Motion: Government Business Program

MOTION

‘GOVERNMENT BUSINESS PROGRAM’.

Thursday, 17 February 2026.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (13:45):

This debate on the Government Business Program is a debate effectively around what we expect this House to deal with over the week – over the three days – and the matters that will be debated, and I recall in the last sitting week when we spoke about the Government Business Program I spoke about time management in this place, which I again refer to today. In that debate I talked about the fact that I expected that the Government Business Program would not be what was considered by the Chamber, and the Government Members thereafter took great umbrage and tried to take the high moral ground both during that debate and for a number of days about how this Chamber’s time was very precious and how the Government would only be dealing with what was on the Government Business Program, which turned out not to be true. So, it was right and reasonable for us to oppose the Government Business Program on the basis that it was a big fake and the Government Business Program would not be what this House debated.

Again, we will not be supporting the Government Business Program, because we know from the track record of this Government that what they say and what they do are two very different things. We saw on the last sitting day just before this Chamber rose how that was the case and how in that instance the Government attempted to use the Parliament’s time to deal with a sledge motion. I think we on this side of the Chamber expect, as the Government moves this Government Business Program right now, that the Government will try and misuse the Chamber’s time this week. We have absolutely no faith that what is being proposed will in any way match the outcome of the time in this Chamber. In that one instance, though the Government tried to move a sledge motion, unfortunately they did not think through how they would do it, and they had to listen to me debate it procedurally for an hour and a half, which I enjoyed but I do not know if they enjoyed.

What it does tell us is that when the Government say they are going to do something, when they say they are going to use this Chamber’s time to deal with the important issues that are of concern to Victorians, those issues are not considered in the way that they should be. This House’s time is precious, so we would like to hear a commitment from this Government – not only some hifalutin promise that the Government will be dealing with issues for Victorians but for them to actually match their commitment in terms of how they run this Chamber.

Just this morning I have given notice, which will appear on the Notice Paper, of a motion calling for a Royal Commission, and I would say of all the issues this Chamber could be debating this week, that motion should be attached to the Government Business Program and it should be attached to the debate of the week – and of course it will not be. So, we say to the Government: $15 billion is wasted through corrupt activity, mismanaged by this Government, and not a word of the issue is being considered by this Parliament this week. Can you imagine it? It is almost as if it did not happen, and I am sure the Government wish that to be the case.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, this is a debate about the Government Business Program. I have been very clear about what items are on the agenda for the program this week, and I ask that you ask the Manager of Opposition Business to come back to the GBP.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will not uphold the point of order, in the sense that the Member can give context – but please, on the Government Business Program.

James NEWBURY: I will talk about what the Government should be debating, because that is what a Government Business Program is. I can understand why the Labor Party does not want to deal with a Royal Commission. I can understand why they are touchy. I understand; I think we all are looking on and can see why they are touchy. But $15 billion is wasted. It should be debated this week. Of course, the Government wants to act like ‘nothing to see here’. We will not be supporting the Government Business Program, and we will be opposing every effort they make this week to waste the Parliament’s time.