Motion: Government Business Program

MOTION

‘GOVERNMENT BUSINESS PROGRAM’.

Tuesday, 12 November 2024.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:54):

As I look at the Government Business Program that the Leader of the House has just moved and the one listed on the daily program produced by the Parliament, they are different. What a mess. This Government has proven time and time again that they are losing control of the Parliament and that they do not, frankly, know what they are doing. We saw it at the end of last year with Bill after Bill shelved in the Council, not dealt with, because the Government did not know what to do. They had introduced things and sought to move things through this place and the other place without consulting with the Parliament. Now we are seeing a mess in their organisation of this place.

As I said, we have a Government Business Program listed on the Parliament’s daily program which is different to the motion that has been just moved in this place, so we cannot support a Government Business Program that is a mess. It is a mess, and Victorians would expect more. They would expect more both in terms of the management and operation of this place but also in terms of the fair and reasonable management of proposed Bills through this place.

Governments should not be introducing Bills and trying to push them through in a haphazard way because they have been caught out by the Opposition, who have been trying to make meaningful changes on important issues as occurred last sitting week, two weeks ago. We saw it today. We saw a Government find a Bill and try to treat it as urgent this week, on an issue that the Coalition has been pushing for action on for some time. This urgent Bill has a 19-month delay where it will sit gathering dust. The Coalition cannot support a Government Business Program – which one is it? Is it the Government Business Program –

Mary-Anne Thomas interjected.

James NEWBURY: The Leader of the House says it is the one that the Leader of the House read out, but the daily program which is available at the end of the Table has three Bills listed for this week. There is a fourth one that I understand the Leader of the House has read out – the tobacco Bill – and we have said we want that Bill debated, because it is an important issue. The fact that the Government has so poorly managed this issue is a reflection on them, and as I said earlier, two firebombings have occurred in the last two weeks in Pascoe Vale.

I note that the Government Business Program – I do not know if it was right or if it is still right anymore – that was sent out to non-Government Members suggested that there would be debate around the budget Bills. I know for many weeks I have been trying to find an opportunity for the Government to allow Members of all sides to speak about the dud Budget, which a third of the Members of this Chamber, roughly speaking, have not even spoken on. The notification that went out to Members suggested that there would be time for that debate. There are so many Members of this place who have not been able to talk about the fact that on our side of the Chamber our communities are being ripped off again. But I suspect now that with four Bills to debate this week – not that it is on the program that has been sent out by the Parliament – proposed for the Government Business Program, that budget debate opportunity may not occur or would not occur in any meaningful way. And how can you be so ashamed of your own Budget that a third of the Members of this place are not given an opportunity to speak about it? That just shows you are trying to hide it, doesn’t it? You do not stop a third of your backbench being able to speak on something unless you are really, really embarrassed about the Budget. I do note that that proposal was put
out publicly that there would be meaningful debate on that, but I suspect now with four Bills for debate this week that will not occur.

The Coalition cannot support the mess of the Government Business Program. I do not think the Government knows what it is doing from day to day. Clearly that is not the case in that what we are seeing on the program provided by the Parliament and what the Leader just said are completely different, so the Coalition will not be supporting the program.