Motion: Apology Day

MOTION

‘APOLOGY DAY.’

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (11:29):

I will just make a few brief comments, although we will not be opposing the Motion.

This will be the fourth apology to Indigenous Australians, which we will be hearing next week. The Minister did note the apology next week will be unprecedented for those that may not have been here, and I think we do have a Member of this place who will have been here at the time.

Former Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett, in this very place, moved an apology on behalf of this Parliament, so to suggest that the fourth apology next week is unprecedented is just wrong. This very Chamber passed a motion of apology following the moving of that motion by then Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett.

I do note that confusion has extended to others, not just those now in the Chamber. When the Premier apologised last year to Indigenous people she said: ‘On behalf of successive Victorian Governments, I apologised’ and that she was the first representative of the Victorian Government to do so – the first representative of the Victorian Government to do so. Again, that was wrong.

For those that recall, and I do put on record for the house, almost 30 years ago former Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett moved an apology in this very Chamber by way of substantive motion, and that should be remembered. I am sure that this House should remember that. I feel very certain that the former Premier remembers it, and his record in this place stands strong.

In fact, the apology he moved was 10 years before the national apology, and that should be noted: 10 years before the national apology he moved one in this place. Although the Coalition will not be opposing this motion, we note that it will be the fourth apology – the fourth.

Members interjecting.

James NEWBURY: I hear from the Government that you cannot apologise enough, and I am sure that it will become an annual thing. Next week’s apology will be the fourth of what I suspect from the Government benches will become a repeated apology. The point that I would make and have made previously is that actions speak louder than words. And although we are not taking away from previous apologies, actions speak louder than words – actions. I feel very confident not only that at some stage this House will hear this apology but that one day we will hear a Premier apologising to Victorians for the crime crisis that we are in and the crimes and deaths that have occurred in this state because of the weakness of this Government and that crime crisis.