Motion - 13 Day Adjournment Justice Legislation

MOTION

‘13 DAY ADJOURNMENT JUSTICE LEGISLATION’.

Wednesday, 15 August 2023.

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (10:40): I move:

That the debate be adjourned for 13 days.

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (10:40): I am absolutely outraged. I am outraged. I am shocked. I am absolutely outraged. We have had several weeks running where the Government has tried to ram through legislation, and it is a very thin number of Bills they have. All this shows is the Government cannot manage its own legislative program. We have yet to, in this Chamber, debate the Budget take-note motion this week. We have not had the opportunity to debate it yet.

We spent almost the entire day yesterday debating one of the Government’s own sledge motions, and we have now seen the Government introduce a Bill and try to push through this new Bill within 13 days, breaching the longstanding convention. This has happened so many times in this Parliament.

In fact, I would say there have been more instances of this Government breaching the convention of a two-week layover of a bill than has ever happened in this Parliament before. In the short life of this arrogant Government – a Government that frankly is already in civil war – and in the short life of this term they have done it more than it has been done in the entire time of this Parliament. It is not just a convention that has stood in Victoria but a convention that has stood in the Westminster system for the best part of a century. It is a convention that exists for a reason. The convention of a two-week layover of a Bill is there for a reason.

We know the Government is embarrassed. We know why the Government is shouting and full of bluster. It is because they do not want the community to see what they plan to do. That is the problem. They have been caught. They have been sprung. They do not want the community to know what they are doing. They cannot manage their own legislative program, so they take every opportunity to ram it through sometimes, as is the case here when we have not had an opportunity to read the legislation yet. This is the Justice Legislation Amendment Bill 2023.

But we saw it with the Budget. How outrageous. How outrageous was that, ramming through new tax Bills without providing the community any opportunity to see the pernicious taxes that the government was introducing and slamming onto the Victorian community. We have seen it again today.

In this short term we have seen the Government push through Bills in a way that we have not seen in the life of this Parliament. The breaches of convention are absolutely outrageous. It is absolutely outrageous what the government is doing. It is another example of the mismanagement of this place, which is clear for all to see.

It is absolutely clear for all to see. Victorians should have a right to see the Bills that are introduced into this place. They should have an opportunity to consider them. Organisations that are interested, that work in the field, and industry should have an opportunity to consider the Bills that are introduced into this place. That is why this Parliament, that is why the Westminster system, has a convention of ensuring a minimum time for the community to look at what Governments are proposing. But the government does not care. That is why they are doing it again; they are ramming through another Bill – another instance of not allowing the community to see what they are doing.

This is just a clear example of the Government mismanaging this place, mismanaging their program and hiding what they are doing, as they did with the Budget taxes. They slammed the Budget taxes through this place. What a disgrace. I would say the Coalition will oppose what the Government is trying to do today, to ram another Bill through this place, not allowing the community and opportunity to see it. We will vote against it.