Motion: Debate be Adjourned: Premiers Anti-Semitism Motion

MOTION: DEBATE BE ADJOURNED –

PREMIER’S ANTI-SEMITISM MOTION.

Thursday, 31 July 2025

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (10:20):

I move:

That the debate be adjourned.

Yesterday the Premier came into this place and gave notice of an important motion on antisemitism. The history of this Parliament would tell you that the Premier would at the next available opportunity, which would be this morning, move her motion. I just saw the Premier wandering by in the corridor, so the Premier is here. Instead, the Government has moved to a Bill for the third day in a row and has refused to allow the Premier time to debate her motion. I have never seen a Premier give notice of a motion and not have it debated, ever. I do not think anyone can recall a time where the Premier would give notice of a motion, so-called, to stand against antisemitism. We know how hollow it is, because it is not being debated in this Chamber. There will be a vote shortly. The vote will be whether this Parliament now deals with the Premier’s motion, which stands against antisemitism. What will the Government do? Will the Government vote against the Premier’s motion? Of course it will. How disgraceful that will be.

John Lister interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Member for Werribee is warned.

James NEWBURY: This Parliament is now debating the same Bill for a third day and has shelved the Premier’s motion against antisemitism, and we know why. Guess how many speakers the Government has on the Premier’s motion – zero. They have not got one speaker listed on the motion the Premier gave notice of yesterday – not one name.

Members interjecting.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Member for Narre Warren North is not in her seat and is warned.

James NEWBURY: It does not surprise anybody. It would be the shortest list in history. How many Government Members are going to want to get up and speak
on the Premier’s motion? How could the Premier possibly make it worse in this state by giving notice of a motion and then shelving it? Had she not given notice at all, it would have probably been better, because now we all know that there is a notice of motion sitting on the Notice Paper and the Premier has been sidelined and has not had an opportunity to move her motion in this Chamber. I suspect her Party Room has rolled her. That is the only possible explanation as to why a Premier, for the first time I suspect in history, has not moved a motion of such importance the day after putting it on the notice paper, because she has been rolled by her Caucus. And the speakers list does not even exist.

Luba Grigorovitch: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, that is a huge assumption. I would like a withdrawal, please.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, Member for Kororoit.

James NEWBURY: The Member for Kororoit can speak next about her strong support of the motion. Never has a Premier brought a motion into this Chamber, and I say this Parliament should be debating it rather than the same Bill for a third day. That is what this Government’s now doing – it is the new trick – for a third day they are debating the same Bill, and in this case, it is to hide the Premier’s motion against antisemitism. We on this side of the Chamber heard the Premier give notice of her motion and thought of course it would be debated first up today. We stood ready, in a bipartisan way, to speak to it.

The Premier did not notify the rest of the Parliament that she was moving it, not that she had to, but if she was intending for it to be a bipartisan motion, it would have been courteous. But I will set that aside. We of course stood ready on this side of the Chamber to speak to it, because what is happening on our streets is a disgrace, and our Parliament should be standing and speaking about those matters. We should be standing together in those matters. So, to know that the Premier has been rolled and that this motion will not even be debated is a disgrace. As I said, I just saw the Premier in the corridor wandering by, so she is here. But what is not here today is that motion, and that tells you everything about the Labor Party’s view on these issues. They are not willing to stand up and have it debated.