Motion: 'Debate be Adjourned: Berwick Sledge Motion ~ Two.'

MOTION

‘DEBATE BE ADJOURNED: BERWICK SLEDGE MOTION ~ TWO’.

Thursday, 28 November 2024

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:42):

This is an outrageous abuse of the Parliament’s time. While the Premier is sitting in this Chamber, I can say the Premier is taking this Parliament into the gutter and knowingly misusing this Parliament’s time to take it into a sledge motion.

The SPEAKER: Order!

James NEWBURY: This is my voice, Speaker.

Colin Brooks: On a point of order, Speaker, the member knows that reflecting on another Member is disorderly.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Brighton, be mindful of not reflecting on Members.

James NEWBURY: The Labor Government is seeking to again waste this Parliament’s time by sledging. How ashamed they should be. We will fight it at every single step. We will cause a division at every single step, because the Premier needs to own this. The Premier needs to be called out for allowing this most outrageous abuse of our Parliament’s time. Victorians should be watching on, with an hour or so left, in theory, of the last day of the week for Parliament before Christmas, to see the type of gutter behaviour of this Labor Government.

To think that this Government is going to finish the year moving on to a sledgemotion again after using the Parliament’s time so shamefully yesterday. I put on record again how many times I went to the Government yesterday to say, ‘Please stop using the Parliament’s time in this way.’ Today I again said to the Government, ‘Leave yesterday’s mistakes in yesterday. Do not move the mistakes of yesterday into today.’

We now see a procedural motion that takes away debate on a Bill on paramedics to sledge a Member of the Opposition.

It is absolutely shameful. The Government would only agree to using two days of its time in this way if the Premier personally approved of it. And that says everything about the Premier’s character, doesn’t it? We know that is what it does. This is an outrageous abuse.

Iwan Walters: On a point of order, Speaker, this procedural motion is not an excuse for the Member for Brighton to reflect upon those opposite and to impugn the character of the Premier or any other Member.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Brighton, be mindful of not reflecting on Members in the Chamber.

James NEWBURY: I was reflecting on the collective, the collective Labor Government, who have now for two days wasted time. The Leader of the House talks about sledging. I tell you what, the Leader of the House is the king sledger of this place.

The SPEAKER: Order! Through the Chair.

James NEWBURY: The absolute sledger of this place, to allow the Parliament to be used in this way. What I can also let the Parliament know is that during the division the Greens and the National Party advised me that they do not want to speak on the sledge motion. I advise the Speaker that the National Party and Greens advised me during the division that they do not wish to speak on the sledge motion.

Pauline Richards: On a point of order, Speaker, this is a tight procedural debate, and I would ask you to bring the member back to the procedural debate.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Brighton, do not interrupt people when they are on their feet. Come back to the procedural motion.

James NEWBURY: Thank you, and I was speaking to the procedure. During the division the National Party and the Greens advised me that they do not wish to speak on the sledge motion. We will oppose it at every single step of the way. This is disgusting, and it shows quite clearly for everyone the Premier’s character.