PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

(HANSARD)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT

FIRST SESSION

TUESDAY, 22 JUNE 2021

Internet: www.parliament.vic.gov.au/downloadhansard

By authority of the Victorian Government Printer

The Governor The Honourable LINDA DESSAU, AC The Lieutenant-Governor The Honourable KEN LAY, AO, APM

The ministry

Premier ...... The Hon. DM Andrews, MP Deputy Premier, Minister for Education and Minister for Mental Health The Hon. JA Merlino, MP Attorney-General and Minister for Resources ...... The Hon. J Symes, MLC Minister for Transport Infrastructure and Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop ...... The Hon. JM Allan, MP Minister for Training and Skills, and Minister for Higher Education .... The Hon. GA Tierney, MLC Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Industrial Relations ...... The Hon. TH Pallas, MP Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Roads and Road Safety .. The Hon. BA Carroll, MP Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, and Minister for Solar Homes ...... The Hon. L D’Ambrosio, MP Minister for Child Protection and Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers ...... The Hon. LA Donnellan, MP Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services and Minister for Equality ...... The Hon. MP Foley, MP Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, and Minister for Fishing and Boating ...... The Hon. MM Horne, MP Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice and Minister for Victim Support ...... The Hon. NM Hutchins, MP Minister for Local Government, Minister for Suburban Development and Minister for Veterans ...... The Hon. SL Leane, MLC Minister for Water and Minister for Police and Emergency Services .... The Hon. LM Neville, MP Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and Minister for Racing ...... The Hon. MP Pakula, MP Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services and Minister for Creative Industries ...... The Hon. DJ Pearson, MP Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, and Minister for Small Business ...... The Hon. JL Pulford, MLC Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Community Sport and Minister for Youth ...... The Hon. RL Spence, MP Minister for Workplace Safety and Minister for Early Childhood ...... The Hon. I Stitt, MLC Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Regional Development ...... The Hon. M Thomas, MP Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs ...... The Hon. G Williams, MP Minister for Planning and Minister for Housing ...... The Hon. RW Wynne, MP Cabinet Secretary ...... Ms S Kilkenny, MP

OFFICE-HOLDERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY FIFTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT—FIRST SESSION

Speaker The Hon. CW BROOKS

Deputy Speaker Ms JM EDWARDS

Acting Speakers Ms Blandthorn, Mr J Bull, Mr Carbines, Ms Connolly, Ms Couzens, Ms Crugnale, Mr Dimopoulos, Mr Edbrooke, Ms Halfpenny, Ms Kilkenny, Mr McGuire, Ms Richards, Mr Richardson, Ms Settle, Ms Suleyman, Mr Taylor and Ms Ward

Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and Premier The Hon. DM ANDREWS

Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and Deputy Premier The Hon. JA MERLINO

Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition The Hon. MA O’BRIEN Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party The Hon. LG McLEISH

Leader of The Nationals and Deputy Leader of the Opposition The Hon. PL WALSH Deputy Leader of The Nationals Ms SM RYAN

Leader of the House Ms JM ALLAN

Manager of Opposition Business Mr KA WELLS

Heads of parliamentary departments Assembly: Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: Ms B Noonan Council: Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the Legislative Council: Mr A Young Parliamentary Services: Secretary: Mr P Lochert

MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY FIFTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT—FIRST SESSION

Member District Party Member District Party Addison, Ms Juliana Wendouree ALP Maas, Mr Gary Narre Warren South ALP Allan, Ms Jacinta Marie Bendigo East ALP McCurdy, Mr Timothy Logan Ovens Valley Nats Andrews, Mr Daniel Michael Mulgrave ALP McGhie, Mr Stephen John Melton ALP Angus, Mr Neil Andrew Warwick Forest Hill LP McGuire, Mr Frank Broadmeadows ALP Battin, Mr Bradley William Gembrook LP McLeish, Ms Lucinda Gaye Eildon LP Blackwood, Mr Gary John Narracan LP Merlino, Mr James Anthony Monbulk ALP Blandthorn, Ms Elizabeth Anne Pascoe Vale ALP Morris, Mr David Charles Mornington LP Brayne, Mr Chris Nepean ALP Neville, Ms Lisa Mary Bellarine ALP Britnell, Ms Roma South-West Coast LP Newbury, Mr James Brighton LP Brooks, Mr Colin William Bundoora ALP Northe, Mr Russell John Morwell Ind Bull, Mr Joshua Michael Sunbury ALP O’Brien, Mr Daniel David Gippsland South Nats Bull, Mr Timothy Owen Gippsland East Nats O’Brien, Mr Michael Anthony Malvern LP Burgess, Mr Neale Ronald Hastings LP Pakula, Mr Martin Philip Keysborough ALP Carbines, Mr Anthony Richard Ivanhoe ALP Pallas, Mr Timothy Hugh Werribee ALP Carroll, Mr Benjamin Alan Niddrie ALP Pearson, Mr Daniel James Essendon ALP Cheeseman, Mr Darren Leicester South Barwon ALP Read, Dr Tim Brunswick Greens Connolly, Ms Sarah Tarneit ALP Richards, Ms Pauline Cranbourne ALP Couzens, Ms Christine Anne Geelong ALP Richardson, Mr Timothy Noel Mordialloc ALP Crugnale, Ms Jordan Alessandra Bass ALP Riordan, Mr Richard Vincent Polwarth LP Cupper, Ms Ali Mildura Ind Rowswell, Mr Brad Sandringham LP D’Ambrosio, Ms Liliana Mill Park ALP Ryan, Stephanie Maureen Euroa Nats Dimopoulos, Mr Stephen Oakleigh ALP Sandell, Ms Ellen Melbourne Greens Donnellan, Mr Luke Anthony Narre Warren North ALP Scott, Mr Robin David Preston ALP Edbrooke, Mr Paul Andrew Frankston ALP Settle, Ms Michaela Buninyong ALP Edwards, Ms Janice Maree Bendigo West ALP Sheed, Ms Suzanna Shepparton Ind Eren, Mr John Hamdi Lara ALP Smith, Mr Ryan Warrandyte LP Foley, Mr Martin Peter Albert Park ALP Smith, Mr Timothy Colin Kew LP Fowles, Mr Will Burwood ALP Southwick, Mr David James Caulfield LP Fregon, Mr Matt Mount Waverley ALP Spence, Ms Rosalind Louise Yuroke ALP Green, Ms Danielle Louise Yan Yean ALP Staikos, Mr Nicholas Bentleigh ALP Guy, Mr Matthew Jason Bulleen LP Staley, Ms Louise Eileen Ripon LP Halfpenny, Ms Bronwyn Thomastown ALP Suleyman, Ms Natalie St Albans ALP Hall, Ms Katie Footscray ALP Tak, Mr Meng Heang Clarinda ALP Halse, Mr Dustin Ringwood ALP Taylor, Mr Jackson Bayswater ALP Hamer, Mr Paul Box Hill ALP Theophanous, Ms Katerina Northcote ALP Hennessy, Ms Jill Altona ALP Thomas, Ms Mary-Anne Macedon ALP Hibbins, Mr Samuel Peter Prahran Greens Tilley, Mr William John Benambra LP Hodgett, Mr David John Croydon LP Vallence, Ms Bridget Evelyn LP Horne, Ms Melissa Margaret Williamstown ALP Wakeling, Mr Nicholas Ferntree Gully LP Hutchins, Ms Natalie Maree Sykes Sydenham ALP Walsh, Mr Peter Lindsay Murray Plains Nats Kairouz, Ms Marlene Kororoit ALP Ward, Ms Vicki Eltham ALP Kealy, Ms Emma Jayne Lowan Nats Wells, Mr Kimberley Arthur Rowville LP Kennedy, Mr John Ormond Hawthorn ALP Williams, Ms Gabrielle Dandenong ALP Kilkenny, Ms Sonya Carrum ALP Wynne, Mr Richard William Richmond ALP

PARTY ABBREVIATIONS ALP—Labor Party; Greens—The Greens; Ind—Independent; LP—Liberal Party; Nats—The Nationals.

Legislative Assembly committees

Economy and Infrastructure Standing Committee Ms Addison, Mr Blackwood, Ms Couzens, Mr Eren, Ms Ryan, Ms Theophanous and Mr Wakeling.

Environment and Planning Standing Committee Ms Connolly, Mr Fowles, Ms Green, Mr Hamer, Mr McCurdy, Mr Morris and Ms Vallence.

Legal and Social Issues Standing Committee Mr Battin, Ms Couzens, Ms Kealy, Ms Settle, Mr Southwick, Ms Suleyman and Mr Tak.

Privileges Committee Ms Allan, Mr Carroll, Mr Guy, Ms Hennessy, Mr McGuire, Mr Morris, Mr Pakula, Ms Ryan and Mr Wells.

Standing Orders Committee The Speaker, Ms Allan, Mr Cheeseman, Ms Edwards, Mr Fregon, Ms McLeish, Ms Sheed, Ms Staley and Mr Walsh.

Joint committees

Dispute Resolution Committee Assembly: Ms Allan, Ms Hennessy, Mr Merlino, Mr Pakula, Mr R Smith, Mr Walsh and Mr Wells. Council: Mr Bourman, Ms Crozier, Mr Davis, Ms Mikakos, Ms Symes and Ms Wooldridge.

Electoral Matters Committee Assembly: Mr Guy, Ms Hall and Dr Read. Council: Mr Erdogan, Mrs McArthur, Mr Meddick, Mr Melhem, Ms Lovell, Mr Quilty and Mr Tarlamis.

House Committee Assembly: The Speaker (ex officio), Mr T Bull, Ms Crugnale, Ms Edwards, Mr Fregon, Ms Sandell and Ms Staley. Council: The President (ex officio), Mr Bourman, Mr Davis, Mr Leane, Ms Lovell and Ms Stitt.

Integrity and Oversight Committee Assembly: Mr Halse, Ms Hennessy, Mr Rowswell, Mr Taylor and Mr Wells. Council: Mr Grimley and Ms Shing.

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee Assembly: Ms Blandthorn, Mr Hibbins, Mr Maas, Mr Newbury, Mr D O’Brien, Ms Richards, Mr Richardson and Mr Riordan. Council: Mr Limbrick and Ms Taylor.

Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee Assembly: Mr Burgess, Ms Connolly and Mr R Smith. Council: Mr Gepp, Ms Patten and Ms Watt.

CONTENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS Acknowledgement of country ...... 2191 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Standing and sessional orders ...... 2191 BILLS Police Informants Royal Commission Implementation Monitor Bill 2021 ...... 2194 Introduction and first reading ...... 2194 Racing Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2195 Introduction and first reading ...... 2195 Liquor Control Reform Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2195 Introduction and first reading ...... 2195 Occupational Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2196 Introduction and first reading ...... 2196 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Orders of the day ...... 2196 PETITIONS Jim Crow Creek ...... 2196 Lydiard Street crossing ...... 2197 COMMITTEES Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee ...... 2197 Alert Digest No. 8 ...... 2197 DOCUMENTS Documents ...... 2197 BILLS Appropriation (2021–2022) Bill 2021 ...... 2198 Appropriation (Parliament 2021–2022) Bill 2021 ...... 2198 Council’s agreement ...... 2198 Appropriation (2021–2022) Bill 2021 ...... 2199 Appropriation (Parliament 2021–2022) Bill 2021 ...... 2199 Gambling Regulation Amendment (Wagering and Betting Tax) Bill 2021 ...... 2199 State Taxation and Mental Health Acts Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2199 Royal assent ...... 2199 Education and Training Reform Amendment (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership) Bill 2021 ...... 2199 Appropriation ...... 2199 MOTIONS General business ...... 2199 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Program ...... 2199 MEMBERS STATEMENTS Severe weather event ...... 2203 Emergency services workers ...... 2204 Emergency services workers ...... 2204 Level crossing removals ...... 2205 Small business support ...... 2205 Big Housing Build ...... 2205 State Emergency Service Lilydale unit ...... 2206 Sandra MacNeil ...... 2206 Cathy Cukier ...... 2206 Emergency services workers ...... 2206 Anti-Racism Taskforce ...... 2207 Casey Nunn and Helen Patsikatheodorou ...... 2207 Sheena Frost ...... 2207 Salesian College, Sunbury ...... 2207 Severe weather event ...... 2207 State Emergency Service Chelsea unit ...... 2208 COVID-19 vaccinations ...... 2208 Vinnies Ascot Vale ...... 2208 Gender Equality Advisory Committee ...... 2209 Bayley House ...... 2209 Refugee Week ...... 2209 Friends of Refugees ...... 2210

Aung San Suu Kyi ...... 2210 Federal responsible lending laws ...... 2210 Charliese Allen ...... 2210 Federal responsible lending laws ...... 2210 Severe weather event ...... 2211 Truganina North Secondary School ...... 2211 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Notices of motion and orders of the day ...... 2211 BILLS Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2212 Second reading ...... 2212 MEMBERS Minister for Industry Support and Recovery ...... 2222 Absence ...... 2222 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Severe weather event ...... 2222 Ministers statements: severe weather event ...... 2223 Severe weather event ...... 2224 Ministers statements: severe weather event ...... 2225 Severe weather event ...... 2226 Ministers statements: severe weather event ...... 2227 Oil and gas exploration ...... 2227 Ministers statements: severe weather event ...... 2228 Elective surgery waiting lists ...... 2229 Ministers statements: severe weather event ...... 2230 CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS Murray Plains electorate ...... 2230 Wendouree electorate ...... 2230 Caulfield electorate ...... 2231 Tarneit electorate ...... 2231 Rowville electorate ...... 2231 Altona electorate ...... 2231 Forest Hill electorate ...... 2232 Hawthorn electorate ...... 2232 Gembrook electorate ...... 2232 Burwood electorate...... 2232 BILLS Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2233 Second reading ...... 2233 Third reading ...... 2253 Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021 ...... 2253 Second reading ...... 2253 ADJOURNMENT Caulfield electorate level crossings ...... 2274 Mount Waverley Reserve master plan ...... 2274 Goulburn-Murray Water ...... 2275 Rental payment fees ...... 2275 Heidelberg-Kinglake Road ...... 2276 COVID-19 ...... 2276 Tarneit revitalisation project ...... 2277 Springvale Boulevard revitalisation ...... 2277 Australian-made paper ...... 2278 Timber industry ...... 2278 Responses ...... 2279

ANNOUNCEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2191

Tuesday, 22 June 2021

The SPEAKER (Hon. Colin Brooks) took the chair at 12.02 pm and read the prayer. Announcements ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The SPEAKER (12:02): We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land on which we are meeting. We pay our respects to them, their culture, their elders past, present and future, and elders from other communities who may be here today. Business of the house STANDING AND SESSIONAL ORDERS Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (12:02): I move, by leave:

That so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended to allow the following arrangements to come into effect immediately and to remain in place until 25 June 2021: (1) Order of business Tuesday Formal business Statements by members Government business Question time—2.00 pm Government business continued Wednesday Formal business Statements by members Statements on parliamentary committee reports Government business Lunch break and cleaning in the Chamber—1.00 pm to 2.00 pm Question time—2.00 pm Government business continued Matter of public importance—4.00 pm Government business continued Thursday Formal business Statements by members Government business Lunch break and cleaning in the Chamber—1.00 pm to 2.00 pm Question time—2.00 pm Government business continued. (2) The processes for interruptions under Sessional Orders 2 and 3(4) apply at the times set out in paragraph (1). Time of meeting (3) Unless otherwise ordered, the House will meet on Wednesday at 9.35 am. Cleaning of the Chamber (4) The Speaker may order additional breaks to facilitate cleaning in the Chamber.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 2192 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Face masks in the Chamber (5) Members must wear face masks in the Chamber except when they have the call to speak or if an exception applies. Lower public galleries deemed part of Chamber and reduced numbers of members to assist with physical distancing (6) The lower public galleries are included as part of the Legislative Assembly Chamber at all times other than when a division is taking place under paragraph (12). (7) Subject to paragraphs (11) and (12), the House will be composed of the Chair and no more than 29 other members, being: (a) 13 from the Government, eight from the Opposition, one Greens member and two independent members on the floor of the Chamber; and (b) three from the Government and two from the Opposition in the lower public galleries. (8) Except as provided for in paragraph (11) and (12), if more members than those listed in paragraph (7) vote in a division, the Clerk will not count their vote. Quorum (9) The House gives the Chair further discretion in ringing the bells to form a quorum under SO 29, provided the Chair is confident that a quorum is present within the parliamentary precinct. (10) If, under paragraph (9) and SO 29(1), the bells are rung to form a quorum, the provisions under paragraph (7) are suspended until a quorum is formed. (11) If, under SO 29(2), there is found not to be a quorum during a division: (a) the provisions under paragraph (7) are suspended; (b) the bells must be rung for a further four minutes; (c) the Chamber will be composed of the Chair and no more than 40 other members, being 23 from the Government, 13 from the Opposition, one Greens member and three independent members for the remainder of the sitting day; and (d) if more members than those listed in paragraph (c) vote in the division, the Clerk will not count their vote. Divisions (12) For questions relating to the passage of bills on the government business program, the provisions of paragraph (7) are suspended and divisions will take place as follows: (a) the Chair will direct that the lower public galleries be cleared for the duration of the division; (b) members will vote in up to four voting groups; (c) for each voting group: (i) no more than 24 members, in addition to the Chair, the Leader of the House and Manager of Opposition Business (or their representatives), will be permitted into the Chamber; (ii) the Chair will direct that the doors be locked and state the question being voted on; (iii) the Chair will ask members who are voting ‘aye’ to stand in their place and, in turn, will ask members who are voting ‘no’ to stand in their place; (iv) the Clerk will count the votes and the Chair will announce the number of votes cast for the ‘ayes’ and ‘noes’ in that group; (v) subject to subparagraph (e), all members except the Chair must then leave the Chamber; (vi) the Chair will then ask the Clerk to ring the bells for one minute to call members to the Chamber for the next voting group, or to resume the make up of the Chamber as set out in paragraph (7), as required; (d) subject to subparagraph (e), members will only be permitted to enter the Chamber once for each division and any member present in the Chamber must vote; (e) the Leader of the House and Manager of Opposition Business, or their representatives, may remain in the Chamber for the entirety of the division, but can only stand to vote in one group; and (f) at the conclusion of the four voting groups, the Chair will announce the result of the division.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2193

Register of opinion on division questions (13) If a division has taken place, a member not in attendance for the division can register their opinion on the question: (a) any members wishing to do so must notify the Clerk in writing of their opinion (either ‘aye’ or ‘no’) by no later than one hour after the division has been completed; and (b) any such opinion will be published, separately from the results of the vote, in Hansard and the Votes and Proceedings. Remote participation (14) Members may participate in debate remotely using an audio link or audio visual link as follows: (a) the Chair must be satisfied that the quality of the audio link or audio visual link allows the Chair to verify the identity of that member and for the member to participate; (b) a member participating remotely is not counted for the purposes of a quorum and may not vote; (c) members may only participate remotely to speak on: (i) motions; (ii) bills, including consideration in detail; (iii) members’ statements; (iv) statements on parliamentary committee reports; (v) question time—to ask questions only; (vi) grievance debates; (vii) debates on a matter of public importance; (viii) adjournment debates—to raise a matter only; (ix) a personal explanation; (d) members participating remotely may only speak when given the call, must comply with all the usual rules of debate and may not: (i) refuse leave; (ii) respond to questions without notice, make ministers’ statements or respond to matters raised in the adjournment debate; (iii) call the Chair’s attention to the state of the House; (iv) take, or speak on, a point of order unless it is taken by another member during their speech or relates to the answer to a question they have asked; (v) move a motion (except an amendment to a motion or bill when they have the call); (vi) interject; (vii) chair the debate; (e) members participating remotely may circulate amendments to bills under SO 64; (f) in order to assist members participating remotely, the Chair will use a formal call list to allocate the call for each debate where practical and members wishing to participate remotely may seek the call by: (i) informing their whip, or the whip’s representative, who will inform the Chair in advance— for a Government or Opposition member; (ii) informing the Clerk, who will inform the Chair in advance—for any other member; (g) when a member participates remotely, the Chair may exercise all their usual powers to control the debate; (h) the Chair is given any additional powers necessary to facilitate the smooth running of the House and/or to address any technical issues, including but not limited to: (i) stopping the clock; (ii) returning to a member’s contribution; (iii) reordering business; and (i) the Speaker may issue Guidelines about remote participation.

BILLS 2194 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Members to incorporate their speeches (15) Members may incorporate their speeches for any of the following items of business considered by the House that day: (a) bills on the government business program; (b) substantive motions; (c) members’ statements; (d) statements on parliamentary committee reports; (e) matter of public importance; (f) constituency questions; and (g) adjournment matters. (16) Members must submit their speeches for incorporation by the following deadlines: (a) for any bill on the government business program, they must email their speech to the Clerk by the time set down for consideration of that bill under the government business program; or (b) for all other items of business listed in paragraph (15), they must email their speech to the Clerk by the adjournment of the House each day. (17) For all items of business listed in paragraph (15), except for bills and substantive motions, the Clerk will accept matters up to the number usually given in the House minus any matters verbally given in the House each day, and as allocated between the parties and independents in accordance with the call lists approved by the Speaker. (18) Incorporated speeches for bills and motions will be published in Hansard— (a) for bills, after the relevant second reading speeches made in the House (if any) and before the minister’s reply (if any); (b) for substantive motions, after the relevant speeches made in the House (if any) and before the mover’s reply (if any); and (c) for all other items of business listed under paragraph (15), after the relevant speeches made in the House (if any). (19) If any matter contains unbecoming expressions or does not comply with the rules of debate, the Speaker may direct that the matter be removed or amended before it is published. Motion agreed to. The SPEAKER: Can I just thank both the Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business and all members again for their cooperation in ensuring the safe sitting of the house this sitting week. Bills POLICE INFORMANTS ROYAL COMMISSION IMPLEMENTATION MONITOR BILL 2021 Introduction and first reading Ms HUTCHINS (Sydenham—Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:03): I move:

That I introduce a bill for an act to establish the police informants royal commission implementation monitor and for other purposes. Motion agreed to. Mr WELLS (Rowville) (12:04): I ask the minister for a brief explanation, please. Ms HUTCHINS (Sydenham—Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:04): The Police Informants Royal Commission Implementation Monitor Bill 2021 will establish the independent statutory office of police informants royal commission implementation monitor, and the implementation monitor will assess and report on

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2195 the progress of adequacy of implementation of the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants’ recommendations. The bill will acquit the royal commission’s recommendation 109 by establishing the implementation monitor. It will also support the delivery of the royal commission’s recommendations 110 and 111 by establishing a reporting framework for the implementation of the royal commission’s recommendations, including annual reporting by the monitor to the Attorney-General and by the Attorney-General to Parliament. Read first time. Ordered to be read second time tomorrow. RACING AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Introduction and first reading Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional Development) (12:05): I move, on behalf of the Minister for Racing:

That I introduce a bill for an act to amend the Racing Act 1958 to remove the prohibition on racing on Good Friday and make other minor and technical amendments. Motion agreed to. Ms STALEY (Ripon) (12:05): I ask the minister for a brief explanation of the bill. Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional Development) (12:05): The bill will remove the current prohibition on racing on Good Friday, remove the requirement for thoroughbred racing clubs to seek ministerial approval to conduct a race meeting on Anzac Day, provide a simpler process for approving the appointment of an acting racing integrity commissioner on a short-term basis, provide the board of Harness Racing Victoria with the power to suspend members of the committee and appoint an administrator of a harness racing club, improve the operation of the Victorian Racing Integrity Board and make other minor and technical amendments. Read first time. Ordered to be read second time tomorrow. LIQUOR CONTROL REFORM AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Introduction and first reading Ms HORNE (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Fishing and Boating) (12:06): I move:

That I introduce a bill for an act to amend the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 to reform the categories of licences authorising the supply of liquor including the introduction of a new licence category, to address the risks of large packaged liquor outlets in order to reduce harm, to make amendments to the review of decisions, to abolish dry areas and to make other related amendments to improve the operation of that Act and for other purposes. Motion agreed to. Ms RYAN (Euroa) (12:07): I request a brief explanation of the bill. Ms HORNE (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Fishing and Boating) (12:07): The Liquor Control Reform Amendment Bill 2021 is the second phase of reform undertaken by this government in regard to regulating liquor sales and consumption in Victoria. It contains the fulfilment of an election commitment to abolish dry zones. It contains a range of harm minimisation measures, including a definition of harm for the first time to guide government and the regulator, and it also includes a

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 2196 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 number of measures that will support business through sensible red-tape reduction to ensure that this industry is safe, well regulated and bouncing back after 2020. Read first time. Ordered to be read second time tomorrow. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Introduction and first reading Ms HORNE (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Fishing and Boating) (12:08): I move:

That I introduce a bill for an act to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, the Dangerous Goods Act 1985, the Equipment (Public Safety) Act 1994 and the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 in relation to labour hire arrangements, insurance and indemnities, notice requirements and the powers of certain persons and for other purposes. Motion agreed to. Ms STALEY (Ripon) (12:09): I ask for a brief explanation of the bill. Ms HORNE (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Fishing and Boating) (12:09): The bill will amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 to ensure it keeps pace with common employment practices and ensures WorkSafe can function effectively as Victoria’s independent occupational health and safety regulator. Read first time. Ordered to be read second time tomorrow. Business of the house ORDERS OF THE DAY The SPEAKER (12:09): I wish to advise the house that general business, order of the day 2, will be removed from the notice paper unless the member wishing their matter to remain advises the Clerk in writing before 5.00 pm today. Petitions Following petitions presented to house by Clerk: JIM CROW CREEK To the Legislative Assembly of Victoria The Petition of residents of the State of Victoria calls on the Legislative Assembly to note that: The creek has been known as ‘Jim Crow Creek’ since the early days of the area; it is an important land mark, a part of the natural environment and the history of the Hepburn and Mt. Alexander Shires and the State of Victoria. Many past and present residents of the Hepburn/Mt. Alexander Shires area are concerned about the proposals under consideration to change the name of Jim Crow Creek. We, therefore, call on the Victorian Government to preserve the name of Jim Crow Creek. By Ms STALEY (Ripon) (508 signatures).

COMMITTEES Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2197

LYDIARD STREET CROSSING To the Legislative Assembly of Victoria The Petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Assembly that the level crossing at Lydiard Street, Ballarat remains closed nine months after an incident with a train caused damage to heritage rail gates. As a result the main road connecting North and South Ballarat also remains closed to traffic and is causing hardships for businesses in the area because of reduced traffic flows. The Petitioners therefore request that the Andrews Labor Government acts immediately to re-instate the heritage level crossing gates at Lydiard Street to working order and re-opens the important thoroughfare for the benefit of motorists and business owners in the area. By Ms STALEY (Ripon) (813 signatures). Tabled. Ordered that petitions be considered next day on motion of Ms STALEY (Ripon). Committees SCRUTINY OF ACTS AND REGULATIONS COMMITTEE Alert Digest No. 8 Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (12:10): I have the honour to present to the house a report from the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee, being Alert Digest No. 8 of 2021, on the following bills:

Education and Training Reform Amendment (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership) Bill 2021 Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Greater Transparency and Accountability) Bill 2021 together with appendices. Ordered to be published. Documents DOCUMENTS Incorporated list as follows: DOCUMENTS TABLED UNDER ACTS OF PARLIAMENT—The Clerk tabled the following documents under Acts of Parliament: Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission—Special report on corrections: IBAC Operations Rous, Caparra, Nisidia and Molara—Ordered to be published Planning and Environment Act 1987—Notices of approval of amendments to the following Planning Schemes: Ararat—C039 Part 1 Banyule—C117 Bass Coast—C150 Bayside—C180 Buloke—C43 Cardinia—C254 French Island and Sandstone Island—C11 Glen Eira—C193, C197 Hindmarsh—C19 Indigo—C75 Kingston—C198 Mitchell—C149

BILLS 2198 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Moreland—C192 Northern Grampians—C59 Port Phillip—C196 Pyrenees—C46 Southern Grampians—C54, C58 Surf Coast—C136 Whitehorse—C213 Whittlesea—C252 Yarriambiack—C29 Statutory Rules under the following Acts: Dangerous Goods Act 1985—SR 56 Family Violence Protection Act 2008—SR 52 Magistrates’ Court Act 1989—SR 52 Personal Safety Intervention Orders Act 2010—SR 52 Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019—SR 55 Victoria Police Act 2013—SR 53 Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998—SR 54 Subordinate Legislation Act 1994: Documents under s 15 in relation to Statutory Rules 45, 50, 52, 54, 56 Documents under s 16B in relation to the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013—Proclamation of diseases Victoria Police, Chief Commissioner—Report 2020 under s 96 of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 Victorian Inspectorate: Annual Plan 2021–22 Report 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020 under s 30Q of the Surveillance Devices Act 1999 PROCLAMATIONS—Under Standing Order 177A, the Clerk tabled the following proclamations fixing an operative date: Electricity Industry Act 2000—Part 6—17 June 2021 (Gazette S297, 17 June 2021) Justice Legislation Amendment (Supporting Victims and Other Matters) Act 2020—Part 5—1 July 2021 (Gazette S292, 16 June 2021) Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Provisional Payments) Act 2021— Whole Act (except section 7(2))—1 July 2021 (Gazette S293, 16 June 2021). Bills APPROPRIATION (2021–2022) BILL 2021 APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT 2021–2022) BILL 2021 Council’s agreement The SPEAKER (12:12): I have received a message from the Legislative Council agreeing to the following bills without amendment: the Appropriation (2021–2022) Bill 2021 and the Appropriation (Parliament 2021–2022) Bill 2021.

MOTIONS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2199

APPROPRIATION (2021–2022) BILL 2021 APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT 2021–2022) BILL 2021 GAMBLING REGULATION AMENDMENT (WAGERING AND BETTING TAX) BILL 2021 STATE TAXATION AND MENTAL HEALTH ACTS AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Royal assent The SPEAKER (12:12): I inform the house that on 16 June 2021 I presented to the Governor the Appropriation (2021–2022) Bill 2021 and the Appropriation (Parliament 2021–2022) Bill 2021, to which the Governor gave royal assent. I further wish to inform the house that the Governor has given royal assent to the Gambling Regulation Amendment (Wagering and Betting Tax) Bill 2021 and the State Taxation and Mental Health Acts Amendment Bill 2021. EDUCATION AND TRAINING REFORM AMENDMENT (VICTORIAN ACADEMY OF TEACHING AND LEADERSHIP) BILL 2021 Appropriation The SPEAKER (12:13): I have received a message from the Governor recommending an appropriation for the purposes of the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership) Bill 2021. Motions GENERAL BUSINESS Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (12:13): I desire to move, by leave:

That this house: (1) notes that non-government business is an essential part of ensuring a responsible and representative Parliament in any Westminster system, and currently Victoria’s Legislative Assembly is the only lower house in Australia that does not provide meaningful opportunities for non-government members to move motions or progress bills; (2) resolves to replace matters of public importance and the grievance debate with 3 hours of non- government business every sitting Wednesday; (3) refers the required amendments to standing orders to the Standing Orders Committee to report to the house by 19 August 2021; and (4) adopts required changes to the standing orders by 2 September 2021. Leave refused. Business of the house PROGRAM Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (12:14): I move:

That, under standing order 94(2), the orders of the day, government business, relating to the following bills be considered and completed by 5.00 pm on Thursday, 24 June 2021: Education and Training Reform Amendment (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership) Bill 2021 Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 2200 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

I am pleased to present the government business program for this, the final sitting week of the autumn session of 2021, and it has been another action-packed and big agenda that the government has presented to the Assembly over the course of this sitting period. I am very grateful for the support of colleagues for the passage of the various bills that have already proceeded, and I look forward to the vigorous debate on these bills over the course of this week. For completeness I would just like to note that the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021 is on the notice paper but is not in the government business program motion. There have been discussions with the opposition on this matter. It is the government’s intention to have that bill debated first up when we get to government business later this afternoon. It is our intention for that bill to take precedence, for that bill to be debated in the usual way and for the question to be put later this afternoon in order to facilitate its passage to the Legislative Council and for them to consider it later in this sitting week. There are some time pressures as this bill relates to federal-state relations matters in the Treasury portfolio and a model bill that was presented in the New South Wales Parliament that needed to pass so we could then subsequently make these changes, so I am grateful. Through the conversations I have had with the Manager of Opposition Business I understand there is support for that process. Whether there is support for the bill, I will let the opposition speak for themselves, but I understand there is support for that process and I am grateful for that as it will enable that bill to be dealt with over the course of this sitting week. Also, and I know this is of particular interest to the Manager of Opposition Business—and I am always keen to support the interests of the Manager of Opposition Business—there will be a take-note motion for the budget, and that will enable members who have not spoken on the budget to be able to do so over the course of this sitting week. Given, as I have indicated, this is the last sitting week of this parliamentary session, the autumn session of 2021—and it is a session in which a great Andrews Labor government budget was presented to the Parliament and subsequently passed, with good reforms, good policy and good local initiatives—I can understand the willingness of the opposition to want to talk about such a fabulous budget. I am delighted to give them that opportunity to do so over the course of this week, and I think a few of my own colleagues might also have a bit to say about the budget as well. Finally, Speaker, as you have acknowledged, there has been again this week some work offline, outside of the chamber, to ensure that we can continue to sit and be a productive and effective workplace under the relevant COVID-safe arrangements. Again, all members of Parliament—I would like to thank colleagues of the chamber—are all complying with the rules and wearing masks and limiting our movements around the building, and that does mean that Parliament can continue to operate and fulfil its important democratic functions within those COVID-safe arrangements. I know we have all had to do things differently over the course of the last 18 months, the Parliament being no different. I take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank the staff who have supported us in being able to fulfil our parliamentary duties in this COVID-safe way. With those few comments and observations, I am very pleased to present the government business program to the Assembly and look forward, as ever, optimistically, to its successful passage as we get on with the matters of this week. Mr WELLS (Rowville) (12:18): The opposition will be not opposing the government business program. Through the negotiations I think that we have had a reasonable outcome for both sides of the chamber. I am just hoping like anything that when we return in August we can actually get back to some form of normality, because it is so disruptive and it is difficult working out the best way to be able to manage, on this side, our regional MPs and what they should and should not be doing. For the good of the Parliament I am certainly hopeful that by August we will be back to normal and can have a full house. As the Leader of the House said, the first bill up will be the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021, and the Shadow Treasurer has been working with the Treasurer’s office to be able to get agreement on that. That bill will be debated today and voted on so it can get to the upper house tomorrow, for the reasons that have been outlined by the Leader of the House. Then we will be going onto the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2201 and Other Matters) Bill 2021, and then tomorrow and Thursday obviously we will be doing the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership) Bill 2021 and the Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021. One of the points that we raised with the Leader of the House when we were doing the negotiations is that we do want time to be able to debate the take-note motion, because there is a large number of members of Parliament on this side who have not had a chance to speak on the budget papers and if some of them are not able to get up by this week that means they do not get up until August, which to me is a bit unfair. So we are pushing very strongly for as many of the opposition members as possible to be able to get up and speak on the budget and the impact it has on their constituencies. So with those few words, as I said, we will not be opposing the government business program. Mr EDBROOKE (Frankston) (12:20): I rise in support of the government business program, and I would like to just start by thanking staff, like some other members in this house have done. They have done a magnificent job throughout some very trying circumstances. As the Leader of the House noted, we will be debating the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021 and also receiving from members some addresses on the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, which we have seen already has shone a very bright light into some very dark corners that certainly need people to speak on—those issues—so that we can get on with implementing the royal commission recommendations. It is not part of the government business program, but a bill that will be debated this week of course is the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021, which is an absolute win for tradies, whether you be a builder, an electrician or a plumber. It is a new reform that will cut red tape and allow a uniform scheme across our nation for automatic mutual recognition. There are some time pressures around this bill as well, but essentially it is noted that this bill, upon successful debate, could actually see an increase in the national GDP of up to $2.38 billion in the next decade, which is quite something. Also we will be speaking on, as I said, the VCAT bill. It has become apparent that some issues have arisen because of recent High Court or Court of Appeal decisions where some issues will not be heard in VCAT anymore, and this affects people who might be interstate renters with issues that they need to still prosecute. So we are making some reform there so the Magistrates Court is ready to hear those and people will not be disadvantaged in their fight for justice as well. Across this week I think I can basically say that the government business program is once again ensuring that we are a progressive government, we are focused on Victoria and we are working harder than ever for our communities. These bills create jobs, they decrease regulatory burdens on businesses—which is, as I said, a win for everyone—and they increase our GDP nationally. I expect vigorous debate on these issues of course, but I expect support on all these bills as well and wish them all a speedy passage. Mr D O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (12:23): I will just say a few brief words on the government business program that we are not opposing this week, and I would also like to thank all the staff; the clerks; you, Speaker; and everyone else who has worked hard to get the session underway again and do it in a COVID-safe manner. I echo the comments of the member for Rowville and hope that this will be the last time we have to worry about COVID-safe measures here in the chamber. Wouldn’t it be nice to just be back to normal? We got there very briefly for a week or two about a month or so ago but unfortunately have had to resort to limited numbers, and that is not ideal, so hopefully that is the last of it. I would also just like to acknowledge the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee team. It also has been a bit of a challenge. We literally had the first day of the PAEC budget hearings the day the Acting Premier announced us going into lockdown. Whilst we proceeded on that day, we did have to change things around a bit to accommodate some ministers, but also we were able to get on with it last week and yesterday as well. So these are difficult times for staff trying to manage things when the framework

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 2202 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 is constantly changing. We are lucky here, though, that we have got power, warmth and everything happening as normal, and I am very conscious that there are many people still around the state after the storms and floods that do not, including in my electorate. I think I have still got about eight people still offline in the Toora North-Mount Best area, and it has been a busy couple of weeks trying to assist people to get back to it. I am sure we will give that a mention in the energy bill that is on the agenda for this week, the Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021. But we have also got the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership) Bill 2021 and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021 as well as, as has been noted, the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021, which is not formally part of the government business program—or at least not part of the guillotine for Thursday—but will be debated today. Once again it highlights that, despite the differences we have, the opposition is often prepared to work with the government on important matters like this when we need to get something through. I am also hopeful that there will be an opportunity to speak on the take-note motion on the budget. I note the Leader of the House is ever hopeful that it is because we have good things to say about it. I can assure her that after not only reading the budget but the last couple of weeks in the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings that is not the case for many of us, given what we have seen and some of the evidence that has been presented. This is a fairly straightforward week. I hope that, as I said, we will be able to come back to a completely normal Parliament in August, and may that be the case. Mr CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (12:26): It is with some pleasure that I rise this morning to speak on the government’s business program for the last sitting week of the autumn sitting this year. Of course we have had a rather busy autumn session, with the budget passing this chamber and the Andrews Labor government continuing to deliver the necessary reform that will make this state an even better place to live. I think I should take this opportunity just to thank all of my parliamentary colleagues from across the chamber and all of the parliamentary staff for following the advice of the chief health officer to ensure that the Parliament can continue to fulfil its obligations to the people of Victoria to be able to meet in a COVID-safe way and to ensure that we continue to be able to meet. That is in small part—in fact in large part—due to all of our collective efforts. In terms of this particular coming week, we have got four tremendous Labor bills that we are debating. One of course is through agreement with the commonwealth government and the various commonwealth processes. But I particularly do want to highlight one piece of legislation that I think is very, very important, and that is the Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021, which seeks to provide further reform to our gas networks and to our electricity networks. A hallmark of the Andrews Labor government has been to reform our energy systems, and indeed this particular bill very much starts a new reform process that is very, very important to ensure that we do have modern energy networks in this state. I think also one of the hallmarks of the Andrews Labor government really is to make those necessary changes, those reforms, with respect to our education system, and this week we have a tremendous Labor bill which seeks to establish an academy of teaching and leadership. I am someone who has spent a large part of my adult life visiting schools and seeing firsthand the tremendous work that happens across our education sector, and we particularly want to see the very, very best of teaching practice deployed across our education sector. An academy where we can bring the very best together to learn from one another and for those lessons to then be taken back into our schools is a tremendous piece of Labor reform. I think it will certainly ensure that we have the very, very best education system in our state. I certainly very much look forward to seeing that. Then of course we have one other bill that I particularly want to highlight and that is the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021. Most of us will have constituents that come and visit us who have various issues in dispute with other parties, other people, in their neighbourhoods and within their lives. VCAT is a

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2203 low-cost court jurisdiction that provides access for people to affordable justice. The Andrews Labor government wants to make our justice system as affordable and accessible as possible, and I think these particular arrangements that we have spelt out very much do build on that. Just one other final point in conclusion: we will, with time permitting, take the opportunity to provide members with the opportunity to take note of the Victorian Andrews Labor government’s budget of this year. I am certainly looking forward to that opportunity to make my contribution and to highlight the fantastic investments that have been made in my particular seat, particularly all of that key infrastructure that has been so ably championed by the minister at the table, the member for Essendon. This week is another important week. More important reform will be delivered, and I very much commend the government business program to the chamber. Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (12:31): I also rise to speak on the government business program this afternoon and note that it is the last sitting week of the session before the winter recess. I also join with my colleagues in thanking you, Speaker, and thanking your team—the clerks and the parliamentary staff—for everything you have done to ensure our workplace here is safe and accessible for us to undertake the very important and privileged work that the people of Victoria have sent us here to undertake. I note that on the government business program this week there are a number of bills to be debated and discussed: the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership) Bill 2021, which my colleague the member for Croydon will take the lead on and, I know, is actively and enthusiastically looking forward to participating in with his contribution; the member for Caulfield will be addressing the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021; and I, as Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables, will be contributing on the Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 and am looking forward to doing so in a short matter of time. Speaker, I am pleased that the Parliament is able to meet in a COVID-safe way. I am grateful to you for providing to us as members the health advice from the Department of Health which allows the Parliament to sit and the directives from the Department of Health which enable that to take place. I think it is curious that in the instance of the Parliament’s operation the health advice on which that is based has been provided to all members yet the health advice on which the Victoria-wide lockdowns have been based has not been made available. Like other colleagues on this side of the Parliament, I trust that there will be an opportunity to take note of the budget, and as other members have mentioned, if it is not done now, there will be a long winter recess and the budget will then only be considered in August. I also note finally that there is not an opportunity in this week’s government business program to acknowledge that there are still some 3000 Victorian homes and businesses which are without power as this Parliament meets today and there are still hundreds of thousands of businesses right around the state that have not yet received the government support package that was promised to them as a result of the recent lockdowns as well. That disappoints me—that there is not an opportunity specifically to address those matters—but so be it. As the Manager of Opposition Business has indicated, the opposition will not be opposing the government’s business program, and we look forward to enthusiastically participating in this week’s events. Motion agreed to. Members statements SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr WELLS (Rowville) (12:34): This members statement is to thank all the emergency services workers across Victoria for their amazing hard work and dedication. These workers have done and are still doing an incredible job in assisting those affected by the recent storms. During the last few weeks we have seen dreadful weather in Melbourne’s outer east, the Dandenongs and Gippsland. Residents

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2204 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 in the worst-affected areas of the Dandenong Ranges could be waiting more than weeks to have their power restored following the devastating storm. The state Labor government has committed to putting powerlines in high fire danger areas such as the Dandenong Ranges underground. With the recent storms and now AusNet saying some areas may go without power for weeks, it is time that the state Labor government made it a priority for these powerlines to go underground. The devastating effect of the wild weather, including over 200 000 Victorian houses losing power, had terrible timing, with thousands of Victorians being left out in the cold. My heart goes out to all those who have suffered, especially those who have had severe damage to their houses. It is unimaginable how much further devastation this weather could have caused without the hard work of the emergency services workers. We cannot thank you all enough. EMERGENCY SERVICES WORKERS Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (12:35): I rise to express my gratitude to volunteers across multiple fields who have made and continue to make extraordinary contributions to the ongoing emergency response to the storms and flooding event earlier this month. The June storms delivered a very significant disaster event requiring incredibly complex response and relief components. As we know, the nature of the weather event and its damage has been spread geographically across a number of Victorian locations and communities. 9100 requests for assistance across the state in the wake of the weather event means this has been the largest single event on record requiring a VICSES response, and for each one of these calls for help, VICSES, CFA and other volunteers stepped forward to assist their fellow community members. It takes courage, selflessness and an unshakeable sense of purpose to put yourself in danger in the service of others. At the height of the weather event overnight on 9 June VICSES issued a red flag warning, allowing SES personnel to only go into the field in the event of a life-threatening situation. We know that several SES volunteers were injured during their service, and I hope each of those volunteers is recovering well. Most tragically two people lost their lives as a result of the floods, one in Gippsland floodwaters at Woodside and another in floodwaters off Maddens Bridge Road in Glenfyne, and my heartfelt condolences are with their loved ones. I am grateful for our volunteers and what they give. We are all so very grateful. To our Victorian volunteers, I want to put on the record my thanks to every single one of you for your— (Time expired) EMERGENCY SERVICES WORKERS Ms RYAN (Euroa) (12:37): I rise today to invite the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services to Kilmore to visit the local SES unit with me. The unit’s response to the storms earlier this month was remarkable. Of the 400-odd calls for assistance across the north-east region, 224 were for the Kilmore unit. The Kilmore SES led the storm recovery effort with assistance from local CFA brigades from Kilmore, Broadford and Wandong and neighbouring SES units, including Benalla. As a community we are grateful to them for their efforts, but it is also critical that our emergency responders have the facilities and equipment that they need. Last week I met with Kilmore SES controller John Koutras and deputy Simon Halman. The unit is pushing for a new building, as their current home is a bunch of sheds which have been cobbled together. Kilmore is located in a region that will experience huge growth in coming years. Call-outs for the unit are already increasing. In 2011–12 they attended 174 call-outs, in 2018–19 they responded to 303 and this year they have responded to 478, excluding the call-outs we had from the storm a fortnight ago. The unit’s storm and sandbagging shed is collapsing and needs to be reconstructed. The vehicle shed will also need replacing. It has recently been repaired as a short-term fix, but it is not large enough to handle training, a problem which is compounded by COVID restrictions requiring density quotients. This has meant new members have had to be turned away. These facilities need to be upgraded to help the unit grow, and I would like to invite the minister to visit the unit with me to see firsthand— (Time expired)

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2205

LEVEL CROSSING REMOVALS Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh) (12:39): ‘Horrific’, ‘travesty’, ‘monstrous’, ‘shocking’, ‘hideous’, ‘disastrous’—just some of the words used back in 2016 to describe the proposed level crossing removals in my community. Oddly those words came out of the mouth of just one person, in the other place. Back in the real world, the level crossing removals in my community have been a massive success. None of those absurd predictions came true. On any day the open space is used by thousands of people, and I am really pleased to see the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, who is at the table, who is responsible for this extraordinary work. We connected the community that had been cut off for nearly 140 years, and drivers are no longer waiting for boom gates. But it gets better. We are about to create even more open space in Carnegie—playgrounds, basketball and netball courts, fitness stations and more short-term car parking for locals. We have also just released a proposed new station design at Glenhuntly. To say that our community is excited would be an understatement. It is modern but with a real historical feel, and the most important part is that the two level crossings at Glenhuntly will be removed by 2023, at Neerim Road and Glen Huntly Road. This means not one single crossing will remain in my community. For the first time in over 140 years, not one level crossing—level crossing-free in my community. Let me just repeat those words: horrific, travesty, monstrous, shocking, hideous, disastrous. Talk about being divorced from reality. Of course, those same words could be used to describe his time as health minister of Victoria, but that is a whole other story. (Time expired) SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (12:40): I rise to speak on behalf of a local business owner, a business owner that close to three weeks ago was promised support by the Andrews Labor government—by the Andrews Labor government who effectively closed down his business as part of their lockdown. He, Andrew of Beaumaris Books in the Concourse in Beaumaris, submitted an application for the government’s business costs assistance program round 2 on 3 June. The Acting Premier on that day said at his news conference that funds would start flowing by the end of the week, that being Friday, 4 June. Today, 19 days later, Andrew from Beaumaris Books in the Concourse has received an email saying that his application is being assessed. There is no information on an expected time frame and, in Andrew’s words, he says, ‘I feel sick’—and this is not good enough. He is about to face a big cash flow issue at the end of the month as the end of the month arrives, and the Acting Premier implied that the funds would be made available quickly. I am aware of at least one other small business owner who as of yesterday has not received information regarding his application either. The Andrews Labor government have promised support for these small businesses, many of which are on their knees. They need to deliver it and they need to deliver it now. BIG HOUSING BUILD Ms SETTLE (Buninyong) (12:42): Earlier this year I asked the Ballarat community to tell me how housing affordability was affecting them, and a policy intern with the parliamentary internship program, Brad Woolley, has prepared a research paper which will be available soon. What I can tell you is that new investment in social housing was on top of the list, so I was absolutely delighted that the Minister for Housing visited Ballarat yesterday to announce that at least 150 new social housing homes will be built in Ballarat, creating 100 direct and 350 indirect local jobs. The $50.3 million project will replace 66 ageing social housing homes at the Delacombe Estate with 150 new homes, delivering much-needed social and affordable housing in Ballarat. Residents will be asked to have their say on the design as a part of the extensive community consultation on the master plan, which will start in coming weeks. The new homes will be environmentally efficient, meaning the homes will be more comfortable as well as less expensive to heat. And at least 5 per cent of the homes will be for Victorians with disabilities. This includes drop-off areas, paths, lifts and car parking. This is all part of the government’s historic commitment to boost total social housing supply by 10 per cent over the next four years. The Big Housing Build is investing $1.25 billion in the regions.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2206 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE LILYDALE UNIT Ms VALLENCE (Evelyn) (12:43): On 9 and 10 June catastrophic and devastating storms ravaged our communities right across the Yarra Ranges, and over the past few weeks it has been a disaster zone: flooding of the Yarra River at Yarra Glen and Yering and tree damage right across the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges, with some trees up to 100 metres ripped clear out of the ground, damaging homes and cars and blocking roads, and cutting the power network for tens of thousands of people in my community. I want to pay tribute to all emergency services workers who have done a tremendous job in very trying conditions, and pay particular tribute to the Lilydale State Emergency Service, the women and men in the orange overalls, who attended to over 1200 call-outs, around a quarter of the total statewide SES call-outs for that storm event. The Lilydale SES is a 100 per cent volunteer unit, with 65 operational volunteers and 15 auxiliary volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to remove trees crushed on homes and clear roads and have done a wonderful job coordinating generous community donations of food and essential supplies for communities that have been completely cut off. Unit controller Shaun Caulfield has been an SES volunteer for over 30 years and said that he has not seen this much destruction. Entire streets or entire homes had trees on them. Thank you, Lilydale SES. SANDRA MACNEIL Ms WARD (Eltham) (12:45): Congratulations to Sandra MacNeil on recently receiving a gold service award from Basketball Victoria, recognising her 35 years of dedication to community basketball. Sandra has been steadfastly determined and dedicated in supporting her local community, particularly when it comes to basketball. Her recognition of the importance of community connections, particularly in the new housing area, drove Sandra to become president of the Greenhills Basketball Club for 11 years and to help it be a place where kids are supported and family is embraced. Her role extended to scoring senior championships and state-level games and working as a special-projects officer with the Diamond Valley Basketball Association in the 1990s. Recently Sandra showed me a letter she had written about an upgrade to the Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre to the Shire of Diamond Valley in 1993. While it may have taken 27 years, thanks to this government works began last year on an upgrade very close to the one Sandra suggested so many years ago. As a devoted grandmother, Sandra stepped up again to help basketball, taking on the role of president of Yarrambat Phantoms Basketball Club. She expected to stay in the role for two years and ended up as president for seven. Sandra has helped and supported many in our community. Thank you, Sandra, for your wonderful commitment to basketball and to us. CATHY CUKIER Ms WARD: Congratulations to Cathy Cukier on her gold award, recognising 35 years of volunteer service to basketball, at Basketball Victoria’s recent annual awards. Those also represent time when Cathy stepped down and retired as vice-president of Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club. Throughout these 35 years Cathy took on roles across all levels of the club, and she is strongly recognised in the wider basketball community for her positive impact on female participation. Her drive for female participation and development has seen thousands of young girls from our community benefit, both in opportunities to play but also in those who have gone on to national and international levels. Thank you, Cathy. EMERGENCY SERVICES WORKERS Mr BATTIN (Gembrook) (12:46): I rise to speak about the storms that have come through the Gembrook electorate and other surrounding electorates up through the Yarra Ranges and the Dandenong Ranges, and I want to pay tribute to the many men and women who have been out on the front line, whether they are volunteer or paid, for their reaction to our community to make sure that people were safe, as a priority, and then supporting people as they have worked through—and the amount of work that we have seen come from people like Ben Owen, who is the controller at the

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2207

Emerald SES and has done an amazing job. Many would have seen the photo from the Emerald SES, who unfortunately lost their brand new community-raised vehicle, which they raised funds for themselves, due to a tree falling on it. Both of the members who were at that very close incident had just walked away from the car. It was relayed to me in a funny kind of way where they both put their hands on their head—and after it, thinking, I am not sure that would have saved them from a tree weighing that much coming down, but to see they still had that sense of humour while they were out there supporting the community is magnificent. And to Paul Yandle, who is Emerald CFA but also went one step further and arranged local people and people from outside to come up and clear the roads and assist—just volunteers, everyday people, who could come up and help. And to Rachelle Mechielsen, who is at the Emerald-Cockatoo emergency response team, who are still up there today making sure that people have the food and necessities that they need and the requirements they need—and it has extended through football clubs, through other local organisations. I want to thank each and every one of them, whether it is for a donation of just water or going up and assisting my local communities. ANTI-RACISM TASKFORCE Mr J BULL (Sunbury) (12:48): As the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, it will be an honour to co-chair our Anti-Racism Taskforce alongside my colleague in the other place, Ms Watt, a member for the Northern Metropolitan Region. I would like to congratulate all members of the new task force, and I look forward to working closely with all of you to help create a fairer, better and stronger state, free from racism, hate and violence. CASEY NUNN AND HELEN PATSIKATHEODOROU Mr J BULL: I am also delighted to congratulate Casey Nunn and Helen Patsikatheodorou for being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia over the Queen’s Birthday weekend. Casey and Helen are two amazing and well-respected women who deserve this recognition for their very outstanding achievements and longstanding contributions to our community. For many years Casey served the community as a dedicated volunteer, notably with the CFA and Ambulance Victoria, as well of course as being the Hume mayor and deputy mayor. Helen has been and continues to be a social justice advocate for CALD communities and is passionate about health issues and raising awareness of breast cancer. During her time on the council, between 2008 and 2016, Helen served as mayor twice. Well done and congratulations. SHEENA FROST Mr J BULL: I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new CEO of Hume City Council, Sheena Frost. I extend my congratulations to her and look forward to forging a collaborative and effective working relationship. SALESIAN COLLEGE, SUNBURY Mr J BULL: I was also delighted to recently announce $2.5 million for Salesian College for the Rupertswood sports pavilion. The Andrews Labor government continues to get things done. SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr D O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (12:49): As Gippsland recovers from yet another ordeal I am reminded of how privileged I am to be the local MP for such an amazing community. I have been overwhelmed by the passion and generosity of the people of Gippsland, who continue to support one another as we face storm damage, floods and ongoing power outages, all while negotiating COVID restrictions. I travelled the electorate after the storm and have seen the devastation firsthand. But Gippslanders have put their shoulder to the wheel and supported one another. Whether it has been farmers clearing roads, community organisations coordinating accommodation or showers, local

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2208 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 businesspeople offering hot meals or other services or just everyday citizens spontaneously offering help where they see a need, Gippslanders have responded incredibly. While this does not surprise me, because I know the people of Gippsland South have generous hearts, it is important that everyone’s contribution is recognised. Of course at the peak of those doing the heavy lifting are our wonderful Victoria State Emergency Service volunteers alongside our professional emergency services staff and many hardworking council staff and public servants who are helping to coordinate the response. A special shout-out to AusNet staff, who have been under enormous strain but have been getting the job done in difficult circumstances. We have probably just about had enough of crises for now: severe drought in 2018– 19; bushfires in East Gippsland in 2019–20, which had a massive impact on Gippsland tourism; the COVID lockdowns with few cases in Gippsland; and now this storm and the floods, which tragically cost one life in Gippsland. On behalf of all those affected and to everyone who has played their part, I say thank you. STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE CHELSEA UNIT Mr RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (12:51): I want to thank the Chelsea SES for their incredible service for our local community and indeed other areas across Victoria during the recent storms and floods. Hundreds of residents were impacted in the City of Kingston, and the volunteers from Chelsea SES stood up to support their fellow residents and did an outstanding job. They also went down and supported residents in Gippsland impacted by the storms and floods and across the Yarra Ranges shire and Cardinia shire during that time. We owe a great debt of gratitude to all the incredible work that they do. To Ron Fitch and Phil Wall and the team, we love the work that you do and we really appreciate your service to our community. We are really excited about the upcoming redevelopment of their premises that is getting underway very soon. COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Mr RICHARDSON: I want to also place on record our deep appreciation for Victorians coming forward to get vaccinated. In the next little while we will have a million Victorian-administered doses, taking our doses close to 2 million doses. This is our ticket and our passport out of some of the challenges and uncertainties that we have faced into a more hopeful and prosperous future for everyone in our community, and to those Victorians that have come forward, we are so very appreciative. Keep getting vaccinated. Keep supporting your community and your families. To the amazing health workers and nurses who are there each and every day supporting people to get vaccinated, we love the work that you do. You are truly some of the greatest Victorians in our state, and we wish you well and thank you for the efforts to get our communities vaccinated. We are so very appreciative for all the work that you do. VINNIES ASCOT VALE Ms SANDELL (Melbourne) (12:52): Like most Victorians, I hate sending stuff to landfill, so it was wonderful to visit the Vinnies Ascot Vale op shop last week and see some of the great things that they are doing to help us cut down our waste. They are really impressive. As well as selling second- hand clothes, furniture, books and other items and giving them a second life, they also doing some really innovative things. For example, they are selling new mattresses that have been remade from parts of old mattresses, firewood made by compressing waste sawdust and end-of-the-line clothes and shoes that would have gone to waste and testing and tagging appliances like lamps, heaters, TVs and coffee makers that were headed for e-waste but can now be resold. Now, I was keen to visit Vinnies because the Greens really care about waste. We hate seeing it in the ocean, we hate seeing our landfills filling up and we love smart solutions that turn waste into something new. We want to get more people not just recycling but actually repairing and re-using old things. And one of the barriers that op shops like Vinnies face is the cost of the test-and-tag machines that they use to check electrical appliances are safe. They cost over $1000, and their volunteers need to be trained

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2209 to use them, which also costs. I met a couple of wonderful volunteers, Toni and Tracey, who had already been through the training and were doing an amazing job keeping appliances out of landfill. Imagine if the government could fund programs to re-use and repair electrical goods right across the state. Vinnies in Cranbourne is already experimenting with this. They fix up old computers and give them to people in need. I would like to thank the staff and the hardworking volunteers at Vinnies for showing me around and for everything they do, particularly when it comes to waste. GENDER EQUALITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) (12:54): I rise to update the house and my community on the work of the Gender Equality Advisory Committee, which I have the honour of co-chairing with the member for Wendouree. The committee was established by the Minister for Local Government to advise on strategies to advance gender equality in local government and deliver on our target of 50 per cent female mayors and councillors by 2025. I am proud to report that our committee, which is made up of 16 women, drawing on expertise and experience from right across the sector, is already making strides in its work. Last Friday we held our second meeting and canvassed the latest thinking on local and international strategies to address barriers to women’s participation in local government. While we saw significant gains at the council elections last year with 272 women elected, an uplift from 38 per cent to 43.8 per cent of councillors, we know there is still a significant way to go to reach parity. Our committee has discussed some of the structural and cultural issues within local government, including inflexible work environments and the need to address bullying and harassment directed at female candidates, councillors and officers. We have also spoken about the need to proactively encourage and equip women to run in local government elections with a long runway of support and a particular focus on women from diverse backgrounds. My co-chair and I are thrilled to report that the committee has also been given oversight of a new $1.8 million women’s community leadership program, which will support 120 women aspiring to leadership roles in local government. We look forward to providing our first report back to the Minister for Local Government and the Minister for Women in the coming weeks. BAYLEY HOUSE Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:55): Bayley House is a special organisation in my community. They offer support to the intellectually disabled by actively engaging them through a program of exceptional services. Up to 180 clients take part each day. Part of their service includes a rich program in the creative arts, and let me put on record how much my community looks forward to the Bayley House annual Christmas concert. It is a real highlight of the year, as too are the Bayley House art shows. What is clear is that Bayley House’s art program is both loved and incredibly popular amongst its clients. Seventy per cent of the clients want to take part in it. In short, the program is so popular that Bayley House has run out of space. Currently their two art spaces can only accommodate 36 clients, when over 125 clients want to take part in the program. This overwhelming interest is a good problem to have and a wonderful endorsement of Bayley House’s services. To address the need, Bayley House has launched an art appeal. As Bayley House has set out, the appeal will fund a fully accessible space with specialist equipment to meet individual needs, staffed by trained art instructors and art therapists and supported by wonderful art volunteers. The response to the appeal in the community has been heartwarming. Even our local businesses are taking part, businesses like Sports Conscious in Church Street, who have been longstanding supporters of Bayley House. I encourage my whole community to take part in the appeal and support the wonderful work of Bayley House. REFUGEE WEEK Mr TAK (Clarinda) (12:57): It is time to come together for Refugee Week. 2021 is the year of unity, and the organisers and ambassadors are calling for everyone to celebrate and help build a more cohesive community. I encourage everyone to get involved in this year’s fantastic online event.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2210 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Congratulations to all those making the occasion possible in the Clarinda electorate and across the state. Let us make this year another year of harmony and togetherness. FRIENDS OF REFUGEES Mr TAK: Congratulations and thanks to Friends of Refugees, especially the founder and CEO, Sri Samy. Friends of Refugees is a valuable resource for so many of my constituents seeking asylum and refuge. For the last decade Friends of Refugees has been providing frontline support to some of the south-east’s most vulnerable community members, delivering material and food aid, education and advocacy and outreach programs. Under the food aid program the organisation delivers food to over 120 families currently, and during the peak of COVID was distributing food and emergency relief for over 225 families. I am delighted also that they will receive almost $80 000 in state government support to continue this very important work. AUNG SAN SUU KYI Mr TAK: Lastly, on Sunday it was Aung San Suu Kyi’s 76th birthday. Solidarity to everyone in pursuit of democracy in Burma. FEDERAL RESPONSIBLE LENDING LAWS Ms HENNESSY (Altona) (12:58): I am very grateful for the opportunity to rise today and to place on the record in the fiercest possible terms my condemnation of the attempts by the federal government to wind back responsible lending laws. There is a horrific piece of legislation currently being considered by the commonwealth government named the National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Supporting Economic Recovery) Bill 2020. That is a ruse. We all know what it is designed to do: it is designed to roll back the protections for ordinary people who rely upon credit for things like mortgages and buying cars, and to support credit facilities and credit loans. It essentially transfers the due diligence obligations that the finance sector currently bears, rightfully, to consumers. It takes away their ability to argue for the purposes of having things like meaningful mediation and other forms of ways to resolve disputes should they be unable to be able to meet the terms of those credits. We know that for those that get entrapped in irrecoverable debt, it is the pathway to poverty from which people do not recover. The legislation that the commonwealth government are currently considering is in complete contrast with what the Hayne royal commission recommended. It is an attack on poor people, and it is an attack on their protections. CHARLIESE ALLEN Ms HALL (Footscray) (13:00): This week I received a letter from the director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Michael Brand, informing me that a young woman from Sunshine West was a finalist in the 2021 Young Archies. Charliese Allen is 16 years old, and her portrait of her mother, titled Momasito, is currently on display amongst those of the most talented young portrait painters in Australia. I thought Charliese’s description of her painting was beautiful. She wrote:

This portrait portrays and is dedicated to my mum. She is the strongest person I have ever met, and whenever I feel like I have no one else to turn to, or I feel lost, I know I can go to her. She has a heart of gold and stays strong even through the toughest of times, and I wanted to portray that here—her vulnerable and caring presence side by side with her iron will. Charliese’s tribute to her mum is absolutely spectacular, and I felt so proud when I read the letter and saw this incredibly moving work. Charliese, we are all cheering you on for a bright future in the arts if that is what you aspire to. FEDERAL RESPONSIBLE LENDING LAWS Ms HALL: On a more concerning note for my community, I would like to join the member for Altona in condemning the federal government in the strongest terms for their watering down of responsible lending laws—completely irresponsible—when our community legal service in the last year has prevented 18 home repossessions.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2211

SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr EDBROOKE (Frankston) (13:01): I would like to extend my thanks to everyone across the state in the emergency services and in the recovery efforts from the recent storms and flooding. They have been just downright amazing. I spent the day last Friday down in the Latrobe Valley where I had the opportunity to thank so many people across that community for what they have done, starting with the Latrobe council recovery centre, and I was able to problem-solve in my capacity as Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services as well. So after that brief visit to the recovery centre in Yinnar, which is about 20 metres down from where I used to live, I was taken on a tour of the affected areas around Whitelaws Track by the Latrobe city mayor, who I just cannot say enough good words about. Sharon Gibson is an amazing person, and she is a great advocate for her community, which is doing it tough right now. I was able to gain a greater understanding of some of the challenges in that area, although it was obviously difficult to see that community, family and friends going through some really hard times. But whether it be trees, wind, fire or floods, the Latrobe Valley is a brilliant, resilient community. Special thanks to the mayor Sharon Gibson and Barry Whitehead of Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund for their honest appraisals of what it will take to get along with the recovery, and also thanks to CFA assistant chief Michael Owen, who took me through the Traralgon regional control centre and let me sit in on the Incident Control Centre briefing as well. TRUGANINA NORTH SECONDARY SCHOOL Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (13:03): Families in Tarneit and Truganina deserve first-class local schools, and that is exactly what our Andrews Labor government is delivering for them. It was absolutely fantastic to be able to announce last week that our government is actively looking at acquiring land in Elements estate in Trug to build one of the two campuses for Truganina North Secondary School. Now, at the start of this year, residents in Elements estate were really worried after the Catholic Education Office walked away from building a school on this land, and the developer started looking at other options, including building more housing. But our community have been very clear; they want to see this land used for a school. I want to commend the Acting Premier’s office and the Department of Education and Training for actively listening to residents in my community and working together to develop a rather ingenious solution that will deliver even greater benefits to Trug families. This is a wonderful outcome, and I want to thank the many, many residents living in Elements estate who have reached out to me and my office over the last few months to show their support for a school being built in their local community. This is a perfect example of what can happen when residents get together and work together with their local MP to deliver a real solution and a positive outcome for our community. I cannot wait to see this school become a reality in the not-too-distant future, when the school finally opens its doors in 2024. Business of the house NOTICES OF MOTION AND ORDERS OF THE DAY Ms HUTCHINS (Sydenham—Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (13:04): I move:

That consideration of government business, notice of motion 1 and orders of the day 1 and 2, be postponed until later this day. Motion agreed to.

BILLS 2212 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Bills MUTUAL RECOGNITION (VICTORIA) AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Mr PALLAS: That this bill be now read a second time. Ms STALEY (Ripon) (13:05): I rise to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. This bill, which is a very short bill, does a very important thing. What it does is sign Victoria up to a new scheme—a national scheme, a federal and state scheme—that allows for occupational licensing to transfer between states so that people who hold these licences do not need to reapply in other states. If they hold a licence in these recognised occupations in Victoria, for example, they will be able to take their skills and work in other states. This is an important reform that adds to labour market flexibility. It will particularly enable tradies to go where the work is much more easily. This will allow them to, for example, rebuild areas after natural disasters or other disasters. It will allow them to go where there are significant building works going on for those in the building trades. But more generally what this will do is for the occupations covered by existing mutual recognition agreements it will just mean they do not have to pay the licence fees twice and they do not have to apply in the state that they are going to work in and sometimes wait six weeks before they can get a licence to work there. The original Mutual Recognition Act—which is a national, state and federal, act—came out in 1992. It was then massively reworked in 1998, I believe, but the federal act was 1992. It came out of what were then known as the Hilmer reforms and was a significant part of microeconomic reform. Since then, though, there has been significant understanding that it had gone a certain way but it really had not achieved the full impact of what it had set out to do because people were still required to get a licence in a new state even though the mutual recognition meant that they did not have to go through a second set of training. Now, in coming to this reform the federal government got PwC to undertake an economic impact assessment of automatic recognition of occupational licensing. What PwC found was that introducing this will increase Australia’s GDP by at least $2.38 billion over the next decade. This is significant reform. This is reform that will enable Australians to capture the benefits of having an increase in GDP from what is really a simple change. PwC also came to the conclusion that over 168 000 licensees— and that is overwhelmingly individuals who hold these licences—will have a reduced administrative burden and improved labour mobility. The results were clear: that this is a needed reform, a worthwhile reform. Like the reforms of the Hawke and Keating governments, we support this reform. We support this bill, and we support the federal government leading this reform from the federal place. So I would at this point really thank the Treasurer for putting this bill through in its simplest form. The bill before us today effectively has one clause that adopts the federal government’s legislation and, as I will come to in a minute, that is not the case in every jurisdiction. One of the other groups that is particularly influenced by this bill—I see the member for South-West Coast is at the table here, and I am sure she will cover this in great depth in her contribution—is of course border communities. If you live in a border community, whether it is along the South Australian-Victorian border or the New South Wales-Victorian border, and you want to work on the other side of it, you every year would be paying additional licensing fees, or every four years, depending on the nature of your licence. So for those communities this is a significant reform that will allow them to move much more easily across those borders. While we support this bill and of course we support the federal act that it is incorporating into Victorian law, the same cannot be said, I would say, for the federal opposition or the New South Wales opposition, because what we have seen—and in fact one of the reasons that we are debating this bill

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2213 in the Assembly today, we will pass it today and it will go to the Council immediately for them to consider either later today or some time this week—is that this bill comes into operation on 1 July. The hold-up has not been the by state Labor government or the opposition; the hold-up has been by the New South Wales opposition. The Labor Party in New South Wales took their bill to the committee stage and then moved a series of amendments which in effect stop core parts of the licences which are required by this legislation for up to five years. Because the New South Wales Liberal government do not have the numbers in the Legislative Council in New South Wales, they were forced to accept those amendments to get the bill through. This is one of those situations where we had to wait on New South Wales because they are the sponsoring jurisdiction, and that has only just happened. But when we look at what the Labor members in New South Wales had to say about this bill we see, for example, that Julia Finn, who is the member for Granville, said:

Unions are concerned with some aspects of what is proposed in the bill. Then she went on to say that she:

… will now describe concerns with the bill from the perspective of electricians, plumbers and builders. And of course the only perspectives she then went to put through were those of the Electrical Trades Union and the CFMEU in their submissions. What we had in New South Wales was Labor members opposed to this legislation coming in because their union overlords said to them, ‘We don’t like aspects of that’. What they therefore forced on the New South Wales government was for a number of trades not to have these provisions come in for up to five years. We need to be very clear here that the arguments that the trade union movement is putting forward are spurious and the sorts of arguments that they are putting forward in fact we saw then rehearsed again in the federal Parliament, and I will come to that in a minute. The Honourable Mark Buttigieg, who is also in the New South Wales Parliament, quoted the Australian Council of Trade Unions, who said that they have a number of concerns. He then went on to quote the Electrical Trades Union again, who also did not like the bill. In particular what the Electrical Trades Union, New South Wales branch, had said to the New South Wales opposition was:

If implemented as proposed AMR— which is automatic mutual recognition—

will lead to unsafe electrical work, increased electrical risks, electrical fires, electrical injuries and electrical fatalities. The union in New South Wales, whether it be the Electrical Trades Union, the plumbers or the buildings unions, have fought tooth and nail against this bill. It is Labor Party members who do not like this. They do not like it in New South Wales, and they do not like it in the federal Parliament either. If we move to some of what we got told in the federal debate on this bill, Richard Marles, who is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, moved an amendment, and the amendment he moved, which did not get up, was to remove all of the building industry from the application of this bill. And he did so because the building industry unions put him up to it. Libby Coker, the member for Corangamite, said that the bill will mean that the same standard will not be applied across the nation, exposing workers to risk and varying the quality of workmanship. Well, she clearly has not read the bill, because what this bill does is absolutely say that irrespective of where you got your licence from, you have to apply and abide by all of the safety and other regulations of the jurisdiction you are working in. Now, I assume that is why the Treasurer, the Victorian Treasurer, has embraced this bill, because he has understood it. He has actually read it. I would be very curious to hear what the various members of the government are going to say on this bill in debate, particularly those who are affiliated with some of the unions who are so opposed to this bill. So I must say I do congratulate the Treasurer for bringing the bill in the form it has come in, which is without amendment; it is simply adopting the federal legislation. That is not what New South Wales was forced to do. But again I go to the member for Cooper in the federal Parliament, Ged Kearney,

BILLS 2214 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 who of course was previously an ACTU president or secretary—I cannot remember which. She said she was proud to say the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation, which is the nurses, owned the copyright on those standards and the bill of ethics and the code of conduct for a long time and that was then handed over to the national body. All that work was given to the national body and those individual nurses boards became one under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). She again is saying that regrettably national standards have not been achieved for some occupations. Well, that is exactly the point of this bill. The point is that if you have a licence, you can go wherever it is. It is not about having the same licence in every place. In fact it is deliberately— absolutely deliberately—rejecting the nurses model which she is so proud of. That model is that there is national registration for nurses under AHPRA. That is not a model, I might add, that has worked particularly well for Victorians. It was far better when we had Victorian registration for nurses and for medical practitioners. I know in my area we have had several occasions where there have been complaints made about practitioners and AHPRA has not been a very good body for them. I would contend it was far better when we had state bodies doing that regulation. And I would argue that is the same with electricians, plumbers and builders. With Victorian regulation we make our choices about that and then we say to anybody coming from elsewhere, ‘You have to abide by our standards’. And if that means you have to have a working with children check, you have to get a working with children check. If that means you have to demonstrate competence, you demonstrate competence. This bill in no way reduces those health and safety or other occupational safety aspects that we have set up to have decent working conditions and safe working conditions. Yet those in the Labor Party in other places are not at all convinced. In fact I would go on to say Senator McAllister, who is a New South Wales federal Labor member— I think it is a she; I am sorry if I misgender this person— Ms Hutchins: Yes. Ms STALEY: Thank you. She said:

… Labor does not want to dismiss this bill out of hand. Labor supports the principle … of allowing workers to move around the country in pursuit of work and having their qualifications recognised. We acknowledge that all states and territories have provided consent to the Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill, including Victoria, which has stated that this provides significant reform … That is what Senator McAllister said, but then she joined with all the other Labor Party senators in voting against this bill in the Senate. So she recognised that Victoria had in fact taken a lead role here with this conversation at the Treasurer’s level, which was initially led of course by Josh Frydenberg, but my understanding is that the Victorian Treasurer was heavily involved in getting this bill to where we are now. And as I have said, we agree with this bill. We support this bill. We will vote for this bill. We think it will bring significant benefits to Victorian workers and significant benefits to the Victorian economy, and that is why we support it. However, I must reiterate that that is not the position of Labor Party members around this country because that is not the position of many of the trade unions. The trade unions have wholly and completely misunderstood what this bill is meant to do, or if they do understand it, they are trying to paint it in a way which is disingenuous for their own purposes. This is a pro-worker bill, as the Treasurer has noted. Both the federal, I may add, and state Treasurers have noted that. Yet for some reason the various Labor Party members in at least New South Wales and the federal Parliament were not enthusiastic, would be the least I could say. I am nearly finished in my remarks. As I said, this is not a particularly complex bill, but I do want to read into Hansard so that it is recorded there that I had various correspondence with the Treasurer’s office prior to this bill coming to the house today, and one of the things that I asked the Treasurer’s office about was whether it is the government’s intention to utilise the provisions within the bill to delay implementation for any sectors, and if so, which sectors. This bill allows, largely for transitional reasons, sectors to be carved out for up to 12 months. Now, that is not what New South Wales has

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2215 done. New South Wales has carved out sectors for five years. This is simply a transitional provision that was always there because, well, it is late June now and it starts on 1 July, and I can understand that there is some administrative work to be done. However, the Treasurer’s office has come back to me and said that the government intends to provide delayed commencement, which in the technical sense of the bill means there are temporary exemptions for a number of licences to allow time to address implementation issues. The list of temporary exemptions is: architects; building practitioners; environmental auditors; firearms and weapons—and there is a query whether they are actually in scope, and I make no comment on that; I do not know—horse, harness and greyhound racing; labour hire; land surveyors; marine pilots; plumbing workers; private security; professional engineers; real estate agents, including agent representatives; sex workers, including brothel managers—who knew that they had mutual recognition?—and teachers, including early childhood teachers. Now, I have also been assured there are plenty of others that are still in scope, and the Treasurer’s adviser said to me that the government’s intention is to revoke exemptions earlier where possible. I take the Treasurer’s office at their word on that, because to be frank, the Treasurer has led this bill in terms of the debate and is clearly signed up to this and has at no point indicated that the Andrews Labor government plans to walk away from the principles underpinning this bill. With that, I put them on the record to say that we are watching. We do not want those to go any longer than the 12 months or to be rolled over in any way. The intention of this bill is to bring the automatic mutual recognition in from 1 July, and with that I commend the bill to the house. Mr STAIKOS (Bentleigh) (13:25): It is a pleasure to rise to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. As the lead speaker from the opposition explained earlier, it is indeed a very short bill. It might be the shortest bill I have ever contributed to, and it is so short that I am sure that every member of this place has read it at least three times. But while it is very short, the benefits are far reaching when you consider that currently—and I was actually staggered to read this— around 20 per cent of workers are required to be licensed across the country. That is a lot of workers. And there are more than 800 different licences in manual trades. In addition, more than 124 000 workers are currently working across borders, and it is projected that as a result of this new national system another 44 000 workers will follow on 1 July just by easing that regulatory burden. I think this government over the last six years has done a lot to ease unnecessary regulatory burden, mainly through Better Regulation Victoria, and if I have some time later, I might go through a few things as well. Essentially, as we said, it is a very, very simple bill. It applies the amendments to the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 of the commonwealth being proposed by the Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill 2021, the commonwealth bill, to introduce a scheme of automatic mutual recognition of occupational registrations. It is intended that the amendments will come into operation as soon as practicable after 1 July 2021 and in any case no later than 1 July 2022. Automatic mutual recognition, or AMR, makes it easier for workers with an occupational licence to move around the country to take up a new job and take advantage of business opportunities. AMR does this by automatically registering licensed workers to work in any other state or territory under the authority of their home state licence. Provided workers comply with certain conditions, they will no longer be required to obtain a second licence for registration to undertake activities they are already licensed for. So if a worker holds an electrician’s or real estate agent’s licence in Victoria, a worker can use that licence to work in WA or New South Wales or any other state or territory in Australia. Likewise, licensed workers from those states can work in Victoria. This is a simple bill but one that will greatly support economic recovery by reducing those barriers to licensed workers doing work in multiple states. Licensed workers will no longer have to pay multiple registration fees, and of course it will be easier to work across borders. This implements a decision of national cabinet in August last year to implement automatic mutual recognition across Australia. The government’s number one priority in this work has been to ensure the ongoing integrity of Victorian licensing schemes and protections, and there are a number of safeguards in place. One of the reasons

BILLS 2216 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 that some of the licensed occupations will not come into effect in this scheme until next year is that further work needs to be done on those. The Victorian government worked with other jurisdictions through the national cabinet process to ensure these protections while also supporting the benefits of the scheme. As a result of this work and feedback from other governments and stakeholders around the country, the final commonwealth bill includes important protections that get the balance right. That includes safeguards to allow Victoria to maintain its important consumer safety, public safety and other community protections in our existing licensing schemes. There are many benefits for Victorians, and at the end of the day it has to be all about jobs. Automatic mutual recognition has been estimated to have the potential to provide up to $2.4 billion in economic benefits over 10 years across Australia. It will improve choice and reduce costs for workers, consumers and businesses, and it will make it easier for people to move to Victoria and take up a job. And as it comes into effect in other states and territories, it will also help Victorians looking to move and work temporarily interstate. It will also support jobs, not just the direct job of someone benefiting from mutual recognition but also jobs alongside them and for the people they buy from. As I said earlier, the government has a very strong record when it comes to easing unnecessary regulatory burden in this state. And as I also said earlier, it was this government in 2015 that established Better Regulation Victoria, which has had the sole focus of reducing red tape and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Victoria’s regulations and regulators. In the first term of the Andrews government red tape was reduced by 25 per cent over that four-year period. Victoria’s regulation scrutiny system, based on the legislative requirements for regulatory impact statements for new and sunsetting regulations, ensures that this focus on red tape reduction and regulatory reform continues. This system is administered by Better Regulation Victoria and is seen as a model approach, having been adopted by other jurisdictions, including recently through the federal government’s new approach to regulation reform. There have been many, many individual achievements of Better Regulation Victoria in that time. For example, both Small Business Victoria and Better Regulation Victoria pioneered a new approach to approval systems by reducing the average time taken for small businesses to get startup approvals from local councils by 80 per cent across 50 councils. And the commissioner for better regulation has also recommended that this approach now be implemented for local council approvals for planning permits. Again, it is about easing that regulatory burden and about supporting jobs in the process. It is also important to note that Better Regulation Victoria does not just focus on regulations per se. Importantly, it works with regulators on how to regulate, looking at the four things that all regulators do, approvals or permissioning, monitoring compliance, enforcing and reporting, and then working with regulators on how to make these processes much more efficient from the point of view of business or community without undermining the reasons for the regulations in the first place—for example, to protect from harm. So that is a very, very short summation of the Andrews Labor government’s very, very strong record when it comes to easing unnecessary regulation. And in last year’s budget, I should also mention, the government committed $75 million for regulatory reform that will support our economic recovery and help create jobs. That includes an incentive fund to support reforms that deliver material benefits, a fast-track review unit to respond directly and quickly to priority issues and a system-wide review of business licensing, including opportunities to digitise licences to make it easier for small business and sole traders to operate. And automatic mutual recognition is consistent with these objectives. As I said, this is all about supporting jobs—indeed about creating jobs—and I think this government has a very strong record in that regard. We have a very, very strong strategy that we have been pursuing since last year to create jobs, setting ourselves an ambitious jobs target of 400 000 new jobs by 2025 and half of them by 2022. And we have already exceeded that interim target a year early.

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Victoria is once again leading the nation on jobs growth, just as we did right up until the pandemic. As we bounce back from this pandemic, since December 2020 Victoria has added more than 252 000 jobs; that is more than any other state, and it is more than New South Wales and Queensland combined. In the latest labour force figures in May we have seen Victoria’s unemployment rate fall to 4.8 per cent, which is below where it was before the pandemic started and below the national average of 5.1 per cent. We do this by ensuring that we are making the right investments that support Victorians and that give Victorians the jobs and opportunities that they deserve, but we also do this by making sure that we are constantly keeping an eye on unnecessary regulatory burden so that we can support business to grow and create jobs. I commend the bill to the house, and I wish it a speedy passage. Mr McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (13:35): I am delighted to rise and make a contribution on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021 and follow on from the contribution of the member for Ripon. I thought she was excellent in the way she described the beneficiaries and who is driving this bill. Let us be honest, the member for Bentleigh is trying to take some sort of credit here, I think, but certainly it is driven by the commonwealth—no doubt about it. Our Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, should get all the credit. It is not the Andrews government that is making life easier for people—I can assure you of that. As a cross-border resident myself in the Ovens Valley, along with others who are cross-border residents, I can really relate to the importance of the changes in this bill and how significant these changes will be. That is why we are supporting this bill—because it will make life a lot easier. We know that the main purpose is continuing the adoption of the mutual recognition that originated from the act of the commonwealth of 1992, but if COVID has taught us anything at all it has demonstrated how dysfunctional Australia can be if we rely on just the egos of premiers allowed to roam free. At the end of the day we are one country, and we have seen stupidity from other states and territories followed by tit-for-tat retribution. All that has done is achieve nothing but pain and suffering for Australians—people, businesses and communities—and they have paid the heavy price throughout this process. So having this debate now is logical, and again I commend the commonwealth Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, for pulling this together. It will allow enormous flexibility and common sense, something we do not see from the other side. For industries that are caught up in red tape—and we find that as border communities the red tape is overwhelming sometimes—in a nutshell this provides for individually registered businesses in their home state to conduct business in another state in that they have the same levels of requirement that they get from their original state but they do not have to pay a secondary registration. PwC estimates additional economic activity may be $2.4 billion over two years as a result of the savings to workers and businesses, and up to 168 000 workers may potentially benefit from this scheme going forward, including 44 000 workers who currently do not work interstate. As I continue to say in this place, border communities operate as one community, and this bill certainly helps this progress to go forward. The impediments to doing business are more difficult than they need to be, and the industries that will benefit greatly will be plumbers, builders, electricians and many other industries that require sometimes a Victorian licence and a New South Wales licence, in my case. In some areas you need three licences—a Victorian, a New South Wales and the South Australian licence—to do business. It is unnecessary, and it is a cost imposition that ends up flowing on to the customers as well, so everyone pays in the end. In my electorate of Ovens Valley we obviously border New South Wales. Towns like Cobram- Barooga and Yarrawonga-Mulwala will be huge beneficiaries. But you have only got to go upstream to Corowa-Rutherglen and Albury-Wodonga, and again they will be beneficiaries as well—and Echuca-Moama and Mildura and Wentworth. These are all considerable towns and they are all single communities at the end of the day, so this bill will certainly go a long way forward to assisting those. New South Wales is the sponsor state, as we have heard, of this bill, and I commend the leadership that has been shown by New South Wales. Certainly during the COVID outbreaks we have seen vast

BILLS 2218 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 differences in leadership styles, and New South Wales has been a shining light in this space. But to put a further point on this bill, it is automatic mutual recognition: no extra fees, no need to seek our permission, because the red tape that hurts the businesses—sometimes businesses in border towns have got double the red tape—will be reduced. These benefits do not just flow to private enterprise. As we have heard from the member for Ripon, during national disasters, whether it is bushfires—we had a mini tornado recently in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales—or other storms, it will allow other registered workers to quite quickly come and move in and help put a town or community back on track. You will find that in border towns most will have dual recognition, they will have dual licences, but sometimes towns like Wangaratta or Shepparton are a bit further away from the border and they do not have those secondary licences and it is going to take 8, 10, 12 weeks sometimes to get that licence. You can actually move people into these areas now, straight away, and get on with the job, which is a huge advantage. If you are a Victorian and you want to go to Queensland or Western Australia to work, you do not have to wait that time-consuming 8, 10, 12 weeks to get your licences in place, and it certainly does open up some opportunities. Again, I say COVID has shown when states act like mini countries they build barriers to other states and it helps no-one. We are one country, and this legislation takes another step forward to promote that we are one country and that mentality. The other element to remember is it will increase competitiveness within industries, some that are currently already hamstrung, and I am talking about towns like Wangaratta, like I mentioned, and Shepparton, which are perfect examples. They currently do not do a lot of business across the border because they need secondary licences and more red tape. They do not hold the licence, which means that they do not tender for the business; they do not compete. This legislation rips down those barriers and certainly opens us up as one country. Again, that great leadership shown by the commonwealth is very impressive. In fact all I need now is Josh Frydenberg to come to Cobram and I will take him fishing, because he might open up the process there too so that we do not have to have fishing licences in different states as well. That would be a delight. When I look at the building industry in towns like Yarrawonga, we have got exceptional builders like Kennedy Builders. They work on both sides of the river, both sides of the border. Flexibility for businesses like Kennedy’s to bring short-term workers in for when there are big jobs—they can compete on bigger jobs because they can get workers in from Melbourne or other states—is extremely beneficial. D & M Bowden Constructions at Barooga, MS Constructions at Cobram—they will all be beneficiaries through this commonwealth leadership. And although Victoria is now recognised as the lockdown state, we still are a lucky country in Australia. Australia is the lucky country, even though Victoria is the lockdown state, and this legislation certainly helps our border communities to take massive steps forward. My understanding is that the insurance providers to businesses will reach across the state boundaries as well, and that is another great result. Some of these registrations take, as I said before, 8, 10, 12 weeks to obtain, so in some instances the horse has already bolted by the time a job comes up or an opportunity comes up to get the staff in place to tender for that job or do that job. The horse has already bolted, and that is an opportunity missed. On the whole I can certainly see the benefits for Australians, because at the end of the day that is what we all are. Again, I commend the bill. I commend the leadership of the commonwealth government. It is a brilliant start to reform across Australia, because we have seen during the COVID times where borders really have not helped our situation, and I think when we continue to act as a country rather than mini countries and states we will all be better for it. I commend the bill to the house. Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh) (13:44): It is a real pleasure to speak on this bill and particularly to follow the contribution of my colleague and friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer. But I might just respond to the member for Ovens Valley’s contribution in a small way before I continue on the more substantive part of my contribution. My response is: thank God for the federation. Thank God there are state governments who can hold the federal government to account

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2219 and can provide some competitive tension nationally in big policy debates. As unaccustomed as I am to reflecting positively on myself and this government, I think if you look at the debates of the last few months, particularly the last few weeks, we led the commonwealth to the quarantine arrangements that they are now going to put in place nationally. We literally found the site. We pointed to it, and they came. They had no intention prior to that, no intention. So when we talk about premiers acting as mini prime ministers—no, it is not mini prime ministers, it is as national leaders. That is what this Premier and the Acting Premier have done. Exhibit B on that argument is that we have also led nationally on advice to the commonwealth that they should support states going through lockdowns. They literally had no plans to support businesses and casual workers in Victoria after the required two-week lockdown. And, sure enough, we stood up there publicly and said, ‘This is not good enough. We’re supporting businesses to the tune of $460 million just for two weeks. The least you could do is reinstitute JobSeeker arrangements’. Two or three days later they come out and they say, ‘Okay. Okay, we will support casual workers’—in a way that was not very expansive, but nonetheless they came out. That is an example of where we are providing national leadership. So for the member for Ovens Valley to say that it is a problem—I reckon it is quite the opposite: the competitive tension in the federation has worked exceedingly well. Can I just talk a little bit about the bill. This is an important bill. It reminds me that I had a bit of a role to play in supporting the Treasurer to get through the Parliament the Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019, which basically did two things. One was to recognise in a coherent way the engineering profession across all aspects of engineering through a registration scheme. The bill has passed and we are in the implementation phase, but previous to that bill an engineer could literally say they were a civil engineer or a structural engineer just because it is on their résumé, without having a central body where they had to register their professional credentials. If you look at the amount of public infrastructure projects this government has undertaken, that is a risky marketplace, so this professional engineers registration system was effectively a way of providing a floor. Most engineers are accomplished professionals, clearly, but we just wanted to make sure they all were recognised under the same system. The second part, though, was a mutual recognition arrangement nationally. Only Queensland had the system where engineers were professionally recognised by a central body. The second stage of that bill that we passed a few years ago was to get mutual recognition. Well, this in a sense provides that carve-out through the force of the agreement of the national cabinet for a range of professions, not just engineers, as the member for Bentleigh and others have outlined. And, as others have outlined, the government’s key priority here is not to lessen the integrity of our own licensing and registration systems we have across the board. We feel in many respects those are national leading levels of accountability and registration, so we take those to the national conversation. We then have a to and fro with other jurisdictions and the commonwealth, and then we accept the standard that we are willing to base mutual recognition on. So that is why there is a bit of a temporary carve-out for some professions, as the member for Bentleigh talked about, that we are not quite willing to sign up yet until further work is done on those high standards Victoria has. That is an important safeguard for the reasons I talked about in relation to professional engineers but more broadly across every other profession in occupational licensing in Victoria. Of course the bill is extraordinarily important for the reasons that—I found myself in a strange space, agreeing with a large part of what the member for Ripon said about the costs, the mobility and the support from the labour market. I think it is a union- and a worker-friendly bill, as it is a business- friendly bill. What I found very strange about the member for Ripon’s contribution was somehow trying to create a straw man of this bogey union movement and trying to sort of then strip it down again. I do not know how in this place the contributions of Labor members in the New South Wales Parliament have really any role to be traversed and debated here. I wanted to also talk a little bit about the government’s track record in relation to regulation and reform, and the member for Bentleigh, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, spoke a little bit about

BILLS 2220 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 this. I have been tasked by the Minister for Regulatory Reform specifically in relation to digital capacity, which is a responsibility that the Department of Premier and Cabinet support him with. I have been tasked with responsibilities by that minister, that excellent minister, to work with him and the hospitality sector initially but more broadly now with other sectors to effectively cut red tape and help improve the way government deals with businesses, and I had the really good fortune of actually working with the member for Geelong in her community. It was a while ago now with the member for Geelong, and I commit to you that they are on the cusp of making some really good recommendations which I will be very pleased to take you through before they become more broadly public. But there were really good contributions from businesses about the obstacles they see in dealing with councils and with state government, and some examples given just beggar belief. This is in an environment after we have appointed the first red tape commissioner, an excellent person in Anna Cronin, who has done a power of work, as the member for Bentleigh talked about. But there are still issues to be addressed. When you look at a COVID context, we should not just be supporting businesses through grants, we should be supporting them through being able to take the regulatory burden off them so they can pivot and do good things without having to battle paperwork and time lines and delays. Some of the businesses that the member for Geelong brought to the meeting that we had together really shaped my thinking early on and the minister’s thinking in relation to some of the things we would do. One example was—as basic as it is, when you add this to every other issue those businesses have to deal with it becomes a real burden—A-frames. You know, the A-frames that businesses have outside their shop on the footpath, there is a range of different ways councils deal with those. Some you have to fill out a four- or five-page form and pay a fee, others you do not have to do much at all. So these are some of the examples of the regulatory burdens on businesses. There are literally dozens of time lines, dozens and dozens of deadlines in a year, on a whole range of different things that they have to worry about—from liquor licenses to A-frames to car park levies to food safety certificates to a whole range of things. We are trying to do some work to make that burden easier, including understanding whether a low-risk activity even warrants a permit. Does it even warrant a permit? Maybe just let the business get on and do it. I remember one of the examples, again in the member for Geelong’s area, was a business that did trade in Geelong but also in Ballarat, and they found a different posture by the council about the support they received. In this context, and of course not necessarily anything broader, Ballarat City Council was far better at supporting the business during COVID than Geelong council. The economic development arm and the planning arm rang the business and said, ‘How can we help you trade in laneways, in public spaces?’. And that is what the Premier came out with, and the Minister for Planning last year said we would do away, for a year, with permits and the need for permits for outdoor trading so we can help businesses pivot. Virtual inspections, extensions to liquor licences—we have done a whole range of work in terms of taking the regulatory burden off businesses. This is another example of that long list of achievements, and there will be more to be announced—not my announcement but by the Minister for Regulatory Reform with the great work he has been given the great opportunity to do with members of the government. So I commend the Treasurer, I commend the contributions made so far on this side of the house and I commend the bill to the house. Ms BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (13:54): I rise to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. This is a bill that adopts the commonwealth’s establishment of a scheme of automatic mutual recognition for occupational registrations and licences. It basically adopts the federal coalition act to enable automatic mutual recognition of occupational registrations and licences, and it is a significant piece of labour market deregulation undertaken by the commonwealth and the states. I absolutely support this reform. Basically it allows workers to be able to have their licences and recognition of their qualifications across many states rather than having to basically pay for the licence twice, for example, or three times, depending on what borders they need to cross or would like to cross to be able to access work. They will also no longer have to wait weeks, which sometimes these processes take, when they are trying to get access to these licences and be able to work over different borders.

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As a border MP I know only too well the difficulties the arbitrary line on a map poses not only in these coronavirus times with Premiers who slam borders shut without consideration of the people who need to cross that line every day for work or school or shopping, but also those people working in service industries that cover both sides of the borders. Many of these workers are people such as plumbers, electricians, builders, marine pilots, architects, professional engineers, real estate agents, teachers or early childhood teachers. These are professions that affect our border communities every single day, and it makes sense—it makes complete sense—that if you are living in Portland or Nelson, in my electorate, your catchment for your business or your ability to work is in quite a circle around you. An arbitrary line on the map should not mean that a person living near the border has to pay twice for something that somebody in a catchment like Geelong or Melbourne only has to pay once for. It is a significant piece of reform that improves the situation for border communities, and that is why I think this is a great piece of legislation that the federal government has brought forward and now we are endorsing. Having ready access to workers is one of the most important things in my region. I have a number of businesses who are struggling to find staff, and they need to have staff to run their operations. These are businesses that range from local cafes to the local meat-processing facility to hotels and dairy farms—the list goes on and on. It is quite surprising, but ABS statistics released last week show that we only have a 3 per cent unemployment problem. It is not much of a problem. We actually have jobs that need filling, and we do not have enough people to fill them. That of course means that businesses cannot expand their operations and that farmers cannot grow their herds, and this hampers the local services that shops can offer. So we actually need policies that work and that encourage people, like this piece of legislation does, to move people into the regions to live in the regions and to work. For example, the abattoir—we have seen during the pandemic the importance of food and food production, and when we could not actually produce meat and serve that meat out to the communities, we all did take notice. Businesses like the abattoir in Warrnambool need to have access to people, and reform like this goes some way to where we need to go, but we need to do so much more, and it is good to have that recognition of the importance of this and that we need more staff in the regions. Unfortunately we actually have a youth unemployment problem. Just yesterday I was surprised to read and to hear that in the estimates inquiry the Minister for Youth confirmed that the Andrews Labor government actually has no plan to get more Victorians into jobs. Astonishingly, given her portfolio is youth, her portfolio does not contain one single performance measure targeted at getting more Victorians into work. Here we have jobs out in the regions, here we have the opportunity—blind Freddy could see the opportunity here—but the minister, who has no idea what goes on outside the tram tracks, is not interested in talking to people in the regions and is not interested in understanding what we can do for our youth. During the pandemic we have sat kids on the couch, we have all sat on the couch, and we have all got a taste of what that feels like. A member: You’re making this up! Ms BRITNELL: No, I am not making it up. The Minister for Regional Development, you would think, would have some idea that the problem in regional Victoria is we do have a desperate need for workers and we also have a problem with youth unemployment. It is extremely disappointing that the minister has nothing in her plan to address that. Surely one thing we have learned from the pandemic is we need to focus on our youth and get them mentored and supported and into work. Hard work actually makes you feel valued. Working is important, and there are jobs out there that can be given to the youth and they can be trained up and mentored. But there is no connection for this government between those two opportunities—the opportunity for youth— Business interrupted under resolution of house today.

MEMBERS 2222 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Members MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY SUPPORT AND RECOVERY Absence Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:01): I rise to inform the house that today the Minister for Regional Development will answer questions for the portfolios of industry support and recovery; trade; business precincts; tourism, sport and major events; and racing. Questions without notice and ministers statements SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services. On Saturday the government announced that just 200 generators would be made available for homes left without power since the storms of 9 June— 100 of these were donated. The government’s same media release says that ‘around 1500 households’ will ‘be without power for the next three weeks’. Minister, how are the remaining 1300 families who do not have access to generators meant to stay warm in the middle of winter? Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:02): I thank the member for his question. Look, this is the single biggest weather event that the SES have ever experienced, and the devastation across a number of communities has been quite significant. So the member is right that we have indicated that we would allocate 200 generators to begin with, but if more assistance is required, then that is what we will do. What we are doing at the moment is that we are— Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr PEARSON: Do you want the answer or not? Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Without interjections. Members on my left, without interjections. The minister, through the Chair. Mr Walsh interjected. The SPEAKER: The Leader of The Nationals! Mr PEARSON: So as I indicated we have allocated those generators to begin with, and the ADF and the Red Cross are doorknocking households in the impacted areas. Many of these areas are isolated, and there have been some significant challenges because of the fact that your roads are cut off, you have got power down and you have got telecommunications down. This has been a huge task, and I want to thank the VICSES as well as the CFA and Victoria Police for all the work that they have done. So already to date 200 households have been doorknocked by the ADF as well as Red Cross. We are working our way through all the impacted households to work with them to give them the support that they need. Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): The acting minister acknowledged on Saturday, quote:

This storm event has been incredibly difficult for the communities impacted—especially those who are without power.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2223

The same media release noted:

These generators will allow people to stay in their homes and stay warm as we clean up after these devastating storms. Minister, last night the temperature fell below zero. How does the minister expect the remaining 1300 families to stay in their homes without any power and no generators for the next three weeks? Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:04): Look, just to clear up any sort of uncertainty for the member opposite, this is the first tranche of support. More support will be provided when it is required— Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left. Order! The minister has the call. Mr PEARSON: We are working with the communities, and I want to thank the ADF and Red Cross as well as VICSES and the CFA for the work that they are doing. We are doorknocking homes. We are talking to those individual households. We are providing them with the support that they need. This is a huge effort. Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the help they need is the power back on, and the minister has not addressed how those families and those households that have not been offered generators are expected to stay in their homes for three weeks until the power comes back on. The SPEAKER: Order! The minister was relevant to the question that was asked. Mr PEARSON: Thank you, Speaker. So, as I have indicated, we have already provided assistance to date in terms of power hardship assistance payments. We are providing that support in relation to the prolonged power outage payment of $1680 a week. We have distributed scores of generators to date. We will continue to support these communities every step of the way. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:05): I rise to update the house on the recovery and clean-up efforts across the state’s east. Last week a devastating storm event left behind a trail of debris and destruction leading to the single biggest response in VICSES history. In total there were more than 9500 requests for assistance. In the Dandenongs, in my community, the damage is catastrophic. Powerlines were brought crashing to the ground, century-old trees were wrenched from their roots and cars were flattened in the blink of an eye. But together with local councils and emergency services, we have urgently responded to the challenges the community face right now. More than 600 kilometres of roads in the Dandenong Ranges have been cleared. We have already deployed 1000 emergency services staff and volunteers, including CFA, VICSES, Forest Fire Management Victoria, Red Cross and Victoria Police officers. Over the weekend power was restored to thousands of homes, and we expect another 1500 services to be reconnected by the end of this week. Some Victorians will not have power for weeks. That is why we have made 200 power generators available for locals as well as the prolonged power outage payments of $1680, which goes to alternative accommodation as well as to purchasing equipment and supplies. There has been $42 000 through the emergency re-establishment assistance payments. Today I wrote to the Prime Minister and asked for the commonwealth government to cost share 50 per cent of the clean-up work that is ahead of us. Their support will back Bushfire Recovery Victoria’s coordination of initial recovery efforts and community recovery programs. I also want to take this chance to recognise the incredible efforts of the local community in the aftermath of this terrible event. Many rolled up their sleeves without being asked, and many more are

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS 2224 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 pitching in when they themselves are facing the toughest of times. My message to them is simple: we are here to get you back on your feet and back in your homes, and we are here for as long as the recovery needs. SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): My question is to the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said, and I quote:

There is no point requesting 1000 ADF resources if you don’t know what you are going to do with them. The need for boots on the ground to clear roads and conduct welfare checks on locals trapped in their own homes was obvious from day one of these storms. Last year the government refused to call in the ADF to assist with hotel quarantine until it was too late. Why has the government again delayed calling in the ADF to help Victorians? Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:08): I reject the premise of the member’s question, and I think that— Members interjecting. Mr PEARSON: The issue here— Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr PEARSON: Jeez, you are getting desperate, aren’t you? The SPEAKER: Order! Through the Chair. Mr PEARSON: The ADF have got many and varied skills, and they have got some great talents and expertise. The issue here though is that, in our making a request to the commonwealth, we need to be clear what skills we need, how much in terms of resources and where we need it. Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr PEARSON: As I indicated— A member interjected. Mr PEARSON: Well, if you listened to my original answer to the question, you would appreciate what I am about to say. This is a storm event that the SES has never seen before. Most of the challenges associated with the storm are in relation to the Dandenongs, and specifically that relates to isolated communities which were cut off. The roads were cut off. You had powerlines down. You had telecommunications down. So you have got to clear the roads, and the CFA and VICSES did a fantastic job clearing those roads at the outset. You then had SP AusNet go through there and start doing that work. What became clear as the days passed was that this was a huge event. And what the initial— Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition! Mr PEARSON: Why are you undermining the CFA and the SES? Members interjecting.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2225

The SPEAKER: Order! Mr PEARSON: Why are you undermining the CFA and the SES? Why are you doing that? Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Without interjections, the minister. Mr PEARSON: What became clear was that the ADF had a really important role to play in terms of logistics and support. We made an initial request for resources to support that, and what we subsequently did was we got additional resources out there to doorknock with the Red Cross. And the ADF right now—they are the ones out there connecting people to these power generators. That is the work that they are doing right now because it takes around half an hour and it takes about four people to connect a generator to a house—that is what I have been advised—and that is exactly what they are doing. That is why we are not going to go to Canberra and just saying, ‘Oh, look, can we have a blank cheque, please? We’re not quite sure what we need these resources for’. This is about making sure that we get the right request. We had to do the work. We have got great resources now from the ADF. I thank the commonwealth for their assistance, and I am pleased with the support we are receiving from our great ADF, supporting our CFA and SES, who are doing a fantastic job. Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:11): Last week Commissioner Crisp also told the media that the ADF, quote:

… do not have the capability to work on the trees that you see up here in the Dandenongs. Given that the ADF is now clearing trees in the Dandenongs, what has changed, or is this just another panicked response from an incompetent government in response to an emergency? Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! Without the assistance of the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:12): So there is debris on the ground and there are trees on the ground that are required to be removed. Some of those trees are very large and you are going to need specialist equipment to do that. You cannot just rock up to Bunnings and get a chainsaw and cut through some of these trees. The other point to make, too, is that some trees have been damaged but have not fallen. When I was up in the Dandenongs, up at Kalorama, I was advised that there are something like 30 to 40 ‘killer trees’—that is what they are calling them. These are trees that are still standing but they are perched dangerously over people’s homes. And so you have got to then try and work out—I mean, you know, the ADF do some fantastic work, but they are not skilled arborists. They cannot climb up a 50-metre tree and start lopping off limbs to protect those homes. Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, as the Acting Premier has just said, they can do road clearance. They could have done road clearance from day one. Why did you leave and wait a week until— The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition knows this is not a point of order. Mr PEARSON: It is about safety too. The fact is that trees and powerlines do not make a great combination, and you need those specialist skills. Again, our CFA and our SES have done a fantastic job throughout this crisis. (Time expired) MINISTERS STATEMENTS: SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:13): I rise to update the house on the storm

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS 2226 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 and flood response, relief and recovery efforts that have taken place since the devastating weather event on 9 June. As we know, a severe storm event between 9 and 10 June hit communities hard, resulting in widespread damage across many areas of Victoria, including Gippsland, eastern Melbourne and central Victoria. VICSES received more than 9000 requests for assistance across the state relating to the flood and storm event, the single biggest event that the SES have responded to. Can I thank all emergency workers—the SES, the CFA, Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, Fire Rescue Victoria, Forest Fire Management Victoria and Bushfire Recovery Victoria (BRV)—plus relief agencies Red Cross, Salvation Army and volunteer partners, all working together over the past two weeks since these storms hit. We are grateful for the 120 ADF personnel for supporting relief in communities—providing road clearance and logistics support in delivering generators to communities as well as welfare checks and relief centres. Can I also particularly acknowledge the two SES members injured on the job. Working at great risk to themselves, we saw four SES vehicles damaged by falling trees and debris. Tragically, two people lost their lives in the storm event, and our thoughts are with them and their families. I have had the opportunity to witness the flood damage over Gippsland as well as the devastation caused by the storms in the Yarra Ranges. The transition from response to recovery is underway throughout Victoria. I have met with the mayors and CEOs of impacted councils as we begin a productive and long-term partnership between the tiers of government. I have instructed BRV and Emergency Management Victoria to continue to work closely with impacted councils and Local Government Victoria to understand their needs and their capacity limitations and facilitate coordination of support. Clean-up is the immediate priority, but this clean-up will be more dangerous and more complex than previous clean-up efforts, given the challenges posed by hazardous trees and the volume of debris. We are already in discussions with the commonwealth about joint funding for an initial recovery and clean-up package. As the damage assessments continue to be undertaken, it is possible we will need to make further requests as we want to get things moving as quickly as possible. We are standing shoulder to shoulder with communities impacted by this event and beginning the long process of recovery. SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (14:15): My question is to the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Of the 1200 businesses eligible for the government’s prolonged power outage business payment, as at midday today, how many of those payments have landed in the bank accounts of businesses that have been without power for almost two weeks? Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:16): I am advised that as of yesterday 3120 applications have been received, with 2773 processed for payment, and we anticipate that the money will land in bank accounts from today. Mr Rowswell: On a point of order, Speaker, was the minister referring to business payments or payments to family homes? The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has completed his answer, so there is no point of order. Mr Rowswell: Well, he may need to issue a correction. Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! It may be a good supplementary question. Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (14:17): In the minister’s media release announcing these business payments, the minister said:

We understand the pain felt in the community caused by these catastrophic storms. …

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2227

We know communities are doing it tough which is why we are stepping in to make sure businesses and employers have financial support to keep businesses going and begin the recovery work. If the minister indeed knows this, why then, two weeks on from the storm and after two weeks without power, has not one of those 1200 businesses received a cent of financial relief in their bank accounts? Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:17): Again, as I have indicated, we have indicated that we are providing support to communities, both households and businesses. I am advised that in relation to applications for businesses they will open from tomorrow. Mr Wells: On a point of order, Speaker, based on the minister’s answer to the supplementary, will that mean that the minister will need to make a personal explanation for the answer to the first question? Because it was incorrectly answered. The SPEAKER: Order! The Manager of Opposition Business knows that is not a point of order. There is no point of order. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:18): I rise to update the house on the extensive support that we are providing to families and businesses that have lost power during what has been a catastrophic and unprecedented series of storms that caused damage across many parts of the state. This is the biggest storm event in living memory, inflicting the type of damage to electricity infrastructure we would normally see in a two-year period compressed into just two days. This is truly a situation that has impacted and continues to impact many communities. We saw 360 000 customers lose power from the storms and an overwhelming part of the network having to be rebuilt. This is more than 10 times worse than the impact of the Black Summer bushfires just in 2019–20 in terms of the power outages and the damage to the electricity system. AusNet Services have 500 specialist workers on the ground supported by 100 more workers from New South Wales and other distribution companies in Victoria, and as of today we are down to 1860 people off power as a result of the storms. We have put unprecedented support in place for local communities affected. We are providing $1680 of payments to families and $2500 for businesses for every week that they remain off supply. Already more than 2773 payments have been made with payments beginning to go into bank accounts today to families. We are rolling out 300 small generators to those most in need, with more to come as the need is determined. As of last night 83 generators had been dispatched and we expect another 60 to be delivered today. Locals in highest need have been contacted, including through on-the-ground efforts for those without mobile phones. I would like to thank all of the first responders because we know that together with communities and volunteers on the ground this is what brings everyone together after such a disaster as we have had. People are working together, helping Victorians get back on their feet, and we will be standing shoulder to shoulder with every last member of the community. OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION Dr READ (Brunswick) (14:20): My question is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Last week the federal government announced that it was opening offshore areas for oil and gas exploration, some of them within 6 kilometres of the Twelve Apostles national park. The federal minister for resources said that this decision was made jointly with the states. Also last week NASA announced that the rate of global warming had roughly doubled in the last 15 years. So considering the climate impacts, did the Victorian government support or oppose this federal plan to allow oil and gas drilling so close to one of our top tourist destinations? Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:21): I thank the member for Brunswick for his question. I will answer this

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS 2228 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 absolutely, but certainly the question is more appropriately directed to the Minister for Resources. I can be really plain in saying that I am unaware of claims that are made in terms of state government support for this. It could very well be the case, but I am not here to confirm one way or the other on it. It is in commonwealth waters, and that is absolutely a point that has to be remembered here. The action on climate change cannot be judged simply by one action alone or the lack of one action alone. Our commitment is plain for everyone to see. We are leading the country in terms of our commitments to climate change and our interim reduction targets by 2030, which are up there with Joe Biden’s, and we are unashamedly proud of that. The solutions to climate change are not found within one particular policy pursuit. That might be popular among some people in communities, but the fact is it is about working through the whole of the economy and having a complex plan and a complex set of responses to what is a massive challenge but it is one that we are absolutely up for, and we are actually going ahead and doing it. Dr READ (Brunswick) (14:22): I thank the minister for starting to answer the question. Considering that this oil and gas exploration will involve the use of existing and new energy infrastructure which will come into the state of Victoria, it is likely to have significant state energy implications. Is this government’s reluctance to talk about fossil fuel extraction because they would rather young Victorians did not realise that we are opening up the state to onshore gas drilling next week, not to mention that we are burning over 100 000 tonnes of coal every day, so we are actually part of the problem in speeding up climate change? Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:23): I thank the member for Brunswick for the supplementary question. We are not part of the problem, we are actually the solution. We are the solution on this side of the house, and the only party that will ever deliver anything in government on climate change—and we are doing it—is the Labor Party. We say that unashamedly. We do not run, we do not hide and we do not pretend to switch off the switch overnight on any of these matters, but we are absolutely showing ambition. We do not hide from our policy decisions; we are proud of them. We absolutely understand what is needed, and the community have spoken volumes in terms of their support for us in terms of tackling climate change. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing) (14:24): We know how devastating the recent storms were and continue to be for communities in their path. The storms caused flood damage and interruption to mains power supply to more than 40 water and wastewater infrastructure sites managed by seven of our water corporations. Water corporations pre-positioned emergency and operational crews ahead of the storms and have undertaken significant work since to maintain services to Victorian households and businesses. When power went out at treatment facilities such as Silvan, redundancy in the system kicked in as Silvan was on generator power. This allowed water treatment to continue and there was no widespread interruption to Melbourne’s drinking water. We did see, of course, two locations that had ‘Do not drink’ notices, one for 700 properties in the Dandenongs and also in Trentham. They were both lifted within three days. In both cases, water systems were depressurised as there were concerns about contamination that could have entered the system, particularly after the heavy rain event. Both notices were lifted after, obviously, the required testing and clearance by the health authorities. Obviously this was extremely difficult for those communities, which were already facing the impacts of the storms, and I would like to thank them for their patience and acknowledge the volunteers and water corporation staff, particularly from Coliban and Yarra Valley Water. As acting Minister for Water at the moment, I am supported by my colleague the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change in dealing with the threat to the Yallourn mine following the flooding rains in the valley. The good news is that the flows into the Morwell River diversion adjacent

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2229 to the mine are returning to normal water levels, and we have measures in place under the Water Act 1989 to ensure that we instigate repairs. ELECTIVE SURGERY WAITING LISTS Ms STALEY (Ripon) (14:26): My question is to Minister for Health. John of Buangor is 57 years old and has been waiting over six months for a hip replacement and has been told he faces at least a further four-month wait. For several months John has had a fentanyl 100-milligram patch that is changed every third day to control his pain. Fentanyl is equivalent to a high dose of morphine. Even with this pain medication, he is still in pain. He is now using crutches as his leg has shrunk. Will the minister intervene and ensure John gets his hip surgery in July? Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:27): Can I thank the honourable member for her question. As I have tried to act consistently during the time I have had this portfolio on individual matters that honourable members bring to my attention, it is not my practice to reflect on particular circumstances in this form of the house. Having said that, should the honourable member seek to provide the details of her constituent to me and my department, of course I will act on that. But as I say regularly on these matters, these decisions are delivered through a clinical frame of professional clinical advice from treating practitioners. And to the broader issue that I suspect the honourable member seeks to highlight in regard to elective surgery waiting lists, without doubt the issues over the course of the global pandemic have seen elective surgeries right across the country, including here in Victoria, extend as a result of essentially the switching off of large parts of our health services. As those services have been switched back on, we have put substantial extra resources into addressing elective surgery waiting lists, particularly category 2 surgeries, which might well pick up the example that the honourable member highlights in her question. We do so because we had a $300 million investment in the 2020 budget to address precisely this issue, and we had a further $136 million invested in the May 2021 budget. Those combined resources are now starting to hit, have been hitting the ground after some time, and we are seeing both stabilisation and returning back into the kind of direction we want elective surgery waiting lists to be headed into. That is not to say there is not an issue. Clearly there is an issue. That is why all the states through their ministerial forum sought to make sure that this national issue was addressed by national cabinet, and I was pleased to hear that at the May national cabinet meeting this issue about demand in our health system was put on the national agenda. In regard to the specifics of the honourable member’s constituent, I restate my genuine good faith offer to the honourable member that should she provide, with her constituent’s approval, those particular details I will raise it with the health service concerned. Ms STALEY (Ripon) (14:30): Given the high likelihood of opioid addiction from prolonged fentanyl use, what additional drug support programs have the government made available in rural and regional areas to assist people like John that are left languishing on hospital waitlists? Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:30): Again, in regard to the honourable member’s constituent, I will just restate the original proposition as given—that I am not really in a position to comment on her individual constituent’s case. In regard to the broader issue— Ms Staley: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this question was a policy question in relation to drug programs. The SPEAKER: Order! I do ask the minister to come to answering the question. Mr FOLEY: As I was indicating, in regard to the broader issue that the honourable member raises, I do not necessarily accept the link between a clinically managed pain and relief situation automatically with addiction, and I am confident that as a general principle our healthcare professionals are well attuned to that risk.

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS 2230 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021

In regard to the broader issue of this government’s investment in alcohol and other drug addiction more generally, it stands in stark contrast to others who might make criticism of us in that case. For instance, between the years 2010 and 2014 two beds were added to Victoria’s— Ms Allan: How many? How many? Mr FOLEY: Two—one plus another one. Two beds were added into that system. This government has doubled our— (Time expired) MINISTERS STATEMENTS: SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional Development) (14:32): Today I rise to update the house on relief efforts following the devastating storms which earlier this month swept through the west and south of Gippsland, Dandenong and the Yarra Ranges and my own electorate of Macedon. Can I firstly thank our dedicated emergency services personnel, who have been doing an amazing job supporting impacted Victorians. I was very pleased to visit SES brigades in Gisborne and Woodend and to catch up with Hepburn shire Daylesford SES volunteers on the ground over the past few weeks and days. Indeed last week I visited farmer Paul Ulrik in Little Hampton, a berry grower, whose farm has been ravaged by fallen trees, while yesterday I met with dairy farmers Matt and Nadine Gleeson in Boolarra South, who have suffered power loss and phone outages and have lost 4 kilometres of fencing. And in Flynn, near Traralgon, I visited the beef farm of Graeme, Joy and Luke Stuckey, where flooding has resulted in the loss of 150 hectares of newly sown pasture. On my visit to Gippsland I was pleased to announce the appointment of an agriculture recovery manager, who will provide dedicated support to farmers in the months ahead. Agriculture Victoria has reached out to over 4000 farmers in affected regions to identify and address any urgent animal welfare needs and record property, livestock and horticultural impacts. Follow-up calls have been made to approximately 850 farmers who are impacted to provide one-on-one technical advice and referral to other appropriate support services. Farmers have demonstrated yet again their amazing resilience and their resolve to recover, and the Andrews Labor government will continue to stand side by side with them to support them and their communities every step of the way on their pathway to recovery from this latest devastation. Constituency questions MURRAY PLAINS ELECTORATE Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:34): (5911) My constituency question is to the Minister for Community Sport, and it is on behalf of the Mid Murray Pistol Club at Nyah, who for the second year running have been forced to cancel their open pistol shoot event. It is the club’s major fundraising event for the year, and its cancellation cost the club $5000 last year and another $5000 this year. When the club applied for Labor government COVID assistance it discovered to its dismay and its disgust that the rules were so restrictive that they could not get a single dollar of support—not a cracker, not a single brass razoo. I ask the minister: what information can she provide to the Mid Murray Pistol Club about accessing support to cover their losses because of the COVID lockdown? Because at the moment the club believe the Andrews government is all headline and no help. WENDOUREE ELECTORATE Ms ADDISON (Wendouree) (14:35): (5912) My constituency question is to the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence. Minister, could you please provide an update on what services the Central Highlands Orange Door network are providing for my constituents in Wendouree? Minister, it was a pleasure to attend the Orange Door with you earlier this year and see the important work this service is providing for families experiencing family violence right across the Central Highlands region. This is an important initiative, a foundation reform from Victoria’s world-first Royal Commission into Family Violence, that has fundamentally changed the way we respond to family violence and coordinate support for the wellbeing of children and families in our communities. I note

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2231 that the family violence reform implementation monitor in her recent report praised the implementation and commencement of the Central Highlands Orange Door despite the COVID pandemic last year. I thank all staff working at the Orange Door for the incredible work that they do. CAULFIELD ELECTORATE Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:36): (5913) My question is to the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services, who is at the table today. On several occasions I have raised issues surrounding a growing number of unregulated rooming houses in my electorate of Caulfield and surrounds. One particular rooming house in Albion Street, Caulfield South, remains of particular concern to local residents and has been involved in two major police actions over the recent months. In one action there was a safe that was found in this property. On 25 April there was a seizure of more than 100 marijuana plants, and there was an arrest. The person that was arrested was taken into custody and made their way back to the rooming house quicker than the police could make their way back to the station. There is far too much happening here. Our constituents are really, really living in fear. Something needs to be done to give the police more powers to be able to ensure there is safety in the community, and I ask that the minister provide a review of what he is doing to make them safe. TARNEIT ELECTORATE Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (14:37): (5914) My question is for the Attorney-General in the other place. Our government has a very positive record when it comes to improving access to the justice system for all Victorians. Apart from small local offences which are heard in our local Magistrates Court, which for Wyndham is located in Werribee, one of the biggest needs for those in the Tarneit community is to access our courts for family law matters, especially for instances of family violence. As the Attorney-General knows, our government has an impressive track record when it comes to implementing every single recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. One of these recommendations was the expansion of our family court system. That is why the recent announcement that our government would fund $78 million to establish a specialist family court at the Magistrates Court in Sunshine was welcome news for my community. In fact it builds upon the announcement our government made last year to build brand new law courts in Werribee, which will also include a specialist court. So my question for the minister is this: how will both the specialist family court in Sunshine and the expanded Wyndham law courts benefit— (Time expired) ROWVILLE ELECTORATE Mr WELLS (Rowville) (14:38): (5915) My constituency question is to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Minister, how are you going to compensate Victorians who have had to pay a dishonoured cheque fee due to the $250 power saving bonus being rejected? I have had constituents contact my office informing me that the cheques they have been trying to bank from the Victorian state government have been rejected and that they are having to pay money for handling a cheque that is not honoured. This is embarrassing. This is embarrassing for the state government, and it is clear they have run out of money. Many of my constituents were unaware of the power saving bonus and have called my office for help with completing the online application. Why would the government have this bonus if they do not have the ability or funds to deliver to all of those who are eligible? This makes no sense and is extremely unfair, and it just goes to show how useless this government really is. ALTONA ELECTORATE Ms HENNESSY (Altona) (14:39): (5916) My constituency question is for the attention of the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation. I wish to raise with the minister the concerns of many members of my local community and stakeholders about the commonwealth’s planned watering down of responsible lending protections in their National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Supporting Economic Recovery) Bill 2020. What is the Victorian government doing to help support financially vulnerable Victorians? I would be grateful for the

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS 2232 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 minister to update me on who will be stripped of their legal rights to dispute irresponsible lending matters if this bill is passed. Responsible lending laws obviously currently apply to most consumer credits, including mortgages, personal loans, payday loans, car loans and credit cards. It was one of the leading recommendations of the Hayne royal commission, and now to see up in the annals of power in Canberra a potential watering down of these matters is a matter of significant concern. I would like the Victorian minister to update me on Victoria’s position on this. FOREST HILL ELECTORATE Mr ANGUS (Forest Hill) (14:40): (5917) My constituency question is to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Minister, how much more land in the Healesville freeway reserve in the electorate of Forest Hill will the government be selling? Residents in the Forest Hill district already know that the government has told them untruths in relation to the future of the HFR. Residents were clearly told by the now Premier in February 2014 that no HFR land would be sold, but contrary to that promise the government has indeed sold various parts of the HFR since that time. Residents also know that the current government undertook to construct a shared walking and cycling path along the entire length of the HFR, but seven years later still nothing has been done towards that. I have raised this issue repeatedly in this place and asked numerous questions about it, but sadly for me and for the residents of Forest Hill district I am yet to receive a straight answer about what is going on with this land. It is clear that the residents in the Forest Hill district are being overlooked and neglected by this government. Minister, will you finally come clean and tell me and my constituents in writing what is actually going on with this land? HAWTHORN ELECTORATE Mr KENNEDY (Hawthorn) (14:41): (5918) My question is for the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery and concerns the support being provided to businesses in my electorate of Hawthorn during the circuit-breaker lockdown. The more than $500 million circuit-breaker business support package is helping Victorian businesses directly affected by the industry restrictions, including operators in the hospitality, retail, events and creative industries, with further targeted support. The package builds on more than $6 billion in direct economic support from the Labor government to help businesses get through the pandemic, including through three rounds of the Business Support Fund. Many Hawthorn constituents have raised the issue of government support with me, so my question is: how will businesses in my electorate benefit? I look forward to the minister’s response. GEMBROOK ELECTORATE Mr BATTIN (Gembrook) (14:42): (5919) I ask the Minister for Health what advice the government has received in relation to young people and mental health disorders during the pandemic that has happened through our state. I received an email from a constituent:

After lockdowns last year my daughter developed an eating disorder … She was hospitalised just over a month ago for 8 nights as she became medically unstable and was very unwell. Things were looking up after she came home, she was gaining weight. However after the latest restrictions were imposed last week she then regressed and lost weight again … It seems nothing else matters other than Covid deaths. These must be prevented no matter the cost. Its so very wrong the public is not been told the truth about the other harms these restrictions are causing. Why are the harms not measured, the medical advice not published and the human rights assessments kept a secret??? On behalf of my constituent, I think it is very important that we get the advice the government is getting in relation to the impacts on the mental health of our community at the same time as these restrictions are in for COVID. BURWOOD ELECTORATE Mr FOWLES (Burwood) (14:43): (5920) My constituency question is for the Minister for Mental Health. Minister, what help to tackle men’s mental health can my constituents expect as the Andrews

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Labor government implements every single recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System? Last week was Men’s Health Week. The week, held annually, raises awareness of men’s health and is a great opportunity to start conversations and create positive and lasting change. Men are vastly over-represented in the incidence of completed suicide, taking their own lives at four times the rate of women. They are also more likely to suffer from lifestyle-related health conditions such as cardiovascular disease. It is important that we encourage men and boys to look after both their physical and mental wellbeing by staying connected through a community group or sporting club, going to the GP for regular check-ups or utilising community-based mental health services. Whilst early action is important, so too is breaking the stigma of speaking up and seeking help. I encourage anyone who is struggling bravely to take that critical first step. Bills MUTUAL RECOGNITION (VICTORIA) AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed. Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (14:44): I too join my colleagues to rise to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. This is a really important bill. Essentially it is going to adopt into Victorian law amendments to the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 of the commonwealth that are being proposed by the Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill 2021. It is a commonwealth bill to introduce a scheme of automatic mutual recognition of occupational registrations. That is a really long way of saying this bill is about a mutual recognition scheme that is going to recognise the differences in labour laws and licensing requirements in different states, and most importantly it is going to make it easier for workers who are licensed under one state to go ahead and cross the border and work in another. As our wonderful Treasurer said in his second-reading speech on this bill, this is a small bill. It is a small bill that makes few changes but changes that are absolutely important for Victorian workers, particularly those who work interstate. This is a bill that is going to make it easier for people to move to Victoria and take up a job, and this will come into effect in other states and territories as well. It will also help Victorians looking to move and work temporarily interstate—and I say temporarily because we always like to have our Victorians come back here to our mighty state if they have been working away. Most importantly this bill is also going to support jobs, and not just the direct job of someone benefiting from mutual recognition; most importantly it is the jobs alongside of them and it is the people that they are going to buy from. We talk about jobs a lot in this place. Job creation is I would say of paramount importance to our government. As the Treasurer has said in this place many, many times, job creation needs to be at the heart of our economic recovery, and that is why we are delivering on the jobs plan. We have set an incredibly ambitious target of 400 000 new jobs by 2025. I think it is really important to highlight that point of being ambitious: this is a time when we need to be ambitious when it comes to job creation. There are more Victorians than there were in the pandemic that are out of work and are looking for a job. Every single one of us needs it, and we need that jobs target to be ambitious: 400 000 new jobs by 2025. Now, most importantly, half of those 400 000 jobs will be created by 2022. The really good news that all Victorians, particularly those looking for work, need to hear is that we have already exceeded our interim target a year early. Before COVID I do not think there was one colleague that had not stood in this house and talked about Victoria being the economic powerhouse of this nation. We led the nation in jobs growth, with almost 525 000—that is over half a million—new jobs since we were elected in November 2014. That is a massive, massive effort. If there is one person the people of Victoria can count on for jobs creation, it is the Treasurer of this state—and the great Andrews Labor government—to create those jobs. That was the fastest rate of any state or any territory in this nation. Victoria is once again leading the nation on jobs growth as we continue to bounce back from this pandemic. Since September 2020 Victoria

BILLS 2234 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 has added more than 252 000 jobs, and that is more than in any other state. Most importantly, Victorians should feel proud—I certainly feel proud—that that is more than New South Wales and Queensland combined. I have found these sorts of stats interesting. Over 124 000 people work in registered occupations that rely on mutual recognition. In Victoria alone up to one-fifth of Victorian workers—600 000 of us— hold occupational licences. What happens under the current arrangement is that when a worker moves around this country for work, whether they are starting a new job or chasing a new business opportunity, they will not have to go about obtaining a second licence. This way you can be licensed, for example, as a real estate agent or a teacher in Victoria, you can move to New South Wales or go further north, and you are not going to need to go over the hurdle of obtaining a second licence. But under the current arrangements workers who currently do this need to be issued with a second licence by the interstate regulator, which usually takes around 30 days. Now, this means that workers under this scheme often face registration fees and ongoing annual fees, depending on how long they work in that state. So this effectively means that interstate workers may be looking at paying double the fees for doing their job, and I know that this can seriously hinder their mobility or desire to do that type of work interstate or across borders. This is exactly what this bill is going to be changing. The bill is going to introduce an automatic mutual recognition system. This will reduce costs, and it is going to make it easier for workers to take up the jobs they are looking for. I know that in particular this is going to benefit the thousands of Victorian workers who currently live along the state borders, particularly border cities like Albury-Wodonga, just to name one of them. I think back to my childhood and where I grew up, and I know how this can impact workers because I also grew up in a border town right up there—it is currently in a bubble at the moment with Queensland—on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, Kingscliff. It was not uncommon for people to cross the border, which might be 10 or 20 minutes from my home town at Tweed Heads, to go to Coolangatta for work. For example, if your dad was a licensed milkman—like my dad is, although he is very soon to retire, in the next couple of weeks—he could be delivering milk across borders. Sometimes, back in the day, they would do the house run and people’s houses were separated merely by streets—so your neighbour was living in Queensland or New South Wales. That could cause problems with their registration and their licences. It is quite interesting talking about Kingscliff because the member for Ripon mentioned a wonderful senator in Canberra, Jenny McAllister. I have to say Jenny McAllister’s parents also live in Kingscliff. Don and Alma McAllister are very good friends of my parents, so I give them a very big shout-out. Hello to Don and Alma. Under these changes interstate workers cannot be charged with additional registration fees, although they still might incur fees for things such as public protection requirements and character tests. But the biggest hurdle that we identified—and I am sure the commonwealth also identified it—was that these duplicated registration fees were costing workers a lot of money, which is why we are going to get rid of them with this bill. So it is not just good for workers, it is also good for our economy. The estimated benefit from automatic mutual recognition is approximately $2.38 billion to our GDP and about $1.1 billion in additional consumption by households over 10 years, so it is certainly good news for workers and very good news for our economy. I quickly just want to say that it was good to hear that the commonwealth is also focusing on developing a national education campaign. A national education campaign is going to be really important to assist messaging around automatic mutual recognition. A communications program to assist workers and most certainly consumers to understand the AMR—that is going to be really important for ensuring workers understand they must first check interstate requirements before commencing work, such as whether they need to first notify the local regulator. I am looking forward to seeing that national education campaign rolled out. As the Treasurer has said, this bill makes some small changes but really important ones. This mutual recognition scheme is great news for workers and it is great for our economy. Implementing an automatic mutual agreement system will give Victorian workers greater flexibility and mobility,

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2235 importantly, to go where they want and will provide them with greater opportunities for work around the country. This is not only going to benefit our economy but it is also another really fair outcome for workers, and fairness is certainly at the heart of this government, the Andrews Labor government. It is for that very reason that I commend this bill to the house. Mr FREGON (Mount Waverley) (14:54): I also rise to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. It is great to hear about the aspects of this bill that will benefit the people of Tarneit from my colleague over there. Over on the eastern side of town we have tradies who will definitely benefit, just like in the west. The Treasurer, as others have said, has brought to us a small bill but a very important one, and it is also very encouraging to hear the bipartisanship in the room on this bill and that the opposition will be supporting it, or not opposing it, depending on how they have worded it today. But either way, that sounds very encouraging. It is interesting—I had a plumber at my place on Saturday to do things that I cannot do, because I am not very skilled with hardware, and we got chatting about this bill. I was always a software person; there are others who do hardware better than me. We had a bit of a leaky tap, and he came to fix that for us. We had a chat about this bill, and he was very interested. We had a discussion about the benefits for tradies like himself. He also was quite proud of the fact that Victoria has some of the highest plumbing standards in the country. Not only was that very pleasing for me to hear, but it was also, I think, in the vein of bipartisanship, good to hear the member for Ripon talk about this bill. When people come here, obviously the standards that they meet will be the standards that we have in this state. Nonetheless, this is an important bill. The duplication of registrations and licences for potentially crossing a river does not make a lot of sense. I think if we all had to go and get a licence for New South Wales in order to drive in New South Wales, we would be not very happy about that, or likewise a registration for our car, if we took it to a different state. So we can all agree that removing barriers, red tape and bureaucracy is crucial to Australia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and automatic mutual recognition will support this economic recovery by not only reducing barriers to licensed workers employed in multiple states but also eliminating the need to pay multiple registration fees, as I said, therefore reducing costs for workers, consumers and businesses and encouraging workers, I would argue, by making it easier for them to come to this state. With our Big Build, with the amount of work that is going on in this state for our tradies, Victoria is a very attractive place to work. The mutual recognition bill is an important step to enabling that flexibility for the sector’s highly skilled and somewhat mobile workforce. Not only can it reduce duplication and administrative costs through the development of national standards, but importantly mutual recognition can introduce more productive competition amongst jurisdictions, resulting in an enhanced and more efficient regulatory environment in the long term. Economic analysis which was commissioned by the commonwealth government indicated this reform is expected to directly benefit over 168 000 Australian workers each year and add more than $2.4 billion to the economy over the next 10 years. It does that obviously by removing unnecessary red tape, and it will support more jobs and ensure our economies continue to rebound faster and stronger. The report also notes that in Victoria nearly 20 per cent of our workers, around 600 000 workers, hold an occupational licence and could benefit from automatic mutual recognition. Under the proposed agreed model of this recognition the local regulator will no longer issue a Victorian registration to an interstate worker operating in Victoria, but instead interstate workers that are licensed in their home state will automatically be deemed to hold a licence in Victoria. We had a gentleman come to my office last year who was a plumber and got his ticket in WA. He was accredited at multiple levels, but he had difficulty in getting that same registration over in Victoria, so there is one person that we directly had some contact with who will presumably benefit from this law. The government’s number one priority in this work has been to ensure the ongoing integrity of the Victorian licensing schemes and protections, and with this at the forefront of discussions we have worked with other jurisdictions through the national cabinet process to ensure we get the right balance,

BILLS 2236 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 including safeguards to allow Victoria to maintain its important consumer safety, public safety and other community protections in our existing schemes. Now, I just want to quickly go to something that I think is quite relevant to the discussion we are having today, in that we have people who learn trades in other jurisdictions, and then obviously with the passing of this bill—and let us hope it passes speedily—they can come here and they will be able to work here. But there is a segment of the community that I would argue probably does not get touched by this bill, and there is still more work to do. Our ADF personnel undertake a range of training during their service, and many choose to pursue formal qualifications. The transition to civilian life also provides an opportunity for veterans to develop new skills through tertiary or vocational education. However, despite the vast training and hands-on expense gained by our defence force personnel, many leave without the ability to utilise these skills. I mean, you would think that if somebody gets taught by our defence force to be a chippy or a sparky or a plumber that at the end of their service—when they have given up part of their life to serve our country—they would have something to show for it, for their skills, in their ongoing life. But unfortunately this is not necessarily the case. Now, research into former ADF peacekeepers has found a strong association between employment status and several mental health conditions, including PTSD, generalised anxiety disorder, depression, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency. So being able to leave the services with a career or a vocation that you continue from the skills that you have learned is very important, and it is something that we are not doing enough of yet. A study identified that 44 per cent of recently transitioned personnel have experienced a period of unemployment of three months or more since leaving the ADF. Now, I just want to reference Minister Leane from the other place, our Minister for Veterans, because in Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings he said the Andrews government are committed to supporting veterans’ wellbeing and initiatives and aim to facilitate ‘their successful transition to and participation in civilian life’. I know that Minister Leane is very active in our discussions with the federal government to try and get this hole filled. I obviously back Minister Leane 100 per cent in this. We should have a situation in this country where young men and women who give their time and service to the country leave with a vocation. Now, there may be concerns, I would guess, from our people in the defence force that people might come just for the degree and then leave. I would argue you still get people for three or four years for that, and you are going to have some very qualified people. I mean, as a person who used to employ people, if I was an employer and I was looking at two resumes and they both have the same licences and registrations, and one of those people had been in the services for three years, I would hazard a guess that that person would be punctual, would understand authority, would turn up on time and would know their stuff. I would see this as a big ticket for anyone, for any young person. And although in our state we have free TAFE, so it is a lot easier for people to go and get their TAFE degrees, that is not always the case in other states. So something like this at a national level would not only help our young people, it would also help our armed services. I think it is fantastic to know that Minister Leane and the Andrews Labor government are not only working on mutual recognition for every tradie in Victoria but also pushing our commonwealth closer and closer to recognising the valuable skills that our young men and women develop while they are serving our country. Not only do I commend the work that has been done on that cause, I commend this bill to the house. Mr EDBROOKE (Frankston) (15:04): It is an absolute pleasure to rise this afternoon to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. We have heard some amazing contributions from people in this house today. Many of them have mentioned— A member interjected.

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Mr EDBROOKE: We have. We certainly have had some amazing contributions, but many of them have mentioned that mutual recognition actually came out of the economic reforms in the early 1990s that the Keating and Hawke governments oversaw. One of the large reforms that was in that package was of course floating the Australian dollar, banking regulations. Now we are looking at mutual recognition, and today we are actually going ahead to a further stage with automatic recognition as well—‘mutual’ being mutual between the federated states and also the federation itself. This bill is fairly small in size, but it is very, very important. For many years when I was teaching, you would have issues where your four-year teaching degree was not recognised in some states. Your checks were not recognised in some states. We are pushing that red tape away, and we have heard today that the Andrews Labor government has cut red tape for some small businesses by up to 25 per cent since being in government. This is extending on that premise as well. The mutual recognition is for occupational licences and registrations. At the moment if you are a plumber, a sparky—any kind of trade—you will need certain tickets and obviously the main occupation ticket as well, but you will need other sets of certification and endorsements, whether it be for vehicles, scissor lifts or trucks, this kind of thing as well. It is very important that not just the skills but the other endorsements that go along with that trade are recognised as well, and that fits fairly well into this bill. These reforms will enhance labour mobility across the nation. We have heard from I think it was a federal politician—it could have been the federal Treasurer—that this could generate an increase in GDP of up to $2.4 billion over the next decade, and that is by just recognising these mutual qualifications. Of course there are some fences and rules that have to be put around this, and we will go into them. But someone earlier did mention TAFE, and for my community in Frankston, TAFE is a huge deal. We have had stage 1 of the TAFE rebuild—$76 million. We are just starting the planning for the stage 2 TAFE rebuild for Chisholm in Frankston, which is another $66.3 million. It is huge for every kid growing up on the peninsula—anyone that has to retrain. They have got these trades, emerging trades but trades that we have had for many years, that we will just keep on pumping out for a long time—so plumbers, electricians, mechanics, child care, beauty, things like that as well. It is really important that those people can get their qualification in Frankston and have it recognised anywhere throughout the nation and work anywhere throughout the nation, as it is important hopefully in the future, as the member for Mount Waverley spoke to, for veterans, who sometimes are a very fluid bunch of people. They might be in Queensland and stationed in Queensland. They might have homes in New South Wales, and they might end up settling somewhere else post life in the armed forces or the defence force. So it is very, very important that these people have their skills recognised. Even as a firefighter for many years, with people moving between the two fire services in Victoria, there was a different matrix to assess people’s skills, and it was very, very difficult to have that aligned so people knew that they would be up to the standard of this rank or this equivalent in the other fire service, which seemed to be very cumbersome, very difficult. So this is essentially streamlining this. I am very proud to work with the federal government on this. It is something that has been coming for a long time. We are looking at something like 124 000 people in registered occupations that could benefit from reduced administration costs. Of course if I was a carpenter in Victoria and needed to pay a registration fee or a licence fee or even wait to apply for that licence for two weeks—if we had an efficient system up there—I would be waiting that time where I could not work on that project and I would be paying extra dollars as well out of my bank account to get these sometimes not-permanent registrations as well. For the record, a further 44 000 people may benefit from that increased labour mobility across the states that we spoke about before. The report federally, from the commonwealth government, also notes that in Victoria nearly 20 per cent of workers or around 600 000 workers hold an occupational licence, whether that be in plumbing or as an A-grade electrician, things like that, and they could benefit from that automatic mutual recognition as well. That occupational mobility that we speak about

BILLS 2238 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 is currently supported by the Mutual Recognition Act brought in proudly by the Hawke-Keating government in 1992 and as applied in Victoria by our Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Act 1998. These arrangements entitle a person holding a licence in one state to work in a second state under a deemed registration under our legislation until either the local regulator issues a local registration or 30 days elapse, whichever is sooner. That person must notify the local regulator of their intention to work within the state and pay the licence fees required by the local regulator as well. Under the scheme interstate workers can only undertake the activities for which they are licensed in their home state, removing any risk that they could do work in a second jurisdiction for which they are not qualified or experienced. That might, as an example, apply to real estate agents. I know that in New South Wales real estate agents cannot carry out auctions, but in Victoria licensed real estate agents can actually carry out auctions. So a local regulator can undertake enforcement proceedings if it is in fact deemed that a person is operating outside the bounds of their training and their original regulation or licensing scheme as well. Local regulators will not be able to charge registration fees to workers under automatic mutual recognition importantly as well. We do not want that doubling up effect. This addresses one of the key issues of existing mutual recognition arrangements, and that is the imposition of extra costs on people. It is about reducing that red tape but also reducing those costs. I also note that the commonwealth bill provides a range of protections that can be utilised to minimise any risks that arise from our automatic mutual recognition to vulnerable people, consumers and also the public at large, which is really important. We just see far too many episodes of A Current Affair where, if you watch it—personally I do not, but I often have the television on in the background while I am cooking—you see people that have employed terrible practices on people that are vulnerable, and they are battling to get recompense and to get justice. Firstly, there are preconditions to a worker having entitlement to automatic mutual recognition. They include requiring workers to demonstrate their compliance with the Victorian public protection requirements, such as real estate, trust accounts or required building insurance, and Victorian vulnerable person character tests, such as Victoria’s working with children checks. In addition, a person seeking to rely on automatic mutual recognition cannot be subject to criminal, civil or disciplinary hearings or be prohibited from carrying on an activity or occupation due to past enforcement action. Finally, workers under automatic mutual recognition must also comply with any relevant Victorian law and regulation, including manner of conduct law, which may prescribe performance standards. For example, a worker will need to comply with local laws such as the Domestic Buildings Contracts Act 1985 or the Estate Agents Act 1980 and any other subordinate regulations made under these. How has this come about? There has been quite a bit of consultation across the nation, but here in Victoria as well. I note that in Manufacturers Monthly of 24 March 2021, which I have not had the pleasure of reading before, but you never know, a subscription for it might be coming, there is an article that said that they basically endorse it, and the federal government has announced it will cut the red tape. The Victorian government is pushing the bill through obviously under a time limit at the moment, and we thank the opposition for not opposing this bill as well, which is going to help so many people. But they do a very, very good write-up on this bill, which is basically proposing to adopt changes to bring us into line with the federal legislation, here in this house. Again, for people in my community, for people in many communities represented by members of this house, this is a great piece of legislation. It was a long time coming, and I would hope that, like the member for Mount Waverley, this could be seen as a start; that people who come from the defence forces who have served their country, who might even need a leg up in some ways get that and are able to have their qualifications recognised, their licences and regulations recognised, across this great nation of ours. Ms HALL (Footscray) (15:14): I too am very pleased to make a contribution on this important reform, which is, I suppose, part of a suite of reforms in Victoria to invest in jobs and the economy. Like the member for Frankston, I am very proud of some of the efforts locally in my electorate of

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Footscray to make people job ready and to provide them with the skills and the opportunities that they need to work and to contribute to the economy. Free TAFE has been a fantastic initiative in Footscray, with Victoria University offering a range of courses, and I was very pleased to visit Victoria University’s Nicholson Street campus with the now federal member for Fraser, Daniel Mulino, and meet some of the students there who were re-skilling. Many of them had been in different trades and professions previously in their career and were re-skilling and looking for the opportunity to work in jobs in Victoria, the engine room of the Australian economy, and it was great to meet some of those students with the member for Fraser. Mutual recognition will reduce barriers for licensed workers doing work in multiple states or across Australia, and licensed workers will no longer need to pay multiple registration fees. So this bill is making a very substantial contribution in terms of cutting red tape and making it easier for people to just get on and do the job that they trained for. Licensed workers will benefit from the ability to move around the country and hopefully move to Victoria to work here. National cabinet decided last year to implement automatic mutual recognition across the country, and the Andrews Labor government’s number one priority in this work has been to ensure the ongoing integrity of the Victorian licensing schemes and protections. Some of my colleagues have previously spoken about Victoria having the strongest schemes in the country in terms of making sure that different trades are professionalised and registered. I recall the member for Oakleigh previously in his contribution speaking about the work we did for engineers to set up their registration scheme. The Andrews government has worked with other jurisdictions throughout this process—through the national cabinet process—to ensure this, whilst also supporting the broader benefits of this scheme. The final commonwealth bill includes important protections that get the balance right. This includes safeguards to allow Victoria to maintain its consumer safety, public safety and other community protections in its existing licensing scheme, and I am pleased to note that the bill has bipartisan support. Automatic mutual recognition has been estimated to provide up to $2.4 billion in economic benefits over a decade, which makes it a fantastic and commonsense piece of legislation providing that economic uplift. Of course not only will it make it easier for people to move to Victoria and take up a job, but it also makes it easier for Victorians who might be relocating interstate. As I mentioned previously, job creation is at the heart of our economic recovery during COVID. We have seen how important it is for people to be able to have that opportunity to retrain and re-skill, and we have been doing that through our free TAFE initiative. That is why we are delivering on our jobs plan. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic we led the nation in jobs growth, with almost 520 000 new jobs since November 2014, and since September 2020 we have added more than 252 000 jobs, which is fantastic. We have got a strong record on regulation, reform and consumer protections. Safeguarding the community and supporting economic recovery are mutually inclusive and cannot be separated. In our first term we delivered on our 25 per cent red tape reduction target and reduced the burdens of over-regulation of small business, and I have noted in the contributions of many people today that that work has had a fantastic impact on small businesses across electorates. The red tape commissioner was appointed to work closely with industry to identify the most critical areas of regulatory reform, and work has commenced on a review of regulation impacting small businesses. To that end, the Andrews Labor government committed $75 million in the November budget for regulatory reform that will support economic recovery and help to create jobs. I would like to just continue on from some of the contributions of members prior to me, including the member for Mount Waverley, who spoke I think very powerfully about the impact of ADF personnel being able to undertake their work as they transition into civilian life. These reforms provide an opportunity for veterans to develop new skills through tertiary or vocational education. However, despite the vast training and hands-on experience gained by our defence force personnel, many leave without the ability to utilise these skill sets in the civilian workforce due to unnecessary red tape and a system that does not currently recognise this training on a national licensing level. This bill opens up opportunities to create a system that recognises the high calibre of skills and training undertaken by

BILLS 2240 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 our veterans during their service. Supporting ex-service personnel transitioning from military to civilian life is a really important aspect of this, and mutual recognition of their trade skills and a nationally recognised training model would allow our vets to obtain a nationally recognised licence in their area of expertise, allowing them to seamlessly transition to employment. According to the 2018 Australian government report A Profile of Australia’s Veterans, vets will aim to enter the civilian workforce after leaving the ADF. However, for veterans managing the symptoms of poor mental health, returning to work can be a challenging transition as symptoms may affect their ability to maintain work. We have also convened the Victorian Veterans Employment and Skills Accreditation Roundtable, bringing together experts from across the defence industry, ex-service organisations and government to address barriers faced by veterans and their families. I would like to acknowledge the incredible work of Minister Leane in the other place in his tireless support of Victorian veterans. On 21 April the Minister for Veterans Affairs opened consultation on the terms of reference for the royal commission, which will provide a vital and long overdue opportunity to hear from the veteran community. The Victorian government is continuing its work to support veterans mental health and wellbeing. This is a very straightforward bill and I am pleased to commend it to the house. Mr HAMER (Box Hill) (15:24): It is my pleasure to rise today to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. As has been said, the particular bill that is being introduced today in this house is very short but it is reflective of a much larger bill that has been brought into the commonwealth Parliament and indeed all parliaments around Australia to make this a reality. There are some really important elements of this bill that I want to touch on. The purpose of this bill, as many speakers have talked about, is about the portability of our workforce. I will talk about the general provisions of the main legislation, but I will later also focus particularly on how it impacts professional engineers. As an engineer myself and someone who worked in that industry for many, many years, I know that a number of the clauses that are in that bill, particularly about the automatic deemed registration, will make an enormous difference to the registration process that will shortly be operational in Victoria. Looking at the commonwealth legislation that has been introduced, there are two main elements of the registration process: there is part 3, which provides for individuals who are registered for an occupation in one state to be registered for and carry on the activities of an equivalent operation in a second state; and then there is part 3A, which is being introduced into the legislation, which as I have talked about, is the automatic deemed registration and provides for those individuals who are registered for an occupation in their home state to carry on these activities in a second state automatically. So there will be an automatic presumption under the registrations and occupations that are listed by the minister in any particular state that these occupations can continue as of right under the licences that are given to them in their home state. This will make a really big difference for a lot of workers in the country. Just looking at some of the data and the research that was commissioned by the commonwealth Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: over 124 000 people in registered occupations could benefit from reduced administration costs, and a further 44 000 people may benefit from increased mobility across sectors. When looking across the different states and how it would affect the different states, the report found that nearly 20 per cent of workers in Victoria had an occupational licence which could benefit from the automatic mutual recognition scheme. The modelling that PricewaterhouseCoopers did estimated that the overall benefit to the economy from the adoption of this scheme would be in the order of $2.4 billion in additional GDP and $1.1 billion in additional household consumption over 10 years. These elements of the bill are important to a whole range of different professions. I know there has often been talk about the real estate agents or the electricians, particularly in border communities, being able to use their New South Wales licence if they are living in Albury and come over and work in

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Wodonga, or hopefully vice versa if they are living in Victoria, but I do want to focus on particularly what it means to the engineering profession and professional engineers. Queensland has had a professional engineering registration scheme for almost 100 years—1930 I believe it was introduced—and in Victoria this government made a commitment in 2014 to introduce a registration scheme for professional engineers. It was opposed by the opposition in the previous Parliament, and again when it was introduced in this Parliament it was also opposed by the opposition. But thankfully with the make-up— Sitting suspended 3.30 pm until 4.02 pm. Mr HAMER: As I was saying before the break, one of the really important elements of this bill is how it will apply to the new professional engineers registration scheme that will commence operation on 1 July this year. Engineering is one of those professions that is incredibly portable. In my career I only ever ended up working on Victorian projects but for many engineers it almost does not really matter where their home state is. They will be working on projects across Australia and indeed across the world. Often the way that the consulting firms are set up is that they will have specialised teams in various cities, and they will try and grow that so there is knowledge sharing amongst peers, amongst colleagues, and they will move the team according to where the job is. You might have an airport job, aviation job, and the aviation team may be based in Adelaide or Perth or Queensland or wherever it is—hopefully in Melbourne—and they will use their skills and their team to respond to the client’s needs, wherever that might be. Certainly going through the professional engineering registration process and developing up the regulations and in consultation during the development of the legislation, the issue of automatic deemed registration was a really critical issue for a lot of the consulting firms and indeed the peak body Consult Australia. That was because at the moment with the engineering registration required in Queensland, a lot of engineers, regardless of their home state, will need to be registered in Queensland so that they can actually work in Queensland. Some information from Consult Australia says that:

The Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland notes that 5,414 engineers are registered under that scheme who are not based in that state. This equates to over $27 million in immediate cost for these registered individuals, assuming they all seek registration in either Victoria or New South Wales … So this is where this legislation is going to have a huge impact on all professionals, but particularly the professional engineers who will be able to, from 1 July, be registered under the Victorian scheme. And in New South Wales I believe a similar scheme is being introduced and will be open also from 1 July this year. For those disciplines in which the legislation applies, which is across a large proportion of the engineering industry, those engineers whose home state is Victoria will be able to be registered under the professional engineering registration scheme in Victoria and then be able to work in New South Wales and in Queensland, based on their professional qualifications and the registration scheme in Victoria, without having to go to get extra licences in New South Wales and Queensland. That is going to make a huge difference not only to the cost for the individuals and the cost for the companies but just in terms of the portability of the labour, enabling a much more flexible workplace. So if you have that team of workers who have a specialised skill in a particular area of engineering, you do not have to rely on the one or two that might be registered in Queensland. Everyone in that team is likely to be registered in their home state, given that that is primarily where they are working, and any one of them will then be able to work in Queensland and do the work that they are already registered for. So that will make a huge difference. It was a little bit disappointing, I think, that the commonwealth did not listen a bit more to Consult Australia and to Engineers Australia in terms of the situation that happens, say, if you are an engineer in South Australia who is not part of the registration scheme. But in terms of the overall bill, it is a great bill, and I commend it to the house. Mr TAYLOR (Bayswater) (16:07): It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak on the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. Of course it is always good to be in this place talking about what the Andrews Labor government, in its second term, does best, and that is talking about the

BILLS 2242 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 very heart of the issue of job creation and economic recovery. Of course that has never been more important, certainly in my short lifetime. I will be waiting a while, based on my age, for Pfizer. I am still quite young—29 years of age—so I am hoping I will get in before the end of the year. Twenty- nine, not even 30 yet, member for Altona. Yes, it is true. Ms Hennessy interjected. Mr TAYLOR: Acting Speaker, normally I never take up these rancorous interjections, but on this occasion I am happy to engage in an act of vanity. Never in my lifetime certainly or in living memory for many Victorians has it been so important to continue on the path of reform and the path of work. The Andrews government every day gets up and gets out there and delivers for all Victorians, and that is particularly key given where we are. Of course the global pandemic has had a significant impact on all Victorians. It has left nobody untouched, and it is important that we continue on, in every piece of legislation here, not just making things fairer for Victorians but continuing to make things easier as well, creating jobs and making sure we provide every opportunity to enable that economic recovery and to make sure that every single Victorian, whether individual, business or otherwise, gets back on their feet and is able to do what they love and what they do best. It is important for me—I think it is quite important—to acknowledge the work of the Treasurer and his team. A significant amount of work, collaboration and consultation has gone on—including collaboration with the commonwealth. Never a day goes by when you are not learning in this place in listening to the contributions that have taken place. We have been hearing about some of the impacts that this bill and the changes that are contained within it will have in the area that the member for Mount Waverley represents, and of course from the member for Footscray—a completely different side of metropolitan Melbourne—we heard about the benefits and impacts for people within her community. The member for Frankston has well detailed some of the work that the Andrews government is doing for the creation of jobs and recovery in the area of Frankston—the benefits that this bill will bring. And hearing the always very intricate detail from the member for Box Hill—I have never known someone in my time to get so far into the detail, and that speaks very much to the level of care and precision that goes into the speeches and contributions that the member for Box Hill does make, in particular talking about the piece of work we did in terms of regulatory reform for engineers and making it easier and safer in the work that they do in Victoria as well. Of course we know that this bill will adopt into Victorian law amendments to the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 of the commonwealth being proposed by the mutual recognition bill here today, by the commonwealth, to introduce a scheme of automatic mutual recognition (AMR) of occupational registrations. The bill applies the amendments to the act of 1992 of the commonwealth being proposed by the bill here today to introduce a scheme of automatic recognition of occupational registrations. It is intended that the amendments will come into operation as soon as practicable after 1 July 2021 and in any case no later than 1 July 2022. There are some technical amendments as well, as there are in every single bill, but that makes it no less important. The AMR scheme proposed by the commonwealth bill has the following elements: we know the local regulator will no longer issue a Victorian registration to an interstate worker operating in Victoria; instead, interstate workers licensed in their home state would be automatically deemed to hold a registration in Victoria rather than being issued with a separate registration. Certain exclusions will apply to the AMR, such as an individual having been sanctioned for disciplinary reasons or misconduct or being under investigation, and of course a number of other details, as I know other members have discussed here today. And it is very nice to see as well that there appears to be a bit of a unity ticket here on this piece of legislation today—broad support for something that is mainly technical in nature, but that, as discussed just previously, certainly does not make it any less important. And speaking about the member for Box Hill and the involvement he had in the bill around regulatory reform for engineers in this state and, Acting Speaker Dimopoulos, noting your significant involvement—I know from conversations with the Treasurer and you the significant piece of work that that was.

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Really, as I said at the start of my contribution, it is so important. This government never gives up on the goal and mission of making it easier for Victorians to get gainful employment and making it easier for them to get into that employment. And of course we can attract other people to what is one of the most livable places to live on this earth—more livable than Sydney, I note, still. You know, it is always nice to have some friendly rivalry when it is not to do with public health. On the most livable city stakes, I am happy that we are still leading the charge on that front and very happy to share some of that mantelpiece with some beautiful places across Australia as well. As has been discussed today, the automatic mutual recognition will support economic recovery by reducing barriers to licensed workers doing work in multiple states. Licensed workers will no longer need to pay multiple registration fees, and it will be easier to work across borders. That is just common sense, but sometimes common sense takes a little bit of work, a little bit of manoeuvring, a little bit of jousting. And here we are today—incredibly important work. Of course we note this implements a decision of national cabinet in August last year to implement automatic mutual recognition across Australia, and the government’s number one priority in this work has been to ensure the ongoing integrity of Victorian licensing schemes and protections. The Victorian government has worked with other jurisdictions through the national cabinet process to ensure this while also supporting the benefits of the scheme, and as a result of this work and feedback from other governments and stakeholders around the country, the final commonwealth bill includes important protections that get the balance right. And finding the balance in any piece of legislation in this place and understanding the impact it will have on everyday Victorians—and obviously job creation—is incredibly important work that we do in this place. That includes the safeguards to allow Victoria to maintain its important consumer safety, public safety and other community protections in our existing licensing schemes. We know the benefits for Victorians of this bill are particularly important. Automatic mutual recognition has been estimated to have the potential to provide up to $2.4 billion in economic benefits over 10 years across Australia, and I know that will pique the member for Sandringham’s interest. Mr Rowswell interjected. Mr TAYLOR: There we go. And of course it will improve choice and reduce costs for workers, consumers and businesses and will make it easier for people to move to Victoria. We want more people moving to Victoria—the more the merrier; everybody is welcome. Like I said, it is one of the most livable places in the world and the best place to live in Australia, and as it comes into effect in other states and territories it will also help Victorians looking to move and work temporarily interstate. And it will support jobs—good jobs, and not just the job of someone directly benefiting from mutual recognition but also jobs alongside them and for the people they buy from. Talking about jobs—and there has never been anything that has gone out of my office without talking about creating jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs—Malcolm Turnbull was right when he said ‘jobs and growth’. I think it has been rehashed recently, and he was onto something, because job creation, as we know, needs to be at the heart of our economic recovery. That is exactly why we are also delivering on the jobs plan. We did set an ambitious target of creating 400 000 jobs by 2025, and I know that the Treasurer is very happy to report that we have created half of them. We wanted to create half of them by 2022, and we have already exceeded our interim target a year early. For any naysayers let us set the record straight: before COVID, Victoria, of course, as we know, led the nation in jobs growth with almost 520 000 new jobs since November 2014. That was the fastest growth of any state or territory. We know all the CommSec State of the States reports and we know how well we have done—and that is not by accident; that is by this government’s stewardship on creating jobs and providing an environment, a lush environment, for businesses to thrive. It is a lush environment—that is right, member for Mordialloc—for businesses to thrive, and as a member of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee I am sure you would know about the work of this government to make sure we are creating jobs, stimulating the economy and helping Victorians

BILLS 2244 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 to get back on their feet. Whether it is in COVID recovery or whether it is after we get through this blasted, bloody pandemic we are all going through, that is going to be the main aim and main target, and whether it is through this legislation, whether it is through the fine work of the member for Mordialloc on PAEC or whether it is through improving regulation, cutting red tape and making it easier for people to get gainful employment in Australia’s best state and most livable city, that should be at the very heart of this Andrews Labor government’s policy platform—and it always is. I commend the bill to the house. Mr FOWLES (Burwood) (16:17): They say good things come in small packages. I think the Treasurer himself could be characterised in that way. The member for Sunbury is another good thing that comes in a small package. The Treasurer is a good thing that comes in a small package, and this bill of course proves that good things come in small packages. It is good micro-economic reform, and micro-economic reform is one of the great legacies of Labor governments right around the nation. One of the hallmarks of Labor government is decent, strong, forward-thinking structural reform of the Victorian economy and of the Australian economy, and I am very proud to rise today to make a contribution on this bill, because it is good micro-economic reform. Labor are the great reformers, there is no doubt about that. We heard from the member for Ripon earlier. She wanted to use her contribution to take a swing at a whole bunch of Labor MPs right around the nation—a veritable roll call of outstanding Labor MPs across the country. But her fight was with Labor MPs in other jurisdictions, and that, I think, highlights the very good work, paradoxically, of the Labor MPs in this jurisdiction and in this chamber, because Labor has been a great supporter of these reforms and a great supporter of micro-economic reform generally. I am not sure that the same argument can be made for those opposite. Over the life of the 59th Parliament I thought one of the greatest mischaracterisations of a piece of legislation was of our legislation banning wage theft, because some sought to characterise that as an overreach; some sought to characterise it as more red tape. But in fact it was about levelling the playing field, because what you do is remove your dishonest competitors from that particular competition. You remove the people who are thieving wages. You take them out. They have got a dishonest competitive advantage over you by underpaying their workers. So that reform, that important Labor reform—a reform I am delighted that the federal Leader of the Opposition has said federal Labor will take forward if they are fortunate enough to be elected at some point in the next 12 months—was a pro-business reform. It is misunderstood by those opposite because they see it as being a burden on business owners, but it is not. It is a burden on dishonest business owners, and if those opposite want to stick up for dishonest business owners, well, that is of course entirely a matter for them. But we say on this side of the chamber that we want to support the good business owners, the honest business owners, the ethical business owners, in their work. That was another example I think of actually a piece of micro-economic reform. It is not just about decency and fairness, it is not just about doing the right thing; in fact it is good structural reform that ensures that the playing field is level. What we want are ethical actors in the economy. What we want is the ability for all businesses to go about their business in an honest way, in a decent way and to make sure that they are paying their workers fairly on the way through, because what could be more important than that—as I look to the member for Bayswater, who has been such a strong champion of jobs in his region, such a strong champion for his community. Labour mobility matters—and I mean that in the l-a-b-o-u-r sense. There are probably a few other types of labour mobility in the place, but labour mobility, the ability of workers to work in their multiple jurisdictions, is a very important thing, and I think we see it most particularly in cross-border communities. Whether it is up near the Murray, whether it is on the South Australian border, there are plenty of examples where people are working across jurisdictions in the ordinary course of business, so that it is not aberrant or an exception for them to have to cross into another jurisdiction for the course of their work—in fact, it is a perfectly ordinary part of their business. The fact that we are saying

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2245 through the adoption, I hope, of this bill later today that we are going to do everything we can to make it easy for those professions, those workers, to be able to work across jurisdictions without any difficulty, is a very, very important thing. They will all be assisted by AMR. As we have learned, AMR is automatic mutual recognition, not to be confused with mutual recognition, which sits on the statute books in relation to a great many professions across the nation. There is mutual recognition there, which allows, for example, a real estate agent in Victoria to gain registration in New South Wales under the New South Welsh scheme, but this is automatic mutual recognition. What it means is you do not have to step through another licensing process, another regulatory process, you do not have to incur additional cost in availing yourself of that mutual recognition. It is in fact automatic. By clearing out the red tape, by facilitating the mobility of these workers, by allowing people to transact across state borders with the greatest of ease, we do the economy a very great service. We do it a great service to the tune of $2.4 billion over 10 years. That is not a number to be sniffed at. Yes, Australia has a $1.2 trillion or a $1.3 trillion economy, but that is nonetheless a number not to be sniffed at, because it is reform that is delivered with very, very little cost on the other side. It is simply a reform that is delivered by governments doing what they should do, which is getting together, agreeing sensible parameters, respecting the experts in the field and making sure that they deliver for their communities through a lens of cooperation rather than competition those reforms that are so badly needed. I was very surprised to learn that in Victoria 20 per cent of workers hold an occupational licence. That strikes me as being a high number, and probably a few of us in this chamber might not have thought that it was that high, because occupational licences extend not just to the agency-type occupations like real estate agents or the professions you might classically expect to be regulated, like the medical profession; they extend to teachers, for example—and teachers are, of course, a great source of pride for this government, a great source of wonderful work for this state. Whilst I do not want to lose any of our great Victorian teachers, I would be happy to get some of the good ones out of New South Wales and Queensland. I think we all accept that if we can give teachers that mobility, the ability to take their skills across jurisdictions, then that on a whole-of-nation basis clearly offers a net benefit. Under this scheme, people are going to be only licensed for the activities that they are entitled to do in their home state. So if in New South Wales you are licensed to offer up properties for sale and conduct those negotiations but you are not licensed to do an auction, then you are not going to be able to do an auction down here. And vice versa: if you are allowed to do an auction down here, you can do an auction cross border. I actually remember when I first did paid auctions in the motor vehicle universe that there was a motor vehicle auctioneer licence scheme. It was abolished, can I say, under Labor, but that scheme was one of the great examples of a truly redundant licensing scheme, where you submitted your form, you paid your fee and that was it. You got your licence, but there was nothing else. There was no training. There was no ‘Here are your obligations’. It was just literally a fee for the right to sell motor vehicles. I am certain that the fee I paid in 2002 or 2003 was 10 bucks, and I am pretty sure the cost of administering that scheme would have been greater than the fees it generated. So I am very pleased that we have got a bunch of those sort of redundant schemes off the books, and I am very pleased that anyone can auction a motor vehicle in this state without having to obtain a special licence for the purpose. But it does highlight that we need regulation that is smart, regulation that is sensible and regulation that ultimately supports that important balance between a public policy imperative, typically around things like safety or consumer outcomes, and the economic imperative. I think this is a bill that is a good thing in a small package. It is a bill that delivers on those imperatives. We have the ability to have a set of regulations that allow workers to move freely across the nation in whatever profession they are in without being unnecessarily hindered by bureaucratic red tape. That does not mean they are not subject to the rules or the laws of the day. It does not mean they are suddenly free to practise that profession unethically or anything like that. What it does mean is that the licensing regimes that support those particular domains are available to them without unnecessary red tape. I say to the chamber that this is one of those terrific bills that is good for jobs. It is good for jobs growth,

BILLS 2246 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 it is good for consumers, it is good for workers, it is good for border communities, it is good for competition and competitiveness and it is good for the economy. It is not often we get bills that fit all those bills all at once. This is one of them, and I commend it to the house. Mr J BULL (Sunbury) (16:27): I am also very pleased to have the opportunity this afternoon to follow on from the very smooth talking and very smooth moving member for Burwood, who I was very close to taking a point of order on when he referred to me as a ‘small package’—and then I realised that it was quite a compliment. It is not often you get a whole range of compliments in this house, so I thank the member for Burwood for his compliment and his very important contribution. Can I also say, as I said from the outset, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this bill, the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021. As the member for Burwood and other members have spoken about in their contributions this afternoon, this is a bill that is fundamentally at its core about supporting workers. It is a bill about supporting jobs and supporting of course economic activity in this state and economic activity right across the country. Acting Speaker Dimopoulos, as I am sure you will agree—and I am sure that all members of this house should agree and I would dare say members right across the country—making sure that state and federal and local governments are doing everything within their remit and everything within their power to support jobs is a very important matter. Making sure that we are making those critical investments at those important moments to ensure that we are using all the power of government, all of the levers, to make sure that we are driving economic activity is of course fundamentally important. Acting Speaker, as you know, never before in our history has it been as important as it is now to make sure that we are making those critical investments to recover from 2020 and to come through the global pandemic and to make sure that we are supporting people within this state and people right across the country to make sure that they are in employment. This government, Speaker—I notice there has been a changing of the guard—will of course always ensure that we are doing everything we possibly can to make those critical investments when and where they are needed. If I just look at a shortlist of some of the critical projects that this government has implemented since we had the great opportunity to come into office, it is an extraordinary list, a very long list. Whether it is removing level crossings, whether it is building the North East Link or whether it is building the Metro Tunnel, making sure that we are creating those thousands of jobs that make a difference to families right across the state is fundamentally important. What it also does is make sure that we are training apprentices and enabling our workers to learn new skills and make sure that we are catering for population growth, and these are very important things and particularly important in areas where I am from in the outer suburbs. This government has from day one invested in and tackled the biggest challenges in our state. It is a huge pipeline of projects creating thousands of jobs and new opportunities and, as I mentioned, catering for population growth—those 75 level crossings by 2025, the North East Link, the Metro Tunnel, the Suburban Rail Loop. If we look at education—I can see our very hardworking Parliamentary Secretary for Schools, who has also given me a couple of clips today, but I will not do that; I will actually give him a compliment— there are huge opportunities within this state to make sure that we are investing in schools, whether they be new schools in our growth corridors, whether that be modernising and upgrading schools right across the state, whether you are in the CBD, whether you are in the suburbs or whether you are in rural and regional Victoria. Making sure that we are of course investing in schools is fundamentally important to this government and fundamentally important to the Education State. Speaker, I am sure when you tour around your local community and you meet with your school principals—with whom I am sure you have a range of various relationships; I am sure most of them very good—you know that we are creating employment, not just improving educational opportunities by working closely with the school to deliver good outcomes but also creating employment opportunities for construction workers on site, which is fundamentally important.

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I did want to speak briefly if I can about our jobs plan. Job creation needs to be at the heart of our economic recovery. That is why we are delivering the jobs plan. It is an ambitious target— 400 000 jobs by 2025, half of them by 2022. We have already exceeded our interim target for early next year. Before the coronavirus we of course led the nation in jobs growth—many members have spoken about this this afternoon—with almost 520 000 new jobs since 2014. This was the fastest rate of any state or territory, and it is no surprise if we reflect on some of those key projects and some of those key initiatives that I have just spoken about in my contribution. There is no secret that the jobs that had been created up until the coronavirus pandemic were a direct result of the monumental and significant investment that this government had made in local communities right across the state. Spend a couple of hours in this chamber and you will know that these projects are making a huge difference to local communities, and that is why these figures were incredibly strong. We know that we need to—and we are working on it—bounce back from the pandemic. Since September 2020 Victoria has added more than 252 000 jobs, more than any state, more than New South Wales and Queensland combined. In the latest labour force figures in May we have seen Victoria’s unemployment rate fall to 4.8 per cent. That is below where it was before the pandemic started and below the national average of 5.1 per cent. This is a bill that is fundamentally important because it makes the process of regulatory system checks and balances across jurisdictions as you move across our country a whole lot easier. Speaker, I am sure you would have known within your profession, before you had the great opportunity to come into this place, with some of the stunning work that you must have done when you were in your chosen profession as a hardworking sparky that the opportunity to be able to take those skills and work interstate is fundamentally important. I heard the member for Burwood mention the teaching profession, and obviously we have got another bill in the house this week that is in relation to teaching. We had one in a previous sitting week, and I did mention and thank all of our terrific teachers, who do an amazing job. What we know of course is that this government has from the very outset—from the very first opportunity that we were given the great gift to represent our local communities, to form a government, to hold the ministry on the Treasury benches, from day one—invested in local communities, with the small, medium and big projects that make our state better. I have had the opportunity in my contribution thus far to mention some of those state-changing significant projects, like the Metro Tunnel, like level crossing removals, but I think also we need to recognise that there is a whole range of those medium and smaller projects within local communities right across the state—from the country, to the suburbs, to the city—where we know that job creation is fundamentally important. Automatic mutual recognition will support economic recovery by reducing barriers to licensed workers doing work across multiple states. We know licensed workers will no longer need to pay multiple registration fees and that it will be easier to work across borders. That line there, ‘easier to work across borders’—we have an obligation, we have a duty, within this house and right across the state as we recover from the global pandemic, to make sure that we are doing everything that we possibly can within our remit, within our power, to support workers as they go out and work incredibly hard to support their families and make sure that they are doing everything they can within local communities to recover from what have been the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This forms of course a range of bills, a range of programs and initiatives that have been brought forward by the Andrews Labor government to make sure that we are creating better communities, stronger communities, communities where opportunities for employment, opportunities for new skills and training and opportunities in life are fundamentally better because of the actions of this government. I proudly commend the bill to the house. Ms EDWARDS (Bendigo West) (16:37): I am pleased to make a contribution as well to the Mutual Recognition (Victoria) Amendment Bill 2021, and I wanted to commence my contribution by commenting on some mentions that were made by the member for Ripon in relation to Labor members in other states and at the federal level, and indeed around union support for this bill—or, as she said,

BILLS 2248 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 opposition to this bill. This bill is about making sure that this reform reflects the highest standards in the country, and when you think about some of the unions that have been involved in these discussions, they have been very clear that they wanted this reform and the new regulations and the new licensing system to reflect the absolute highest standards in the country. Who can blame them? I mean, some of these trades, for example, particularly electricians, need to have the highest standards possible. Of course Victoria and Queensland have had the highest standards when it comes to registrations and regulations, and I think that the standards that we have here in Victoria will be reflected in the new national standards as well. Under this reform there are a number of occupations that will provide opportunity for workers in those occupations to travel across the country to do their work. That includes builders, electricians, plumbers, architects, real estate agents, security guards, and many other workers as well who hold an occupational licence in their home state or territory and who want to do the same work in another state or territory. As a consequence of this bill they will be deemed to have that necessary licence. Importantly, in addition to that, these workers will not need to pay any additional fees or apply for an additional licence. This is really important. My cousin and her husband moved from the ACT a few years ago down to Bendigo. He is a plumber from Texas originally, with a wonderful Texan accent, and he was required to re-register and apply for a new licence when he moved to Victoria to be able to continue being a plumber in Victoria. They were pretty financially strapped at the time and to have to apply with that fee again because they had moved to Victoria was a huge financial burden to that family. He did eventually do that and was able to work in Victoria, but then they moved back to the ACT again so he had to do the whole process in reverse—to re-register and have a new licence to operate and do his job in the ACT. One of the things I was thinking about with this particular bill is the fact that here in Victoria we are about to embark on the biggest housing build this state has ever seen. We know that already there is a huge demand on particularly tradies across the state and there is a bit of a backlog when it comes to building new homes because of that shortage. But with our Big Housing Build, the biggest investment in housing this state has ever seen—in fact in the nation—it means that there will be a need and a requirement for additional tradies, particularly plumbers, electricians, builders, carpenters et cetera. If there is a shortage, it means that those who live interstate will be able to move to Victoria or temporarily relocate to Victoria to assist us with that big build, not just for the public social housing build but also for the private housing market as well, where we know that there is a big boom, particularly in regional areas. In my patch the number of new homes being constructed is amazing, actually—something that we have not seen before. I think it is really important to remember that, and also of course with our Big Build more broadly there is an opportunity for more and more people to come and work in Victoria. Those who have licences in other states will not have to relicense or have different regulations when they perhaps come to Victoria to work on our Big Build more broadly. This bill and this reform, as has been mentioned by other members, will directly benefit over 124 000 workers who currently work across the borders and additionally 44 000 who are expected to work across the borders following these reforms, in particular workers living in the border regions, as has been mentioned, but those who temporarily relocate—fly-in fly-out workers, for example—and people who provide services remotely as well. This reform has been estimated to increase the gross domestic product in this country by $2.4 billion over 10 years, which is a massive, massive investment. A simple change like this that can produce such a significant financial benefit is amazing. Currently, as I mentioned, the mutual recognition regime for licensed occupations across Australia is very complex, it is costly, as I also said, and it imposes an excessive regulatory burden on businesses that operate across jurisdictions. Currently around 20 per cent of workers are required to be licensed. I wanted to mention something in relation to our support for in particular those who wish to enter the trades and the training and skills sector. We have done a power of work over the last six years to support our trades sectors, particularly our apprentices. I wanted to mention in particular the halving

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2249 of the licence registration for apprentices which we introduced back in 2016. I think that that alone has made a significant difference to a lot of apprentices, whether they be young apprentices or older apprentices re-entering the workforce and retraining. That is a significant cost to a young person in particular—to have to pay full car registration—particularly if they have got a work vehicle that is the vehicle that they use to cart their tools around in, as my son does and my stepson, Angus, who is also a plumber now—a fully qualified plumber. When he was training, when he was the apprentice, he did not have to pay his full car registration. It made such a huge difference to his ability to get on and do what he needed to do with his— Mr Dimopoulos interjected. Ms EDWARDS: I know. We are that way inclined. We also introduced something that does not sound like very much but was really important, particularly for young people, and that was the trade papers, which had been expunged, if you like. There is nothing more important for apprentices in particular who have done their trade, who have done the hard yards, to get their trade papers as recognition for those qualifications that they have worked so hard to get. They are a certificate—they are awarded to those who successfully complete their formal training through their apprenticeship— but they serve as a signal to the employers as well, and to the customers that they serve, that this person can apply occupational skills on the job. I think it has been very well received across the sectors by these apprentices, in particular in the trade sector, who have a TAFE or a VET qualification as well. We know here in Victoria that our skilled workers are very much in high demand, and that is why we are investing $644 million—well, we did invest $644 million—to continue transforming skills and training in Victoria. If you think about our investment in TAFE alone, that is a significant investment when it comes to supporting the skills that are needed for the jobs of the future. We know where the demand is and we are making sure that we meet that demand. Our free TAFE courses have been so well received. In Bendigo alone we have got a $60 million redevelopment of our TAFE sector underway, and that is on top of our investment already in the Food and Fibre Centre of Excellence and also the health and wellbeing centre for excellence, which is focused on health, social and community services. I commend this bill to the house and I look forward to its speedy passage. Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (16:47): Isn’t it great to be talking about a bill that deals with trades and cross-border issues while you are in the chair, Speaker? I do not want to out you. I think most people know that you do hail from north of the border, New South Wales—a trained electrician. But you have done all right here, despite supporting Collingwood. I can actually see that there is a new Chair about to get in the chair and he supports Essendon, like me. So that will be— Mr Dimopoulos interjected. Ms GREEN: Aren’t you about to get in the chair? Mr Dimopoulos interjected. Ms GREEN: I am wrong. All right. But back to the bill. When I first entered Parliament under the premiership of Premier Bracks, at that stage he had a very significant agenda of commonwealth-state reform, as did his successor, John Brumby, having been in the federal Parliament. It was really something that was an article of faith in my first three terms here in the Parliament. I think one of the benefits that the community can expect from the national cabinet is not just the management of COVID but that it actually maybe might put an end to some of those cross-border disagreements—on which the COAGs of yore delivered very little—and that we can have a situation where premiers and treasurers are getting together to assist in boosting our economic recovery and also our economic growth into the future. Following the agreement of the national cabinet and the work of the federal Treasurer and the state treasurers, it was moved in this place by the Treasurer of Victoria, but it could have equally been introduced by a number of other ministers in this place and particularly my colleague and someone I get to work with very closely, and that is the Minister for Regional Development. The regional development portfolio has contained within it a cross-border

BILLS 2250 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 commissioner for some time now, coming as it did as a recommendation from regional partnerships on the border covering border areas. I would particularly like to acknowledge the work of the cross-border commissioner, Luke Wilson, and his team, Carolynn and Tanya, who has just recently joined the cross-border commissioner. You know, he is a fantastic experienced bureaucrat, but just absolutely gets things done. He lives in a border community himself. He and I sat down before Black Summer and discussed some of the issues that potentially might be faced if there were fires. It was a bit like looking into a crystal ball, because those things did occur, and it really was that thinking by the cross-border commissioner, sitting down with the emergency management commissioner and the agencies and doing a ‘what if’ exercise if we had fires that crossed borders. I really want to thank Luke for his work. Whether it is family violence legislation, regulation and practice; whether it is things in the transport sector; or whether it is education and training, Luke Wilson and his team are up for it. I grew up in Warrnambool and Mildura. There were a few cross-border issues, even when I was in Warrnambool. I used to help dad out when he was the secretary of the football umpires association, organising umpires from Mt Gambier to Colac. So it first made me think about some of the issues, cross border, and not just the half-hour time difference. But then we moved to Mildura, particularly, and my father was an accountant. He looked after businesses in Victoria, in New South Wales and in South Australia, because it is only a little over an hour to the South Australian border there. So having lived there in Mildura I know how complex it can be, living with those tri-state issues. I know the Independent member for Mildura has been very live to these matters and raised them too. Cross-border issues—I think just about every year I have been in Parliament there would be members of the National Party talking about this, talking about this and talking about it. Well, you know, after working with the regional partnerships we have got on and we are actually working to change these things. You know the National Party are always talking about being the voice of regional Australia, of country Victoria, but I remind the house that Labor has 18 members that represent regional and country seats in this Parliament, and many of them have experience of cross-border issues, none more than the minister herself, having been raised in Wodonga, so she is perfectly positioned to work with the cross- border commissioner. Indeed the Premier, growing up in a small business and farming family in Wangaratta, understands the cross-border issues. So we have not been a government that has just talked about these matters; we have got on and dealt with them. But we are also a government that is really passionate about standards and about education and the recognition of those. So as important as it is for those cross-border communities, whether it is businesses, whether it is apprentices wanting to work on other sites, with a national economy we want our young people to be able to be mobile. At the moment COVID means that our young people cannot do that gap year overseas. So being able to have mutual recognition if they work as a tradesperson, if they work in real estate and property, if they are teachers, they can go interstate and do that. And also young people can come here and do the same thing. Australia has been an immigrant nation that has relied on skills coming in. I think in Victoria we have understood it has needed to be a mix of that. We have never taken our foot off the pedal in terms of education and training. Our rebuilding of TAFE when we came to office, and then the investment in skills in this year’s budget, has nailed our colours to the mast on this. I acknowledge some of the unions have talked about, you know, not necessarily opposing this automatic mutual recognition, but saying, ‘We need this to be the best quality, not the lowest common denominator’. That is something that all sides of the house should welcome, and I will just query again whether the member for Ripon is doing some of her silly fear campaigns by saying anything else. Our home owners, our businesses—they want to know that the electrician that comes around to fix or build their electrical equipment or install their solar panels will do a good job, or that their plumbers are going to do a good job that is going to be healthy and not endanger their kids with a poor plumbing

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2251 connection. I want to say that I am supportive of the unions that have spoken out in that way, as did some of the other industry groups. I welcome it as an economic reform that will be good for the economy and will help us with our skills shortage at the moment, but it is a respectful thing too, if you talk about these reforms, that they must be the best possible, not the lowest common denominator. I do want to mention our teaching services. Having, as I mentioned, lived in a cross-border community, I want to mention a dear friend of mine, Zuvele Leschen, who lives in beautiful Buffalo River just south of Myrtleford. At the moment she is doing a contract teaching job in Albury, and things like this are just going to make it easier for her so she will not have to pay two lots of registration and deal with the different times of year that they might be up for renewal. This will just make it easier for her, and if we have got a teacher who is willing to travel, why should that teacher have to pay two lots of fees and be subjected to two lots of regimes? Our border communities could not do without our teachers, nurses and all the others that are prepared to work on both sides, so I really hope that this is going to be something that helps Zuvele and all the teachers that I know. I grew up in a tradie family. My grandfather was a trained carpenter, but he was a farmer in the east Wimmera and knew it was hard to raise a family and eke out a living in those often desert areas, often fraught with drought. He said to his six sons, including my father, ‘You either join the military or you get a trade’. Most of them did both. I think it will be those young people of today and the future who will benefit from this reform. I commend the bill to the house. Ms WARD (Eltham) (16:57): I also rise in support of this bill. It is interesting to hear the member for Yan Yean talking about having a history of tradesmen in her family. My dad also started out life as a tradesman. He was a pattern maker, and one of the things that his foundry, Davies & Baird, in Coburg, which sadly no longer exists, used to create was train tracks. That brings me to something that immediately came to mind when thinking about this legislation—the fact that, amazingly in this country, we did not have a single gauge track. You used to have to get off the train at Albury, change trains, get on the train again, because it was a different gauge, a different-size track, and keep going. I cannot imagine how inefficient that was for nearly a century to have to get the train to the border, get off your train and get on a new train because it happened to be on a different track. In 1883 Victoria connected to New South Wales by train line to Albury, and it was not until the 1960s that we actually ended up with the universal gauge across the two states. I can only imagine the bemusement of people such as Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling and Agatha Christie who had to get off the train in Australia, in one country, and get back on another train in order to continue their journey. When you think that in Europe you could go across whole countries with one single track, without interruption, without any change in your flow, it is incredible that in this country we did not have that. In 1962 the single-track standard gauge line was built between Albury and Melbourne on the eastern side of the broad-gauge track. I know we had a number across the country and it took a few years for some other gauges to catch up, but we finally ended up with a universal system. It is terrific to see that this legislation will enable the same activity for people who are trained in this state and in other states to transfer their skills and to be able to start work. I know other speakers have spoken about our Big Build agenda. Our Big Build agenda is something that is not only creating economic opportunity in this state; it is also creating employment and skills opportunities. It means that we will have so many people in this state who will have skills that they have not engaged before, skills that they did not even think that they would need or want and that they enjoy, like being a pilot in a tunnel boring machine—amazing skills that we are creating with our tunnel boring centre. But across the board our Big Build agenda is creating jobs and creating opportunities for Victorians. And for them to be able to develop their skills in this state and then go interstate and be able to start work straightaway is a terrific feat. I congratulate the minister and I congratulate the government for working through this with the national cabinet and pulling together something that will enable all of our states to work together and to be able to create and offer employment opportunities, no matter from which state the worker originates.

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This bill is another platform in our government’s support for economic recovery in this state. We are reducing the barriers to licensed workers doing work in multiple states. They will no longer need to pay multiple registration fees, and it will be easier to work across borders, just as it is now incredibly easy to get the train from Melbourne to Sydney. The government’s number one priority is to ensure the ongoing integrity of Victorian licensing schemes and protections, and again I thank the government and department for the work that has gone into making sure that the Victorian systems do stay integral and that we do keep the systems working well and we are well protected. So with the feedback from other governments and stakeholders around the country, we are looking forward to the commonwealth bill that will help unite us all, and this includes the safeguards that I mentioned before. Most importantly I think we need to really talk about the jobs that are being created in this state, which as I said earlier, will be able to then be transferred to other states. So we are again leading the nation when it comes to employment creation. Before the coronavirus the amount of jobs that this government had created in this state was 520 000. That was the fastest growth in any state or territory, and it would be of no surprise to anybody on this side of the house to learn that we are still leading the nation when it comes to employment opportunities. Since September 2020 we have added more than 252 000 jobs, more than any other state and in fact more than New South Wales and Queensland combined. So when we want to talk about a gold standard, this is the state that creates the gold standard of employment opportunities—there is no doubt. With the latest labour force figures from May, in Victoria we see that the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.8 per cent. This is actually below where it was 18 or so months ago when the pandemic started, and it is below the national average of 5.1 per cent. And our regional unemployment is doing even better, as it has done during the life of this government; it is currently 4.5 per cent, well below the national average, which is also 5.1 per cent. This framework will help support economic recovery and safeguard our community from harm. This is not an either-or; it has to be a both, it has to be inclusive. We have already delivered on our 25 per cent commitment to reducing red tape, and we have seen this happen across the board, across industries, where we are making it easier for people to get things done. But we are not doing it in a risky way, we are making sure that workers remain protected. We are making sure that workplaces remain safe. So cutting red tape does not mean that you cut corners, and we have seen with governments prior to ours that cutting corners does become a part of cutting red tape. That is not where this government has gone. This government has gone through a thorough mechanism and thorough investigations to work out safe ways that we can reduce red tape and help people get the things done that they want to get done. We do believe in government, and we do believe in government regulation. We are not the party of small government, we are the party of effective and efficient government. In the November budget we committed $75 million for regulatory reform that will support economic recovery and help create jobs. This includes an incentive fund to support reforms that deliver material benefits; a fast-track review unit to respond directly and quickly to priority issues; and a system-wide review of business licensing, including opportunities to digitise licences to make it easier for small businesses and sole traders to operate. So automatic mutual recognition is consistent with these objectives, ensuring our licensing schemes appropriately balance consumer and public safety protections. So the achievements that we have had so far include Small Business Victoria and Better Regulation Victoria pioneering a new approach to approval systems. The commissioner for better regulation also recommended the approach we implemented for local council approvals and planning permits and has estimated that this measure and other planning efficiency improvements recommended by the commissioner and adopted by our fantastic minister reduced the average time to get a planning permit by at least a quarter, or 30 days. This is a huge saving for people—a huge saving—and it is not just time, it is also cost, it is also money.

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We have worked with the earth resources regulator. The commissioner for better regulation completed a report called Getting the Groundwork Right, which made a number of recommendations to improve regulations and the regulator. The Minister for Planning has continued his work commissioning a comprehensive review of the building system. This comes out of the recommendation of the cladding task force. The commissioner for better regulation is chairing the review, and already the review is seeking improvements, including the establishment of a single portal for building consumers to enable them to navigate various government websites to get the help they need. And coming out of last year’s budget, there were a number of significant regulatory reform initiatives which will boost the efficiency and effectiveness of Victoria’s regulatory system overall. There is so much this government has done, yet there is still more to do. We are not going to be sitting here quietly or idly. We will continue to work hard. I see the Treasurer is in the house at the moment, and I thank him for all the work that he has done in this space to support our businesses and to keep our economy chugging along and for the help that he has given in creating the phenomenal amount of jobs that have been created in this state since September last year, when we hit the peak of the coronavirus. Mr Pallas interjected. Ms WARD: I hear the Treasurer asking me what electorate mine is, and he knows it is the electorate of Eltham. I have to thank the Treasurer with all my heart for the amount of investment that he has helped come into my community, including for my beloved shared-user path, and the amount of money that has gone into infrastructure in my seat: the Fitzsimons Lane upgrade, the duplication of the Hurstbridge line, the countless schools that have been upgraded. The sporting facilities that have been upgraded have been phenomenal, and it is all part of this Big Build story. It is all part of us building a better community, building a stronger community and building the jobs that we know people need, and I thank the Treasurer for the leadership that he has shown in helping to fund and create these jobs. We have created a state where things are happening and where we know good things will continue to happen. I commend the bill. Motion agreed to. Read second time; by leave, proceeded to third reading. Third reading Motion agreed to. Read third time. The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr McGuire): The bill will now be sent to the Legislative Council and their agreement requested. VICTORIAN CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL AND OTHER ACTS AMENDMENT (FEDERAL JURISDICTION AND OTHER MATTERS) BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Ms HUTCHINS: That this bill be now read a second time. Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (17:08): I am pleased to rise and make a contribution on behalf of the opposition in regard to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021—what a mouthful. This is a very interesting bill in that what it seeks to do is to fix a loophole in the legal system that currently does not recognise VCAT as a court when dealing with commonwealth matters. That is where you have got one of the parties from the state of Victoria, and that particular party might be then taking an issue with somebody from another state or with somebody that sits across a number of states that for

BILLS 2254 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 jurisdictional purposes is not covered in terms of the commonwealth legislation recognising them as a party. So this seeks to provide clarity for that. It also deems that in these instances the Magistrates Court is the appropriate court to deal with these matters, and the bill goes into some detail and some precedent in terms of that. It also looks at providing additional resources in terms of further judges that would provide additional support as far as this. In this bill there is no mention, or certainly no reference, in terms of what the financial implication will be to this, and that is certainly one of the questions that we have. And I can say from the outset, as I have not said thus far, that the opposition will not be opposing this bill. With the intent of what the bill is aimed to do, we believe that it is certainly fair and reasonable to ensure that the parties have fair jurisdiction and that the jurisdiction is something that is enabled to sit at state level and not necessarily sit outside of the state in the federal realm. All of that makes perfect sense. The issue, I suppose, that we have—and I will happily go into a bit more detail later—is that there has been no costing as to the financial implication, and particularly where a lot of these matters will now be heard within the Magistrates Court. We know that the Magistrates Court is already suffering with a severe backlog. There are a number of cases that have been jammed up, particularly from the pandemic and from lockdowns, and especially with the four lockdowns that Victoria has gone through compared to, say, other states, which have all had their issues but nowhere near the amount of issues that we have had. With every lockdown it has meant that a lot of those court cases have been delayed— a lot of appearances have been delayed and bumped off—and so therefore the waiting list has grown. And of course I have heard countless examples of people that have been waiting for their hearings to take place. I know that my colleague, the Shadow Attorney-General in the other place, Edward O’Donohue, who has been right across this and who has carriage of this bill, has heard many, many times and has spoken quite regularly about the backlog in the court system as a result of the pandemic and the lockdowns. So that is certainly a concern and obviously there are going to be more resources needed for the Magistrates Court to be able to hear some of these cases going forward, and the question we would have for the government is to ensure that those resources are made available so we do not have further backlogs, which is absolutely imperative. Just to cover off, the purpose of the bill is to amend the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 regarding matters relating to federal and interstate jurisdictions that currently cannot be dealt with or heard in Victoria and make consequential amendments to the Magistrates’ Court Act 1989, the County Court Act 1958, the Supreme Court Act 1986 and the Civil Procedure Act 2010. It also amends the County Court Act 1958 and the Judicial Entitlements Act 2015 to create the office of deputy chief judge of the County Court—and that is another position that has been created that is needed in terms of resourcing issues; I just mentioned earlier the importance of that resourcing— amends the Public Prosecutions Act 1994 in relation to the appointment of an acting chief Crown prosecutor and makes other consequential amendments, from creating the office of deputy chief judge of the County Court. As I said, the bill creates a regime for federal and interstate cases that would be because of their nature normally considered by VCAT to be dealt with by the Magistrates Court. As I said, in many cases the federal jurisdiction does not recognise VCAT in these instances, so this bill allows the Magistrates Court to take care of all of that. A new part 3A is being inserted into the act to establish a regime of substituted proceedings for the Magistrates Court to hear and determine federal jurisdiction matters. It also ensures that previous orders of VCAT involving federal matters deemed to be invalid by recent High Court and Victorian Court of Appeal decisions can be retrospectively made by creating rights and liabilities equivalent to those flowing from VCAT’s purported decisions and ensuring the effectiveness of these acts and omissions, which are done in those rights and liabilities. To improve the administrative effectiveness of the County Court, a new statutory position, as I say, will be created, and also the position of an acting chief Crown prosecutor will be established, a role that would be requested from the Office of Public Prosecutions.

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As I said, there are large, system-wide effects of COVID and significant court case backlogs, and I hope that the new roles of deputy chief judge and acting chief Crown prosecutor will help with that, We are hoping that we will see something with that, but again, governments unfortunately have— quite often when it comes to legislation in the Attorney-General’s area—been very quick to legislate but have not provided the dollars necessary to do that. We have seen that more recently with the public drunkenness laws. So this was very important, and I made comment as the lead speaker on that as well. The death in custody stuff and the incarceration of many of our Indigenous—we need to be doing work around that. There is no question. We want a health response. There is no question. We do not want to incarcerate. We do not want to lock people up. But unfortunately in that instance what we did was have the cart before the horse. We do not have the health system set up. We have not costed it out. We have not set up where we are going to take people that are experiencing public drunkenness. Where are they going for help and support? So a lot of that detail has not been worked out, but what we have done is have laws and then we have got a two-year trial, instead of having a two-year trial and then the laws—the cart before the horse. So that is where the government has been very quick for a headline and a press release rather than actually getting the details right and enabling it to happen. And there have just been so many instances where the government has reacted with a quick headline rather than having the system—I mean, we have seen a lot with some of the COVID and health situations, where we have rushed off and done something but it has been lacking in that detail. So that is where I think we have kind of missed it a bit here, but the intent is good. The intent is what we certainly sign up for, and we agree on what needs to be done. I wanted to touch base on the judgement of—and hopefully I can pronounce this right—Meringnage v. Interstate Enterprises Pty Ltd, a case in 2020. In the Court of Appeal, Justice Tate, Justice Niall and Justice Emerton published reasons answering questions of law referred to the County Court by VCAT pursuant to section 96 of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998. This was in relation to power sought to be exercised in a proceeding before VCAT in relation to the commonwealth being treated as a party. So questions arose out of the application brought by Mr Meringnage. VCAT alleged that he was discriminated against on the ground of his race and his nationality by Interstate Enterprises Pty Ltd, which was a recruitment agency, on behalf of RUAG Australia. RUAG is a company involved in the aerospace and defence industry, and it provided a product and service to the Australian Defence Force. So here is a situation where you had a company providing aerospace services to the ADF and you had a recruitment company. Mr Meringnage applied for a position as a trade assistant—I believe dealing with metal components—with RUAG but was told that he did not satisfy the security requirements set out in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, ITAR, because he is Sri Lankan, and Sri Lanka is an ITAR-proscribed country, with the result that its nationals are prohibited from accessing ITAR- controlled information, articles and services in relation to international traffic in arms. So Meringnage sought orders against Interstate. The Court of Appeal has held that VCAT is not a ‘court of a state’ within chapter III of the commonwealth constitution, and therefore it is not able to exercise judicial power in a matter with a commonwealth party. So in this instance, because it was against a commonwealth party, the state— even though Meringnage was here—could not take action against a commonwealth party. So the court found an aggregation of many of the features of VCAT, most significantly the lack of security of tenure for the overwhelming proportion of its members and reappointment dependent on executive discretion, indicated VCAT is ultimately not a state court. The court further held that in making orders under section 125 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 VCAT would be exercising judicial power and given these findings, VCAT does not have authority to decide the application brought by Meringnage in respect of the commonwealth because the presence of the commonwealth demands the exercise of federal judicial power.

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So in this case, in reaching their conclusion the court rejected an argument that the choice by the Victorian Parliament of VCAT as the forum to enforce rights under section 125 of the Equal Opportunity Act thereby means that any dispute is not a matter requiring the exercise of federal power. That is an important element of a judgement, and that kind of gives really important context in terms of all of this, because ultimately where you have got a state party wanting to take issue with a commonwealth party VCAT is not the place for that. So therefore this legislation will clear that up to allow the Magistrates Court to be able to deal with these matters. I just wanted to make mention of some of the consultation that my colleague in the other place Edward O’Donohue has done. He has done some extensive work here. He is very meticulous in his work, and I commend him for that—his consultation with the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV), the Victorian Bar, the Chief Magistrate, Judge Hannan, and other interstate stakeholders. In terms of when my colleague in the other place Edward O’Donohue spoke to Chief Magistrate Judge Lisa Hannan, they were advised that the exact volume of matters to be taken by the Magistrates Court under the new regime is not known and still yet to be determined. This is a very, very important point in terms of the Chief Magistrate saying that with these changes come a whole lot of volumes of work. We do not know how much work that is—so we do not know whether it is 10 cases, whether it is 100 cases, whether it is 1000 cases. We do not know the details of those cases. We do not know what is required in terms of resources and ultimately funding. That was a really, really good point that the Chief Magistrate made, and as I say, that is one of the concerns that we have. Since the volume of these matters to be handled by the Magistrates Court is not known, the additional budgetary resources required are also not known. Also advised during the bill briefing was that the Magistrates Court will be supported by necessary resources and also this will be a measure that will require future scrutiny to ensure that access to justice is not being compromised in other areas of the Magistrates Court. And so this is really, really important. Also the Law Institute of Victoria advised that they were generally supportive of this. However, they are seeking clarification from the government regarding some of the procedural and cost matters in hearing the cases in the Magistrates Court, particularly for self-represented clients, versus the relatively low cost base of VCAT. So one of the points to raise here is that VCAT is effectively a cheaper court; it runs on a different cost structure than what the Magistrates Court or any of the other courts do. So LIV raised those issues in terms of that and particularly about self-representation by clients and the difference in costs and also due justice as well in terms of not having representation. Also when you are now going before the Magistrates Court the game changes, effectively, in terms of that representation, and I would envisage that in terms of representation that will change as well and costs will change not only to the state, obviously, in representing, but the cost will change to the litigant in terms of that as well. Chief Magistrate Hannan advised that the Magistrates Court was the most appropriate court for the transference of matters from VCAT because of the nature of the types of cases to be heard, as it has high case volumes and relatively low structure compared to the County Court and the Supreme Court. This legislation fixes the jurisdictional gap in the Victorian legal justice system and should improve access to justice. The new roles for the deputy chief judge and acting chief prosecutor appear to be reasonable where requested in respect of the heads of jurisdiction, and measures should improve access to justice and the administration and effectiveness of managing the COVID-induced growing case loads, which I raised earlier. I wanted to just pick up, in the time that I have remaining, on particularly VCAT and freeing up some of VCAT’s time. This is a bill that does look at VCAT as part of the bill, and I did want to raise some of the concerns particularly with the way that VCAT has been used in terms of the property development issues which it ends up having to solve and the growing case loads with that and it effectively being a reference court. We have huge amounts of overdevelopment in my electorate of Caulfield, and I know particularly my constituents in Elsternwick talk about it a lot. There is a situation where we have got the Woolworths

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2257 in Elsternwick that is at VCAT at the moment. It went to VCAT, was rejected, is back out again and will go back to VCAT, and council have kind of handballed it over. I kind of think that when we talk about these bills that we have got before us today one of the things that is not in this bill that could be in this bill is: how do we reform VCAT? How do we ensure that the jurisdiction is very clear on what VCAT is actually doing? That is what is missing in this bill. What could VCAT be doing better? VCAT are effectively being very, very subjective and ad hoc in a lot of the approach, particularly when it comes to planning. A lot of the decisions that are made by VCAT are made by judges that are not local and that do not have local intelligence in terms of what is going on within the community. I think in a lot of instances council handball off because they have got a situation where councillors do not want to take responsibility for a decision being made, so they flick it over to VCAT and let VCAT be the big bad wolf that makes the decision, and then unfortunately the locals are left behind with a mess. That is what I have seen so much of in Elsternwick and in Caulfield South. I have got so many developments that I could talk to you about where we have just been fighting—the group against the Elsternwick towers and Save Glen Eira. And there are just a lot of people that have been fighting this and are really concerned about the inconsistency and the way that VCAT has been used to deal with these matters. This was an opportunity to look at it, certainly in this bill, that has not been taken up, but I do think the government should be investigating how VCAT could be used better with prescribed powers, ultimately to provide more satisfaction and confidence for many of our constituents. I mean, I am talking about my voters in Caulfield that deal with this each and every day. Overdevelopment and, let us call it, appropriate development rate high on the list—heritage homes being bowled over, things that just do not make a lot of sense. Why does 14 storeys without parking get approved on one side in Elsternwick and across the road one has to have car parking? There is just a lot of this confusion in terms of how stuff gets done. Whether VCAT is the home for this or whether it is more prescribed powers for council or structural plans, I really think that there is an opportunity, as I said, not just for my constituency of Caulfield but for a lot of people in the chamber that have issues around inconsistencies in planning matters. I have raised this many times with the Minister for Planning in terms of more consistency and more laws, and I really do think VCAT reform would be a starting point, I really do. As I say, people just cannot understand when you see even a situation where council will oppose something and you think it makes really good sense why they oppose it—for local amenity, for parking, for just being an inappropriate fit—and then it just gets overturned at VCAT for no real reason. So that is something I have concern about. I know also that VCAT has been overwhelmed with a lot of work. There are a whole lot of other issues that VCAT do a great job of: settling a lot of property disputes between two individuals and really being able to determine outcomes where you have got a dispute, even a neighbour dispute—you know, a lot of neighbour disputes are settled at VCAT—or issues around dog ownership or issues around council. There are a lot of VCAT issues that get settled. The great thing about it, as I said earlier, is it is a low-cost court. You can go to VCAT, you can self- represent and you do not need to pay all the lawyers a hefty amount of dough to have your day in court. You can have your own chance to effectively try and get your own justice and have your own story told. So I am a fan of VCAT, I think VCAT has its place, but VCAT’s role could be tightened up. As I said, there is a really, really good opportunity when looking at these types of bills and the government should really see what they can do in terms of those missed opportunities. I cannot remember when we have had a real reform to VCAT. I cannot remember when we have had that. I know that we had some really good proposals when we went to the last election around prescribed areas, zones, to give people certainty. I think there is a lot of work that has been done by a number of shadow planning ministers from our side, but a lot more work needs to be done. That is why I say that, certainly from many of the constituents that I talk to, this would be a really, really, really great opportunity to do that—an opportunity that is being missed.

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With that, I know that there are plenty of other members absolutely enthusiastically ready to make their contributions. They cannot wait to get up and talk up what a wonderful change this legislation is bringing to the Parliament, to the people of Victoria. They are absolutely eagerly and enthusiastically willing to make their contributions. As I say, the opposition is not opposing this. We do need to streamline the courts and we do need to ensure that these matters that are cross-jurisdictional are properly heard at the lowest cost and justice is ultimately served. On that contribution I might allow others to make theirs and wish them all the best in their contributions as well. Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (17:32): I will try to live up to the expectations and the gauntlet thrown down by the member for Caulfield. I do not often aspire to impress the member for Caulfield, but on this occasion I feel I will have to raise my game just a little. Can I say though that I do welcome news that the opposition will not be opposing the bill; in fact I might even say they could be voting for it. Of course we all have our experiences with VCAT—members here in this place who support their local communities, who get out there and perhaps try to help them navigate what can be intimidating and difficult processes, particularly around planning matters. I know in my electorate of Ivanhoe we have many active planning advocates both on heritage grounds and to restore and advocate for and advance the interests of neighbourhood character across Ivanhoe. I have some fantastic people who have devoted—I would not say their working lives but—what time they could fit in around work to be advocates in the community to retain neighbourhood character in my community. Much of the time that has led to attending hearings at VCAT. As someone who has had local government experience at Banyule City Council, I have traipsed together with the community to advocate for, advance and defend decisions that our council had made that reflected community values to ensure that they were affirmed, where best we could achieve that outcome, at VCAT. Not only that but of course as a member of Parliament, and I do not mind saying, a former constituent of mine, a former Premier, the Honourable John Cain—often when I would bump into him in Heidelberg Road around Ivanhoe—would always make it clear to me, particularly in opposition days, ‘Anthony, get out there on planning matters in Ivanhoe. You can’t win all the battles, but if you get out there and support the community on the ground and work with them on very significant planning issues, supporting communities who at times don’t always understand the snakes and ladders, the pitfalls, the minefield, the mind-boggling language that seems to baffle people around VCAT hearings and planning matters, if you can walk the walk with people, and if you can, show some leadership and understanding and experience and articulate their concerns while working through the myriad of planning law and planning schemes that really do take years to get your head around’. But at the nub of it all is really neighbourhood character. People know what they like; they know what is fair and reasonable, and you can always articulate that. Sometimes it is about coming into some pretty intimidating settings and being there with your community. It was some of the best advice that I had from the former member for Bundoora, a constituent in the Ivanhoe electorate, because while we did not—he was right—win every battle, we went a long way to demonstrating the community support, and people do give you acknowledgement and do appreciate, I think, going on the journey. You might not get everything, but you will get something. Sometimes you will get it all. But it also led, of course, in VCAT hearings to planning scheme amendment C123, which was to establish the Ivanhoe Structure Plan and mandatory building heights in Ivanhoe’s activity centre. That was something for which under the previous Baillieu government there were only advisory height limits, and we all know what happens to advisory height limits—they get cast aside, swept aside, by developers who ignore council, who take these matters to VCAT and try to deliver the outcomes on which they started their journey, which are usually about financial sums to build as much as possible, as high as possible and as dense as possible before bailing on communities where they do not live and they do not have to endure the outcomes of the types of construction and development that they have tried to bring in. So to be able to move beyond interim planning guidelines in the first instance we came to government and secured a planning framework that did not allow builders and developers to get in before we had

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2259 more permanent arrangements. We moved from advisory height limits to recommendations, and we moved to mandatory height limits across the Ivanhoe activity centre. It does not mean you get everything, but we went a very long way to defining very clearly in the community what was fair and reasonable and what reflected a more than century-old community in terms of the building development and very significant art deco design right through Heidelberg and the Ivanhoe precinct. It is home, of course, to some very significant architecture, artwork and architectural development, and with Save Ivanhoe and many others we destroyed and had withdrawn by council back in 2012 the original Ivanhoe Structure Plan that was out for consultation. We got the council to take that back and start again. We were able to convince the state government at that time to put in mandatory height limits, but with the member for Richmond as Minister for Planning we were able to make commitments and deliver not only interim planning guidelines to put those protections in place but then follow through with amendment C123, which had mandatory height limits right across the Ivanhoe activity centre. That is a huge amount of work, really significant, and while it will not, one might say, change the nature of the Ivanhoe streetscape, because change was not what we were looking for—we were looking to actually retain neighbourhood character—it also sets a standard. It has not happened in a lot of places—a lot of communities—but it is really built off the back of significant work over very many years of community advocates around what the expectations of a planning nature are across our community. That all brings it back in broad terms to these VCAT changes and people’s experiences around VCAT, which are that, of course, because of some decisions made in the High Court and the Victorian Court of Appeal, there is a gap that has arisen in relation to the sorts of cases that can be heard by VCAT. Because VCAT is not considered a court of the state or of the constitution it cannot hear affected cases. Some of those federal jurisdiction cases, where one party might live in one state in a case where the commonwealth is a party or your landlord is interstate and you are a Victorian tenant, are not able to be heard by VCAT; they all need to be heard in the Magistrates Court. So that is what this bill largely seeks to do. Of course, picking up on what the member for Caulfield touched on, I am sure there is absolutely huge demand in the court system at this time due to the pandemic, but also in the 2021–22 state budget there is a $210 million commitment to the justice system to drive down waiting times. We have also seen, very significantly, across the Magistrates Court system that so much has moved online, and really there is an accountability that the public and the government need to put on the court system. They are not immune to moving with the times as well and providing greater opportunities for the public to engage in a way that is suitable for them but also picking up the backlog. You could argue the court system is one of the last vestiges of public administration that really does need to come into the 21st century in the way in which it operates, but there are some great examples of how that is happening and part of that of course is the $40.9 million in funding that includes not only new magistrates but additional courtrooms and the online magistrate for the online Magistrates Court. So there is a lot of significant work happening. In some ways the pandemic will probably turbocharge and move along the online capacity for the court system in the coming years, and we are investing in that now, and I think that is really significant and important. Obviously people’s experience, where they may have it, is that the Magistrates Court is probably the most flexible and informal court setting and does pick up in part some of those VCAT opportunities to keep it low-cost, low on the intimidation level and hopefully accessible, particularly through the online opportunities that we are seeing advanced all of the time to provide better opportunities for the communities that cannot deal with some of those matters through VCAT but can do so through the Magistrates Court system. Again, it just harks back to me, anyone’s engagement with the court system. Certainly, when it comes to VCAT in my electorate, it has been in relation to planning matters which will in large part continue to be heard through VCAT. But I wanted to acknowledge my community in the Ivanhoe electorate for the very significant work that we have done together to institute mandatory height limits in Ivanhoe through planning scheme amendment C123 and the work with the planning minister, the member for

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Richmond, who absolutely gets and understands inner suburban if not inner-city issues. Certainly in Ivanhoe I think the community have delivered a great outcome that will last the journey and send a very clear message to developers coming to our electorate and our community as to what the expectations are and what the law says—the law that the Andrews government delivered on around mandatory heights in Ivanhoe. There are not many communities across Melbourne and Victoria that can say that they have delivered that in relation to standing up for neighbourhood character and heritage in their communities. As ever, it does not mean you get everything, but we have got a very strong based-in-law starting point to advance the interests and protect the heritage of the Ivanhoe electorate, from a planning sense. I commend the bill to the house. Ms KEALY (Lowan) (17:42): I rise today to speak on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021. The main purposes of this bill are to amend the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 regarding matters relating to federal or interstate jurisdictions that currently cannot be dealt with or heard in Victoria and make consequential amendments to the Magistrates’ Court Act 1989, the County Court Act 1958, the Supreme Court Act 1986 and the Civil Procedure Act 2010, among other amendments. The main provision of the bill is to address this jurisdictional gap that we have in VCAT, where they cannot currently hear cases involving federal or interstate jurisdictional matters because under the constitution it is not recognised as a court. Now, my electorate of Lowan, we are in the far west of the state. The western border is the easiest to describe because it aligns with the South Australian–Victorian border. The jurisdictional gap that currently exists in VCAT is not an unusual situation for people who live in my electorate to have to deal with. I guess we are governed by two governments even though we are located within the state of Victoria, and this has not ever been felt so strongly as over the duration of the COVID pandemic. The people who live in my electorate are not just constantly watching the changes of rules in Victoria and understanding what we can and cannot do, where we can go, where we cannot go, with that awareness of what cases are around us and how we need to act in our own way to protect ourselves and protect the community, but we are also always keeping a close watch on what happens in South Australia and what decisions the South Australian government is making in regard to how they are managing the pandemic. In particular this is honed down for the people who live within 70 kilometres of the border, the cross- border community members who are so often forgotten when rules are made by either the Victorian or the South Australian government, because they simply do not see that imaginary border as they cross over, heading east or west. They see the signs. They know they have gone to another state because the speed limit changes and the quality of the roads changes too, well I know, and I will say that they get a little bit better as you head west and a lot worse when you head east. If you live near to that border, you might do your shopping on one side and live on the other, you might have your doctor on one side and you might have your bank on the other side, you might attend school on one side and be a teacher on the other side or you could have a specialist surgeon who has been treating your cancer for up to a decade who practises on one side of the border but you live on the other. The constant rule changes and the imposition of the border rules over the past 18 months has had a massive impact on those people’s lives. It is not a matter that they can take through VCAT, but it is a matter that impacts on them deeply. I note that today we have got an announcement from South Australia, which will endeavour to really ease restrictions for people, particularly in regional Victoria, who now can go over to South Australia without this restriction of having a COVID test on day 1 and then having to isolate until they get the results before they can go about their business in what they wanted to achieve in South Australia. Certainly that makes it a lot easier. I do not think it is coincidental that this is happening on the eve of the Victorian school holiday period, when Victorians want to travel and spend their money—that it has become a little bit easier to cross the border—but I do encourage the South Australian government to continue to realise that Victorians are not that toxic. In fact we have got areas of the state which have never had a case of coronavirus.

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We are doing a lot of great work when it comes to working together and providing key industries and supports over in South Australia. The funeral director for Mount Gambier lives in Casterton. Casterton itself is in a unique position, where the 70-kilometre cross-border zone goes through the heart of the town. So at the moment for a cross-border community member, if you travel to the east side of town, you are actually voiding your cross-border permit and you cannot travel into South Australia. It is not just South Australia that have put these harsh impositions on people who really pose no risk of communicating COVID because they are not in contact with any cases. They are not going to be exposed to COVID just because they live in Victoria. You have to be within close proximity to somebody else—somebody in Melbourne, generally, is what we have seen. We have only had one new case of coronavirus in Victoria this year, which was on 2 January. In Victoria we have had this system in place since November last year where just to come back into Victoria you had to apply for a new re-entry permit every time. Cross-border community members were fortunate in that they could apply for a longer term permit, but this was only for two weeks, so to return to their own state, to return back home, they had to apply for a permit each and every time. It is a jurisdictional burden that is imposed on cross-border community members that nobody else has to deal with, and it is something, because there are so few people that live in that border zone right down from the south coast, where the member for South-West Coast has been a fierce advocate for her people from Portland, through to the border and right up to the Mildura electorate. I have had contact from people right across the board who have been desperately upset over what the restrictions are. I have always called for there to be fairness and an understanding of what happens to people who live in these cross-border zones and why they need to be able to cross the border relatively freely when there are no cases in their local area. I do not think that that is unreasonable and I do not think it goes against any scientific evidence that would say that they are at greater risk of transmitting a virus than somebody who lives 2 kilometres away over the border, as the member for South-West Coast rightly points out. So I will always be a fierce advocate to make sure that we have good systems in place that make sure that people are not wrongly discriminated against. Inadvertently, I think—in the most part owing to perhaps naivete or perhaps ignorance of the impact of what happens outside of Melbourne— there are many decisions that are made by government, whether it is legislative, as we are discussing today, or whether it is through regulations. Most recently the most drastic impact has been through the coronavirus pandemic rules and regulations. Please take into consideration that we have to do business and live life on both sides of this imaginary line. We do have a unique position in Lowan. In Serviceton the fantastic Serviceton railway station is a magnificent station. It was built on what they thought was the line between South Australia and Victoria, but they got their bearings wrong and so it actually is a number of kilometres into Victoria. I think for the people of Serviceton it has been a very difficult time and they are kind of thinking, ‘Gee, I wish sometimes that border had been drawn in the right spot, and then maybe we would’ve been placed on the side of the border where we could live more of our life and be able to just get on with what we want to do, and that is just ignore what’s happening with the government regulations, not feel like we’re in a nanny state, realise we’re 450 kilometres from Melbourne and be treated with the respect and common sense that we deserve’—because they do not want to transmit any viruses either. They are not putting people at risk. So I do understand exactly what this bill is trying to achieve, but I do urge the government to continue the work that they are doing to ease the burden on putting these harsh lines between people who live right next to the border and are doing the right thing. They should not be stopped through legislation from being able to work through those resolutions. I would like to make special note of the cross-border commissioner, Luke Wilson, who not only is an amazing support for people in my community and certainly has been endlessly and tirelessly working to explain the cross-border rules as they change through the COVID pandemic but also has been an enormous support for people who live in my electorate of Lowan to work through certain issues, whether it be school bus runs where there was a government decision that a kid could not be picked

BILLS 2262 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 up in South Australia to go to school in Victoria or vice versa. It could be about other matters where we have to do business. We might have to deliver health care across the border. It could be about ambulance runs. It could be any number of things, but he is always there as a fierce advocate and as someone we can go to to try and break some of the stubbornness that we see in government in sticking by the rules as opposed to a commonsense approach which pays respect to and tries to support people who live near the border to get about and do their job. So again I urge the government to continue the work that is delivered through this bill in trying to break down some of those gaps that we have between state jurisdictions and to take it on board when they are making the next lockdown rules so that we do not have lockdown rules in regional Victoria when we have no cases. Mr McGHIE (Melton) (17:52): I rise today to contribute to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021. I am pleased that the opposition is not opposing this bill. I have certainly had my experience with VCAT as a member here and in my previous role as secretary of the ambulance union. This piece of legislation is important administrative work for Victoria. Like many of my colleagues, my office during COVID- 19 restrictions dealt with many constituents who were or are currently struggling with tenancy matters during an already incredibly stressful time. Often these issues would be tenancy disputes where landlords in these matters could be located in jurisdictions outside of Victoria. There of course could be many reasons for this. It could be that they have moved interstate or overseas or have purchased an investment in their respective jurisdiction. In this instance, if one of the parties was based outside of Victoria, VCAT, which usually deals with these issues, could not address these concerns due to provisions concerning the commonwealth constitution. This bill makes critical changes so that Victoria’s court systems can ensure all Victorians have appropriate access to a fair justice system. The Andrews Labor government has made sure that our legal system better reflects the needs of Victorians. Successive Labor Party attorneys-general have made necessary changes in our system to resolve issues more fairly and more efficiently for Victorians whilst reflecting community expectations. This bill seeks to address disputes that for constitutional reasons cannot be heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and it has occurred due to the High Court and the Victorian Court of Appeal making a recent decision that VCAT is not a court of the state under the commonwealth constitution. Because of this, VCAT does not have the jurisdiction, also known as federal jurisdiction, for matters arising under the commonwealth constitution. This in particular is of course an issue when disputes arise under commonwealth law and residents are in different states or territories. This means that currently, as the legislation stands, any issues or matters within this federal jurisdiction are being turned away from VCAT. This has consequences, especially, as I mentioned previously, for people who are seeking justice in regard to residential tenancies if, for example, a landlord is based in another jurisdiction. The Real Estate Institute of Victoria made some comments in March last year, and I quote:

Victoria is a strong real estate market that has attracted investors from across the globe, having interstate owners of Victorian rental properties is extremely common. This new interpretation will create mayhem for borders towns, like Wodonga, Echuca and Mildura, you could own a property a couple of hundred metres away and still not be covered by VCAT. As our legislation in Victoria currently stands in this example, if the landlord is based in another jurisdiction, the matters cannot be heard at VCAT. However, if a residency tribunal arises with the exact same circumstances but is between two Victorians, then it could be heard at VCAT. This is of course an unintended consequence, and this legislation seeks to address this issue by conferring new jurisdiction on the Magistrates Court to help resolve federal jurisdiction matters which cannot currently be resolved at VCAT. As I mentioned, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has been deemed unable to resolve these federal jurisdiction matters after recent High Court and Court of Appeal decisions decided that

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2263 because of provisions in the commonwealth constitution only a court of a state can determine cases and that VCAT is not that court of a state. The High Court held that only these courts of states can determine the particular types of disputes which are set out in sections 75 and 76 of the constitution, and they include disputes between residents of different states, disputes between a state and a resident of another state and disputes in which the commonwealth, or a person suing or being sued on behalf of the commonwealth, is a party. This has resulted in state tribunals not being able to exercise federal judicial power or determine these disputes unless they are able to be described as a court of the state. When disputes that are only presently able to be heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal happen to involve federal jurisdiction, it means that these disputes cannot be heard and the parties in these cases have nowhere to go to seek justice. It is simply not acceptable that decisions about returning people’s bonds or ending a lease cannot be heard due to an administrative decision. Renters can be some of the more vulnerable people, especially so during a global pandemic. Loopholes for landlords residing outside of Victoria that can put renters in a vulnerable situation simply must be resolved. Some may ask, ‘Why can’t VCAT be made a court of the state?’. Converting VCAT into a court of the state would be compromise its ability to remain efficient, accessible and a low-cost dispute resolution forum. VCAT has many unique features resulting from it being a tribunal and not a court, and these features allow greater flexibility than a court. These would need to be significantly changed to convert VCAT into a court. For example, consideration would need to be given to amending the terms of appointment of members other than the President and vice-presidents to provide greater security of tenure; the number of non-legal members and part-time and sessional members; the composition of the tribunal when it hears matters; and the process for removing members. Other jurisdictions have also had to deal with this issue. The High Court’s decision has affected South Australia and New South Wales. Like VCAT, the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal cannot resolve federal jurisdiction matters, because they are not considered courts. Those jurisdictions have introduced reforms to allow their courts to hear federal jurisdiction matters that cannot be heard by their tribunals. So the SA and New South Wales reforms were carefully considered when developing the bill. Like SA and New South Wales, the bill will allow the Magistrates Court of Victoria to exercise all the jurisdiction, functions and powers that VCAT would have had if it had heard the matters. The government consulted widely with a broad range of stakeholders, and they included the Supreme Court of Victoria, the County Court of Victoria, the Law Institute of Victoria, the Victorian Bar, Victoria Legal Aid, the Office of the Public Advocate, State Trustees, the Victorian Legal Services Board and commissioner, the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, Tenants Victoria and Consumer Affairs Victoria. This bill seeks change to allow a person that cannot have their dispute heard by VCAT to be able to go to the Magistrates Court to have their case decided. It also imposes the same fee as VCAT for the Magistrates Court and ensures that a party is not required to pay a fee twice, and this is important for my constituents and, I am sure, for all people that access this process. The nature of the Magistrates Court is that it is the more informal of our courts, and judicial officers and staff have experience dealing with parties who are self-represented much in the way that is common at VCAT. Parties will also be able to access alternative dispute resolution processes at the Magistrates Court—for example, mediation. This will help ensure parties can avoid the stress and the expense of a full hearing at the Magistrates Court. We all know that resolutions by mediation generally have a better outcome for all parties rather than going to a stressful full hearing. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal will be able to assist parties with advice on applying to the Magistrates Court, and this bill also seeks to ensure historical cases that were previously decided by VCAT are retrospectively validated. This will ensure they cannot be challenged after this bill takes effect because of the legal technicality.

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Of course for our border communities with other states, this legislation is of particular importance. The member for Caulfield raised the issue of the backlog of court cases and tribunal hearings, and of course the member for Ivanhoe addressed this. Again, I will acknowledge what the member for Ivanhoe said: the Andrews Labor government’s 2021–22 budget contains a $220 million package to help our justice system resolve these wait times as well as providing extra resources for our courts, and expands online services and support staff, including remote hearing services. There is also $56.7 million for VCAT to transition more of its hearings online, and this is an example of how necessary it has been to adapt as all of us have begun to understand that there are different ways for us to do our jobs over the last 15 or 16 months. It is also important that our courts are modernised to help deal with today’s challenges. This bill will also create a new statutory position of deputy chief judge of the County Court and streamline the process for appointing an active chief Crown prosecutor. The new deputy chief judge position will help deliver the work necessary in the County Court by assisting the chief judge. These changes are necessary to help deliver equitable and efficient justice in Victoria. I know it will have a major effect on my constituents and assist them greatly. I thank the minister for the work done to resolve this important issue, and I commend the bill to the house. Ms BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (18:02): I rise to speak on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021. The main purpose of this bill is to amend the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 regarding matters relating to federal or interstate jurisdictions that currently cannot be dealt with or heard in Victoria and make consequential amendments to the Magistrates’ Court Act 1989, the County Court Act 1958, the Supreme Court Act 1956 and the Civil Procedure Act 2010. The bill also makes some changes to the County Court Act 1958 and the Judicial Entitlements Act 2015 to create the office of deputy chief judge of the County Court and amends the Public Prosecutions Act 1994 in relation to the appointment of an acting chief Crown prosecutor and for other consequential amendments from creating the office of deputy chief judge of the County Court. But I am actually going to focus on the main provisions of the bill, where the primary aim is to address the jurisdictional gap that the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal—the tribunal or VCAT— cannot currently hear cases involving federal or interstate jurisdictional matters because under the constitution it is not a recognised court. The bill creates a regime for such federal and interstate cases that would, because of their nature, normally be considered by VCAT to be dealt with by the Magistrates Court. I have already stated in a contribution earlier today that as a border MP the arbitrary line that exists between my electorate of South-West Coast and South Australia is a line that has caused major challenges, particularly in the last two years with the COVID restrictions that both the Victorian government and the South Australian government have imposed on the people, who do not see anything when they cross the line other than a sign. Well, actually there are a few pretty big giveaways, and one of those is the state of our roads. When you head into South Australia, there is not a single person who does not note that the roads actually are an amazing improvement on what they see in my electorate, unfortunately, because as people well know, the further you get away from Melbourne, the worse our roads get. Then you hit that South Australian border and magically they become much improved. Despite there being fewer people in the state of South Australia, the South Australian government obviously do a much better job with their roads. But that is not what I am here to discuss, although it would be good to just make note once again that the roads could be given an injection of funding in my electorate just to help us out a considerable amount. The reason I wanted to talk about the borders is because of a case last year that highlights the importance of why this legislation is important—and we are not opposing this legislation, because it does need to happen. I had a constituent call me. They have a house in a town in my electorate, and they had moved interstate and they had rented out the property. They rang me because they could not do anything about the situation that had evolved. The person who was renting the property had fallen

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2265 into significant arrears and was owing the people over $8000, I think it was in the end, and had done a considerable amount of damage to the property. This was their home. They had moved away for work purposes, from what I understand, from my memory. Now, they rang me to say, ‘We can’t do anything because VCAT can’t hear the case because we don’t have an address in Victoria’. They were so distressed. These are people who are average people, working hard, and their home that they had rented out so they could move for work purposes was being held to ransom—that was how they felt it was at the time. I remember the lady being so terribly, terribly distressed. So I wrote to the Attorney-General at the time, who is in the chamber today, and pointed out to her that we really did need to address this, that these people were left without access to justice. They were just amazed—and so was I, actually—to find that they could not do a thing. Now, I have actually just recently been in touch with them again when I saw that the legislation that we had called for and spoke to the minister about the need for had been actually introduced into the Parliament with the first reading. So I spoke to them and they told me that they had moved back to the town five months ago and still could not get access to their own home. The case went to VCAT last week, and the person has to pay back the whole amount of the $8000 owed to them in rent arrears and they retained the bond so that they hopefully will be able to repair the damage. I am sure that will not cover it though. You can see in an example like that that there are real-life examples that exist when you are on borders that make no sense. I am sure when they moved to whatever state they moved to—I cannot remember— they did not think for a minute that they gave up their right to be able to have access to justice. So this bill does right that wrong, and hence we will not be opposing it. But we saw last year so many challenges with the borders. So I take this opportunity to urge the government to have a think sometimes outside the tram tracks and how we in South-West Coast, for instance, are terribly affected when these changes come in that have not considered the challenges for a cross-border community. Like the member for Lowan, who has also been a very fierce advocate, said, we have been left in some very compromising positions where children cannot get to school because a school bus cannot pick them up. I too take this opportunity to thank Luke Wilson, the cross- border commissioner, who has always been there. In fact he texted me just before to let me know the changes that will take place with South Australia easing restrictions—which is very good news— where people will not be isolating prior to the result of their COVID test coming through. So I take this opportunity to say the border communities have had their fair share of challenges, much more often than people realised. I had the owner of a shop who lived on one side of the border and had his business on the other side. He was the man who did the mail for the town, he was the man who made sure there was milk and bread, he sold the bait—because the government has shut down the bait shed because they could not get through the processes and red tape. But, you know, red tape is something that we have got to try and stop being so onerous. I think one of the concerns we do have with this bill is maybe the lack of resources that have been put in place to cope with the backlog that will have occurred, probably mainly because of COVID as well. Just today I had three people who cannot get their working with children checks. That is actually a lot in the last week or so. Now we have got the situation that people who are working with the NDIS, if they are working for an NDIS provider, must have that clearance to be an NDIS worker, and I am just wondering if this is another case where the Attorney-General’s office has just not got the resources to cope with that extra workload and whether these working with children checks that I am being called about are backlogged simply because the government cannot manage to resource something when they make a change. They are so busy trying to get a headline rather than actually putting the processes in place to make it happen. A gentleman that my office has spoken with over the last couple of days is going to be without a wage for the next six weeks. He works in a local school, and the school rang me today saying, you know, ‘He’s not going to have a wage for six weeks’—because they said it would take 15 days. He rang me after, I think, about 2½ weeks. That was last week, and today they have phoned me to say he was told it is another six weeks. They cannot have him on the premises without his working with children

BILLS 2266 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 check, and the 15-day KPI that I think the government must have set—when he looked up the website—is well and truly overdue if he has got to wait another six weeks. There is the woman who rang my office today saying she also needs to renew her working with children check: she went on the website and nothing worked—she could not put her name in, she could not put her date of birth in, she could not put her address in. You know, this is not good enough. When we put processes in place they must have the capability in the departments to actually ensure that people are able to comply with the regulations that the government sets. But VCAT does provide us those opportunities that we do look for. Not that long ago, when the Lookout, a very important drug and alcohol rehabilitation project, was looking for a site, VCAT made a ruling that they were able to set up in Warrnambool. That is great news. Now we are just waiting for the government to give the funding. Given we all know the challenges that COVID has put our state under—and the mental health challenges, which often do result in drug and alcohol addictions—we now more than ever need a rehab centre in Warrnambool. So I hope the government will consider that as an important promise to the people of Warrnambool—that they can rehab at home. I will not oppose the bill. Ms HENNESSY (Altona) (18:12): I am delighted to rise today to make a brief contribution on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021. I have had the opportunity to briefly listen in to some of the contributions that have been made, and it is, I think, a truism to say that VCAT and its extensive jurisdiction does incite much spirit and passion in people. We have heard, including from yourself, Acting Speaker Carbines, people’s strong feelings around the planning division; we have heard around the impact of state-based jurisdictions on border communities; we have heard of the frustrations that people feel when they cannot access justice and decision-making quickly and effectively; and we have heard a lot of contributions around the concept that getting access to justice quickly requires investment and funding. And I am very pleased about and would like to commend Minister Symes on some of the important investments that were secured in the most recent budget. That is not to say that there do not continue be challenges, but there is, I think, some really significant progress being made. I suppose when we think about VCAT we can sometimes forget that VCAT is essentially enforcing the rules and the policy that we as a Parliament set. And that can be frustrating. We might not always agree with the actual policy, we might not always agree with the application, but VCAT does a very wideranging body of work when it comes to enforcing people’s rights and resolving disputes. It has to do so in a way that makes it affordable and accessible and quick, and it has got to be able to serve a population from Melbourne to the far reaches of the state. That inevitably brings some challenges in terms of the administration of justice, but certainly my experience has always been that VCAT have been dutifully committed to continuing to improve their ability to be able to deliver predictable, accessible services, because that is the value of VCAT: it is about quick decision-making and affordable decision-making. All of that was going well, and then of course courts make decisions, as they do. There were two significant cases, both the Meringnage case and another case that was a decision that was made by the High Court and the Court of Appeal in Burns v. Corbett, and that essentially interpreted what could be a state court or how federal jurisdiction could be exercised. These are familiar areas of constitutional law. Sections 75 and 76 of the constitution, provisions well known to you, Acting Speaker, are and have been interpreted by various courts in time, and that has inevitably then impacted upon what jurisdiction a body like VCAT, which has been determined not to be a state court, can exercise. So the question then is: what is to be done? If we cannot have VCAT exercising that jurisdiction, how do we still maintain the ability to have efficient, affordable, accessible justice, and what do we do with that cohort of cases that have been determined in the past that might then be potentially at risk of being challenged? So that then meant that the government had to make a policy decision as to where this cohort of cases goes but still try and ensure that we do not throw out the baby with the bathwater along

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2267 the way. I think that where the government have landed in this bill is a very sensible place. That is to say that that cohort of cases that is affected—in actually quite a limited number of lists that VCAT exercises, and that comes down to residential tenancies, I think, the anti-discrimination list and also the civil claims dispute list, and that is disputes between residents of different states, disputes between a state and a resident of another state and disputes in which the commonwealth or a person suing or being sued on behalf of the commonwealth is a party—will now be the subject of adjudication from the Magistrates Court. And that is done with the full support of all of the relevant policy and judicial stakeholders, as I understand. The Magistrates Court of Victoria of course does an extraordinary job. Again, it is a very wide jurisdiction, and in fact if Victorians have had access to the Victorian justice system, it will ordinarily usually be through the Magistrates Court of Victoria. So I think that that is a really sensible place for us to put those categories of cases but also put a retrospective application of these provisions in to ensure that they do not come undone in the future. And these are really important things. They are about residential and landlord rights and entitlements. They will go to things like the findings of discrimination and sexual harassment or agreements that have been struck on the way. It is really important that those that fall into those categories, particularly in a civil case—when you think about a lot of the consumer rights and entitlements that VCAT has traditionally exercised, this is the neatest, albeit imperfect, solution. This is not a problem that is Victorian and Victoria’s alone. Many other states have had to encounter how they reconcile High Court or superior court interpretations of what constitutes a state court exercising a federal judicial power. Whatever version of VCAT they have in their states, they have often had to confront this issue. So this is the resolution. It is an important one and one on which I would like to commend all of those who have worked so hard on trying to find the best solution to a difficult problem without undermining the power and the possibility of quick, affordable, accessible justice. I commend and congratulate them. In conclusion, I did just want to briefly acknowledge a person who has always advised and often appeared for the state of Victoria in these cases, and that is former solicitor-general, now the Honourable Kris Walker. Of course Her Honour had served as this state’s solicitor-general since 2017. I had the great fortune of having the opportunity to both work with her directly and be advised by her, and never will you find a person of such unimpeachable personal integrity and incredible intellectual capability and capacity, with a work ethic that had to be seen to be believed and a value system about being really focused on the public interest and the interests of the people of Victoria. They were always her guiding stars in all of the work that she did. I want to take this opportunity to place on the record my admiration for her work and the work that she did, particularly in many important constitutional cases, some of these being ones in which Her Honour either acted directly for or worked with the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office (VGSO) as well, who I should also acknowledge, to help find neater solutions to difficult problems. Rightfully Dr Walker has been appointed to the Court of Appeal in Victoria. It is an honour that not only is she deserving of; it is an honour that Victorians are deserving of. There is no doubt in my mind that her contribution will continue to be one that reflects all of those wonderful interpersonal and intellectual strengths that she has that I had the very good fortune to witness in the course of her contribution to the state of Victoria. It is not very often that those that do the important work behind the scenes get the rightful acknowledgement. In fact many of the people that are very good at doing that work often do not seek it, and with those that do, one can usually draw their own conclusions about those personality types— but perhaps the hypocrisy of those of us in public life judging others is a little unfair. It is incredibly important that we do occasionally pause and reflect upon the incredibly important work done by officers like those in the office of the solicitor-general, like in the VGSO and like many of the policy workers across the Victorian public service, who could perhaps be having an easier life in the private sector but bring their commitment to the public interest and the public sector, and I thank them for their work.

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Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (18:22): I do not really know what to say when I get up after the member for Altona—anything on a justice bill and I am always just sitting there listening and enthralled. Her depth of knowledge is incredibly impressive, and her generosity to those that work in the system we just saw on display. Before beginning and going into joining the debate on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021 I did just want to give a little shout-out to a former Attorney-General and Deputy Premier in this place and congratulate him on his recent Queen’s Birthday award. That is Rob Hulls. I had the great privilege of serving in this place with the former Attorney, and I was really delighted to see it. There were some surprises in the Queen’s Birthday awards, but I must say that that was a very pleasant one. I was able to message him and got, as always, a funny message back. Acting Speaker Carbines, I am sure that you will both be attempting to attend finals and watching your favourite Cats, but we are not talking about those Cats; we are talking about VCAT here right now. As the former Attorney-General, the member for Altona, said in her contribution, this bill will address gaps in VCAT’s jurisdiction by amending the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 and the Magistrates’ Court Act 1989 to enable Magistrates Courts in Victoria to hear federal jurisdiction matters which cannot go to VCAT. This was highlighted in May 2018, when there was a High Court decision in Burns v. Corbett which had the effect of confirming that the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and by extension VCAT did not have the jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes between residents from different states. In VCAT this was very likely to affect many practice areas, including residential tenancy disputes, discrimination disputes and civil claim disputes, but it could arise anywhere that VCAT is determining rights between parties and having that residence issue. Like many others, I spoke earlier in the Parliament today and actually mentioned you—sorry, I should not say ‘you’; that is reflecting on the Chair. I mentioned the Minister for Regional Development and her understanding of cross-border issues, having been raised in Wodonga. She knows full well, having responsibility for the cross-border commissioner, how this could quite likely come up very frequently in cross-border communities, so it is something that really does need to be addressed. The bill will confer new jurisdiction on the Magistrates Court to enable parties to resolve federal jurisdiction matters that VCAT cannot now, for the constitutional reasons that I have outlined. The bill will ensure past decisions made by VCAT members in federal jurisdiction matters are still effective, even if they are caught up in the constitutional decisions. Changes to the County Court Act 1958 will improve the management and operation of the County Court by creating a deputy chief judge position—particularly important now given the backlog of cases that the court is facing. It makes changes to the Public Prosecutions Act 1994 to create a more efficient process for the appointment of an acting chief Crown prosecutor by enabling the Director’s Committee to appoint a Senior Crown Prosecutor to act as the chief Crown prosecutor in a broad range of circumstances. The reforms are expected to be widely supported by legal stakeholders and the broader community, as they create a pathway to resolve matters that currently cannot be heard in VCAT. It is obviously not just these matters that have jurisdictional problems at the moment. With the many problems that COVID has created for the community, it certainly has created a backlog in the courts. I know that I am a witness in a matter that is before the courts at the moment, and I think it has been adjourned four or five times now, so I have seen that firsthand. Resolving the backlog—you know, it is the old saying of ‘justice delayed is justice denied’; this house needs to do whatever it can to fix any of these backlogs. The implementation work by the Magistrates Court—for example, training for registry staff and the development of information sheets and forms to assist parties to make applications to the correct venue—will help to reduce difficulties that court users face in adapting to the new processes. I have been really fortunate not only in this government, the Andrews Labor government, but also in the Bracks government and the Brumby government in that all three governments that I have had the privilege of serving in have been reformist governments that are constantly looking at ways to improve

BILLS Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2269 access to justice. Whether it is the court system that now operates in the family violence jurisdiction to make it safer for women and children and parties to those disputes and has a wraparound of services or whether it is the courts that have been dealing with Indigenous people and are able to provide an alternative dispute pathway there, we have always been looking at ways to modernise the judicial system and provide access to justice. Indeed it was the Cain government that really broke down a lot of those barriers, and we have sought to continue that. I want to commend the work of the Attorney-General, in the other place, and her predecessor, the member for Altona. I think that they have both brought very keen legal minds to this. I am certainly not legally trained, but in another life, like the Minister for Regional Development, who is at the table, both of us worked for trade unions and had a lot to do with industrial law. I had my fill of it back in those days, but I am constantly amazed by those that—and the Minister for Women has just walked through the chamber, another legally trained person in this place. I think that we have got a really great balance of legislators in this place of those who actually are professionally trained and educated, and then those of us who have just been consumers or actors in one way or another. So this is a great piece of legislation. We are fortunate that we have got two bills before the house this week that are really trying to untangle some of those things that really make people’s lives very difficult when there are cross-jurisdictional matters, and it is often really hard for people to even understand why it would be that way. So if we can make it easier for people, then we should. I am glad that it also deals with matters that have already been on foot and ensures that they will not be subject to challenge and that they will be considered to have been fairly heard. So I want to commend, as the member for Altona mentioned, those who use their legal training and work in the public sector when they could actually command a whole lot more in the private sector and probably be famous to boot. You certainly see all the colourful characters that inhabit the courts district in this city, but it really is down to those legal minds that ply their trade within the public sector and do what they can to make sure that we have understandable legislation that is worked through well, and I commend the bill to the house. Mr TAK (Clarinda) (18:32): It is a privilege and honour to follow the honourable hardworking member for Yan Yean to make a contribution on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021. This is an important bill that will address gaps in VCAT’s jurisdiction by amending the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 and the Magistrates’ Court Act 1989 to enable the Magistrates Court of Victoria to hear federal jurisdiction matters which cannot go to VCAT. The bill will also make two minor changes to amend the County Court Act 1958 and the Judicial Entitlements Act 2015 to create a new statutory position of deputy chief judge of the County Court and to amend the Public Prosecutions Act 1994 to simplify the process of appointing an acting chief Crown prosecutor. Ultimately this is a bill about access to justice and making changes to Victoria’s court system to ensure that all Victorians can obtain access to justice. Access to justice is such an integral part of our democracy in Australia and in Victoria, and I am very proud of that. I am proud to see this bill here today and the important changes it will make to Victoria’s court system. These changes give the Magistrates Court power to decide on disputes that for constitutional reasons cannot be heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, as we have heard from previous speakers. This will address gaps in the law that arose because of the decisions of the High Court and the Victorian Court of Appeal. This is a significant access-to-justice issue impacting the community in that it currently leaves affected parties without accessible legal recourse in certain matters. So these are important and commonsense reforms, reforms that I would suggest are fairly widely supported by legal stakeholders and the broader community as they create a pathway to resolve matters that currently cannot be heard in VCAT. Implementation work by the Magistrates Court, which includes training for registry staff and development of information sheets and forms to

BILLS 2270 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 assist parties to make applications to the correct venue, will help to reduce difficulties that court users face in adapting to the new processes. As I mentioned, I am extremely proud of our judicial system, and VCAT is an important part of that system. VCAT provides affordable justice, which goes hand in hand with access to justice. Your bank balance should not be a factor in whether or not you receive a fair hearing in a dispute. So I am very happy to see that there are no changes in terms of fees—that is, a person who cannot have their dispute heard in VCAT will be able to go to the Magistrates Court to have their case decided. Applicants to VCAT will not be financially worse off, because they will be charged the same fee at the Magistrates Court as they would have at VCAT and will not be required to pay twice. Just on the point of affordable justice, I would like to say thank you to the many community legal centres and legal aid services that are operating in my electorate of Clarinda and providing services to the constituents of Clarinda. These services do an amazing job. One of those is the Springvale Monash Legal Service, with the Springvale branch located in my electorate on Osborne Avenue. They are a vital resource for so many of the community organisations located in the immediate area and the community at large. The demand for their assistance is really strong and actually increased significantly throughout the pandemic, so in 2020 I was really proud to see the provision of $30 million from the Andrews Labor government and the commonwealth for community legal centres across the state to respond to COVID-19. I also was really proud that Springvale Monash Legal Service got to share in that support, receiving over $300 000 to support its continued delivery of frontline legal assistance services during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The service continues to respond to the increased demand due to the impacts of COVID-19, providing vital support to many of my constituents with a range of issues, including family violence related matters, debt and consumer law, employment rights, and tenancy and housing matters, including neighbour disputes. So I would like to say thank you to everyone working there and delivering these important legal services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. As we already have heard, the increase in terms of demand is not specific to my electorate. Our courts and tribunals are currently facing large backlogs as we emerge from the pandemic, and also there are cross-border issues. With the public health restrictions last year, we know delayed hearings were a big issue, and courts and tribunals are now starting to tackle the resulting backlogs. So I am really happy to see that the Victorian budget 2021–22 contains a $210 million package to help our justice system to drive down those wait times. We also heard that the budget provides extra resources for our courts, such as innovative case management programs, expanded online services and additional judicial officers and court support staff as well as remote hearing services. The online Magistrates Court, which was previously expanded during the pandemic, received $40.9 million in funding, including two new magistrates to preside over the court, as well as additional courtrooms. We also provided $56.7 million for VCAT to transition more of its hearings online, providing quicker, easier resolution to members of the community. They are really positive and really significant investments, and they will help the community to get faster, easier access to justice. I am really excited to see additional support in the budget for the Springvale Monash Legal Service. Sporting Change is a project that empowers and educates diverse young people to engage constructively in our society by using sport to teach them about the justice system. It also increases access to justice through integrated school lawyers. It is a fantastic project which I am really proud to see supported in the budget. Lastly, a change to the County Court Act will improve the management and operations of the County Court by creating a deputy chief judge position, which is particularly important now given the backlog of cases the court is facing.

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As I have mentioned, these are important reforms committed to ensuring and enhancing access to justice in Victoria, and I expect these amendments will have broad support from legal stakeholders and the broader community, including across the electorate of Clarinda, as they create a pathway to resolve matters that currently cannot be heard at VCAT. So I take this opportunity to thank the Attorney-General, in the other place, and the former Attorney-General, the member for Altona, for these important amendments and for their commitment to access to justice and support for our community legal services in Victoria. I am very proud and very happy to support these amendments, and I commend the bill to the house. Ms HALFPENNY (Thomastown) (18:42): I also rise to make a contribution on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021. I know that there are a number of aspects to this bill, but I will concentrate on the one that I think many speakers have spoken about, which is of course the need to provide another path for resolving disputes that involve residents or people that live in different states. First, obviously it has been said today by many speakers: this is a very necessary and obvious reform or modification that is required, and it really is to make sure that all Victorians—in fact all Australians— always have the right to legal recourse if they believe an injustice has been done or to resolve intractable disputes. This amendment is necessary to resolve a deficiency that has arisen following a court decision that found that our federal constitution limits the ability of state tribunals to determine matters between residents of different states. In the case of New South Wales this issue arose in a discrimination case, and in Victoria it has arisen and caused difficulties for tenants and landlords alike where the property owner resides in a different state to the property that they are renting out. In fact all dispute resolution bodies, such as the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, under these federal court decisions have been determined to lack authority to deal with issues where the parties live in different states because they are not considered state courts. And of course that is the very reason why tribunals were set up—it was about providing justice in a cheaper, more efficient and less formal way and it was about providing an alternative to courts for determining disputes. It dealt mainly with, as people have spoken about, tenancies, planning and also equal opportunity, and it was an avenue that us ordinary people really, if you like, could use. We could go there ourselves, and it was a system that was a little bit easier to understand in the way it was used—the language and the processes. Previous speakers have spoken about their many different and varied experiences with VCAT. I know the Acting Chair, the member for Ivanhoe, has talked about his electorate and the experiences he has been told of by residents around planning issues. This is one that as MPs we probably hear most about in terms of the use of VCAT, where neighbours are looking to preserve the character of their neighbourhoods and keep the amenity they have, often having to challenge developers who are really just about big profit windfalls rather than the landscape of the area and how people will live there. In my case I recall supporting residents of the Peter Lalor housing estate that were seeking to challenge planning decisions that would have destroyed the very important character and history of this estate and really wiped away what this estate means. It is a symbol, really, of the courage, resilience and hard work of a group of returned servicepeople from the Second World War that actually determined to form a cooperative, to build each other’s houses to provide for their young families and, rather than live in the sort of dirty inner suburbs, to come out to the nice, clean suburbs that were surrounded by paddocks and build a better life for them all—and of course this is what they did. These are the sorts of areas that we want to preserve so that we can pay tribute to the work, the support and the community spirit of these servicemen that were returning from the Second World War. Unfortunately it was not long-lived. While there are, I think, about 35 or 40 houses that were built where descendants are still living today, unfortunately conservative governments really knocked these sorts of projects about because they really just sided with developers like AVJennings, as it was at the time. When there were shortages of raw materials like cement the government of the day guided all those products to those big developments and again left out this really equitable project to give equality

BILLS 2272 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 to all, allowing people to rise up and provide things for their families. This was really knocked on the head in the interests of greater profits for some of the developers of the time. Now, getting back to the bill, I guess this amendment bill is really an example of how the law must be fluid and change as it responds to changing circumstances, unintended consequences, community expectations and I guess in some ways those that relentlessly pursue loopholes. To address these deficiencies this bill will empower the Magistrates Court to resolve disputes involving federal jurisdiction matters that cannot be heard by VCAT—that is, when we are talking about disputes involving people in different states. These new reforms will ensure that Victorians are able to access the Magistrates Court to have a matter decided if it cannot go through VCAT. But of course we want to preserve all that is good about the VCAT system—that it is less formal, that it is less expensive and that it is a tribunal that laypeople can actually represent themselves in. There are also certain legal requirements, and people are represented by lawyers sometimes, but it is still a more informal system in comparison to the courts. We want to preserve that while also addressing the deficiencies that have come to light as a result of various legal challenges around this jurisdiction and the powers of VCAT. Now, VCAT has been going for a very long time, and it has shown itself to be very important in our system for providing justice. It must have been many, many years ago that I supported a young woman who was claiming, basically—I think it was—sexual harassment at the time. It just goes to show these things keep coming up and we keep talking about them. She was before VCAT with an action against her employer, so I went with her to support her in that action under the equal opportunity legislation. She very loudly and clearly won that case, and I remember it was the first time I had ever heard of the term ‘vicarious liability’, which was what the argument was in terms of the employer’s role and responsibility in what had happened to this young woman. So these changes of course are very crucial. They will not only provide new jurisdiction for the Magistrates Court but also validate past VCAT decisions, because it would be completely unfair for those decisions that have already been made by VCAT to later be determined to be invalid because of this jurisdictional question or in fact constitutional question. This would be completely unfair. This legislation is also acting to ensure that those decisions of VCAT in the past that may have been between residents in different states will be valid and that those decisions will remain in force, and that will provide the certainty and enforceability that I do not think anyone would doubt should happen for those cases that were run in the past. I think this legislation really does address all aspects and all scenarios. It is also going to ensure that applicants to VCAT will not be financially disadvantaged because there will be a system set up so that the Magistrates Court, in the cases that VCAT cannot hear, will charge at the same rate as VCAT, making it again a bit more accessible and so really preserving all the good things about VCAT. Then in those problematic jurisdictional areas the magistrates in some ways will also act as VCAT and people will not be disadvantaged. This again is another piece of legislation from the Andrews Labor government about equality and justice. Mr FOWLES (Burwood) (18:52): It is my pleasure to rise this evening on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Other Acts Amendment (Federal Jurisdiction and Other Matters) Bill 2021 and I guess to conclude the running today as we head into the adjournment at 7 o’clock. Our system of government has a very distinct separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. Some of those powers are codified in the commonwealth constitution, some are codified in the state constitution and, necessarily, where the High Court forms a view about a particular matter, that of course binds down the line to the states. This is an example where a High Court decision has had something of an unanticipated consequence on the state government and we have found ourselves with what can best be described as a judicial dead-end situation for people who find themselves trying to raise a matter that is a federal jurisdiction matter in at VCAT.

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VCAT is not a court in the eyes of the commonwealth constitution; it is not a court of state. What this bill seeks to do is remedy that particular view of the High Court and confer jurisdiction on the state Magistrates Court to hear those matters which cannot go to VCAT. And those decisions, both of the state Court of Appeal and of the High Court, are of course made independent of government and independent of any view of this chamber, and that is entirely as it should be. But as is often the case with common-law decisions, Their Honours are confined to finding on the matters that are before them and confined to making determinations about questions of law. What is not within the remit is dealing with the consequences of that. In fact not only is it not in their remit but it is probably quite proper that they do not even turn their mind to the consequences; they are there to adjudicate on a particular question of law. I commend the Attorney-General for having received this particular interpretation of law and having to find a way for the state apparatus to work around this new interpretation. The High Court is a curious beast. It has a habit of throwing up new interpretations of old rules or indeed, given the relative youth of our federation, still exploring the intent of fundamental clauses. It was not that long ago that we found ourselves in a period where federal parliamentarians were dropping like flies because of the High Court discovering some 115 years after Federation that there were some real problems with the allegiance clauses and in particular the renunciation of citizenship, a matter that we have of course learned a lot about over the course of that journey. I guess I use that to highlight that there are still parts of the constitution that have not been litigated extensively or perhaps even litigated at all, and as a result, despite the fact that courts of state have been around since the moment Federation occurred, this is the first time that these state-based tribunals have been actively considered as to their status as courts of a state. Given the decision of the High Court falling on perhaps the side of that debate that we might not have preferred from an administrative perspective, we now find ourselves having to put in place the administrative arrangements to give effect to the decision of Their Honours in that matter. It matters because there are actually a great many matters that might come to VCAT which do fall within a federal jurisdictional matter—that is, any matter in which the commonwealth itself is a party or where the dispute is between residents of different states or the dispute is under commonwealth law. In particular a dispute between people of different states is one that we have potentially had a lot of in recent times, because there are of course any number of property investors in Australia, many of whom do not inhabit the state in which their investment property is. As a consequence of that, you have people who are in dispute—one might reside in Queensland, one in Victoria, for example—and you have a situation where their matter, at least under the situation as we find it this day, is not able to be determined by VCAT. That is a great shame, because you have people in a sort of legal limbo land where they are simply unable to get their matter determined by any court, or in the alternative, they only have remedies in a much more expensive path to justice. I think it is very important that we have access to justice at the fore of any reforms to our justice system and in particular to the structure of the court system. So that is the intent of this bill. In cases where VCAT has exclusive jurisdiction, at the moment parties cannot resolve their dispute through the court system. We need to make sure that there is a path for them to get those issues resolved, particularly in matters of residential disputation, which is a pretty heavily litigated part of the universe. It is a part of VCAT’s case list which is pretty well trafficked. That is something we need to make sure can happen in an efficient way, in a fair way and in an economically just way, and that of course remains the aspiration of the government in bringing this bill before the chamber. We have consulted on the closure of this jurisdictional gap. We are determined to do it in a way that is accessible, low cost and as user friendly as possible. The framework will mean that, whilst you could not argue it will be completely seamless, there will at least be an ease of transfer as we move out of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal jurisdiction into the Magistrates Court jurisdiction, which is of course a court of a state—it satisfies the definition under the commonwealth constitution— and that will allow matters brought initially in VCAT to be transferred across to the Magistrates Court and heard, with the Magistrates Court having been conferred the jurisdiction to deal with those matters

ADJOURNMENT 2274 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 that VCAT cannot otherwise deal with. I am very grateful for the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation for assistance in bringing my contribution to a close, it being 5 seconds before the adjournment. I think I will take the opportunity to forego my last 2 minutes and conclude there. Business interrupted under sessional orders. Adjournment The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is:

That the house now adjourns. CAULFIELD ELECTORATE LEVEL CROSSINGS Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (19:00): (5921) The matter I wish to raise is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and it involves the Glen Huntly Road and Neerim Road level crossing removal. As many in my electorate of Caulfield and surrounds will know, it is something that I have been very passionate about, having that level crossing removed. It should have been done a long time ago. It has been left off the list. It should have been part of the top 50, but I can inform the house and my locals that finally we have seen some design plans to see a level crossing removal with rail under road. This is what all of them should have been. The last one that was rail under road was Ormond, which was something that the Liberal-Nationals funded before the 2014 election. In this particular instance this is a very important project for our locals. We have got to get it right. It is important to get it right, and the consultation process is really important. I note that the council have written to the Level Crossing Removal Project and asked that, as part of digging a big ditch—and Glen Eira has the lowest amount of open space in any community—you fill that ditch and you cap it with a park. Now, we are spending, or the government is spending, $507 million to remove the Glen Huntly Road and Neerim Road level crossings—$507 million. Five million dollars to cap it and put a park on it—how good would that be? So far the government have said no, they are not going to spend $5 million now. Not spending $5 million now, I can tell you, like a home renovation, will cost $50 million-plus tomorrow or the next day. If you have a look at Elsternwick, we have a big hole there. Again, it is a great opportunity to cap that next to the ABC site and put a park on it, but I know after many representations how much that is going to cost. Let us get it right. Let us do it properly the first time. I ask the government to consider putting a cap on it—where you are digging a big hole, do not leave a big hole dug. Like they would say in The Castle, ‘We dug a hole’. We want more than a hole; we want a park. That is what my Caulfield residents would love as part of this level crossing removal. Let us get it right—not a tall skyscraper with value capture, but simply a park. That is all we want. That is, I am sure, what many locals around Glen Huntly would absolutely love, and I ask the minister to make that commitment. MOUNT WAVERLEY RESERVE MASTER PLAN Mr FREGON (Mount Waverley) (19:02): (5922) My adjournment item this evening is for the Minister for Community Sport, and I ask the minister to update the house on the progress of the Mount Waverley Reserve master plan project. In the lead-up to the 2018 election I was delighted to give an undertaking to the sports clubs who use this important reserve in Mount Waverley that the Andrews Labor government would provide funds to allow Monash council to develop a master plan that would show the council’s vision and objectives for the sport and recreation facilities and infrastructure at the Mount Waverley Reserve. There are three clubs who use this reserve, and not only those but the community—the Waverley Blues Football Netball Club, the Mount Waverley Cricket Club and the Mount Waverley Tennis Club—and they were very excited with not only the promise but also the delivery of the funds for the council for the master plan development. Sport is such an important part of the fabric of our community, as we know, and I am told by the clubs that they and their members submitted a lot of feedback when submissions were requested. With a clear vision of potential future works for this reserve, we will be able to see the Monash council’s vision for the future. I know the

ADJOURNMENT Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2275 community shares my interest in seeing the final conceptual plan, and I look forward to the minister’s response. GOULBURN-MURRAY WATER Mr McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (19:04): (5923) My adjournment is to the acting Minister for Water, and the action that I seek is that the minister immediately overturn the 8 per cent increase on annual water fee charges that Goulburn-Murray Water has imposed on Upper Ovens River stream licence-holders. I have been overwhelmed with complaints from constituents from Myrtleford through to Eurobin, Smoko, Bright and right up to Harrietville as their stock and domestic licences have been smacked with an 8 per cent increase. This is on top of a recent increase in charges for an unjustifiable $700 licence renewal over 15 years. My communities are sick and tired of the constant gouging by Goulburn-Murray Water to pay for their inefficient model, and all users will just have to pay more. Ian and Olivia Stapleton from Harrietville are filthy that this cash grab continues, while Rod Hall has contacted me saying:

… GWM must be brought to account over their “unfair” pricing model … Jenny McNaught from Bright writes:

We are reluctantly making payment … And goes on to say:

It is surely a basic right for us to have fresh running water—particularly in areas where there is no main water supplied. We are talking about communities that have been severely hit by bushfires, economic setbacks and reduction in income due to COVID. Water is a basic human right, and you are pushing people and communities to the edge and beyond. One constituent calls Goulburn-Murray Water blood-sucking parasites. This is for drinking water, not irrigation water. Nobody profits from drinking water. I implore you to back off and let these people recover, recuperate and simply survive. Stop treating them as an ATM. Goulburn-Murray Water has become a revenue-collecting arm for the government, unaccountable and unconcerned for the mental health and financial health of these people. And do not offer a payment plan. Offer a fair fee, not a fee that is plucked from the air and applied across the board. The Andrews government claim that they are concerned for people’s mental health, financial health and their wellbeing and then slaps more charges on them. This is a disgrace, and Goulburn- Murray Water should be pulled into line before it pushes people over the edge altogether. RENTAL PAYMENT FEES Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (19:06): (5924) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, and I am delighted to see that she is in the chamber. I want to raise some third-party issues that have arisen for renters. I am on the mailing list for Scott Pape. Scott Pape is not a constituent of mine. He is known as the Barefoot Investor. He lives just outside my electorate, and I really admire what he does in raising people’s financial literacy and awareness and also how open he has been about the struggle that he, Liz and the family have had in rebuilding their lives after bushfires. But eight days ago, when I received his usual email, I was really appalled when I saw that he has written a column—and it has been reported in the Age as well—that renters are being forced to pay extra fees simply to have their rent processed. I am a renter at the moment. I have been a landlord, and I have a lot of constituents that are renting at the moment. It has always been that you should be able to expect to have at least one option that has no rental fees. This method is being badged as rental rewards, and they say that this will give tenants frequent flyer points. Well, you know, struggling single mums in my electorate, what are they going to use Qantas frequent flyer points for? It is not like we can travel anywhere at the moment. They are hugely expensive. I have never bought anything through Qantas frequent flyer points aside from using them for a flight. But Scott Pape did the calculation, and the offer that is made to renters would account for $4 a year—$4 is what they get. But because many of these so-called rental rewards operations are

ADJOURNMENT 2276 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 22 June 2021 actually charging fees and making it so difficult for renters to pay their rent, having credit card fees and all of that, I must say I lost sleep over thinking about it. I just could not think how anyone would think that this was the right thing to do, especially when the community is going through such a difficult time. When you think that many renters are women fleeing family violence, they are trying to do the right thing by their family, get back on their feet, I must say I did an initial referral to the minister’s office. They seemed to be as appalled as I am. So I am really glad, and I am sure that the minister will have something to say about— The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Yan Yean has not sought an action from the minister. Ms GREEN: I beg your pardon. Action: to ensure that renters are not being forced into these agreements. HEIDELBERG-KINGLAKE ROAD Ms McLEISH (Eildon) (19:09): (5925) I have a matter for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to personally meet with Murrindindi and Nillumbik councillors and take a drive along the Heidelberg-Kinglake Road from St Andrews to Kinglake or vice versa and to ensure all necessary safety improvements on the road are undertaken. The offer to the Murrindindi shire to have one of the minister’s advisers drive the road and report back on the road’s condition does not cut it. It is important for the minister to drive the road himself and see and understand the conditions of this steep and windy road. Pretty quickly he will realise that he needs his wits about him. He needs to make a note of important safety measures that can be made. Despite the challenges of driving on this road, it is used daily by many, particularly those in Kinglake travelling south to work, to Hurstbridge station or to school. There have been far too many accidents and fatalities on this road, and the local police, the CFA, the SES and the first responder units can certainly attest to this. Some of the dangers include that the narrow road actually twists and turns as it makes a very steep descent or ascent; there is no room to pass—and that is fine because no-one is looking for any overtaking lanes; there are many tight corners; and it is a sheer drop over the side. Along the road, if you actually get out and have a look at some of the spots where you can park, it is quite shocking to see the debris from accidents and maybe some rubbish that has been dumped as well. I was surprised to see the amount of car parts, tyres, rubbish, a Vespa and even a car that had fallen over the side, willingly or not. This is a popular road for cyclists; it is very risky for cyclists and drivers, and drivers cannot give the riders the space they need to pass. This can cause the traffic to crawl along at 20 kilometres an hour, and it is a major point of tension. There is dreadful weather up in Kinglake, and that also is a factor, with trees and things coming down. Devastatingly, in May this year a young woman was killed when her car veered off the road, hitting a tree. There is a large cross surrounded by flowers, and it is really quite heartbreaking to see this. We do not want to see any more crosses on the side of the road at all. What needs to happen? Well, there are opportunities with barriers and certainly road repairs—there are sections of the road that are in a dreadful condition—and widening where possible on some corners. There are too many large trucks, and the minister must intervene because the GPSs send the trucks that way and it is too late. There is signage, and that signage is not good enough. It is not seeming to work. It has been in place for a couple of years now, and it is just not making a difference. This is something the community absolutely support, as do I and the local councils involved, and they are very keen for me to raise this issue and have the minister actually drive the road so he can understand it firsthand and then take appropriate actions. COVID-19 Ms BLANDTHORN (Pascoe Vale) (19:12): (5926) I appreciate the opportunity to raise an adjournment matter for the attention of the Minister for Government Services. The action I seek is that the minister provide me with an update on how the Andrews Labor government is supporting venues

ADJOURNMENT Tuesday, 22 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2277 and businesses in my electorate and across Victoria to implement and manage mandatory Service Victoria QR codes to help keep our community safe. Our frontline workers have been with us right through the pandemic, working incredibly hard to ensure our health and welfare is maintained and that we have access to the services we need and the resources and supplies we require to get through this together. Knowing where cases and their contacts have been is crucial for our data collecting and our contact tracers. It is key to driving transmission down and running outbreaks to ground. QR code check- in systems across our retail sector are mandatory and as such an essential part of solving these puzzles and preparing for any future outbreaks. Our local supermarkets, groceries, bakeries, chemists, petrol stations and cafes—and I would like to give a particular shout-out to our retail and hospitality sectors— just to name a few, are frequented regularly by our community as they access the supplies that they need when they need them. In working to support all businesses and frontline retail workers to continue COVID-safe practices, I am interested in an update on how they have been supported to implement these very important and necessarily mandated QR code check-ins at these premises. TARNEIT REVITALISATION PROJECT Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (19:13): (5927) My adjournment is for the Minister for Local Government in the other place, and the action I seek is that the minister update me on the works being done to upgrade four parks in Tarneit as part of the Tarneit revitalisation project. As the minister knows, the Tarneit revitalisation project is a fantastic local initiative designed to fund small local projects to help create jobs for local residents to work locally. It has been a pleasure to chair the revitalisation board and work with our community members in discussing the kinds of projects we want to see funded and the outcomes they will deliver for residents in Tarneit. Recently we announced a $465 000 upgrade for four major parks right in the heart of Tarneit. I am talking about Samaria Street park, Moondara Street park, Tarneit Lakes and Camelot Park. These works will provide these older park spaces with brand new playgrounds for our kids, fitness equipment stations for people to keep physically active and get fit, more seating areas and of course more trees and more open space nature play areas, all giving families in Tarneit access to first-class open spaces to play and exercise in. That is why I know that both the Tarneit revitalisation board and the residents in Tarneit who will benefit from these upgrades would greatly appreciate an update from the minister’s office on where these works are at. SPRINGVALE BOULEVARD REVITALISATION Mr TAK (Clarinda) (19:15): (5928) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Suburban Development in the other place. The action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on the time line for the revitalisation work on Springvale Boulevard. The City of Greater Dandenong and the office for suburban development are working together to support this exciting project, with $900 000 of funding allocated by the Andrews Labor government through the 2021–22 state budget. Upgrades to Springvale Boulevard will improve the area, including new outdoor dining and kerbside trading, and will make the boulevard more enjoyable, easier to get around and better for connecting with community. I was thrilled to recently join the minister and a member for South Eastern Metropolitan, Dr Tien Kieu, and the mayor, councillors and Lee Tarlamis on a separate occasion, to see progress being made. Our community is really excited to see and experience the enhanced shopping and dining and the new opportunities for people to connect and relax and for the community to celebrate. Thank you to the minister and the City of Greater Dandenong, and I look forward to the update on this important and exciting project.

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Following matters incorporated in accordance with resolution of house today: AUSTRALIAN-MADE PAPER Mr NORTHE (Morwell) (5929)

My adjournment debate is directed to the Assistant Treasurer. The action I seek is for the Assistant Treasurer to mandate that state government departments and agencies purchase Australian-made paper as part of their procurement policy practices over imported paper. There are concerns that under existing state purchasing contracts the procurement of Australian-made paper is not as strong as what it could or should be. This is a critically important issue to my community as Opal Australian Paper, the largest and only manufacturer of copy paper in Australia, is based in my electorate at Maryvale, and subsequently thousands of people are employed directly and indirectly. In December 2015 I had asked via the questions on notice forum as to what percentage of paper was purchased by each Victorian government department and agency through contracts that were awarded to New South Wales-based company Complete Office Supplies. The then Minister for Finance responded, saying that 99 per cent, by value, of all copy paper procured in 2014–15 was Australian made. My concern is that this is not the case now and that imported paper is being procured on a regular basis by Victorian government departments and agencies. To quote from the government’s current paper procurement guide, it states the following: ‘There is no restriction on the type of copy paper (imported, local, recycled or non-recycled) available to government buyers under the SPC’. This surely leaves the door ajar and wide open for imported paper to be acquired by government departments and agencies, which frankly is unacceptable. This current procurement policy is less supportive than the federal government’s position, which now mandates 100 per cent Australian-made paper. The Victorian government should be just as supportive as the commonwealth, given the only copy paper producer in Australia is based right here in Victoria in the Latrobe Valley. In question time in the last sitting week of Parliament, I had also flagged issues with respect to the new mandated state purchasing contracts policy that comes into effect from 1 July 2021. I am advised that there are few, if any, regional suppliers on the list of preferred suppliers for the purchase of items such as stationery, travel, professional services, recruitment and print. I ask rhetorically: what does this mean for paper manufactured at Opal Australian Paper, Maryvale, in my electorate and for their workforce. The state government must take a strong stance on this issue and mandate as a priority the purchase of Australian-made paper for its own government departments and agencies. Anything less is a kick in the face for regional businesses who have already seen in recent months the centralisation of services that were previously provided by regional businesses for many years. We can ill afford to let Australian-made paper go down this same pathway. To prefer imported paper over locally grown and manufactured products makes no sense. We have a sustainable timber industry that not only employs thousands of Victorians but also operates under the strictest of environmental regulations, so why would we want to put that at risk? It was pleasing to observe recently that the federal government finally committed to all its federal government agencies having to procure Australian-manufactured office paper. Hopefully that provides a level of comfort to all workers at Opal Australian Paper at Maryvale, but we also need the same reassurance from the Victorian government now. In closing, the action I seek is for the Assistant Treasurer to mandate that Australian-made office paper be procured by its state government departments and agencies in lieu of imported paper in all state purchasing contracts. TIMBER INDUSTRY Mr BLACKWOOD (Narracan) (5930)

I raise a matter for the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services, and the action I ask him to take is to utilise the good-quality timber that has been blown over in the Dandenongs and other places during last week’s storms. There is currently a massive shortage of timber for construction in Victoria. We currently have a significant amount of spare capacity in the timber industry—the right equipment, skills and knowledge to assist in the enormous clean-up required in the Dandenongs and other places. There are a lot of homes damaged in the Dandenongs—so many people displaced and waiting for help. The Liberal-Nationals’ call for the ADF to be deployed, initially ignored by the Andrews-Merlino government but now enacted, is giving residents much-needed assistance.

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Surely it makes sense to engage logging contractors with the right equipment, expertise and experience to salvage this resource in the quickest time possible. Surely it makes sense to use this resource rather than waste it. It can be sent to local sawmills that are struggling for supply at a time when there is a critical shortage in the market. Logging contractors could work alongside the ADF or the ADF could be tasked with coordinating the deployment of contractors and their machines. The Andrews-Merlino government must not abandon the affected home owners when there is a very logical, practical, commonsense, realistic and expeditious solution that is better for the environment, a win for the landowners and timber workers currently out of work. I say better for the environment because if this timber is left on the ground it will become an enormous fire hazard in coming bushfire seasons in an already volatile and high-risk area. If the timber is left to rot in the bush it will release carbon as it rots. If the timber is processed into timber products it will store carbon as timber framing, flooring or furniture. I also call on the government to consider the opportunity this provides to assist affected home owners by making the processed timber available to them for their repairs and rebuild. This could be a massive win for so many people turning this disaster around with a response that is responsible and compassionate.

RESPONSES Ms HORNE (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Fishing and Boating) (19:16): In relation to the matter raised by the member for Yan Yean, I too shared her concerns when reading the same article over the weekend. I am certainly aware of this practice and feel it is quite predatory. As you would be aware, this is a government that has invested heavily in reforms for renters. We had an eviction moratorium to keep people in their homes during the global pandemic, and we introduced the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2018, which had more than 130 reform measures in there. Legally, rental providers must provide a free rental payment method and the option of electronic funds transfer. Anyone who is not doing this is breaking the law. So what I have done is ask Consumer Affairs Victoria to look into this matter, and I would encourage any renter who has not been provided with a reasonably available option to certainly contact consumer affairs. In relation to the other adjournments, I understand that the members for Morwell and Narracan are making electronic submissions, but the member for Caulfield raised a matter for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, the member for Mount Waverley raised a matter for the Minister for Community Sport, the member for Ovens Valley raised a matter for the acting Minister for Water, the member for Eildon raised a matter for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, the member for Pascoe Vale raised a matter for the Minister for Government Services, the member for Tarneit raised a matter for the Minister for Local Government and the member for Clarinda raised a matter for the Minister for Suburban Development, and I will ensure that they are all referred accordingly. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The house now stands adjourned until tomorrow. House adjourned 7.18 pm.