Motion: Government Business Program

MOTION:

‘GOVERNMENT BUSINESS PROGRAM.’

Tuesday, 25 August 2026

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:20):

I rise to speak on the Government Business Program.

What a mess this Parliament is. What a mess this Government Business Program is. We had six days left of Parliament and the Government had over four years to work out how they would manage a legislative program over that four years, and they have got to the final days of their Government – the end of days for the Government – and have worked out that time is running out and their delivery for the community has not lived up to expectations, and now the Government are in a mad panic to try and make up for all of the errors they have made in relation to community priorities. That is why we now know that we will not be sitting for five more days after today. An additional week of sitting has been announced – to do what? Who would know? You would see, in what has returned to this place today, what is being considered in the Council this week and what there is an indication of being brought into this Chamber, that the Program has not facilitated and the Leader of the House has not spoken to how all of those things will be managed. That is important, because if you are on top of your job – if you are on top of managing the Program – you will know how you are going to manage these things.

We know that we will probably sit late tomorrow evening, only briefly, because the plan for valedictories has not fully been thought through, and now we have to fit valedictories in, which of course we all should be here for. I am not in any way reflecting on the valedictories occurring, but it is just a sign of mismanagement of the Chamber’s time. All of these things should be managed in a way that these things are managed well. We expect, I would presume, working from home at some stage to be brought back into the Chamber – perhaps this week – though we would put on record that despite a press conference last week, no Amendments have been moved to the Bill. What are the Amendments?

Anthony Carbines: On a point of order, Speaker, as much as I appreciate the crystal balling of the Member for Brighton, I ask, on relevance – which he has been keen for us to adhere to on this side of the house – for him to perhaps go to some of the six substantive Bills and the three that are forecast for Amendment. He might want to cast some commentary on those matters.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, I remind you that it is the Government Business Program we are debating.

James NEWBURY: Thank you, Speaker, and I have been very, very careful not to make any political comments and rather to talk about managing the Chamber. I think some latitude thereof is reasonable, considering we will need to understand how we will bring through work that is being done in the Council and potentially Amendments to other Bills that the Government is seeking to move through the Chamber this week. It is only reasonable to understand how we will facilitate those items around a proposed Government Business Program and, as the Leader of the House identified, Amendments that are returning from the Council. When it comes to managing this Chamber’s time, you do need to take into account the work in the Council and those Amendments coming through, and that is why I raised the work from home legislation, because I suspect there will be Amendments.

The Government has announced that there will be Amendments but has not made any public release about that, so it is reasonable to talk through how this Chamber will facilitate that. But I take the Leader of the House’s point. For working from home, as there have been no Amendments moved by the Government despite their public promise, it is probably a fair thing to surmise that nothing will happen with that legislation this week, and I take the Leader of the House up on that point.

Further, I understand that the Government is considering further IBAC reform and there will perhaps need to be time afforded for that legislation. The Premier, last Thursday from memory, announced an intention on IBAC. The Premier announced that, so I think it is reasonable that we consider that. That is why we oppose the Program.