Motion: Government Business Program

MOTION

‘GOVERNMENT BUSINESS PROGRAM’.

Tuesday, 2 December 2025

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (13:00):

The Coalition will be opposing the Government Business Program.

It is another instance of the Government mismanaging the Chamber. As we spoke about earlier today, the Coalition of course will not be opposing the legislation in relation to the ‘Adult Time for Adult Crime’ legislation that will be considered later today. However, we are concerned by the way the Government is managing the Chamber.

Can I have just a moment’s indulgence, noting that it is the final Government Business Program for the year, to say that I think it is important that the House acknowledges the incredible work of the people in this Chamber and more broadly the Parliament to make this place operate throughout the year.

The Coalition want to put on record our thanks to the Clerks. The Clerks are incredible people. We just heard only a moment ago of the Clerk of the Parliaments picking up an issue in a particular amendment that came through both chambers. The Clerk picked up a small issue in that Amendment post the fact, which just goes to show, I think, the incredible work that the Clerks do in picking up things that perhaps we have not picked up and perhaps the Government has not picked up. They are working at all hours to make sure that the legislation that goes through the Chamber is as good as it should be for Victorians. But more broadly, when we sit late hours, the Clerks are here, and so too are the Attendants. The Attendants are here working incredibly hard to support us and support the Parliament’s operation. To the security staff, who keep the building safe, and more broadly all of the staff – the Hansard staff and every single member of Parliamentary Services who makes sure this Parliament operates – thank you for everything that you do. You do an incredible job.

Beyond just the Parliamentary staff, to all of our own staff in terms of Members of Parliament, thank you very much for the work that you do throughout the year.

I know in my own office I have an incredible staff. Elouise Ager my Office Manager, Allie Hawkins, Victoria Morgan and Edward Bourke work very, very hard. I am sure that is so not just in my office but in all of our offices. I am sure every Member of Parliament would thank their staff for the work that they do in ensuring that we have the information and the support that we need in terms of communicating with our constituency, Ministers and their staff in terms of the work they do as well more broadly. I think we should all take the opportunity, with this being the last Government Business Program, to thank all of them for the work they do and, as I said earlier, Parliamentary staff for their incredible work. We have had a number of sitting days this year where we have sat very, very late without any anticipation of doing so, and those staff have been here, so thank you.

The Coalition will not be supporting the Government Business Program, because of the haphazard way that the Government is proposing to manage this week. We raised concerns about that in an earlier debate, but we will be raising concerns now through the Government Business Program procedural motion that the Government is mismanaging this Chamber yet again. That should not reflect on the substance of the matters to be dealt with. Two of those bills I will be speaking to in more detail, one of them today, and we will unfortunately not get the opportunity to debate it in the time that we should, because of the 5 o’clock guillotine, so the Coalition will be opposing the Government Business Motion.