at any point throughout this term. The Leader of the House spoke in some great detail – some might say foreshadowing debate, but I will leave that there – on the Workplace Protection Orders. On this side of the House we recall moving Amendments to a Bill in November last year. We recall only last week proposing a Private Member’s Bill on that same subject matter. Had we had time in this Chamber, which is not afforded through this Government Business Program, we could have seen changes in law that would not have led to the delay on issues like we are seeing with Workplace Protection Orders.

We are seeing important proposed legislation that has been drafted not only by the Opposition; we saw the Greens today move a Private Member’s Bill. Without speaking to the substance of what they proposed, it is an important mechanism that should be afforded but which has not been afforded time in the Government Business Program. There are a number of Bills in that regard. We see notice given today for a number of matters in the Attorney’s portfolio area, for which Private Members Bills have already been drafted and attempted to be moved in this Chamber.

The list now is very, very long of Bills that have been drafted, have been movedin this Chamber and have been denied by way of the Government using their numbers to block any debate and then later come back into the Chamber to say that they are considering legislating in that way, oftentimes perhaps a year after the fact. Workplace Protection Orders are one example. Suppression orders are another example. If this Government Business Program enabled debate for Private Members Bills, that would not be the case. The list is now very, very long of legislative proposals that the Opposition has put forward that have not seen change.

When it comes to the Government Business Program, it is not just Private Members Bills that have not been afforded time; we have seen a Government not use its time in this Chamber wisely and at times debate as few as two Bills in substance in a week, and now we have five because the Government has so poorly mismanaged its time. Throughout my time as Manager of Opposition Business I have raised that very point in the Government Business Program debate. We are now seeing additional Bills in the last days. After today there are only eight sitting days left in theory – who would know – of this Parliament, but the Government Business Program has been shown over that time to be very poorly mismanaged. As I started by saying, what we move today will most likely not be what we consider by the end of the week. That is why we will not be supporting the Government Business Program today.