PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

(HANSARD)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT

FIRST SESSION

THURSDAY, 10 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 ...... 2093 Severe weather event ...... 2093 PETITIONS Middle East conflict ...... 2094 DOCUMENTS Documents ...... 2094 MOTIONS General business ...... 2095 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Adjournment ...... 2095 MEMBERS STATEMENTS Andrew Herington ...... 2095 COVID-19 ...... 2096 Sikh Community Connections ...... 2096 First responders ...... 2096 COVID-19 ...... 2096 Severe weather event ...... 2097 Power saving bonus program ...... 2097 Reynolds–Smiths roads, Templestowe ...... 2097 State Emergency Service Brimbank unit ...... 2098 Lionsden Boxing Academy ...... 2098 Youth mental health ...... 2098 Phillip Cavanagh ...... 2098 COVID-19 ...... 2099 Railway Parade, Seaford, development ...... 2099 COVID-19 ...... 2099 COVID-19 vaccinations ...... 2100 State Emergency Service Brimbank unit ...... 2100 Mata Chintapurni Mandir ...... 2100 St Albans electorate community organisations ...... 2100 Youth mental health ...... 2100 Community food relief ...... 2101 Severe weather event ...... 2101 Anzac Day ...... 2101 Box Hill electorate community support ...... 2102 Evdoras Elisseou ...... 2102 COVID-19 vaccinations ...... 2102 Budget 2021–22 ...... 2102 COVID-19 vaccinations ...... 2103 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Notices of motion and orders of the day ...... 2104 BILLS Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021 ...... 2104 Second reading ...... 2104 RULINGS BY THE CHAIR Hansard report ...... 2133 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS COVID-19 ...... 2137 Ministers statements: severe weather event ...... 2138 Youth mental health ...... 2139 MEMBERS Member for Warrandyte ...... 2140 Naming and suspension ...... 2140 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Youth mental health ...... 2141 Ministers statements: VicRoads licence testing ...... 2142 Hospital waiting lists ...... 2142 Ministers statements: regional employment ...... 2143 COVID-19 vaccinations ...... 2144 Ministers statements: business support...... 2145 Small business support ...... 2145

Ministers statements: Victoria’s Big Build ...... 2147 RULINGS BY THE CHAIR Constituency questions ...... 2147 CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS Evelyn electorate ...... 2148 Broadmeadows electorate ...... 2148 Ovens Valley electorate ...... 2148 Clarinda electorate ...... 2148 Polwarth electorate ...... 2149 South Barwon electorate ...... 2149 Brunswick electorate ...... 2149 Cranbourne electorate ...... 2149 Forest Hill electorate ...... 2150 Northcote electorate ...... 2150 BILLS Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021 ...... 2150 Second reading ...... 2150 Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021 ...... 2156 Second reading ...... 2156 Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2167 Second reading ...... 2167 Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Cross-boundary Greenhouse Gas Titles and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2178 Second reading ...... 2178 Third reading ...... 2182 Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021 ...... 2182 Second reading ...... 2182 Third reading ...... 2184 Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021 ...... 2184 Second reading ...... 2184 Third reading ...... 2185 Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021 ...... 2185 Second reading ...... 2185 Third reading ...... 2185 ADJOURNMENT COVID-19 ...... 2185 O’Herns Road, Epping, interchange ...... 2186 Caulfield electorate dance schools ...... 2186 Outdoor dining ...... 2186 COVID-19 ...... 2187 Family violence services ...... 2187 Australian Timetable Association ...... 2187 Maroondah Hospital ...... 2188 Upper Ferntree Gully height limits ...... 2188 Northcote electorate train lines ...... 2189 Responses ...... 2189

ANNOUNCEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2093

Thursday, 10 June 2021

The SPEAKER (Hon. Colin Brooks) took the chair at 9.32 am and read the prayer. Announcements ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The SPEAKER (09:33): We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land upon which we are meeting. We pay our respects to them, their culture, their elders past, present and future, and any elders from other communities who may be here today. SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (09:33): (By leave) I want to take this opportunity to thank our emergency workers, particularly our SES staff and volunteers, for their efforts last night and for their continuing efforts this morning and today as they support and help Victorians impacted by the wild weather last night. At its peak last night we experienced winds gusting up to 125 kilometres per hour around central Victoria, with particular impacts around the towns of Kyneton, Daylesford and Seymour, as well as in the east of the state in Gippsland. As of 6 this morning the SES were actively managing 1868 incidents. They had already responded to and resolved 629 incidents in the early hours of this morning, and that is 2497 total incidents in the last 24 hours. This included 1192 calls for tree down traffic hazards and 29 calls for structural collapse rescues as a result of trees down on houses. Severe weather warnings remain active, and the SES have been outstanding, working through the night in driving rain and dangerous conditions—and it is dangerous work. I can confirm that two SES members were taken to hospital last night and we are awaiting confirmation of their condition. I know I speak for all members when I say we are thinking of them and wishing them a speedy recovery. They also have our heartfelt thanks. Four SES vehicles were damaged by falling trees. Three Ambulance Victoria vehicles were also impacted by falling debris. There were also significant power outages, with 202 465 customers without power, and we are not out of the woods yet, with flood warnings in place for today across Gippsland and parts of north-east and central Victoria. This includes major flood warnings for the Avon, Macalister, Thomson and Latrobe rivers and the Traralgon Creek. It is worth re-emphasising that even under the current chief health officer directions Victorians can clean up their property if it has been impacted by storm damage. Can I acknowledge all of our emergency workers: Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, CFA, FRV and the SES. All of our agencies worked together last night to keep Victorians safe, but can I particularly call out the SES. While most Victorians were sleeping, our SES volunteers were responding to thousands of requests for assistance. Their job is not over, particularly as we watch for floods over the course of the day. They have been magnificent all night and are still working in atrocious conditions to rescue Victorians and secure homes. We extend our deepest thanks and gratitude for their selfless work. Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (09:36): (By leave) I join with the government on behalf of the Liberal-Nationals to thank our emergency services workers, who are again tested in doing a humungous job in keeping all of us safe. It is ironic, actually, that yesterday was Thank a First Responder Day, and many of us put out on our social media just thanking many of our emergency services workers, the SES particularly, who are tested during these times. But all of our emergency services workers each and every day do an amazing job in keeping us safe. We saw the horrific storms overnight. We all heard them. We have now woken to them. Many Victorians will be going through the first instance of any emergency—ensuring that they and their families are safe. We know a lot of power has been cut off, phones have been cut off and

PETITIONS 2094 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 communications to many properties have been cut off. Trees are down. Certainly I was informed by the Manager of Opposition Business that in the area of Trentham we have got cut off from both ends in terms of trees down and people not being able to get into Trentham during that period and not being able to get phone calls to loved ones. So it is a very, very difficult time for all Victorians who have just come out of, or are just going through, lockdown—going through a very, very difficult period and now having to deal with this disaster. I also want to particularly pay tribute to, as I say, the SES, who are really tested during this time, our CFA volunteers, our ambulance members and certainly Victoria Police. Talking to many of those workers, they have not had a break since the bushfires. They have been at it; they have been tested. We know that many of those trees that were unsettled during the fires have now come down. This is a difficult time for all of us, but our hearts and thoughts are with each and every one of them—each and every Victorian during this time and each and every one of our emergency services workers, who do an amazing job each and every day in keeping every Victorians safe. Our hearts and prayers are with them all. Petitions Following petition presented to house by Clerk: MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF VICTORIA This Petition of the people of Victoria draws to the attention of the house: The recent attacks on the Israeli people by the Hamas terrorist organisation, which has seen over 4,000 rockets fired indiscriminately at Israeli civilians and population centres. The Petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Assembly of Victoria: • Condemn the Hamas terrorist organisation which is responsible for this recent violence. • Acknowledge the right and responsibility of Israel to defend itself against terrorist aggression. • To declare its support for Israel, an Australian ally and the only democracy in the Middle East, during these troubling times. • Demand that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad refrain from any further violence against Israel and instead commit themselves to peace talks that will actually benefit Palestinians and Israelis. By Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (265 signatures). Tabled. Ordered that petition be considered next day on motion of Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield). Documents DOCUMENTS Incorporated list as follows: DOCUMENTS TABLED UNDER ACTS OF PARLIAMENT—The Clerk tabled the following documents under Acts of Parliament: Auditor-General—Annual Plan 2021–22 Parliamentary Committees Act 2003—Government response to the Integrity and Oversight Committee’s Inquiry into the Performance of Victorian Integrity Agencies 2017/18–2018/19 Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008—Report to Parliament on the Extension of the Declaration of a State of Emergency—15th Report.

MOTIONS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2095

Motions GENERAL BUSINESS Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (09:39): 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 2 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 ADJOURNMENT Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (09:40): I move:

That: (1) the house, at its rising, adjourns until Tuesday, 22 June 2021, or an earlier day and hour to be fixed by the Speaker; (2) if, in the opinion of the Speaker, the next scheduled sitting or a rescheduled sitting should not proceed on the basis of health advice, the Speaker will consult with the Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business to delay the next meeting and set a future day and hour to meet; (3) the Speaker will notify members of any changes to the next sitting date. Motion agreed to. Members statements ANDREW HERINGTON Mr PALLAS (Werribee—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations) (09:40): I rise to pay tribute to Andrew Herington, who passed away unexpectedly on 24 April, aged 68. I once described Andrew as the greatest ratbag that the labour movement had produced in a generation. He was a man of unparalleled work ethic, integrity and policy vision. It is not hyperbole to say that Andrew was a giant of the Victorian Labor Party, the genesis and the genius behind many of the landmark policies Labor has implemented over the past four decades. In our great movement his healthy disrespect for conventional thinking and bureaucratic process added creative thought to policy platforms and filled policy gaps at lightning speed. Right up until the Friday before he passed away Andrew was still striving to make Victoria better and fairer, working with the commissioner for better regulation to improve our state’s planning system. His legacy can be seen all around us—the ban on tobacco advertising, the Southern Cross station redevelopment, the Batman Avenue CityLink exit and stopping the east–west link, not once but twice. But his greatest legacy is in the lives he impacted, the colleagues he drove to be better, the young staff he mentored, the activists he inspired and the ministers he jousted with. I will miss Andrew, and I offer my deepest condolences to his two daughters; his partner, Clarice, and her three children; and their 12 grandchildren. Andrew lived his life true to his values and put his talents to the best use. Go well, comrade, and thank you.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2096 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

COVID-19 Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (09:42): Businesses have absolutely been smashed and none more so than many of the gyms, many of the dance schools, many in the events industry in my electorate that have not been able to open and will not be able to open after lockdown. They still have questions as to when—when can many of their members come back to their facilities? Many of these are small businesses. Many of these businesses are putting their wages bill on their credit cards. Has anyone from the government side had that experience before, where they have had to put on their credit card their wages bill because they could not afford it? People with under $75 000 in earnings a year do not get any relief. They have not had a dollar from this government. They have been completely ignored. The government needs to stand up. They need to provide financial assistance. Importantly they have got to allow gyms to open, they have got to allow dance schools to open and yoga fitness centres—all these facilities that provide valuable services when people need them the most. Our kids that are suffering from mental ill health want to be able to go to their dance schools, they want to be able to go for their physical health and wellbeing. They are not able to do that. If they are not able to do it because of health reasons, provide the health advice. We cannot continue to pick winners and losers with this. There are too many losers in Victoria. It is no wonder we are no longer the most livable city. We have gone from the top to eighth under this government, because this government has failed. SIKH COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (09:43): I wish to place on the record my heartfelt gratitude to Sikh Community Connections and their volunteers, who have stepped up to the challenges that the pandemic has brought, making sure that those in difficult financial circumstances or those who isolate to protect our community have access to a freshly cooked vegetarian meal. It is in the face of adversity that generosity and humanity thrive, and that is the case in my electorate of Mill Park and the wider City of Whittlesea area, where Sikh Community Connections has, since the end of May, delivered hundreds of cooked meals and food relief packages. Sikh Community Connections is a grassroots community organisation that was established two years ago and provides direct support to community members in line with their cultural tradition. I cannot commend enough this great team of hardworking volunteers for their community spirit and tireless work during this pandemic under the leadership of Gurinder Kaur. Last year they served thousands of meals to families and individuals facing extreme hardship and have created partnerships, such as the one with La Trobe University in Bundoora, to provide free groceries to international students facing hardship. With the announcement of the latest circuit-breaker restrictions, these inspiring individuals were again mobilised to help many families and international students in need. With support funding from our government and the City of Whittlesea, this organisation is making a huge difference to the lives of many vulnerable members of the community. I want to thank you all for what you give of yourselves to help those less fortunate in our community. FIRST RESPONDERS Ms D’AMBROSIO: I give a particular shout-out to all those terrific workers and first responders who put their lives on the line every single day helping Victorians stay safe—those electrical line workers, forest fire management staff and all the other responders. COVID-19 Mr T BULL (Gippsland East) (09:45): I want to make some comments on the latest restrictions announced yesterday that come into play tonight. The query I have is: why are we not back at the same level that we were last time at this stage? Last time we had a room limit of 50. Now we have a venue limit of 75, so our pubs and clubs that do not have an outdoor area in the regions cannot open with a venue limit of 75. It makes no sense. How can we have 75 at a church service and 2 hours later only have 20 at a wedding in the same church? Now, I am told that it is because a wedding can be postponed,

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2097 but surely we are making our decisions not on whether something can be postponed but on the actual risk that it presents. And the ridiculous restrictions around brothels—you can have 50 inside a brothel and 50 outside a brothel. Can you tell me what the 50 outside a brothel are meant to be doing, especially in this weather? It is just absolutely ridiculous. It is just a joke. These guidelines need to be revisited, and they need to be fixed before next Thursday to be in line with community expectations and what we had last time. SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr T BULL: Before I finish, I note the minister and the shadow minister mentioned this morning about the storm damage. My region is one of the regions that has been heavily impacted. We thank all the emergency services workers and encourage our communities to remain vigilant and safe over the course of the day. POWER SAVING BONUS PROGRAM Mr CARROLL (Niddrie—Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Roads and Road Safety) (09:47): The coronavirus pandemic has seen more and more community members spending more time at home, which has also put pressure on power bills. I am very proud to be part of the Andrews Labor government and the work it is doing to support pensioners and jobseekers and some of our most vulnerable community members with our power saving bonus. A $250 grant is available to eligible residents to assist in the cost of power bills. This scheme will run until the end of January 2022, and I know from firsthand experience in my office in Keilor Road that it is making a very, very big difference to many lives across my electorate. We have had 4000 constituents apply for this power bonus, which is the equivalent of $1 million in support being handed out by the Andrews Labor government. In Niddrie we do have a high demographic of elderly residents, and I am very pleased that through the correspondence I have sent to residents over 70 years of age we have seen a huge turnout. I want to thank Emily, Stefan and Jackie in my office for the support they have also given local community members for this. I also want to thank Vincent A’Hearn, who recently came in to see me in my office about the power bonus and gave me a very good snapshot on his history in the community, which is one of the benefits, as we all know, of community members coming through the electorate office. We need to continue to work with and assist vulnerable Victorians through the pandemic. The power energy bonus is one way to do it, but we do know, whether it is support through mental health or otherwise, we need to continue to support every vulnerable Victorian. REYNOLDS–SMITHS ROADS, TEMPLESTOWE Mr GUY (Bulleen) (09:48): The intersection or crossroad where Reynolds Road and Smiths Road meet in Templestowe is dangerous and needs to be improved. This is a section of Reynolds Road where, like most areas on Reynolds Road in Templestowe, it is quite hilly and cars travel fairly fast. Smiths Road does not meet flush with Reynolds Road, and as a consequence a number of local residents have approached me about whether the council and the government might be able to work together to find a solution. At the moment when cars are pulling out westbound, particularly to drop kids off at school, they are crossing two lanes, with a median strip in the middle, and it is exceptionally dangerous. A number of solutions could be found for this area, whether it is warning signs of oncoming traffic for both sides along Reynolds Road as the intersection meets with Smiths Road and cars turn out, or a new turning lane could be constructed as a slip lane or indeed signalisation at various times. But something seriously needs to be put in practice to make this intersection safer before it is too late and an accident occurs. Doing nothing is no longer an option, so in this members statement I place on record my sincere hope that the Minister for Roads and Road Safety and the Manningham City Council can meet local residents, as I have, to work on a solution so that the Smiths Road and Reynolds Road intersection in Templestowe is made safer for all, particularly with the upgrade of Pettys Reserve.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2098 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE BRIMBANK UNIT Ms HUTCHINS (Sydenham—Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (09:49): I rise to thank the Brimbank SES for the hard work that they do all year round but particularly last night and in the coming days. LIONSDEN BOXING ACADEMY Ms HUTCHINS: I also rise to speak about some other champions of my electorate, and they are some young boxers that participated in the 2021 Australian Club Championships in Adelaide just a month ago. I recently met with the business owner of the Lionsden Boxing Academy, who runs a studio in Delahey in my electorate, to talk about the achievements of these young people and the work that he does in ensuring that kids do not miss out who financially cannot afford to be a part of any sporting activities. He takes them into his club and makes sure that these young people have a pathway for a supportive environment with the sense of family and belonging that the club offers. This club, like many, has an excellent way of teaching discipline, anger management, self-control and teamwork to young people. Physical activity such as boxing can aid in lowering antisocial behaviour and violence as well as encouraging participants to live a healthier life. I was honoured to attend a fundraiser by the club, and I am happy to say that 18 of the club’s young people travelled across to Adelaide and came home with 10 gold medals, four silver and three bronze. This was topped off by the club winning the tournament’s best club trophy. I would like to congratulate the Lionsden Academy, its trainers, its volunteers and its young champions on their achievements. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (09:51): I wish to address a new pandemic in our community, the pandemic of the health impacts—specifically the mental health impacts—on our young people. Every day of the week we have government members and departmental officials standing up and telling us facts. They tell us how many new coronavirus infections there have been. They tell us how many new infections there have been in the last 24 hours and how many people are infected in the state at the moment, but what they should be reporting on a daily basis, in my view, are the number of people who have been affected in a greater way in terms of their own mental health. This is a pandemic that will determine our capacity and our community’s capacity to recover from this pandemic in a successful, or otherwise, way. I was shocked to hear some of the recent statistics that have been widely reported in the media in the last week: a 51 per cent increase in the number of teens needing to be rushed to hospital after self- harming and suffering suicidal thoughts, a 44.9 per cent increase in the number of teens needing resuscitation and emergency care and a 34 per cent increase in new eating disorder cases. This is not good enough. This is absolutely not good enough. These are our young people who are suffering in our community. These are our young people who need help from this government. We must do better. We should do better, and that is on this government. PHILLIP CAVANAGH Mr McGHIE (Melton) (09:53): On Sunday night, 6 June, around 10.45 pm Phillip Brian Cavanagh passed away after a three-month battle with bowel cancer. My relationship with Phil goes back to the early 1980s, when we both commenced our careers as paramedics. Phil was a paramedic for 23 years working in metropolitan Melbourne, and for the majority of those 23 years he was a mobile intensive care paramedic. He would have attended to and cared for thousands of patients during his career, and he would have saved hundreds of Victorians’ lives. In 2005 Phil became my assistant secretary at the ambulance union. He remained in that position for eight years. He was passionate and dedicated to improving the working lives of Victorian paramedics and ambulance employees, in both the public and private sectors. I can categorically state that ambulance employees have better working conditions today because of Phil’s efforts. He played an integral part of our Code Red campaign in 2013–14.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2099

Phil was also passionate about his Western Bulldogs and was ecstatic when they won the premiership in 2016. He liked his fine food, and we shared many glasses of wine together. Phil is survived by his three children, Anthony, James and Stephanie. I extend my sincere condolences to Phil’s family, friends and his ambulance family. I want to acknowledge Louise and Peter for looking after Phil in their house over the last couple of weeks. I know he was so grateful. Phil, I want to thank you for keeping Victorians safe. I thank you for improving the working lives of ambulance employees and I thank you for being a great mate. You will be sadly missed. Your shift is done. Vale, Phillip Cavanagh. COVID-19 Mr BLACKWOOD (Narracan) (09:54): I again raise the issue of rural towns in my electorate being subject to metro Melbourne directions during lockdown. I am talking about the towns of Bunyip, Tynong, Garfield and Nar Nar Goon and surrounding areas, and I know there are many other communities affected in this way. We had the crazy situation last weekend where students from these towns could attend schools in Drouin last Friday but were not permitted to travel beyond Cardinia shire to play junior sport last Saturday. In fact a number of clubs were impacted so much that their games had to be cancelled. This is at a time when the impact on children is really beginning to affect their mental health after having to battle through a complete season of no winter sport last year. There is no infection in regional Victoria, so why would you continue to hurt people that are being locked down for no logical reason other than a line on a map chosen by some faceless bureaucrat and endorsed by a minister who probably does not even know where these towns are and does not care? I know it is very hard and has been extremely difficult for the people of Melbourne, but why should we keep hurting people and businesses with lockdowns that are absolutely unnecessary in rural areas? To make matters worse, tonight’s easing of restrictions still does not relieve the pain of most of these towns. The 25-kilometre rule still plays havoc with the area they can access to their east. The problem is this Andrews-Merlino government does not trust their own systems, so they do not trust Victorians, and therefore Victorians suffer more than they should. It is just not good enough. RAILWAY PARADE, SEAFORD, DEVELOPMENT Ms KILKENNY (Carrum) (09:55): I wish to acknowledge all of the Seaford residents who brought to my attention a proposed development at 48 Railway Parade, Seaford, on the corner of Railway Parade and McKenzie Street. There is good development, and there is bad development. This is bad development. This development proposes a four-storey building with 14 units and a basement stacker car park, all this in a general residential zone on a standard residential block in an area of cultural heritage significance. I oppose this development, and I will do everything I can to stop it. My local community and I have worked so hard over the past six years to revitalise the local area into a welcoming, supportive and family-focused village, a suburb by the sea, valuing and enhancing the very significant environmental, ecological and cultural heritage features of this area. We have encouraged walking and cycling with a new shared user path that runs right through here between Kananook and Carrum, and we have planted over 100 000 native and indigenous trees and plants. Currently we are developing plans for the Kananook Creek indigenous gardens and the internationally recognised Ramsar-listed Seaford wetlands. There is nothing about this proposed development that is respectful of or sympathetic to the local neighbourhood character, the prevailing landscape, the environmental features, the local ecology or the cultural heritage. It would set a terrible precedent. It has no place here. I encourage local residents to join with me in opposing this development, and I call on Frankston council to reject this application as an entirely inappropriate development for this part of Seaford. COVID-19 Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (09:57): Many businesses in my region are doing it hard too, but those who have been able to pivot, who have been able to do takeaway food, who have looked hard at their situations have done some remarkable things. We are also in a time when our dairy farmers at the

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2100 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 moment—can you believe—are doing better than ever, and that has been fantastic, with a good year last year. The construction industry also has been booming in Shepparton, and all the businesses that feed off that have been doing well, but there can be no doubt that the tourism, hospitality and those industries have done it hard. The government business funding that is provided for them does not go anywhere near making up for the losses they suffer, and of course for the casual workers they employ, especially with this shutdown and post JobKeeper, it has been really hard. In our office we have spoken with so many businesses who are doing it hard, particularly those in gyms and dance schools, the ones who have really shut down for much longer than others have had to. We have helped people navigate their way through the system online with Business Victoria for over a year now, and many people are really both emotionally and financially at their wits’ end. Just to give a couple of examples of them, an indoor children’s entertainment centre which employs 25 staff was closed after only 13 days in business in March last year due to the COVID restrictions, and they have now been plunged back into that situation again. (Time expired) COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Ms SULEYMAN (St Albans) (09:58): Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to receive my first jab of Pfizer at the Sunshine Hospital vax centre. Getting my vaccine was pretty quick and easy, and I want to in particular thank the Western Health nurse Beaint, who was very kind and warm and very professional. There was some theatre and some fun as we queued up to receive our vaccine, and it was wonderful to see that there was a bit of laughter as we each went in to receive our shot. So I am encouraging more shots in more arms in my community, and this is the way forward to get us out of this pandemic. STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE BRIMBANK UNIT Ms SULEYMAN: Of course I also want to give a big shout-out to Brimbank SES for their hard work, not only in the last 24 hours. Each and every day they work very hard for our community. MATA CHINTAPURNI MANDIR Ms SULEYMAN: Also congratulations to Mata Chintapurni cultural centre. It is a temple in St Albans. They have received recently $69 000 from our government to be able to provide culturally sensitive food not only for the Hindu community but also for the wider community in Brimbank. ST ALBANS ELECTORATE COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS Ms SULEYMAN: I also want to at this point acknowledge the fantastic contribution of our community organisations, in particular in St Albans. They have all come together to assist each other during this very challenging time. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH Mr R SMITH (Warrandyte) (10:00): I am pleased that there is a chance that our kids are going back to school tomorrow, but I am still baffled as to why kids who are involved in sport can train together but apparently cannot play together. I acknowledge all this while condemning the government for the harm they are causing to children’s mental health through their sledgehammer tactics when it comes to dealing with COVID-19. I have been appalled at reports that have come out recently that say children as young as five are seeking help for self-harm and suicidal concerns, and data from Kids Helpline has shown that 16 per cent of callers are coming from children aged five to 12. Tony Fitzgerald from Kids Helpline actually was on the TV this week saying that there was a 184 per cent increase in teenage suicide threats. Now, I have raised this many times over the last six months or so—I raised it in September—that we saw that young people’s mental health issues were growing rapidly. I said it again in October. I said it again in November and most recently in February. It is very concerning indeed that this is happening to our young people.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2101

You would think any government, regardless of their political persuasion, would do anything to prevent this sort of harm from happening to our kids—this sort of mental and emotional damage. Any decent or reasonable government would swallow their pride, look to our neighbours over our northern border and put into effect the kinds of practices that New South Wales are, where containing the virus does not essentially mean imprisoning our kids in their homes. This government needs to do a whole lot better, because it is our kids who are going to wear the biggest cost of all—a cost that will remain with them for many years to come COMMUNITY FOOD RELIEF Ms CRUGNALE (Bass) (10:02): I want to take this opportunity to thank our local community organisations and groups, the volunteers and supporters who are on the ground, connected in and continuing to provide meals, food relief and support to those in need at this time: ADRA, Bless Collective food van, Paddy’s Kitchen, PC3 Community Cook Up, Planetshakers, Living & Learning Pakenham, AfriAus iLEAC, Sikh Volunteers Australia, Gurudwara Baba Budha Sahib ji, the Salvos in Pakenham and Wonthaggi, TurningPoint churches in Koo Wee Rup, Hallam and Cranbourne, Phillip Island Community & Learning Centre, Mitchell House in Wonthaggi, Corinella & District Community Centre and the many others in and around my electorate. You are all heart, show the best in humanity and have a nature that is so compassionate and selfless and that we should all aspire to. SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Ms CRUGNALE: Over the last 24 hours our Victoria State Emergency Service had over 4000 call-outs across the state for assistance for trees down, building damage and flooding. The Wonthaggi, Phillip Island, San Remo and Pakenham units and the people at AusNet have all had busy nights—and continue on today. Pakenham SES is currently the staging area for a task force waiting to be deployed to Gippsland. They are joined by members from Narre Warren, Greater Dandenong, Moorabbin, Footscray and Essendon through to Hobsons Bay—all ready to head out and assist for the next few days in Gippsland. SES volunteers and all our emergency services are working extremely hard. I want to thank our crews out in the field and on standby to travel and everyone behind the scenes. You are doing an absolutely outstanding job. ANZAC DAY Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (10:03): Today I rise to pay tribute to the strong community spirit of my electorate and the way they warmly commemorated Anzac Day this year. Things looked different this year, and there were limits on how many people could attend events. I am proud to say that the Anzac spirit remains strong thanks to the voluntary efforts of RSL sub-branches, school communities, football clubs and service clubs, and it was particularly moving given it was the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force. I have a great family connection to this, given three of my uncles served in that air force. Last year we could not meet in person. We stayed apart to keep each other safe, although we continued to commemorate the spirit of our fallen heroes. Although the threat of COVID remains present in all our communities, we were able to see services across my whole electorate. It was wonderful to see so many locals being able to attend services in Beveridge, Whittlesea, Wallan, Hurstbridge, Doreen and Diamond Creek. Coming together as a community allowed us to reconnect with friends and family and reminded me of how proud I am to represent the electorate of Yan Yean. I especially want to thank those who represented me and laid wreaths at events I could not get to, especially Whittlesea’s Bethany Cordell, a member of the Yan Yean Youth Council. I also want to thank my dear friend Wes Wridgway and the Doreen RSL sub-branch, who recently shared their own experiences and that of the broader veteran community with me and the Minister for Veterans and Minister for Local Government, Shaun Leane, and their need for a permanent home for this young sub-branch so they can connect socially and also have a base for mental health and

MEMBERS STATEMENTS 2102 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 employment support. I want to thank Minister Leane for listening and for his commitment to work with the sub-branch— (Time expired) BOX HILL ELECTORATE COMMUNITY SUPPORT Mr HAMER (Box Hill) (10:05): The last two weeks have been very difficult for many in the Box Hill community, and I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the following local organisations that have been working hard throughout this period to care for local residents: Box Hill Community Information and Support Service, the Box Hill Salvation Army and their Doorways program team, and the Uniting Church in East Burwood. These organisations have ensured Box Hill’s most vulnerable residents and anyone else experiencing hardship have been able to access food, personal care items, help with a utility bill or access to phone services and financial assistance. Some of these organisations have also been offering referrals and assistance for housing, financial and mental wellbeing and counselling services, and I commend them for their efforts during these challenging times. I would also like to thank the team at Carrington Health for their terrific work assisting and supporting locals at this time. EVDORAS ELISSEOU Mr HAMER: Congratulations to Mr Evdoras Elisseou for reaching the wonderful milestone of 100 years of life on 29 May. Mr Elisseou has five children—four daughters and a son—and he also has nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Mr Elisseou arrived as a migrant to this country from Cyprus in 1951, when he settled in Richmond. He later moved to Box Hill, where he has continued to live for the past the 40 years. In his younger days Mr Elisseou worked for Holden assembling cars and also worked on the railways cleaning and servicing our trains. He has a very green thumb, with an enduring love for his beautiful garden and the card game patience. Happy birthday— and I wish you many more to come. COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Mr KENNEDY (Hawthorn) (10:06): Although currently unable to visit a gym, I recently received my first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine at Access Health and Community in Hawthorn. Today I want to encourage my constituents, fellow Victorians and Australians to get vaccinated as soon as possible. If you are over 40, book it in as soon as possible. It is a simple step we could all take to rid ourselves of this virus. It has been encouraging to see that around 140 000 Victorians are now being vaccinated every week. My experience of getting vaccinated has been a very positive one. I would like to thank the friendly staff at Access Health and Community and, in particular, Yijun, who looked after me so well. I barely felt the needle. At times like this we really see the value of community health centres like Access Health and Community. Founded over 150 years ago, they connect people in Melbourne’s east with the health services and community programs they need. In addition to the standard medical health services they also provide dental, audiology, mental health, nutrition, physiotherapy and child and family services, along with many more. They are a real asset to the community in Hawthorn. Following statements incorporated in accordance with resolution of house of 8 June: BUDGET 2021–22 Mr EREN (Lara) The recent state budget was very good to the wider Geelong community, especially in my electorate of Lara. I was extremely pleased with the commitment from our government to provide funding for the Northern Aquatic and Community Hub (NACH). This commitment, to provide $8.5 million towards the NACH, will assist in delivering a state-of-the-art aquatic and community facility for the northern suburbs region in Geelong, creating life-changing health and wellbeing benefits.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2103

It will feature a wide range of modern, world-class facilities and services designed to help people of all ages improve their physical and mental health, create social connections and experience better overall wellbeing. It’s estimated the facility would attract 600 000 visits per year, delivering $111 million in preventative health benefits during its first decade in operation. I thank the City of Greater Geelong (COGG) for their work and commitment in making this project a priority. The COGG has committed $44.84 million towards this project. This is great for our community, will also be great for jobs and will create a fantastic sports and community space for everyone to enjoy. I congratulate COGG for making this commitment. While the state government has funded over $40 million for this two-stage project—$33 million for Barwon Health North and now $8.5 million for Northern Aquatic and Community Hub, and the City of Greater Geelong has made a significant investment into the NACH, it is disappointing Sarah Henderson and the federal government are not doing their fair share. The only monies coming from the federal government are unfortunately not dedicated funds for this project, but disappointingly they are redirecting funds from the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program which is money that could have gone to supporting other projects across the community. It appears, once again, that this federal Liberal government has no interest in the northern suburbs of Geelong.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) I rise to thank all our healthcare and frontline workers across the Northcote electorate who have been instrumental in our response to this pandemic. In Victoria over the past week, we have undertaken 214 860 COVID tests and administered 147 600 vaccines at state-run centres across our suburbs. This is a truly incredible achievement that would not be possible without the resilience and dedication of our amazing healthcare workers and pathologists. And this is not to mention all our GPs, nurses, pharmacists, support staff and others who have been an essential source of advice and information. They are respected and trusted members of our community—and in a diverse community like Northcote they are often the ones reaching out directly to our multicultural communities in their own languages to share information, advice and reassurance. Northcote is home to hundreds of healthcare workers. Indeed, it is one of the most popular professions across our suburbs. To them, on behalf of all of us, I say thank you. Yet I also share with our health workers a deep sense of disappointment and frustration in the federal government’s stalled vaccination program. Winter has descended on our country, and yet we are still well behind schedule. Australia’s vaccination rate is currently sitting at around 2.5 per cent while the United States and the United Kingdom have achieved more than 42 per cent full vaccination. The Morrison government claims that there is no race but that belies the seriousness of the situation we confront. This virus is just as deadly as it was a year ago. It has just the same potential to ravage our state. It can have just the same serious health impacts on those who contract it and recover. If there is any doubt about this, all you need to do is look at cities like Toronto right now. While our healthcare workers, our government and the vast majority of Victorians are doing everything in their power to step in and help boost vaccination rates, it is beyond disappointing to hear those on the opposite side of the chamber flirting again with conspiracy theories and seeding doubt in sections of our community about the scientific realities of this virus. At best they are fooling themselves to think they can just wish this away. At worst they are deliberately spreading misinformation for political gain. Or perhaps they just think it’s all too hard and have thrown up their hands in favour of a misguided view that herd immunity might be preferable. It wouldn’t surprise me— they’ve never had the stamina to do the hard yards. I call on the Morrison government to buck up, pull their state colleagues into line, and get on with their job, which is supercharging our vaccine rollout and building a quarantine facility to protect our state and our country.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 2104 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

It is baffling that the aged care and disability sectors—some of our most vulnerable Victorians—are still not fully vaccinated under their program. It is despicable that they had to be brought kicking and screaming to the table in order to offer Victorians a basic wage subsidy—and even then have refused it to a vast proportion working people. All the while, our healthcare workers are steadfastly getting the job done. They have been there for us when we need it most. On behalf of the Northcote electorate, you have our gratitude and our deepest respect. And as soon as I am eligible, I will be in the queue for my vaccine—for them and for all of us.

Business of the house NOTICES OF MOTION AND ORDERS OF THE DAY Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (10:08): I move:

That the consideration of government business, notice of motion 1, and orders of the day 1 to 3 be postponed until later this day. Motion agreed to. Bills ENERGY LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (ENERGY FAIRNESS) BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Ms D’AMBROSIO: That this bill be now read a second time. Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (10:09): I rise to address in some substantive detail the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. Had I known the chamber attendants would be distributing the bill to us readily this morning, I would have saved some paper and not printed it in my office before arriving in the chamber just now. I have considered in detail the bill. I have considered in detail the minister’s second-reading speech and the memorandum of understanding as well, and I would like to commence my contribution today by drawing out some of the points mentioned by the minister in her second-reading speech. She notes that:

Energy is an essential service. Access to a reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy supply is vital to the health and wellbeing of all Victorians. We agree. We agree on this side of the house that access to reliable, sustainable and affordable energy is vital to the health and wellbeing of all Victorians, but we would go further. We would go further than that, because it is not just vital to the health and wellbeing of all Victorians, it is also vital to the health and wellbeing of businesses, of Victoria’s manufacturing sector—for butchers, for bakers, for sawmill operators, for dairy producers, for food processing producers, for all those high-energy producers who require a higher use of energy that is not just a higher use but that is reliable, sustainable and affordable. The minister goes on to outline some of the things that this bill will give effect to. She says that this bill will give effect to key reforms of the Labor government that they committed to under their energy fairness plan, and that:

These reforms include banning harmful unsolicited sales practices and strengthening penalties for energy companies who wrongfully disconnect customers, including customers reliant on life support equipment. The minister goes on to say that:

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2105

… the Bill will prohibit energy retailers and their agents from engaging in unsolicited high-pressure sales tactics to domestic customers, such as door-to-door selling or cold-calling. These practices— the minister says—

… have resulted in some of the most vulnerable Victorians being signed up to unfair, expensive energy contracts that cause significant financial and emotional distress. At this point in time I am signposting a few things—the intent of the bill—and then I will come back and address some of these more substantively during the course of my contribution. The bill also introduces, according to the minister’s second-reading contribution:

… new criminal penalties of up to $1 million for energy retailers that knowingly or recklessly arrange the wrongful disconnection of customers … These stronger penalties reflect the negative health, wellbeing, and potentially life-threatening consequences of being disconnected from energy supply for all energy consumers. I was quite keen to understand what the minister and indeed what the government meant by the phrase ‘knowingly or recklessly’ and what they deemed to be a ‘wrongful disconnection’. So I am grateful to the government for providing a bill briefing where we were able to, I guess superficially, go through a number of points, but then also we were given the opportunity to ask some more detailed questions via email and to receive those detailed responses. So we asked, ‘Can you describe the kinds of behaviours that might be deemed to be “reckless” under this bill?’, the response being:

A court will determine on the facts whether a disconnection was ‘reckless’. This is interesting to me and this is interesting to the opposition because we would feel more comfortable if the government—who used this phraseology of ‘reckless’ and ‘knowingly or recklessly’ in their pre-2018 election manifesto as well as their subsequent media release referring to these changes, and then again in the minister’s second-reading speech—were able to define for themselves what in fact the meaning of ‘reckless’ was instead of just leaving it up to the courts. That would make not only us more comfortable but also a whole array of energy retailers and customers as well. The other item that I sought further clarification on based on the minister’s second-reading contribution was for her to further define the term ‘wrongful disconnection’. I asked the minister to identify previous instances where the Essential Services Commission has issued a wrongful disconnection penalty notice to a retailer with the appertaining existing fine of $5000. The response I received from the minister’s office was interesting. The response was that the ESC—the Essential Services Commission—has not issued a wrongful disconnection penalty notice since the establishment of the power to do so on 1 January 2016. That then calls into question for me the reason for proposing the changes that the government is proposing, being that the bill introduces new criminal penalties of up to $1 million for energy retailers that knowingly or recklessly arrange for the wrongful disconnection of customers. The government are leaving it up to the courts to define what ‘knowingly or recklessly’ means, and they have no immediate evidence—at least since the power was established with the Essential Services Commission on 1 January 2016—to demonstrate why the existing fine structure totalling $5000 needs to be increased to $1 million. Just to revise, the purpose of this bill, as I see it, from the government’s perspective is the prohibition of save and win-back offers; the prohibition of high-pressure sales tactics, encompassing door-to-door sales and cold call marketing; the criminalisation of operators knowingly or recklessly arranging the wrongful disconnection of energy customers and operators knowingly or recklessly disconnecting or arranging the disconnection of households in a way that endangers customers on life support equipment and the criminalisation of providing false or misleading information to the Essential Services Commission. These objectives embody multiple commitments listed in the government’s energy fairness plan, which Labor took to the 2018 election. Now, I have a copy of that election manifesto pre the November 2018 election. To the government’s credit, in some respects they are doing what they said they would do. They say here that they will ban

BILLS 2106 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 win-back and save offers to customers, that they will ban door-to-door retailer salespeople and retailer cold calling and that they will significantly increase the criminal penalties, to $1 million, for energy retailers. There is a whole bunch of stuff that is mentioned here that they are not doing, though, so I will just note those things for possible further amendments to the energy legislation bill. I am raising this because in this election manifesto pre the 2018 state election, in the minister’s media release outlining or anticipating the introduction of this legislation on 25 May 2021 in the subsequent front-page Herald Sun article—and I suspect the headlines of ‘Door-to-door ban’ and ‘Cold-callers shut out’ were at least partially a motivator for the government pursuing these matters—in none of those three documents does it say that as a result of the government’s legislation more than 1000 of our fellow Victorians will be out of work. Now, I note that that number has actually been revised down. When the opposition first investigated the potential impact of the government’s proposed changes pre the 2018 state election, at that point in time the estimate was that there would be around 6000 Victorians out of work should the government actually bring to the Parliament legislation which gave effect to their pre-2018 election manifesto— and then there was COVID. The revised figure is closer to 1000—or over 1000. That is still 1000 people; that is still 1000 Victorians at this time in our state’s history. Given our state’s economy is at a stage where we are seeking to recover from the effects of the global pandemic that have affected many of us—in fact all of us—we do not believe that now is the right time to be enacting legislation that puts 1000 of our fellow Victorians out of work. We often speak in this place about numbers, about statistics, and they are often spoken about in a really cold and callous way and a pretty clinical way: a thousand this, a billion that, a million that. But that is 1000 of our fellow Victorians who are mums and dads. The people who work in this industry, the people who work in this sector who are those people who are undertaking the cold calling, who are the people who are going door to door, they are doing that for a reason. They have lined up for that type of work for a reason. Perhaps they are unskilled. Perhaps they do not have the qualifications to do other things, to contribute to our community through employment in another way. These people are vulnerable people. Many of them are younger people. Many of them are younger regional people who will now be out of work. The members of the Parliament in this place and the other received an email from Andrew Dennis. Andrew is a director of Prism Group, and he wrote to all of us outlining his views on this bill. Mr Dennis says:

I am a business owner of a sales and marketing company called the Prism Group … Prism specialise in direct selling since September 2016 in the Solar PV industry. Prior to starting Prism, I worked as a door-to-door representative from the age of 18 (I am now 37). I have trained and developed people, teams and ran highly successful campaigns over the years at the highest quality. I pride myself on my work, my compliance record and creating opportunities for others I was once given. Having the government considering banning door to door sales activity with the Victorian Energy Fairness Plan I find deeply concerning. I have had no direction or communication from the government in what we should do as a business, we have tried on several occasions to reach out to the Energy Minister … with no success. He goes on to articulate the job losses and how that will affect him, his staff and his industry. He goes on to articulate a number of things, including asking if the legislation itself is necessary legislation. I had the great privilege of catching up with a young bloke earlier this week, James Erickson. He is in his early 20s, a country lad, and for the last couple of years he has worked with his father in fabrication. He has done that because for the last couple of years he has sought to get some employment in Melbourne without success. He has not got a vocational qualification behind him, but he is switched

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2107 on. He is a good young person. His ticket to a job in Melbourne was through door-to-door sales, and he has provided me with his testimony:

Before I started work at Prism Group, I had been looking for a job for 2 years and was not able to gain any employment. I was fortunate enough to get a job at Prism, who would pay me above the retail award rates. I have been working here for 15 weeks now and only 3 weeks ago I was lucky enough to be promoted into the role of team manager. I had demonstrated excellent results, I have worked hard and honestly and always provided customer satisfaction for my progression into my new role. The energy fairness bill is not right, its going to cost me my livelihood, its going to have me going back looking for work that is hard to find especially after a pandemic. Losing your job should happen when you do something wrong, not when you’re helping people and following all correct guidelines. In speaking with James earlier this week, he said to me, ‘You know, all we need is for the minister for energy to come out with us on the hustings, just for half an hour, to see what we do. We’re not dodgy. We don’t seek to screw Victorians into deals that aren’t good for them. What we seek to do is help Victorians find a better cost for their electricity. We seek to save them money. We seek to help them’. This bloke is a good fellow. The effect of this legislation is that this bloke is going to be out of work, and there are 1000 or more of our fellow Victorians just like him. We on this side of the Parliament believe that there is an alternative—that there is potentially a better way to achieve the government’s stated intent of seeking to protect Victorian customers in a more vigorous way whilst also maintaining the more than 1000-strong workforce that will be put out of work should this legislation pass this Parliament. And for that reason, I move:

That all the words after ‘That’ be omitted and replaced with the words ‘this house refuses to read this bill a second time until the government has: (1) reviewed the efficiency of the Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria (EWOV) in resolving complaints about energy contracts sold through telemarketing and door-to-door sales; (2) thoroughly investigated the consumer protection outcomes of mandating that energy companies and agents that sell products through the solar homes initiative join an approved dispute resolution scheme such as EWOV; (3) examined the empirical need for enhanced consumer protections in the energy market; (4) investigated the prohibition of commission-based remuneration for direct marketing workers who operate in the energy sales sector; (5) investigated the consumer protection outcomes of requiring all energy contracts sold through direct marketing to be pre-lodged with the Essential Services Commission; (6) reviewed the avenues through which ‘Do not knock’ stickers are made available and advertised to vulnerable cohorts within the Victorian community; (7) reviewed the effectiveness of plain information statements as a form of consumer protection.’ As I say, the reason why the opposition is moving this reasoned amendment is that we firmly believe that there is a middle road here—a middle road that achieves the government’s stated intent to protect vulnerable Victorians and to increase consumer protections whilst also preserving 1000 Victorian jobs at a time when no-one can afford to be out of work. Just going through some of these clauses in the reasoned amendment, in our view the government has not provided details of any empirical need for enhanced consumer protections in the energy market. As I stated before, having asked the government to identify how many times the ESC has issued a wrongful disconnection penalty notice—well, none of those have been actioned since the establishment of that power on 1 January 2016. We are asking the government—we are asking the Parliament in fact—to consider the prohibition of commission-based remuneration for direct marketing workers who operate in the energy sales sector. So take the incentive out. If there is a suggestion that a commission-based model is incentivising so-called dodgy practices, well, remove the incentive. Pay people based on a standard wage as opposed to incentivising so-called dodgy practices, in the government’s language—remove that incentive.

BILLS 2108 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

Point (5) of the reasoned amendment recommends requiring that any energy plans that are sold door to door or sold over the phone are pre-lodged with the Essential Services Commission so that the Essential Services Commission can essentially look at them and figure out if in fact there is anything dodgy with them—so put in place an additional safeguard before they are able to be sold door to door or over the phone. Point (6) recommends more actively promoting the distribution of ‘Do not knock’ stickers. Also, similar to the telecommunications industry, point (7) of the reasoned amendment recommends reviewing the effectiveness of plain information statements as a form of consumer protection so consumers have in fact the capacity and the ability to compare apples with apples as opposed to being bamboozled by glossy sales brochures. Give them that option. That is what we want to see. As I say, we do not necessarily disagree with the government’s proposition, being that there is a need for greater consumer protection. That is fine, but that can be achieved through the government’s agreement—through the Parliament’s agreement—to this reasoned amendment, whilst also preserving 1000 Victorian jobs, especially at this time. As you would imagine, I have undertaken significant industry consultation during the course of my investigation into this bill, and I would like to draw the Parliament’s attention to some of that. Sales Assured Limited (SAL) is an organisation set up about 12 years ago in Victoria, not because the government or the Parliament thought that an organisation like Sales Assured should be put in place; this was a response by the energy industry, the retail energy industry, to effectively self-regulate in the space of door-to-door sales and telemarketing. Arguably by that standard the industry themselves came to the party about 12 years ago, and the government in the introduction of this legislation are perhaps even Johnny-come-latelys to the equation. That said, as you could imagine, Sales Assured did warn in their submission of imminent job losses, as I have articulated. They went on to talk about their role in the sector. They said:

SAL is a not-for-profit organisation that works primarily with the energy sector and charities to support them in their compliance of their sales agents and fundraisers. Sales agents are held accountable for their behaviour and disciplined for breaching the standards. Sales agents by and large do an effective and honest job in dealing with consumers. Our framework provides a first barrier to misbehaviour. Our disciplinary framework captures breaches. There are rogue agents— so they articulate here in their submission—

who can behave poorly, but Sales Assured has a disciplinary framework in place. Sales agents who breach the standards can be Deregistered for 5 years. This has been a significant deterrent for poor behaviour. Nationally, since 2012 over 43 000 sales agents have been engaged primarily by the energy and charity sectors. In this time 425 sales agents have been Deregistered. That is 1 per cent—1 per cent. They go on to question: ‘Is this legislation necessary?’. And they address a number of other elements of the bill in more detail. I was pleased to hear from the Australian Energy Council, who of course on behalf of their members have raised some concerns with the bill specifically in relation to wrongful disconnection penalties and have offered some other broad comments on—in their view—unreasonably punitive compliance regimes. And I note their contribution to the opposition’s investigation. Other energy companies came to us directly. I acknowledge their contributions as well. They include companies such as AGL, Alinta Energy, EnergyAustralia, Lakes Oil, Origin Energy and Red Energy and peak bodies—the Australian Energy Council, the Clean Energy Council, the Consumer Action Law Centre, Energy Networks Australia, Sales Assured and the Victorian Council of Social Service. I will note, in fairness, that the chief executive officer of the Victorian Council of Social Service, Emma King, wrote to me in relation to this bill and said, quote:

VCOSS strongly supports the bill and the Energy Fairness Plan. It will help protect vulnerable energy consumers from being taken advantage of or ripped off.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2109

I do note, however, Ms King has not addressed the point which I have addressed, in my view substantially, through the course of this contribution, and that is the loss of 1000 jobs in Victoria at a time when our community can least afford that. In the time that I have left I just want to reiterate, so we are all clear, what the coalition and the opposition’s perspective is on this bill, the government’s Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. We do not disagree if there is an opportunity to strengthen consumer protections, and we agree wholeheartedly with the government’s stated intent that energy is an essential service and access to reliable, sustainable and affordable energy supply is vital to every Victorian—not only to the health and wellbeing of Victorians but to Victorian businesses. But we encourage and plead with the government to consider seriously the reasoned amendment that I have introduced today. We plead with the Parliament to consider favourably the reasoned amendment that I have submitted today, because it delivers on the government’s stated intent in spades by increasing consumer protections and it seeks to protect 1000 Victorians who will be out of work as a result of this bill. Mr MAAS (Narre Warren South) (10:39): It gives me great pleasure to rise—and to rise in particular as a first-time MP in this chamber—to speak to the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. I make the point that it is as a first-time member of this chamber, as energy fairness was one of the pressing issues in my electorate of Narre Warren South when I was indeed campaigning for this seat. I find it a little bit baffling as to the extraordinary lengths that the opposition will go to in their bill debate speech just to halt progress that actually benefits every single Victorian in this state. We have just heard from the opposition that they have even had groups such as the Victorian Council of Social Service writing to them, pleading with them to actually support the bill. A member interjected. Mr MAAS: I will pick up on the interjection. They represent the most vulnerable people in the state, and they should be listened to and taken into account. A reasoned amendment has been moved calling for an investigation into prohibition of commission- based remuneration for marketing workers and an investigation of consumer protection outcomes. All of this is actually a delaying tactic, because there has already been a review into energy fairness in this state. In fact it was this government back in 2016 that commissioned the independent review into the electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria, which of course was headed by John Thwaites, to examine how the market was operating and to deliver recommendations on making the energy market fairer and easier to understand. The review defined several problems, problems that went back to those of us who were standing for the 2018 election. It noted that competition was increasing rather than decreasing prices. Retailers were pouring huge amounts of money into marketing and customer- retention programs, including brokerage services and so-called ‘comparison sites’. Those costs were then being passed on to consumers. Although the number of retailers had increased following full deregulation, the three largest energy companies still held a combined market share of more than 60 per cent in electricity and 70 per cent in gas. The big three were also vertically integrated, and what that means is that they owned large generation assets, providing a distinct advantage in the market. Not coincidentally those three dominant players also had the highest retail charges in the market. Finally, opaque pricing and deliberately confusing marketing campaigns made it difficult for energy users to distinguish between a good deal and a bad deal. As a result many were being charged a lot more than was necessary for their electricity and gas. The Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables made a very good point in that this Labor government does deliver and we say what we are going to do. We have done a great deal in the energy market sector to help vulnerable Victorians—indeed to help all Victorians. To address what outcomes came out of that Thwaites report—the independent review into electricity and gas retail markets—we committed to delivering the energy fairness plan ahead of the 2018 election. That plan is delivering

BILLS 2110 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 the biggest regulatory shake-up of the energy sector in Victoria’s history, and it is actually putting power back in the hands of each and every Victorian. So what has happened already? We have already introduced the Victorian default offer as the centrepiece of the energy fairness plan. We have implemented the payment difficulty framework to ensure that energy companies offer assistance to customers who are struggling to pay their bills. We have developed the Victorian Energy Compare website, which offers a truly independent comparison of energy offers. It is worth noting that some 3 million Victorians have already accessed that website, and of those seven out of 10 people have saved money, which is an extraordinary amount. Typical annual household savings on energy bills in the first year alone are about $330. We have also encouraged people to visit Victorian Energy Compare and find a better energy deal with the $50 power saving bonus, and earlier this year we extended the power saving bonus by providing a one-off $250 payment to vulnerable Victorians to provide immediate energy bill relief to eligible concession card holders and those who are receiving JobKeeper or JobSeeker. I know that in my electorate of Narre Warren South that initiative in particular has been very, very popular, and I am sure that other speakers on this side of the chamber will speak to this further when they are making their contribution to this debate. We have already received some 200 000 applications and paid $40 million to those who need it most, and we are reaching even more people, partnering with six community organisations who can help people with limited internet access to process applications either over the phone or in person. Over the life of the power saving bonus we expect to reach about 900 000 households. It has been a really fantastic initiative. But this bill is going to take us even further down the path. The bill will prohibit energy retailers and their agents from engaging in unsolicited, high-pressure sales tactics to domestic customers, such as door-to-door selling or cold calling. These practices have resulted in some of the most vulnerable Victorians being signed up to really unfair deals—expensive energy contracts that cause significant financial and emotional distress and are quite difficult to wriggle out of. The bill bans save and win- back offers, which retailers use to entice customers to return to or stay with their current energy retailer when they try to switch retailers. The customer churn that results from these practices increases the cost of energy for all consumers. Further, the bill introduces new criminal penalties of up to $1 million for energy retailers that knowingly or recklessly arrange the wrongful disconnection of customers and for energy retailers and relevant exempt persons who disconnect or arrange the disconnection of households in a way that endangers customers on life support equipment. Finally, the bill introduces criminal penalties of up to $1 million for licensees who provide false or misleading information to the Essential Services Commission. So in this way the bill is advancing this government’s commitment to reform Victoria’s retail energy market by placing the needs of the customer—all Victorians—at the centre of policies and practices, making energy more affordable and ensuring that this industry does the right thing. Of course we reject the reasoned amendment of the opposition in its totality for the very reason that it has already been taken into consideration, and we will not as a government halt progress for all of the Victorians in this state who are seeking a fairer deal. I commend the work of the energy minister—a tremendous amount of work has gone into this bill—and I commend the bill to the house. Mr McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (10:49): I am delighted to rise and make contribution, and I seek your support for the amendment moved by the member for Sandringham. It was an extremely comprehensive review he gave. I was very impressed with how he covered this legislation and the shortcomings within it, and I think I will reiterate a few of those—without going over too much old ground. Again, I think what the member for Sandringham was trying to point out is that many of the issues that are raised in this bill, or problems it is trying to solve, are already solved in other parts of rules and regulations and other legislation. So this is another example of all smoke and plenty of mirrors, because it does not offer new benefits to Victorians but it will severely affect up to 1000 jobs—or even

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2111 more than 1000 jobs. Surely this government must be able to see, because everybody else can see, now is not the time to pass legislation that puts people’s livelihoods at risk and puts people out of a job. I know the unemployment benefits are the responsibility of the commonwealth, but this is hardly a way to cost-shift when 1000 families, some vulnerable, are to lose the main breadwinner when they lose their job. This is no way to respond in a crisis. Victoria has certainly moved from being the lucky state and the vibrant state; it really has. It has changed over years, and the Andrews-Merlino-Allan government need to stop these distractions. It is misleading, what they are trying to talk about here. The member for Narre Warren South just talked about initiatives that they are trying to encourage and support, and they talk about the $250 power saving bonus. Well, the Liberal-Nationals have already come out and said we believe this should be available to all casual workers. The member for Narre Warren South talks about eligible people again. Now, I am sick of this word ‘eligible’ because it seems to be a word that gets used as suits the government. We do not want to know who is eligible; we want to know who has missed out—who has fallen through the cracks. I think here is an example where this $250 bonus, which is considerable—it is up to six weeks of power bills for many people—should be offered to every casual worker. I mean, we are just coming out of the fourth lockdown. We are still effectively in it; it is just a different version of it. Again we hear the government spin that, ‘It’s over, it’s finished’. Well, it is not—in terms of the lockdown. Having been responsible for the amount of deaths that we have seen in Victoria and certainly the increase in mental ill health, I would have thought there are more important issues that we can be focusing on rather than going over old ground again. You know, telemarketing practices and door-to-door sales are legitimate in Victoria, and like everything they could do with some support or some change or more scrutiny. I do not have any problem with that, but I mean, starting to talk about million-dollar fines for those who mislead the Essential Services Commission—well, I wonder if they had had that in hotel quarantine what we would have seen out of that investigative inquiry. Again, when I talk about smoke and mirrors this is just about going over old ground to try to grandstand about how we can support Victorians when it is quite legitimate, telemarketing and door-to-door sales, and just needs maybe some fine-tuning, maybe a tweak. That is why I say I think we have got to stop shifting the blame and take responsibility for the mess that we are in rather than trying to talk about other things that are just smoke and mirrors. On these 1000 jobs that the member for Sandringham talked about, it really is a shame because, as I say, telemarketers and door knockers sometimes do use unconscionable behaviour and misleading conduct but certainly not as misleading as in some of the things that we have seen come out from the government. As I spoke about with some of the small business grants, we are really frustrated in regional Victoria about who is eligible and who is not. I spoke about—last night in the grievance debate—how frustrated we are and the amount of calls and emails we are getting from small businesses who say they just do not qualify and it is just so frustrating for them. I think when it comes to eligibility for something like lockdown grants and support there should be a box that says ‘Have you been affected? Tick yes or no’, and if you answer, ‘Yes I have been financially affected’, you should be eligible. It should not be about trying to jump through hoops and over hurdles to try and qualify for some of these grants. I saw a press release the other day from the government. I have forgotten what the press release was about, but the headline was ‘Leaving no-one behind’. Well, I can assure you that vulnerable small businesses in Victoria really feel like they have been left behind, having been locked down for many, many days—as everybody has—and because they do not turn over $75 000 per annum they are not eligible. I can tell you right now they are feeling left behind. They are feeling betrayed as their income has been destroyed. Now, in terms of wrongful disconnection and penalty notices against retailers who disconnect customers, again this is already in place. This is not new, and the Australian Energy Council tell us that no such notices have ever been issued. So again, this $5000 fine that is going to go to $1 million—

BILLS 2112 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 where is the benefit in that? Is this just all grandiosity and all grandstanding, when none of these fines have ever been issued? We have got to stop the smoke and mirrors and get on with what is important to Victorians at the moment. Of course they want to save cash and they want to look for better deals, but you do not do that by stopping telemarketers and stopping doorknockers. You have just got to refine the rules and make it fair. Again, the energy fairness plan—I mean, I am just so over the amount of spin that this government talks about, but when you get to the detail in a bill like this, there is actually not a lot that changes. I often wonder: is there a telemarketers and doorknockers union? What have they got to say about this? Maybe there is not one, and maybe that is why we are going down this path. We have got a Victorian economy that is on its knees, and the Andrews-Merlino-Allan government is wanting to contribute more stunts like this rather than getting on and doing what really needs to be done, and that is seeing how we do not head into lockdown 5. The four parts to this bill include the prohibition on save and win-back offers; prohibiting high- pressure sales tactics; criminalisation of knowingly or recklessly arranging disconnection that endangers life; and the fourth, misleading the Essential Services Commission. Again, as I have said earlier, a lot of these are already in place, and a little bit of refining would have been just as effective. When we talk about changes to legislation and how the government is going to help people, I am sick and tired of hearing them saying, ‘We’re going to provide X amount of millions of dollars to support this particular grant or this sector’. Well, that does not say whether the money that they are putting up will solve 100 per cent of the problem or will solve just 5 per cent of the problem. How much will it contribute to actually solving the problem rather than just saying, ‘We’re going to put up X amount of millions of dollars’? We really need to know how much that money will contribute to solving the problem, how many people take up the offer and certainly how many do not qualify. I think we have seen time and time again, not just in regional Victoria but for businesses and casual staff, that it is about how many people fall through the cracks and how many do not qualify. So I think it is important, and that is the information we need. The government stands up and beats its chest and says, ‘We’ve got the energy fairness plan and we’re going to solve all these problems; we’re going to add this amount of money to help people’ and the minister calls it the ‘final plank in energy fairness’. Well, that just adds to the rhetoric and it does not tell us how many people will have a problem solved. It adds to their narrative that privatisation has failed and that marketing practices are one of the contributors to energy price rise in Victoria. I think doubling the tax on Engie down in Hazelwood a few years ago and then it closing down earlier than required—if you want to look for an increase in energy prices, look no further than that. I am just about out of time. I just want to suggest that this house does consider the reasoned amendment put together by the member for Sandringham. It is quite sound, and I do hope you consider it. Mr FOWLES (Burwood) (10:59): Let the record reflect that the coalition parties are soft on telemarketing, soft on cold calling and soft on high-pressure sales tactics. They just want to kick this thing down the road as long as they possibly can, and it does not stand to their credit. It simply is not good enough to have these odious sales practices continue one moment longer than they need to, and I am very surprised that the coalition parties are in here today trying to protect these high-pressure sales tactics where people roll up to your front door and start heavying you into signing up to unfair energy contracts. It does not reflect at all well on the member for Ovens Valley or the member for Sandringham that they are in here defending these tactics today and trying to kick the can down the road. But it is my great pleasure to make a contribution today around the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021, because what we are seeking to do is to give full effect to our energy fairness plan. This is not some document that was cooked up on a whim, it is a document that arrived out of a review process—a thorough and substantial review process—and, more importantly, it is a document that we took to the last election. We took it to the last election, and we were returned with a thumping majority because of the very good manifesto that was laid out for the people of Victoria at that last election. Acquitting those election commitments is of course core business for the Andrews

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2113

Labor government because we are a government that says what we are going to do and then does what we say. And this is just one example of us delivering again on a key set of election commitments. I want to take the house briefly through some of the elements of these reforms and in particular to just offer an explanation of what the energy fairness plan is and also what some of the practices that have been referred to today comprise, like the win-back and save offers. The energy fairness plan, released in November 2018, prior to the last state election, announced a bunch of commitments, including the banning of these win-back and save offers and the banning of door-to-door sales and cold calling by energy retailers. And if you want a good reason for going about and actually doing this, it is because we promised we would. The notion that we should just be kicking the can down the road, because the opposition are trying to dance the dance of saying they are protecting jobs but also basically allowing this high-pressure sales channel to continue, is a nonsense. The energy fairness plan has a bunch of other elements, some of which have already been implemented by the government, like making sure vulnerable Victorians are on the best energy offer. It also does other things like strengthening the powers of the Essential Services Commission, employing a fourth commissioner to focus on litigation and enforcement, and of course extending the power saving bonus. These are things that either have been delivered on already, will be delivered on via this bill or are in fact underway. The energy fairness plan promised to reduce the back-billing period from nine months to four months. That was given effect through the code. There was a $50 power saving bonus that got extended to 30 June 2019. It was recently increased to $250—a measure that I know has been very popular throughout the state—with eligible Victorians able to apply for that bonus right through until February of next year. The remaining energy fairness plan commitments will be given effect shortly. They include doubling the penalty for civil penalty notices and beefing up the ESC’s enforcement role to include wideranging powers to monitor and report on the competitiveness and efficiency of the Victorian retail energy market and some clearer investigative powers. These are all very, very important commitments that were made. We are of course a government that delivers on its commitments, and that is what we are doing, in part by this bill before the house today. There has been some discussion about the save and win-back offer provisions. I just want to briefly take the chamber through those. Save and win-back offers are forms of customer-retention activity. When a customer moves over to a new retailer their current retailer is notified that that move is happening. What has been happening is that then a save offer follows. That is, you have decided to move from retailer A to retailer B; retailer A tries to interrupt that decision, tries to drag you back with a save offer, or if the transfer is already complete, they might go with a win-back offer. So retailer A, having lost you as a customer, then goes to try and claw you back through a win-back offer—all of which just increases churn through the retail electricity market, none of which improves the efficiency of that market. There has been some discussion about the commission matters raised by those opposite. What we say is that the policy intent of this reform is to improve consumer outcomes in the entire market to protect vulnerable consumers—the sorts of consumers who might most be persuaded by someone knocking on their door in an unsolicited fashion and then be pressured into signing a contract. There is no shortage of instances of harm associated with those channels. The analysis and the consultation we have undertaken says that if you ban the channel, that is the greatest protection you could provide to those consumers—that is, if you make sure that, irrespective of whether there is a commission arrangement in place or not, retailers cannot get at the consumer via unsolicited cold calling and cannot get at the consumer via unsolicited doorknocking, then there is no need to go further, if you like, and start banning sales incentives as well. It is important to note when we talk about wrongful disconnections that whilst the reporting of wrongful disconnections has declined somewhat in recent years, they are still occurring at a high annual rate—about 500 customers a year since 2017–18. That suggests that wrongful disconnections are being used as a means of leveraging debt collection. One of the fundamental premises of utilities in Victoria is that the debt collection activity and the disconnection activity have to happen separately.

BILLS 2114 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

They occur on different bases, and these new offences and penalties are aimed at further deterring behaviour where retailers knowingly or recklessly fail to comply with their obligations under the Energy Retail Code. I turn to the reasoned amendment and to some of the contributions made by those opposite in relation to this bill. I thank the member for Sandringham for acknowledging that we are in fact delivering on our promises. That is a refreshing acknowledgement. It is an accurate acknowledgement. That is what the government is getting about and doing. But I do query in the reasoned amendment this reference to the distribution of ‘Do not knock’ stickers. I am not sure that this is a set of activities that is going to be well regulated by a sticker. I am not sure that regulation by stickers is the way we want to go. Stickers are—well, they are sticky. They are potentially useful, but I am not sure that they are going to offer much deterrence to people knocking on people’s doors when they are clearly incentivised to obtain a contract and will continue to pressure people irrespective of what a sticker may or may not say somewhere near their door or on their letterbox or on their front gate. I am not sure that regulation could be any lighter touch than regulation by sticker. I think it is a fallacy to suggest anything otherwise. As I have said, these reforms are a range of reforms that resulted in the energy fairness plan, which is all about cutting the cost of energy to families right across the state. They are about increasing transparency and competition in the market and making sure that companies that do the wrong thing face the consequences. The reforms set out in the energy fairness plan are all about addressing those unsolicited sales activities and the unethical customer retention activities—those things that we say do not need to be a part of the energy purchasing experience in Victoria. There is no need, in our submission, to be kicking the can down the road. There is no need to be just putting in arbitrary delay in order to stop the prohibition of these activities. I think it is extraordinary that the coalition parties are being so soft on doorknocking, so soft on unsolicited telemarketing. These are activities that we ought put an end to because energy is an essential service and access to reliable, sustainable, affordable energy is absolutely vital to the wellbeing of all Victorians. Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (11:09): It gives me great pleasure to rise to speak on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. I love talking about this stuff for two reasons: I love talking about fairness and how our government is passionate about delivering equality and fairness for every Victorian but also because I spent 13 years working in the energy sector, working for DNSPs—distribution network service providers. At the flick of a switch, when they get the call from the retailer, they can disconnect you. I remember the days when they had to go out to people’s homes to disconnect them, to have a look at the state of affairs—the way in which some of our poorest, most vulnerable Victorians were living. And I remember the linies would come back and they would be terribly horrified. Some of them could not disconnect them. There was domestic violence, no food, kids hardly clothed running around, drug addicts—all kinds of terrible, terrible situations in people’s homes in some of the poorest parts of our electorate and in the distribution network’s actual patch that they were responsible for. Let me tell you, big business, retailers, distribution networks, transmission networks are in the business of making money. I worked for them for a long time, and I loved it. I loved my career there. I did lots of great things. One of the things that I got to do, working for a transmission and distribution network at the time—a couple of years ago, before entering politics—was that I had the joy of going into neighbourhoods and knocking on some doors to try and talk to customers about what they wanted as part of their energy future: the solar panels; would they be interested in having a battery connected in their local street? I remember working for a particular company, and I had the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change—here at the table—come out, I think, for the launch and the switching on of one in Mooroolbark. A member interjected. Ms CONNOLLY: Indeed, that was me. I was hired there because I could just speak normal language, plain English, to people in that community, because people paid a lot of money in those

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2115 networks. They did not drive the types of cars they were driving in Mooroolbark. They did not speak the type of local language and could not explain things in plain English in the way in which normal people, like my mum and dad, could understand. There is no fairness when it comes to the energy market. It is those people sitting in the ivory tower who understand everything about their industry. Do you know what else they understand? Retailers, let me tell you, understand it so well. Distribution and transmission networks, at the time when I left, were trying pretty hard to understand it, and they had a long road ahead of them, but retailers understand their customers, and a whole range of them. They understand through focused market research about how to target people to sign them up to dodgy deals. Now, the member for Sandringham—as much as I think he is a great guy, it was like listening to a violin. I am there in my office thinking, ‘How many times have all of us had a knock at the door?’. The first thing they say—and this resonates really well with my mum, who works in aged care by the way; she has got a couple of solar panels and is always looking to find a cheaper deal—is, ‘Do you want to know how to save money on your electricity bill?’. And they say that because the first answer to that question is yes. Everyone wants to save more on their energy bill, me included. It is predatory, calculated behaviour. Now, that is not to say, as the member for Sandringham pointed out, that it is about those people doing the knock at the door—and I do not envy those kinds of people; it is a really tough job, particularly if you knock on my door, because I enjoy the conversation, I really do— breaking the law. It is about the way in which those people have been trained to have those conversations. It is predatory in the way in which it unfolds there at the front door or on the phone. Now, the member for Wendouree just reminded me of the ‘Do not knock’ stickers that we see. We see those stickers in their thousands in our poorest, most vulnerable suburbs and streets, and the reason for that is that energy retailers have targeted those areas again and again and again. You hear it, whether you are watching the 7.30 report like me or you are watching A Current Affair like a lot of Victorians. We read it, whether it is in the Age or in the Herald Sun. We read about vulnerable people, people with disabilities, really elderly people, some people who are so lonely that the only knock at the door they get is from an energy retailer selling them something. They are happy to have a chat and they are happy to sign up to anything that these people put in front of them because they establish a relationship, a little bit of a friendly conversation and banter, a little bit of trust, and it can be quite easy to establish trust with elderly men and women who know nothing about the energy sector. They do not know how their bill is calculated. They probably do not know how much they are paying currently, but again the answer to that question, ‘Do you want to save money on your power bills?’—of course you do. Now, the member for Sandringham talked about 1000 people being likely to lose their jobs. We are not a government that wants to see anyone lose their job. But I think what the member for Sandringham—and I will give him the benefit of the doubt—probably did not realise is we have been talking about this reform since 2018. Big business is not stupid, I say to the member for Sandringham. They are not going to waste money on rolling out telemarketers when they know we have got a government in power that is going to crack down on this. They have been transitioning to new ways to get new customers on board. Retailers make money by having more and more customers sign up with them, in whatever format. This is about protecting every Victorian—vulnerable Victorians. And, yes, vulnerable Victorians need protecting. Sometimes they cannot make a good decision—they do not know how to save money on their bills, they just know that they need to save money on their bills. But I would say to the member for Sandringham that if we have made our intentions known since 2018, this has been more than enough time for those businesses to transition across to other ways in which to market and advertise their deals. I feel like that is maybe not misleading the house—I mean, I will give him the benefit of the doubt; he probably did not know. He was probably looking too closely at other things in our election platform policy, so he did not know about that. One of the other things I want to talk about is that big business wants to make money. They look at cutting costs. That is why I will never forget being in an ivory tower here in the CBD and people were actually excited that they could then flick a switch—to not have to send people out face to face to

BILLS 2116 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 physically turn off the power; they could flick a switch—because it could save the business money. They could meet their KPIs. And do you know what happens in big business when you meet KPIs? When you are sitting there as a busy worker bee, working your butt off all year, you look forward to your bonus. And the people knocking at your door have KPIs and a bonus. They are incentivised to sell, sell, sell. So when I think about the conversation around switching off people’s power at the flick of a switch and how very few of those privileged, well-paid, highly qualified and great people have a reaction to being able to actually do that, they are not thinking about protecting vulnerable Victorians. They are thinking about two things: how they will save costs and making sure they do not break the law— because the one thing about big businesses, whether they are a monopoly or they are a retailer, whether they are upstream or downstream, is that they do not want to break the law. And the reason for that? Well, there are two reasons. The first is that the business and likely they themselves will incur a financial penalty of up to $1 million. That is a really big disincentive to breaking the law. The second reason is transparent reporting, because that makes them accountable, whether it is to the state government or to the Australian Energy Regulator. Transparent reporting changes behaviour. So, yes, on having up to $1 million to fine businesses doing the wrong thing, I just cannot believe I am sitting here listening to those opposite say how that is a ridiculous thing to do. This is a wonderful bill. It builds on our fairness, and I commend it to the house. Ms CRUGNALE (Bass) (11:19): That was a phenomenal contribution, and I will certainly be looking at Hansard, re-reading it and taking some very fine points. But I think what the member has been talking about is around that predatory, calculated behaviour and targeting areas in our communities that are already struggling. Predatory behaviour is absolutely appalling. I would like to start by speaking to this bill, which is the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. If we think about when we are asked how much we pay for electricity and gas, we always have this blank stare; we do not really have a clue. We do not even really know how the bill is calculated. To suggest there could possibly be even a cheaper rate by switching companies can be all too difficult really to get your head around. And if we have survived all this, we then get a cold call around dinnertime usually by someone who would love to ask these very same questions. Again, as the member for Tarneit was saying around that doorknock and being asked, ‘Would you like to save money on your energy bill?’, of course those questions are prepared by psychologists to kind of get you in the door, to get that sort of conversation starting and to already put you on the back foot. They might even say, ‘I’m not trying to sell you anything, but do you happen to have your last gas or electricity bill handy?’, and as we all know, many of us do not really have that bill handy, especially when we are having dinner. When we came into government in 2014, Victorian electricity retailer charges were among the highest in the world, prices were out of control, consumers were confused and obscure marketing and pricing practices were rampant. The bipartisan review of 2016 into electricity and gas retail markets—let us repeat the ‘bipartisan’ word—made 11 recommendations, and because we are a government that keeps our promises, we pledged to implement all 11 of them. Most significantly the review found that in the 15 years since the relevant legislation had been introduced, competition had failed to deliver a number of promised benefits to consumers. Competition was increasing prices rather than decreasing them, huge amounts of money were being spent on marketing programs and consumers were bearing the costs. Despite privatisation, three companies held a market share of more than 60 per cent in electricity and 70 per cent in gas. It sometimes takes some time to fix someone else’s mess, but ours is a government that does not shirk its responsibilities or hard work. We went to the 2018 election with a promise to implement the energy fairness plan, because we believe in fairness. This bill is the key part of the government’s broader energy retail reform package. In my electorate of Bass we have people who are struggling. We all know of instances of people who have had to make a decision between paying their energy bill and eating or who have not turned on the heater in winter because they simply cannot pay their energy bill and cannot run the risk of getting

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2117 that huge bill in three months time. No longer will they be preyed on by unscrupulous sales tactics signing them up to unfair, expensive contracts, and no longer will they fear having their gas or electricity cut off without due process. This bill protects our most vulnerable Victorians. Another simple change that could have a huge impact on families is changing the regulatory period from a calendar year to a financial year, preventing the pressure of a price increase at Christmas time. Another one is amending the code to reduce the allowable back-billing limit for undercharged amounts from nine to four months. No longer will an energy company be able to demand payment for a mistake they made eight months ago. And we have already introduced the Victorian default offer—or VDO— for electricity. This is a fair, simple price for electricity set by the Essential Services Commission, which provides consumers with easy-to-understand information. There are three essential components to this bill. Firstly, door-to-door sales and cold calling will be banned— Members interjecting. Ms CRUGNALE: We will all certainly jump up and cheer along with the members for Tarneit and Wendouree in this chamber. Victorians will be able to open the front door and not be greeted by someone asking if they happen to have a recent energy bill to hand. I defy anyone in the Assembly to say that they have not been cold-called by an energy company, and it always seems to be when you are busy doing something else. In future Victorians can have peace of mind that if their electricity company contacts them it may be to let them know that they have a better offer available. Secondly, the save and win-back offers, which are all too prevalent, will also be banned. No longer will an energy plan be treated like a lottery ticket, and no longer will Victorians be paying for energy companies to be pitted against each other with marketing schemes that reward playing the system— only no-one wins when you play the system. Short-term offers end up costing customers more in the long run. It is sneaky and it is anti-competitive. This bill means that from now on retailers will be required to provide clear marketing information and to inform customers of their best offer for their circumstances. No longer will disloyalty be rewarded. While these two practices are unbelievably frustrating, the third part of this amendment involves potentially fatal consequences. It will now be illegal for energy retailers to disconnect households in a way that endangers customers on life support equipment. A penalty of up to $1 million will be incurred for this or for licensees who provide misleading or false information to the Essential Services Commission. Our Andrews Labor government wants people to be involved in decision-making. We want people to be knowledgeable and make informed decisions on what is best for them. We also want Victorians to be given accurate, honest and understandable information so that they can make those decisions. We are always looking for better ways to engage customers—for example, the Victorian Energy Compare website. This independent comparison of energy offers has been accessed by more than 3 million Victorians so far, and 70 per cent of these have saved money with the information they have gained— around $330 per household in the first year. Our $250 power saving bonus has been extended until 30 January, helping people who need it most, and 200 000 applications have already been received. The household energy savings package—$335 million to deliver new energy-efficient heating and cooling for low-income households—and the $112 million for energy efficient updates are life changing for 35 000 social housing homes. Clear advice reforms—making energy companies tell customers if this is the best energy plan for them, three-monthly for electricity and four-monthly for gas—help customers engage with the energy sector by providing them with relevant, clear information rather than treating them like passers-by at a sideshow alley. What do stakeholders think of the bill? So, few surprises. In general, groups such as the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Council on the Ageing Victoria and the Consumer Action Law Centre support the amendments. In fact the Consumer Action Law Centre wants bans extended to include new energy

BILLS 2118 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 products and services, including solar panels, yet energy retailers and industry groups are generally critical and think bans are unnecessary. They support the practice of unsolicited sales—funny about that. They must not like dinnertime with the family. Lastly, the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria was consulted and is supportive of the energy fairness bill. As with so much legislation before this Assembly, I thank the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change for her tireless work in making this state a fairer and better place to live, and I thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to make Victoria a fairer state—one that respects honesty and transparency and places it above dishonesty and trickery. I commend the bill to the house. Ms HALFPENNY (Thomastown) (11:28): That—the contribution of the member for Bass— reflects all the views of all members on this side of the house in terms of fairness and wanting to ensure that consumers are protected and subject to a fair system or market, whatever that might be. I also rise to make a contribution to the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021, and at the heart of this bill is our continuing commitment to consumer protection and affordable access to reliable energy supply. The bill fundamentally works to further address the inequalities that were created by the energy privatisation of previous Liberal governments, and unlike those on the opposite side, who sold off Victoria’s energy assets and allowed our prices to soar out of control, our government continues to deliver ongoing reforms that aim to build the energy system of the future. Everyone other than the Liberal-National party, I think, now concedes that privatisation has not delivered the benefits that it was supposedly going to give us. The Andrews Labor government, when we were elected in 2014 and ongoing, is committed to repairing and reforming Victoria’s energy system by shifting, within the constraints that we have, somehow some of the balance of power towards households rather than the energy providers. The energy fairness plan was introduced in 2018 by our government, and this was following an extensive review a year or so prior. This energy fairness plan really is going to deliver the biggest regulatory shake-up of the energy sector in recent Victorian history. This bill makes amendments to the Electricity Industry Act 2000, the Gas Industry Act 2001 and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001. By amending these pieces of legislation it introduces the energy fairness plan, or aspects of it. In terms of this bit of legislation itself, some of the main changes that it will make have been gone through by numerous speakers, but I think probably the biggest one is the ban on door-to-door sales and cold calling by energy retailers. This cold calling and doorknocking—I get this a lot in talking to residents of the Thomastown electorate, particularly the older residents and those that perhaps come from a background with a language other than English. I have to say many are fearful of answering their door or picking up their phone for fear of being on the other end of a call with some sort of salesperson that might be trying to get them to do something but they are not quite sure what. It really is awful to think that residents are basically prisoners in their own home. They are scared to answer the door and they are scared to answer the phone because they are worried about what might happen. That is not to say of course that all salespeople and telephone salespeople or doorknocking salespeople are anything other than nice people who are doing their job in ethical ways. But the problem is that many people in the society we have today are hearing all sorts of terrible things in the media and by word of mouth, and this is just not something that people want. I am quite shocked to have heard some of the opposition speakers when they have been talking about how terrible this ban is. Really I do not know what planet they are living on, because if they want to be representing the people in their electorate, I would not think there would be anybody that would be opposed to this ban and this change to the legislation; in fact I would have thought it would be welcomed. I have never received one call, email or comment where anybody has ever said that they enjoy door-to-door salespeople knocking on their door. As I said, the individual might be a great person but not in the act of knocking on the door to sell something. The member for Sandringham might live in a bit of a different world to me and the residents of Thomastown, but I just cannot believe

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2119 that even in that world people would welcome the door-to-door salesperson knocking on their door, particularly during mealtimes, as the member for Bass mentioned. Another aspect of the changes is a ban on what is called ‘save’ and ‘win-back’ offers. This, we argue, is a very costly process for energy retailers, and all it means is that those costs are then passed on to the consumer. The ban on save and win-back offers is in regard to where a consumer may have had the knock on the door and agreed to go to a different retailer or energy provider and then their existing provider has tried to win them back by offering them all sorts of other discounts and extra bits and pieces. This sort of toing and froing of course is expensive—it takes up resources. You can look at this issue alongside some of the earlier reforms that we have introduced, and I should mention that the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change is in the chamber at the moment—all the great reform that she has been implementing. If you look at some of the early reforms, such as having to offer a reasonable plan to consumers rather than just sort of leaving them on very expensive plans until they actually themselves ring up or contact the retailer for something different, I think there really is not the need for the save and win-back offers. And the third aspect, I guess, of the main part of this legislation is then the introduction of criminal penalties of up to $1 million for licensees that provide misinformation to the Essential Services Commission, wrongfully disconnect consumers knowingly or recklessly or disconnect households in a way that endangers consumers on life support equipment. Now, you might think, ‘Well, surely that wouldn’t happen’, but the only reason why we have the legislation that we are looking at today is that of course, sadly, it has happened. So I think this again is not just a matter of providing protection to consumers but actually providing the essential necessities of life to Victorians and preventing this sort of stuff happening. When we are talking about the reforms as part of the fairer energy plan, I would also just like to make mention of the power saving bonus that is also being provided, the $250 one-off payment for immediate energy relief to Victorians that have concession cards or are on JobSeeker. I know that this has been so welcomed again by the residents of Thomastown. I think our office alone has probably supported and helped over 100 individuals in getting their bonus payment, and of course that is that one little extra thing not to worry about with the bills for that month or the coming months, especially in this cold weather, when of course energy use is going to be higher and the costs are going to be higher. This is anecdotal evidence when we are talking about the power saving bonus and how widespread its use has been, but as I understand it over 200 000 applications have already been submitted to the Victorian Energy Compare site and already $40 million has been paid to Victorians who need it most. Of course we are always on the lookout for those that may not know these things are happening and to ensure that everybody is getting what they are able to in terms of extra help and support, particularly during this terrible pandemic time. I think when we are talking about providing power back to consumers and protecting consumers and generally all Victorians, this is another piece of legislation that is so important for all of us here in Victoria. I look forward to the bill being passed later this week. Ms KILKENNY (Carrum) (11:38): Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. Just while we are talking about energy, I do want to acknowledge all of the people across the south-east and in my electorate who have been without power overnight, and I want to acknowledge the incredible work of the SES and other volunteers who have gone in to support them and to assist them overnight. It has been an incredible night, and I know that there will be a lot more work to do. I am delighted to rise today to speak on this bill. This piece of legislation is but another component of this government’s extraordinary suite of reforms. It is our package to make energy fairer and more affordable for all Victorians. I would like to also commend and acknowledge the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, who is in the house today, for her leadership and unwavering commitment to bringing in better energy deals for Victorian consumers, whether households or Victorian businesses; for making sure that we are doing everything that we can to make our energy more reliable and more affordable

BILLS 2120 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 for all Victorians; for ensuring that our energy companies do the right thing by consumers and, where they do the wrong thing, ensuring that they are going to face the consequences; for, of course, through all of this, helping to secure our just transition to renewables and investment in new generation for Victoria’s future for a cleaner environment; and also for creating just thousands and thousands of jobs for Victorians. I listened to the lead speaker for the opposition earlier today, and I was glad to hear him agree that access to reliable, sustainable and affordable energy is absolutely vital to the health and wellbeing of Victorian households and Victorian businesses. I was certainly glad to hear him say this because that is exactly why we are doing what we are doing with this bill, with our energy fairness plan, with our legislated interim renewable energy targets, with us supporting the just transition to renewables and in our plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. To that end I do just want to note that we know gas is not the answer. Gas is not a transition fuel. The new gas-fired plant that is proposed for New South Wales’s Hunter Valley with a $610 million price tag is certainly not the solution to providing reliable, sustainable and affordable energy. I note that the environmental impact statement lodged with the New South Wales government actually shows that the plant is likely to rarely be used, running at 2 per cent of its annual full capacity. The Australian Energy Market Operator has said this plant is not needed. What is needed is investment in batteries, in demand management and in other storage measures that will support the supply of backup power that is needed. I say that because these are things that we are doing here in Victoria. This is exactly the kind of work that we are doing. This is exactly the kind of investment that we are supporting. In fact the International Energy Agency has warned countries against the development of new oil-, coal- and gas-fired plants if the world is to have any chance of staying within safe limits of global warming. We know here in Victoria that the solution is wind, solar and other technologies. They will be the cheapest forms of new electricity generation for Australia. They will reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases, and it is these industries that are going to support future jobs for Victorians— thousands and thousands of them. That is what we should be supporting as part of our broader plan to reform our energy here in Victoria, so I am very glad to hear the opposition agree that we should be doing all we can to promote access to reliable, sustainable and affordable energy for all Victorians. I look forward to their support as this government pushes on in the absence of any national energy plan, as we push on to transition to renewables and to create all those jobs. The bill before us is really a part of this overall plan. This bill delivers on a further component of this government’s energy fairness plan, which we announced before the 2018 election. I have heard other members mention this, but it is really important that the plan has been developed in response to the independent and bipartisan review into electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria. It was that review that concluded that intervention is required in order to bring about better outcomes for Victorian households, and that is because, it concluded very clearly, the retail markets here in Victoria for electricity and gas have just not delivered the promised benefits for consumers. Victorian households have been paying too much for their electricity—way higher prices than anywhere else in Australia. Ultimately that review concluded that after 15 years of competition our electricity and gas markets here in Victoria just have not delivered in a number of key ways for Victorian consumers. That is what this bill is part of addressing. It is not fair. The review put forward 11 recommendations, all of which this government has committed to implementing, and I note that already this government has done just that. We have implemented new laws to deliver better energy deals for Victorians. We are seeing households now save around $200 to $500 a year on their bills. We want to make sure that Victorians are receiving the best energy deals, and that is why we actually require retailers to tell their consumers, their customers, what energy deal is best and whether they are in fact receiving the best deal. Of course we have introduced the Victorian default offer, and this is helping a massive 130 000 Victorian households and over 30 000 Victorian businesses save on their energy bills—and I note I think it was

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2121 last year that the federal government actually adopted our policy and announced a national default offer. We have also made sure that the maximum price which embedded network customers can be charged for electricity will be set to the Victorian default offer. Again, this is terrific news for more than 120 000 residents and small businesses across Victoria. We are seeing savings for each of them. So the reforms, as I said, continue this government’s unwavering commitment to cut the cost of energy for Australian households and businesses. It is about putting the power back into the hands of Victorian families and businesses. I just want to note the further work we have been doing. We extended the power saving bonus earlier this year by providing that one-off $250 payment to vulnerable Victorians. We announced in response to COVID $3.7 million in hardship support. That also has seen the funding of new financial counsellors and training for frontline community workers to help Victorians experiencing hardship. And we introduced the energy savings package. So all of this is tremendous work in supporting Victorian consumers, households and businesses, and the bill before us is continuing that important work. Other members have already gone into detail about what the bill will do in the sense of not allowing shonky sales and marketing tactics at our doors or cold calling, stamping out what is known as ‘win- back and save’ offers. It is just extraordinary that this behaviour exists where providers try to entice their customers back to them. It is bad for the customer; it is bad for competition. And of course there is imposing greater penalties for wrongful disconnection—up to $1 million in penalties—which is going to send a really clear message to retailers that they must do the right thing by their consumers. At the end of the day, energy must be affordable for all Victorians. We came to government on that commitment to make energy fairer for everyone, and this government is doing just that. Our energy minister is working tirelessly to achieve these incredible results for all Victorians. This is about taking decisive action. I commend the bill. Mr TAK (Clarinda) (11:48): It is wonderful to follow the hardworking member for Carrum on this important bill. Thank you once again. I am delighted to speak in support of the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. Energy affordability and energy fairness is a really important issue in the Clarinda community, and I just would like to join the member for Carrum to say that one of our fantastic programs was providing a one-off $250 payment to vulnerable Victorians to provide immediate energy bill relief to eligible concession card holders and those receiving JobKeeper and JobSeeker. It was absolutely fantastic, and I am sure many of the members here would have received hundreds and hundreds of calls from other vulnerable communities in their electorates. We have seen that over recent months with the government’s power saving bonus program the take-up of that offer has been really positive in our community. We have had hundreds of inquiries from our constituents, and it has been a pleasure helping many, and particularly many of our seniors, to access that application. I just would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to many of the community organisations, particularly our multicultural senior organisations, that have also been working hard to help promote and facilitate access to that program. For anyone in Clarinda who needs assistance, please reach out to my office and we will be more than happy to help with the application process. The power saving bonus is just one example of this government’s commitment to energy fairness. The program was announced as part of the unprecedented $1.6 billion energy package included in the 2020–21 state budget in November. The package includes record investment in clean energy and additional measures to make energy more affordable as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. I am happy to say that in addition to the $128 million for the expanded power saving bonus, the household energy savings package includes $335 million to deliver new energy-efficient heating and cooling for low-income households and $112 million for energy efficiency upgrades for 35 000 social homes. We have also provided further support in response to COVID-19, with $3.7 million for initiatives to connect Victorians with energy bill hardship support during the pandemic. This is important to note, because energy fairness and affordability have never been more crucial than over this past year.

BILLS 2122 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

I would like to take this opportunity to thank once again everyone in Clarinda for again rising and responding to the challenge and following the advice of the chief medical officer. My community, the Clarinda community, is truly inspiring, and this government will do everything in its power to support the community and our families and small businesses to the other side of this pandemic—and energy affordability and fairness is just one such example. This bill here today has two main objectives. The first of these is to implement reform to the energy retail market that acquits key election commitments made under Victorian government energy fairness plan. This includes banning unsolicited sales tactics that can harm the consumer as well as customer retention activities that can harm competition in the open retail market. I am really happy to see this as an objective. In the few years that I have been in this place, my office has had countless inquiries and complaints about door-to-door sales, and unfortunately some of those complaints are about companies purporting to be energy companies or solar companies. Clarinda is an extremely diverse electorate, and for so many of my constituents English is not their first language. Too often I have received complaints about door-to-door salespeople from energy companies or otherwise arriving at the doors of constituents, promoting one thing and then presenting a complicated, misleading contract with pages of terms and conditions. Too often these companies manage to solicit a signature but provide little or no service and then seek to enforce those contracts through threat or sometimes bullying or otherwise. Unfortunately I have even had community organisations report similar issues, so I am really glad to see this amendment bill, which will make changes to the Electricity Industry Act 2000 and the Gas Industry Act 2001 to ban door-to-door sales and cold calling by energy retailers, to ban save and win- back offers by energy retailers and to introduce criminal penalties of up to $1 million for a licensee who knowingly provides false and misleading information to the Essential Services Commission, for energy retailers who knowingly or recklessly arrange for the wrongful disconnection of customers, and for energy retailers and relevant exempt persons who disconnect or arrange to disconnect households in a way that endangers customers on life support equipment. Furthermore, the bill will remove the standing offer price notification requirements, where prices are regulated under the Victorian default offer, as well as providing for civil penalties for exempt persons that contravene the conditions of the exemption to hold a licence under the electricity or gas industry acts. These changes also go to the second objective of the bill, which is to deliver fairer outcomes for Victorians by improving the affordability of electricity and gas for consumers, providing transparency and competition in the energy retail market and ensuring that energy companies that do the wrong thing face the consequences. These are important objectives and important changes. The consultation process around this bill has been extensive and dates back to 2016, when the government commissioned the independent and bipartisan review into electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria. The review found, among other things, that there were significant issues in the retail energy market in Victoria, and this precipitated the Victorian default offer and energy fairness plan. Earlier this year, in February, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning engaged with affected stakeholders to address potential technical and implementation issues during the drafting of this bill. This included energy retailers and distributors, direct marketing service providers, industry bodies and consumer groups. The targeted consultation built on previous engagement with affected stakeholders, which included a briefing session in December 2019. This was a comprehensive process which has resulted in a comprehensive bill, and the bill will be very well received in the electorate of Clarinda and in Victoria. I thank the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change for these changes and for her dedication to affordable and fairer energy in Victoria. I am proud to be part of the same government, the Andrews Labor government—a government that makes sure that Victorian households are guaranteed the support and the compassion they deserve. I commend the bill to the house.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2123

Mr HAMER (Box Hill) (11:57): I too rise to make a contribution on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. While the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change is at the table I would like to thank her and acknowledge her for all of the efforts that she has put in across the environment and energy portfolio over many years to make sure that we have not only a much more environmentally friendly Victoria but also a much fairer Victoria. The bill amends the Electricity Industry Act 2000 and the Gas Industry Act 2001 to prohibit certain types of sales practices through offences for wrongful disconnection of electricity and gas and in relation to the provision of false or misleading information. As a government we have always committed to better protect Victorian households and families, to empower them to save money on their bills and to make competition in the energy market fairer. We launched a transparent and independent comparison tool in the Victorian Energy Compare website in 2015, and we continue to build upon this and seek to further enhance the protection for Victorian households and families. The Energy Compare website has saved the average Victorian household about $330 a year by empowering them to compare real-time market information and offers to get the best deal. Our $797 million household affordability energy package adds to the assistance that this government is providing to Victorian families and households through a $250 power saving bonus to relieve some of the cost-of-living pressures people have experienced, particularly during these unprecedented times. I know that my office certainly would not be alone in receiving many calls from people in the community who have taken up this offer and for whom that offer has been critical in terms of making sure that they can continue to have access to electricity—obviously one of our essential services. Electricity bills are one of the top cost-of-living issues for consumers, and about 20 per cent of Victorian households requested financial assistance with their energy bills last year due to the impacts of the coronavirus. I want to draw upon some comments that were made by a number of speakers, including you, Acting Speaker Connolly, when you made your contribution, and that was about the delay or the push, and particularly the push from the opposition, to delay the implementation of these further consumer protections. I was having a look at just how far back some of these instances occurred, and also the length of time that we have actually channelled that this was the government’s intention to introduce these measures. It was interesting to read that the key part of this bill and this debate today is obviously about the banning of door-to-door sales. Notwithstanding all of the consumer protections that have been put in place over a number of years it was interesting that in 2013 major providers—AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia—chose to withdraw from door-to-door sales. Why? Because they were hit with multi-million-dollar fines for practices that were in breach of consumer protection. We do have a range of consumer protections, yet still there continues to be suppliers and providers that breach these rules. So even though you can only knock on people’s doors at particular times of day and only when they do not have stickers on their doors unfortunately these practices still go on. There was a report into another energy company, Alinta Energy, which said that it respects all of the Australian Consumer Law with regard to door-to-door sales, yet in 2020—so just last year—it was fined $280 000 by the Victorian energy regulator for using dodgy door-to-door sales tactics. Acting Speaker Connolly, as you yourself identified, particularly in your local area, the purpose of this legislation is to protect the most vulnerable. It is to protect those in the community who when they are approached at their door do not have to feel pressured to sign up to a deal that is not going to provide them benefit in the long run. Drawing from the words of your contribution, the starting point is always about ‘Do you want to save money?’. These people are very well trained. They are good at their job, but they are trained to sell. That is the purpose of their role. It is the purpose of the company to drive up sales and win business for the company. There is nothing wrong with that, but there needs to be a framework around that that can protect the most vulnerable, to ensure those individuals are protected. It is interesting to see the range of complaints that have actually been made in relation to unsolicited door-to-door sales. Information from the Consumer Action Law Centre and the ACCC suggests that these sales continue to be associated with conduct such as customers being misled by prices and being

BILLS 2124 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 signed onto energy contracts without their explicit, informed consent. The energy and water ombudsman of Victoria in the year 2019–20 received 261 complaints about energy retailer marketing practices, with 206 of these complaints about misleading marketing and high-pressure sales. Yes, there are many more electricity and energy contracts that are entered into in the course of a year, but we really do need to look at what the impact is at the individual level, who that is affecting and how that translates into what we are trying to achieve as a government and trying to achieve through the energy fairness plan. As I mentioned at the outset, this is not something that we have announced overnight or two weeks ago when the bill was introduced. It was announced prior to the election. We took it to the election along with a range of other energy initiatives to create more fairness in the energy market and create more fairness for consumers. As I said, the changes sought in this energy fairness bill will phase in a ban on door-to-door sales of energy products and introduce a penalty of $1 million for energy retailers. By improving consumer protections it will make a significant difference to consumers across Victoria. I commend the bill to the house. Mr CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (12:07): It is with some pleasure this afternoon that I rise to speak on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. I must say, in reflecting on the course of this particular debate and what Labor always sets out to do, I think it is always worth just touching on the history, really, particularly the more modern history, of Victoria’s energy sector. I must say, I very much reflect on the 1990s, when Jeff Kennett as the Premier of Victoria and Alan Stockdale as the Treasurer of this state very much took the butcher’s axe to the Victorian energy sector and went on that ideological jaunt of privatisation here in Victoria. At that point in time we saw many, many thousands of workers in the energy sector lose their jobs. We saw the privatisation of the generators, and we saw the establishment of many private sector companies in this state who were wholesalers and retailers of electricity here in Victoria. That is a very, very difficult egg to unscramble, and we have seen in more recent times as we have moved to a renewable energy generation capacity some of the challenges of the private sector in owning Victoria’s energy generation assets. We have seen very inappropriate practices by many of the retailers as they seek to, I think, exploit many vulnerable Victorians with respect to the price that they buy their energy for. Certainly I know, as a person who has had the opportunity to move from one dwelling to another in my adult life, how difficult it is to compare energy prices, and certainly I have also had that experience of being doorknocked and being utterly confused by the proposition that was being put to me. I must say I have heard many, many stories over the years of people signing contracts thinking they were getting a good deal, because of course door-to-door salespeople are highly trained at convincing people to sign on to contracts that may not necessarily be in their best interests, and we have seen that practice become more and more aggressive over the last 10 to 15 years. Certainly I must say that when I get out and do street stalls and the like and interact with the community, people are more and more feeding in to me as an elected member for their community how concerned they are with respect to how they have been approached and some of those inappropriate practices that we have increasingly seen. These door-to-door salespeople are highly trained. They use in so many ways I think quite exploitative language that is very much aimed at selling energy to people—again, as I said, not necessarily at the cheapest price point, although everyone who signs a contract at the moment of signing on will believe that they have bought energy at the cheapest available price point, because that is how skilled these door-to-door salespeople often are. In a true Labor way, we took to the Victorian community that we wanted to clean up this particular market. We wanted to make sure that people were no longer being exploited in the way in which they were—particularly more vulnerable people and particularly older people. That is what my mind turned to with respect to this. Victorian Labor in government—and we have had the great opportunity of being in government for more years than not over the last couple of decades—have very much, in every way that we could, looked to rebuild Victoria’s energy market. Of course we have led the nation in moving Victoria from

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2125 dirty brown coal-fired power to clean renewable energy, and we have done that because we know the importance of decarbonising our economy. We have put in place the appropriate market-led mechanisms to enable the transition of Victoria from brown coal to renewable energy. We have done that because it is good for our environment to decarbonise our economy, but equally it is important for our energy costs and it is important that we put in place a clear set of public policy outcomes to ensure that we do transition to new investment. That is what we have done with the arrangements that we have put in place in the energy market over the last few years of government, and we will continue to turbocharge that investment in that new infrastructure. Interestingly enough, commentator after commentator after commentator are now saying that the approach adopted by the Victorian government is leading to more secure supply of electricity for mums and dads. It is very much putting a downward pressure on our energy costs. We will continue to see that investment; we will continue to be the jurisdiction that leads our nation when it comes to the delivery of cheap renewable energy into the market. In fact I believe that in the decades to come Victoria will be a state, a jurisdiction, that can be not only an energy exporter to other states throughout the commonwealth but potentially, particularly through the use of green hydrogen, an energy exporter that plays a significant role on the global stage with respect to energy. But in terms of this particular bill and in terms of the approach always adopted by Labor, our approach is very much about making sure that we have a market that is fair for people. We make sure that there is no exploitation because Labor believes in a fair go for everyone, and that includes our most vulnerable, who have been inappropriately exploited. Now, in terms of the opposition—and of course they recently moved a reasoned amendment in this debate—what I would say to those that are listening to this debate is that the Liberal Party continues their ideological joy ride with respect to energy costs in Victoria. They continue at every step to defend those reforms which were unnecessarily and inappropriately put in place by Jeff Kennett when he was the Premier and Alan Stockdale when he was the Treasurer. We will continue, as a Labor government, to make sure that Victoria’s energy sector is fair, as is appropriate, for every Victorian, that we continue to see energy in this state delivered at an affordable pricepoint in a way that does not exploit the most vulnerable in this state. We will continue to make sure that we have fantastic investment mechanisms available to the private sector to invest in renewable energy in this state. We will continue to make great opportunities available to every household to put solar panels on their roof or install a solar battery and to make sure that energy can be delivered in this state as cheaply as possible. We believe that by providing renewable energy opportunities in this state we are empowering every household throughout Victoria to have the cheapest possible energy available to them that is clean and green. Mr FREGON (Mount Waverley) (12:17): I rise also to speak on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. What a pleasure it is to follow the member for South Barwon, my whip colleague. It is a privilege to assist him in his duties in this noble house. A member: What a suck. Mr FREGON: I know. I wonder if that helps, but anyway. Mr Dimopoulos interjected. Mr FREGON: That is true. We are all doing very well. It is more important, I should say, that we are here to represent the people of Victoria and obviously in my case the great people of—God’s own country—Mount Waverley. From Bayswater to Tarneit, St Albans to Oakleigh or from Broadmeadows to the good people of Narre Warren or even Lowan, we are here to help them in their day-to-day lives— in keeping their energy prices fair and reasonable and hopefully lower, and making it easier to work in the energy environment and the industry that we have. Other people have mentioned changes to that industry over the years—some good, some not so good.

BILLS 2126 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

I would also just comment on the energy during this lockdown that my staff have been using while I have been working from home. I am just going to take this very short opportunity before I go back to the bill to say thank you to my staff. You are working very well. I really appreciate the work you do, and I should go back to the notes that Lisa has prepared for me. In 2018 we made a commitment to Victorians. We made many commitments to Victorians, which we are ticking off without any doubt and which we are delivering, and I will get back to that word ‘delivering’ hopefully towards the end. We promised that a re-elected Andrews Labor government would deliver the biggest regulatory shake-up of the energy sector in Victoria’s history by providing stronger punishments for retailers who do the wrong thing and better protections for customers, while extending the power saving bonus to help more customers get a better deal on their energy bills. And I give a second shout-out to my staff on that, because of the amount of people who they have helped on our behalf to get those power saving bonuses, which have made a real difference. I know the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, who is at the table, would be well aware of the amount of seniors and pensioners who have directly benefited from the $250 power saving bonus. So I encourage all members—and I know that I do not really need to because we are all doing this—to make sure that message gets out so everyone who is eligible can get that assistance for their day-to-day bills. This builds on our work to cut power bills for Victorians by installing solar panels, batteries and hot water systems on 770 000 houses across the state through our Solar Homes package. Labor is supporting all 11 recommendations of our independent review of the electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria, which found that intervention was required to make our system fairer for customers and recommended a range of measures to help cut power prices. Wrongful disconnections by big energy companies are consistently a major complaint, particularly for vulnerable Victorians, and that is why we are introducing tougher penalties to put retailers on notice. As part of Labor’s energy fairness plan we will double civil penalty notices to $250 000 for retailers who undertake wrongful disconnections, making it the highest fine in the nation. That really sets an example for those companies, and for the other states to follow suit, that when you go in the wrong direction and it hurts people, there should be consequences. We will ban win-backs, the so-called short-term discounts that end up slugging customers more in the long run. We will also put an end to retailers’ door-to-door sales and cold-calling telemarketers harassing Victorian families. There is one thing that my office has received a number of complaints on over the years—many complaints—and that is door-to-door salesmen and the cold-call phone calls from people who are trying to sell you something which most people do not want, and they call us. I notice that in the reasoned amendment the member for Sandringham put forward he talks about stickers, and I think the member for Burwood highlighted some of the sticker policies that seem a little strange. But we do have the ‘Do not knock’ stickers in my office, and I am sure a lot of other members do. If there is anyone out there who does want one, please give us a call and we can get them out to you. I do not think we need to put that in legislation. It is available. There are plenty of options there. Right now energy retailers are able to back bill up to nine months when they have undercharged their customers. Labor will reduce this to four months. The point of that is obviously so that customers are not forced to pay huge sums simply because the retailer mucked up and took a while to realise their mistake. Under Labor criminal penalties for energy retailers who mislead or deceive the Essential Services Commission or systematically and wrongfully disconnect households will increase to $1 million. Labor’s energy fairness plan will also provide the ESC with clearer investigatory powers as well as new powers to monitor and report on the competitiveness and efficiency of the Victorian retail energy market. Labor will appoint a fourth essential services commissioner—an energy cop on the beat—whose focus will be on prosecuting misbehaving energy retailers who have had it too easy for too long. We have already been helping Victorians save money on their energy bills by extending our $50 power saving bonus, which originally ended on 30 June 2019. Since the introduction of the scheme in July 2018 more than 220 000 Victorians have claimed that $50 bonus by using the Victorian Energy

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2127

Compare website to find a better deal on their power bills. On average Victorians who use the independent comparison website will save $330 or more on their bills in the first year alone, with seven out of 10 finding a better deal by switching retail offers. One thing John from my office was saying the other day is that in the last few years he has— Mr Dimopoulos: Hi, John. Mr FREGON: John is an excellent electorate officer, and I could not do most of this without him. But over the last couple of years every 12 months or so he goes back to Energy Compare. He has told me that in the last three years that he has done this he has saved money every year. So it is a bit of a reminder for us all: if you have not run the Energy Compare website in the last six or 12 months or so, it is probably worth having a look, because there are better deals out there. Now, in 2021 we introduced the $250 power saving bonus for pensioner concession card holders and some healthcare card holders, including JobSeeker, youth allowance, Austudy and Abstudy recipients, to assist in paying their energy bills. We in the office send out birthday cards to our seniors—as a lot of, I know, members on all sides of the spectrum do—and in those birthday cards for 65-and-overs we have been putting mention of the power saving bonus, just to make sure people are aware of it. I tell you, it is a very nice day when you get a call from a 90-year-old who has lived in the Waverley area for 57 years and they say, ‘Oh, look, thank you very much for the card. That was very nice’. And you go, ‘Oh, well, that is the least I can do’, and they say, ‘And the $250: best present I got’. And you think, ‘Well, okay, it’s not exactly a present, so correct that’, but the fact is that was so useful to that person. For people who are pensioners, their income is basically fixed and, let us face it, increases over the years to pensions have not been what you would actually call generous, so having that $250 makes a huge difference to the yearly income for those people. To know that we are a government who understands this, who understands how much we can help with sometimes a relatively small amount of money, is a good thing. Mr Dimopoulos: It can make a big difference. Mr FREGON: It does make a big difference, member for Oakleigh. You are absolutely right. It is the little things that this government does, like the $250 power saving bonus for people, that I think just show our values time and time again. If there is a little way we can help, we will help. And so, on that note, obviously this is a very good bill. On the reasoned amendment, the member for Sandringham said ‘It delivers’. I do not see how you can deliver by actually saying ‘We’re not going to do anything’, but maybe that is the way they work on that side. Here we just deliver. Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh) (12:27): Well, you can tell it is a Labor government bill because it has the word ‘fairness’ in it. We in fact have a government department name with the word ‘fairness’ in it. But I want to start by just acknowledging the hard work and the pioneering work of the minister, and I do not do that in a perfunctory sense. I honestly believe that the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change is one of the quiet but extraordinary achievers in this government. She gets on and she does it—and in such an area that is so complicated and such a moving feast. It is complicated not because of difficult terrain—there is always difficult terrain in public policy and life—but because it is a national grid we are talking about and a state regulatory framework with a bit of a growing national regulatory framework. This minister is extraordinary, both in her environment role and in her energy role. She has achieved so much nationally. We should be very proud of the work that she has done on behalf of the Andrews Labor government, and I mean this very sincerely. I think she is an excellent minister. If you look at the amount of work—and yet she comes in here and she stands up in question time with some ministers statements, and she is not showy but she gets it done. She really has pulled her weight more than, in my view, previous energy ministers in previous governments. I have got to say if you were the energy minister in a government of the 1980s or even early 90s, I imagine it would have been a hard task, but I imagine it would have been a fair bit easier, because what you had effectively was the State Electricity Commission, and it ran energy in Victoria. You

BILLS 2128 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 probably did not have to do much. I do not know—I beg the forgiveness of anyone who may be reading this in the future who was an energy minister in the 1980s and early 90s. But fundamentally you would meet with the CEO or the managing director of the State Electricity Commission and have a conversation about a range of stuff and Gas and Fuel and they would run it. This is a completely different era. There are different pressures. There are multiple participants in the market—private and public. The expectations are enormous and varied. Customers want environmental energy. They want low prices, and there are cost-of-living pressures. It is such a different ball game being energy minister today and not just holding the fort but forging ahead the way this minister has in deepening clean energy supply, taking pressure off prices and just the entire framework of fairness around electricity and the utility prices. She is extraordinary, and I mean that. So it is a pleasure to speak on this bill, because it is such an important bill. When we came to government, as some other colleagues have talked about, in 2014, energy prices were out of control. They had increased under the previous government by 34.1 per cent over four years, so from quarter 4 2010 to quarter 3 2014. That was well above CPI, 34.1 per cent. There were no two ways about it. Opaque marketing and pricing practices—dare I say misleading practices—by energy retailers left many users confused. It is not the easiest thing to understand an energy bill, Acting Speaker Connolly. You described your experience in the industry, but most people, as you said, do not have that experience, me included. People just wait and hope that the energy bill meets their budget expectations for that month or that three-month period, because they have no real grasp of how to dissect and analyse it. We have actually improved that enormously. In 2014 privatisation that the previous Liberal government had bestowed on the industry was not really delivering benefits to anyone but the companies in the utility chain. Some of the charges were highest in the world. The benefits of privatisation, as I said, were not accruing to the customer; they were accruing to the energy companies more than anyone else. We set out on a path of shifting the balance in favour of households and consumers, and this is a big part of the work that the minister has led. Our energy policy framework is delivering real benefits, and they are tangible benefits. They are actually tangible benefits. We had this year the lowest recorded wholesale price for three months of the year—quarter 1 2021. Wholesale prices were the lowest in Australia right here in Victoria at $27 per megawatt hour, followed by Tasmania at $34, New South Wales at $39, Queensland at $45 and South Australia at $53. That does not happen by accident; it happens because of government intervention in the market, transparency for consumers and some rules about how to engage in this industry, which provide a whole bunch of benefits. So we have the lowest wholesale price since 2012 and an entire range of choices increasingly around clean energy. We recorded 100 000 installations in our Solar Homes program. We are well on our way to 700 000 installations over the 10-year life of that program, an amazing program, and we have done a lot more, as I think the member for Mount Waverley and others talked about: the bonus and a whole range of those other things. But there is more work to do to address the imbalances and the lack of oversight provided by previous governments. The complexities of the energy market can still leave consumers exposed to exploitation by some. I have no doubt some of the best companies in the marketplace are in the energy sector. They have to be. But it also is open to some bottom feeders, and it is those bottom feeders we are trying to bring into line, so to speak—the ones that exploit people. Acting Speaker Connolly, I was listening to your contribution from my office, and you named it really well when you said, ‘Who wouldn’t say yes to the question, “Do you want lower power prices?”, when someone knocks on your door?’. Of course you would, but I think some of us (a) have a comfortable means of living, frankly, and (b) have had that question put by marketers too often. I say, ‘No, thanks’, and they have to go to plan B. How can I say no to, ‘Do you want lower prices’? Because I know what it comes with. It comes with a whole bunch of strings and things I have to get my head around, and I think, ‘No, no. When I did my research on this provider I was comfortable with it. You’re not going to change my mind’. That is effectively what I mean.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2129

It is interesting, just on that point, I read a book called The Barefoot Investor a few years ago, and one of the things that he said in that is something to the effect of ‘Please do not just renew your insurance or utility bills whenever it comes up to the annual renewal or connection. Please go and get better prices’. I kid you not, two weeks ago I renewed three different insurances, on Mum and Dad’s house, their car and our home, and on all three insurances I saved, between them and myself, $700—$700! On one alone it was $210. Mr Edbrooke: It’s your shout! Mr DIMOPOULOS: It’s my shout, says the member for Frankston. My point is: if you have got the time and you have the ability—and the language ability—to, jump online. But not everybody does that. We have provided a range of platforms, the Victorian Energy Compare website, but what is more important, I think, for government intervention in market failure is to provide a fairer market where people do not have to do an enormous amount of research to get the best deal. So this bill continues those reforms that this wonderful minister has powered through, and it does a range of things, as other colleagues have talked about. But, briefly, it gets rid of the win-back and save offers, the tactics used when retailers know you press option 3, which is that I want to cancel my policy, and they come scrambling back. The bill will ban retailers from selling energy retail plans door-to-door or through cold calling, as many other colleagues have talked about very well. The bill also seeks to provide greater protection against wrongful disconnections, with increased penalties and a range of other punitive measures against those companies and market participants, but it does a whole range of other things. In the final few moments I have got, years ago people did not think there was anything to see or do in energy. We know energy and water became the frontiers of the last decade. They are the pressure points of consumer benefit and yet consumer pain if you do not get them right, and I think the minister and this government have done a power of work in energy. I commend this bill to the house. Mr EDBROOKE (Frankston) (12:37): It is fantastic to rise and speak on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021, especially following the fantastic member for Oakleigh. Just on the member for Oakleigh, though, I would like to jump on his train a little bit. The Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change has done an absolute power of work in that portfolio. She is working with a very fluid market, an evolving market with lots of different pressures, and to hear that this year we have reached the lowest wholesale price in Victoria over a three-month period since 2012, I think, is an amazing feat, especially when you are bringing so many more sources of energy into this sector as well. The foundations of this bill have been spoken about many times and very well by members in this house. I think it is obviously a Labor bill through and through. It gives effect to key reforms our government committed to under our landmark energy fairness plan, and these reforms include banning harmful unsolicited sales practices and strengthening penalties for energy companies who wrongfully disconnect customers, including customers reliant on life support equipment—and who could argue against that? We have heard a little bit about the past, in the 1990s with the Kennett government, but in essence what this bill does is crack down on these win-back and save offers, retailer door-to-door sales and telemarketing, and sales performance bonuses. In my office only an hour ago I was listening to this debate, and I was a bit surprised to hear some members in this house and their opinions on telemarketing and door to door. For me, just judging by the constituents that come to my office for help, I think that these sales and marketing practices are basically predatory. People have got to realise that there is a lot of psychology behind what goes on, and I know, Acting Speaker Connolly, from your former career you would know this. I am a bit of a latecomer to it. I have just finished reading a book by an author called Robert B Cialdini, and it is entitled Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. And in that, if he was to look at what we are banning, I think that author would be right behind it and support it, because he gets down to the sociology and the psychology of what is happening when you make an offer to someone, and it is really, really interesting. He goes through the innate in human

BILLS 2130 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 nature but also what we are taught as children. One of those things is, as the member for Oakleigh so eloquently put it, that the question that you are asked straightaway when someone calls you or someone knocks on your door is ‘Do you want cheaper electricity?’. The answer is of course ‘Yes’, unless you are the member for Oakleigh, who says ‘No’. At that stage, if I do not hang up, I have been known to put my phone on speaker and hand it to a three-year-old or someone else in the house or put it next to my snoring dog because I get sick of it and I think everyone does. But sociologically speaking and psychologically speaking, that offer is there. It is not so much the answer they are after, it is that you are accepting some kind of gift or an offer from them. Robert B. Cialdini gives us a really good example of the Hare Krishnas in the 1980s. They would position themselves in airports and they would ask for donations, and people would usually think ‘Yeah, whatever’ and they would just walk on by. They changed their business strategy in the mid- 1980s and they decided to do something really simple, and that was ask a really simple question to get buy-in from people. But to do that they would give a gift. What they did was they had flowers every day and they would give a flower to someone as they were passing through, and then once that gift or that favour had been received by the individual, they would then ask for a favour in kind: ‘Could you please make a contribution or a donation?’. Many times a donation was received, the flower was thrown in the bin and the flower was then taken out of the bin and recycled. This author was in airports viewing this all the time. As well as the anecdotal evidence of having a look at this in airports and in other social settings, he had a look at the income, and it shot through the roof. They hit paydirt. The basis of these cold calls is actually using that psychology on people. Most polite people will say ‘Why, yes I do’, and then you are engaged in a conversation but you are also engaged in a quid pro quo situation where they are offering you something and as a polite, sociable person you are actually engaged—whether you know it or not, unconsciously—to not just take part in that conversation but to actually give them something too because they have asked you a question, they are trying to do you a favour and they have given you that time. That is the tip of the iceberg with this kind of stuff. I do not think many people, even in this house, realise how predatory it is and how much science there is behind it. It is totally about the dollar. It is not about doing the right thing for people a lot of the time, although I am sure we do have energy companies whose culture is a bit different, but in a marketplace that is so competitive at the moment I would be very interested to find them as well. We are banning the win-back and save offers to customers. These offers, which often include short- term discounts but end up costing customers more in the long run, are used by big retailers to prevent smaller retailers gaining a foothold in the market. By banning these rather sneaky tactics we are making sure that energy companies are giving customers their best price, and not just for a limited time only. We are talking long-term savings. Of course, as I have explained, we are banning the cold calling and the door-to-door salespeople as well. It always turns out to be a more expensive offer to customers, and as I have said it is quite predatory. I would struggle to see, if people really were honest with themselves and they were speaking from the heart, anyone in this house today that would say that they like getting a cold call from a number they do not know, with someone bothering them at some time, after dinner usually, asking if they want to change electricity companies. It is annoying, it is not a win for the customer usually and we are banning it. We are cracking down on sales performance bonuses for the retailer market. We want to stop customers getting saddled with inappropriate products sold to them in the interests of the market tier receiving performance bonuses rather than these offers being based on interests of the customer. Of all the people that come through my office, and even down the peninsula in the member for Mornington’s office perhaps, there are often a lot of older customers who come to us for help because they do not actually understand what they have been sold. And that is a real concern because you have got someone on the other side of the line just blowing bubbles to these people—and again it is that psychology of upselling. We see it in fashion retail; we see it everywhere. Buy a car and you will get

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2131 upsold, and that is where the real money is for marketers. But for customers on the phone who are elderly and do not understand what they are getting—they might not have email, they might not have any comprehension of IT whatsoever—this is fairly predatory as well. I think it needs to stop, and we are doing that. We are overhauling and significantly increasing penalties. We are overhauling the current fines and penalties against energy retailers who break the law. The law is there for a reason. It is to protect customers and to protect the market as well. As part of that energy sector overhaul we are going to significantly increase criminal penalties to $1 million for energy retailers that provide false or misleading information to the Essential Services Commission and wrongfully disconnect households in a repeated and systematic way. This makes all the sense in the world. There are some nations and states in the world where it is illegal to disconnect someone who cannot pay their bill, and it should be that way. We should have a better way to mandate companies getting their money but also to come to an agreement about how these bills are paid. I think the days of people ending up performing sentences in jail or even custodial sentences and others, I guess, for not paying their fines are well and truly here, and we have seen that. I think it needs to stop, and this is one way of doing it. We are doubling down on civil penalty notices. We are reducing the back-billing period to four months from nine months. That means if an energy company cannot get their act together and wants to bill someone a bulk lot of nine months, they will only be able to bill for four months now, which makes common sense. If they cannot get their bills out accurately, the onus is totally on the company for that. We are making sure vulnerable Victorians, who I have previously spoken about, get the best energy deal. The Victorian government provides millions of dollars each year to energy retailers to provide energy discounts to low-income earners. It is a very, very popular scheme in my office and I know in many other people’s offices. This is a great bill, and I commend it to the house. Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (12:47): It gives me great delight to join the debate on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021. There have been some great contributions on this bill, absolutely topnotch—led by your own, Acting Speaker Connolly. I am always impressed with your level of knowledge, having come from the industry, but I particularly found very amusing the reference to the shadow minister, the member for Sandringham—your reference to him and the little violins on behalf of the poor old retailers. We are always about fairness, and actually before I start I should really commend the SES volunteers who have responded to over 5000 requests for assistance overnight with the horrendous weather conditions that Victorians are enduring. In particular I want to pass on my concerns to communities that are facing rising floodwaters at the moment and are cut off from essential services, but also I understand that about a quarter of a million households are currently without power. I know that the workers in the industry will be doing their absolute level best to get people back on supply. Also let us not forget that the SES are volunteers, and they will be doing their level best to assist these communities. I did just happen to see some television reporting just before I came into the chamber, and I think there were 15 SES units in one street in Traralgon, so that really shows the level of risk that is around but also the amazing commitment and work of our SES volunteers—of course very much backed up by the CFA, CFA volunteers and career personnel from Fire Rescue Victoria. They do understand flooding, and no doubt our coastguard and all the others have got their shoulders to the wheel at the moment. The many people that do not have power at the moment will not really be thinking about energy deals—but I know that many of them do. There is a tendency to rewrite history by those opposite. We have had some levers removed with the disaggregation of the energy market here in Victoria, which was undertaken by the Kennett government. I am on the planning and environment parliamentary committee, and you chair that committee, Acting Speaker Connolly. The reference we dealt with last year was about how communities are responding to climate change. We see with Totally Renewable Yackandandah and Indigo Power and other community groups across Victoria that they are now

BILLS 2132 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 actually wanting to look at local generation, generating their own power and trying to bring prices down as well as addressing climate change. I remember the time when my family was young and we lived in the inner city. Prior to the disaggregation of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria and power, particularly we had local governments in the inner city that ran their own electricity supply. They were really able to help people in disadvantaged situations. They were able to help them with advice about lower energy appliances, and they were also able to go out and assist them with things like changing over to lower energy bulbs or even help older people who could not actually manage to change their own light bulbs or smoke detectors. I think we did lose something with those changes that were made in the 1990s, and we are still dealing with the consequences of that. We were sold a pup that market forces would deliver a huge change and improvement for the energy market in Victoria. I commend the work of the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, who was our energy spokesperson throughout opposition as well. She knew full well that when we came to government in 2014 energy prices were out of control and the opaque marketing and pricing practices by energy retailers had left energy users confused. Many members during this debate have talked about the number of consumers coming to their offices, and not just people who have issues with languages other than English or have issues with financial literacy and numeracy but also quite educated people saying that they have absolutely had a gutful of the lack of transparency from some of these companies—the restrictive practices for some of their plans. Every single one of us is just driven to distraction when we get that phone call from an unidentified number, generally during meals, when you are trying to put a child to bed or when you are catching up with your family. We have had enough of it, and I certainly know that people in my community have had enough of it. There is less competition sometimes in a number of areas, and the options are just not particularly good in some areas. Privatisation has not delivered any of the benefits that the Kennett government promised when it sold off Victoria’s energy assets in the 1990s. Victoria’s energy retailer charges were among the highest in the world, and all of the benefits of privatisation were accruing to large energy companies rather than households and businesses. It has particularly impacted our regional consumers and rural consumers. I was not quite sure what the member for Lowan was saying, but I could hear her muttering through her mask. She should actually review why the National Party is going down the path of supporting the reasoned amendment— Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, I realise that this has been a wideranging debate, but I think a lecture from the member for Yan Yean over what I should or should not do in the context of talking about energy legislation is not relevant to the bill that is in front of us today. The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Connolly): There is no point of order. Ms GREEN: As usual, time wasting when Labor members get to their feet and talk about needs and aspirations—the 18 of us in this Parliament, which is three times the number that the National Party has. People in rural and regional Victoria have voted with their feet and they are supporting non- National Party members because they know that they have not stood up for them on issues like energy pricing— Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, again I ask you bring the member back to the bill rather than attacking the National Party. She has this strange fixation on me and The Nationals. Perhaps she should use her time in here to represent— Ms GREEN: You’re full of it. A fixation on you? Give me a break. Ms Kealy: Perhaps she should utilise her time to debate the bill which is in front of us, and I ask you to draw her back to the topic that is here. The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Connolly): Member for Yan Yean, if you can just focus on the bill.

RULINGS BY THE CHAIR Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2133

Ms GREEN: Oh, thank you. We made an election commitment to Victorians to bring in a fairer energy market, and that is absolutely what we are doing. And that is right across the state, whether it is the 18 members who represent rural and regional areas in this Parliament or our metropolitan members— our members like you, Acting Speaker Connolly, that cover growing areas like the western suburbs and me in the north as well as regional areas. We are absolutely passionate about delivering a better energy market and a fairer situation where consumers actually do get some benefit from this competition. We did a review, which was headed by John Thwaites, to examine how marketing was operating and to deliver recommendations on making energy fairer and easier to understand. I would expect nothing less from the former Deputy Premier and former Minister for Victorian Communities, and I really want to thank him for his work both as Deputy Premier and in retirement. We will always put fairness first, not the big end of town. I have no idea why the member for Sandringham, on behalf of the coalition, has proposed a reasoned amendment that would defer these benefits and undermine and try to delay what we are bringing to the community with fairer and cheaper energy. I think with the year that we have had this is the time where we need to work together to bring down costs and improve things for all Victorians, particularly in spaces like energy. I commend this bill to the house. Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (12:58): This is an important bill that addresses key issues that we need to progress. I am delighted that this is being pursued by the government. I think that we need to actually look at what the key things are about energy retailers. Particularly in lockdown, I do not know if anybody else has been having the same number of calls that I have, but you have got to be really careful just answering your phone these days—you get people ringing you up, particularly around mealtimes. I know other people have made that comparison as well. But if a number comes up on your phone with no caller ID or it is a number that you do not recognise without a name, it has become instinctive now not to answer it, and that just shows how this issue has got out of control and needs to be addressed. That is really what is important in this bill, and this is what Labor is doing. Criminal penalties for energy retailers who mislead or deceive the essential services commissioner or systemically and wrongfully disconnect households will increase to $1 million. That is the other side to this argument—to make sure that people are protected in their time of need. Labor’s energy fairness plan also provides the Essential Services Commission with clearer investigative power, which I endorse, as well as new powers to monitor and report on the competitiveness and efficiency of the Victorian retail energy market. Labor will also appoint a fourth essential services commissioner—an energy cop on the beat as it is colloquially called. Sitting suspended 1.00 pm until 2.01 pm. Business interrupted under resolution of house of 8 June. Rulings by the Chair HANSARD REPORT The SPEAKER (14:01): Order! Just before moving to questions, the Leader of the Opposition raised a point of order yesterday in relation to a concern about the accuracy of the proof version of Hansard for the previous day, specifically in relation to an answer to a question by the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services on the previous day. Before coming to the specifics of the matter, it is important to draw the attention of the house to the general basis upon which Hansard is prepared. It flows from the definition established by a select committee of the House of Commons in 1893, quote:

… one ‘which, though not strictly verbatim, is substantially the verbatim report, with repetitions and redundancies omitted and with obvious mistakes corrected, but which on the other hand leaves out nothing that adds to the meaning of the speech or illustrates the argument’. I asked the manager of Hansard for a response to the specific matter raised yesterday and he has advised me that no-one, including the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services, has requested or suggested any edits or corrections to the relevant part of the Hansard proof. Further, the manager of Hansard has advised that he has reviewed the audio and the Hansard proof transcript of

RULINGS BY THE CHAIR 2134 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 the minister’s answer and his clear view is that Hansard reported as per its editorial policy, which includes removing false starts, redundancies and verbal fillers. Hansard will also expand acronyms. When members correct themselves Hansard editorial policy is to publish the corrected speech. Therefore the point of order is not upheld. On a broader note, it is entirely appropriate for members to raise matters relating to the accuracy of the Hansard record. However, I am concerned that any suggestion that Hansard was doctored may reflect in some part on the good work and the good people who work in our Hansard unit. The Hansard unit faithfully carry out their duties with integrity and impartiality, and members should be cautious to raise matters in a way that does not intentionally or unintentionally cast a shadow over the character of our Hansard team. If members have a concern or a question about the Hansard record, they may wish to raise this with the manager of Hansard in the first instance. Mr M O’Brien: On the point of order, if I may— The SPEAKER: I have ruled on this point of order. A further point of order? Mr M O’Brien: On a further point of order, Speaker, the audio which I read into the record yesterday clearly referred to the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services referring to ‘no significant breaches’. He said ‘or no significant breaches’. On the basis that the minister clearly said ‘no significant breaches or no breaches’, I do not understand how it is that that could be seen as a false start as opposed to two separate claims that were made to the house. Given the ruling and the response from Hansard—and let me make very clear I cast no aspersion on Hansard; I never have and never will—it is very important that what ministers say in this house is recorded accurately, and this is a question where the minister has clearly said ‘no significant breaches or no breaches’. A member: No, ‘no breaches or no significant breaches’. Mr M O’Brien: I beg your pardon, ‘no breaches or no significant breaches’. In that case, I do not see how it can be said to be a false start. Speaker, I would ask you to seek further information from Hansard how that could be classified as a false start worthy of being removed from the answer. The SPEAKER: Order! I have already ruled on the point of order. I am happy at any time for any member to raise and have discussions with me and/or the manager of Hansard around its editorial policy and how that is applied. In this case it has been applied appropriately. But as I say, I am happy to have that discussion about their policies and procedures. Ms Allan: On a point of order, Speaker, I refer to the latter half of your ruling advising MPs to quite rightly be cautious in how we raise matters regarding the independence of Hansard, because they are a proudly and fiercely independent part of the operation of our Parliament. Further to the Leader of the Opposition’s point of order, where he continued to cast aspersions on Hansard and on their independence, can I suggest that we need to consider—and I am very happy, whether it be through the Standing Orders Committee or some other mechanism—that we have in place a clear process for members who wish to raise issues with the hardworking staff, whether it be the Hansard area, the library staff or other staff in the department who work very hard on our behalf, and if there are issues to be raised with them that that be done in an appropriate way that does not call into question the way they operate. This is a very important matter because, as you have just ruled, Hansard operates and has done for decades and decades under a very clearly established set of protocols that have been accepted by all members of Parliament for the entire time I have been here. I would suggest that the behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition shows that he should apologise to the Hansard staff for further conspiracy theories that he wishes to peddle around this building. The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the House will resume her seat. On the point of order that has been raised, the Leader of the Opposition. Mr M O’Brien: On the point of order, Speaker, I take offence. I take offence at the imputations made by the Leader of the House. I require them to be withdrawn.

RULINGS BY THE CHAIR Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2135

The SPEAKER: Order! I ask the minister to withdraw any comments that have been made that— Ms Allan: At your direction, Speaker, I withdraw any comments that the Leader of the Opposition finds— Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! I have allowed these points of order to drag a little bit further than I would normally allow for discussion on a ruling that I have made because it is an important issue, and I think the matter in which it has been approached today has been largely appropriate. Does the Leader of The Nationals want to speak on this point of order? Does the Leader of The Nationals want to contribute? I have not ruled on this point of order yet. Mr Walsh: Further to the point of order, Speaker, I, like the Leader of the Opposition, take exception to the imputations that the Leader of the House made in her contribution and will come to a further point of order on that because I do not believe that her withdrawal was appropriate in the forms of the house. I ask you to review that. What the Leader of the Opposition validly raised in his original point of order yesterday, which you have ruled on, is the accuracy of what the acting minister said. Lives actually depend on this; 800 people died. The SPEAKER: Order! I say to the Leader of The Nationals that I have ruled on that point of order. I have ruled on that point of order, and what you are doing at the moment is going back to discuss that point of order. The other further point of order— Mr Walsh: Well, the Leader of the House cast aspersions about the validity of us being able to raise the issue about the record. It is not a criticism of Hansard; it is effectively clarifying what the minister said, because the minister in my view clearly said yesterday that there were ‘no breaches’ and then corrected himself and said ‘no significant breaches’, and that— Ms Allan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Without the Leader of the House’s assistance. Mr Walsh: That is a very important issue when we are talking about COVID hotels and it escaping, and that is why we need to make sure— The SPEAKER: I thank the Leader of The Nationals for his point of order. I have heard enough on this point of order. It is not a point of order. There may well be a good point that is being raised about further discussion around processes, but it is not by way of point of order. Now, I understand the Leader of The Nationals wanted to raise a further point of order. Mr Walsh: On a further point of order, Speaker, I do not believe that the Leader of the House’s withdrawal was in the correct forms of the house, and I would ask you to actually ask her to do her withdrawal in the appropriate manner, please. The SPEAKER: On this point of order, before calling the minister, I ask the Leader of the House to withdraw. Ms Allan: I withdraw. The SPEAKER: On a further point of order? Mr Pakula: No, on the same point. The SPEAKER: No, I have ruled on these points of order, so this will need to be a further point of order. Mr Wells: And this is a further point of order. The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business.

RULINGS BY THE CHAIR 2136 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

Mr Wells: Thank you, Speaker. Ms Allan interjected. Mr Wells: What was that? The SPEAKER: Through the Chair. Mr Wells: That we are weak? The SPEAKER: Order! Through the Chair. Mr Wells: So we have no right to be able to call a point of order on something that we do not like? We are bringing in a policy, I thought, about bullying and all those sorts of intimidation things, but it only works one way, doesn’t it? It only works one way. On my further point of order, until a process is in place, I would expect you, Speaker, to allow the opposition to be able to call points of order in regard to any concerns that we have about Hansard, and I would ask you to clarify that ruling—that we can do that until the process is in place. The SPEAKER: On this point of order, the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery. Mr Pakula: On this point of order, Speaker—and I think it goes to the point that is being made about the respectful way, the appropriate way, in which matters of this nature are raised—the opposition is asserting that there has been no imputation or no impugning of Hansard in the point of order raised by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday. But to go to Hansard, the Leader of the Opposition said that:

When looking at Hansard today it in fact has been edited or doctored or changed and now only says … Now, the Leader of the Opposition was clearly asserting either that it had been doctored by Hansard or that it had been doctored by the minister, so he either owes an apology to Hansard or to the minister. Members interjecting. Mr Pakula: Well, then he needs an apology. Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte on this point of order. Mr R Smith: Thank you, Speaker. I think— Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte has the call. Members interjecting. Mr R Smith: I’m glad you’ve got that muzzle on, mate. The SPEAKER: Order! Members interjecting. Mr R Smith: Could I just remind the Leader of the House that standards in this place were brought into the gutter with the way she conducted herself with a former Speaker, Ken Smith— The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte will resume his seat. Mr R Smith: so do not give us commentary about how we— The SPEAKER: The member for Warrandyte is not making a point of order. The member for Warrandyte will resume his seat.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2137

Mr R Smith: Speaker— The SPEAKER: Order! No, the member for Warrandyte will resume his seat. Mr R Smith interjected. The SPEAKER: The member for Warrandyte was called to raise a point of order and did not do so. I do not uphold the point of order. On a further point of order, the member for Warrandyte. Mr R Smith: On a further point of order, Speaker, with regard to the process in place for raising issues about Hansard changes that members of this house would like to see investigated, the fact is that the Leader of the House is trying to conflate the issue by saying we need a process to be put in place. I have been here for 15 years, and I am sure the precedent has been here for much longer than that, that issues with Hansard have been raised in this house without problem for many, many years, and I would even say for decades. So to say that we need a process all of a sudden is— Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! I have ruled that point of order out of order. It may be something that the house wishes to take up. On the— Mr Wells: Sorry, just to clarify, because there were a number of points of order. So the point of order I raised, you have ruled that it is not a point of order. The SPEAKER: No. Mr Wells: So I need you to clarify the point that I raised. The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. Just for clarifying, I ruled the point of order that he raised out of order because it was not a point of order. The suggestion that the house may wish to determine another process or some processes for members to raise issues might be a valid one, but it is not one that should be raised by a point of order. Members are able to raise points of orders on these matters. I have suggested in the ruling today that members should maybe, if they wish, take these matters up directly with the manager of Hansard, who is always very willing to help people. Questions without notice and ministers statements COVID-19 Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): My question is to the acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Yesterday in question time the minister said that COVID health hotels do not require a QR code check-in system, saying:

They are hospital settings, and they reflect the needs of the hospital. However, according to Monash Health’s own website:

If you are visiting any of our care locations you must check-in using the Victorian Government QR Code Service. Minister, why should the government’s COVID health hotels be any different? Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:15): I thank the member for his question. As I indicated yesterday, the health hotels are a different environment to our hotels operated by COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV), and you have got those hospital settings in place. So at the Alfred hotel I can advise the house there are stringent entry-point screening systems in place to monitor and record staff arrivals and departures and movements on-site, as you would expect, as well as we do, at the health hotel, extensive contact mapping of all staff who access the health hotel. We also have a very large and significant Victoria Police presence in the hotels because we want to make sure that

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS 2138 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 we get these infection prevention and controls right, and that is what is in place now. What we are doing in relation to— A member interjected. Mr PEARSON: Well, the member asked a question about the government’s QR code system. This is more about making sure that we have got a really high level of protection and control in place in these systems, both in terms of the CQV hotels as well as the Alfred. So we are looking at ensuring that there is an integration between the health hotels and CQV, with the SafeWorks QR code system, and that is going to be introduced in our health hotels and our complex care hotels later this month. Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): Yesterday in question time the minister refused to release daily audits of hotel quarantine protocol compliance. Why? Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:17): Well, it is very clear that infection prevention and controls are really, vitally important in our health hotels and our CQV hotels. It is about making sure that if you see something, you say something, and that informs the way in which we do those process improvements, and we make sure that we continue to learn from this virus every single day. Now, the issue here is that if you have got—and we have got—a very strong culture of ‘If you see something, say something’, what I would be concerned about in the release of those reports would be that that could undermine that. People might not want to reveal that information if they see something and say something, and that might lead to perverse outcomes. There is too much at risk to get this wrong. Mr M O’Brien interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition! Mr PEARSON: This virus is so damaging and deadly, and we are not going to take those risks. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: SEVERE WEATHER EVENT Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:18): I rise to update the house on the impacts of the wild weather across Victoria. Firstly, an ‘evacuate now’ warning has been issued for the Traralgon Creek area. If your street is impacted, it is strongly recommended that you evacuate and travel to a safe location. You can travel to the home of a family or friend if it is safe, and a relief centre has been opened at the Traralgon Basketball Stadium at Garibaldi Street. At the peak of last night’s weather we experienced winds gusting at more than 125 kilometres an hour around central Victoria. We experienced more than 288 millimetres of rain at Mount Baw Baw, more than 250 millimetres at the Thomson River Catchment and around 270 millimetres at Mount Tassie. While most Victorians were sleeping—I was not; I was in the Dandenongs, and it was pretty wild in the hills—our SES volunteers were responding to thousands of requests for assistance. As at 10.00 am this morning, SES volunteers were actively managing more than 2700 incidents—1700 had already been resolved in the early hours of this morning. It is not over yet. Approximately 244 700 customers have been affected by power outages, with power companies and the SES working to restore power as soon as possible. Another 10 to 20 millimetres of rain is expected throughout the regions today. Winds are expected to remain strong across the Dandenongs and along the coast into the morning before subsiding. Throughout it all the SES have been outstanding, and they are still working in very, very difficult conditions to rescue Victorians and secure homes and properties. It is dangerous work. Two SES members were taken to hospital last night and are awaiting confirmation of their condition. We are thinking of them and wishing them a speedy recovery. They have our heartfelt thanks. This is still a dynamic situation. I encourage all Victorians to stay tuned to emergency broadcasts, download

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2139 the VicEmergency app and check the website. We extend our deepest thanks and gratitude for the selfless work of all our emergency services. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:20): My question is to the Minister for Youth. The Victorian Agency for Health Information has finalised its mental health, alcohol and other drug treatment service in Victoria report. The report states that compared to pre-COVID levels there has been a 51 per cent increase in the number of teenagers who were rushed to hospital after self-harming and suffering suicidal thoughts. Teens requiring resuscitation and emergency care after making an attempt to end their life have also spiked by 45 per cent. Teenage lives are on the line. When will the government release this secret report which reveals how much damage this government’s lockdowns have done to the lives of young Victorians? Ms SPENCE (Yuroke—Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Community Sport, Minister for Youth) (14:21): I thank the member for the question. I will answer from here in the interests of time. This is a very important issue, and there is nothing more important than the mental health of our young people. I know that from the many, many hundreds of young people that I have spoken to over the past months, particularly in the last quarter of 2020 when we undertook extensive consultation for the youth strategy. One thing that was made incredibly clear to me was that mental health was not only important to us as adults making decisions in this area, but it was also one of the top two issues of importance to young people, so this is a matter that we are taking incredibly seriously. It is a matter that we are investing incredibly highly in. It is a matter that we have in this last budget invested incredibly heavily in. Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, I ask you to bring the minister to the question that was asked, which was around releasing this report. Referring to a budget that will only take effect from next year, when there are children and young teens who are committing suicide today, is not responding to this horrific increase in suicide rates. The SPEAKER: Order! I heard the question, and the answer the minister has been giving has been relevant to that question. Ms SPENCE: Thank you. As I was saying, this is such an incredibly important issue. It is not a budget that only takes effect from next year. This is an issue that we have been investing in for quite a long time and it is an issue that we will continue to invest in for quite a long time. Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! I think the minister has concluded her answer. Mr R Smith: Well, the minister also listened to the fact that the question is about releasing the report, not when the budget money comes into effect. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte will resume his seat. Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte will resume his seat. Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte! The member for Warrandyte can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour. Mr R Smith: I can’t hear you. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour.

MEMBERS 2140 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour. Mr R Smith: For what reason? The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte will leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour. Mr R Smith: I don’t know why. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte has been asked to leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour. Members interjecting. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte will leave the chamber for the period of 90 minutes. Mr R Smith interjected. Questions interrupted. Members MEMBER FOR WARRANDYTE Naming and suspension The SPEAKER (14:24): Order! I name the member for Warrandyte. Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (14:24): I move:

That the member for Warrandyte be suspended from the service of the house for the next two sitting days. House divided on motion:

Ayes, 18 Allan, Ms Horne, Ms Pearson, Mr Carroll, Mr Hutchins, Ms Sheed, Ms D’Ambrosio, Ms McGhie, Mr Spence, Ms Donnellan, Mr Merlino, Mr Thomas, Ms Foley, Mr Pakula, Mr Williams, Ms Hibbins, Mr Pallas, Mr Wynne, Mr Noes, 11 Angus, Mr McLeish, Ms Ryan, Ms Battin, Mr Morris, Mr Walsh, Mr Blackwood, Mr O’Brien, Mr M Wells, Mr Kealy, Ms Rowswell, Mr Motion agreed to. Member for Warrandyte withdrew from chamber. Register of opinion on motion Ayes Ms Addison, Ms Blandthorn, Mr Brayne, Mr Bull, Mr Carbines, Mr Cheeseman, Ms Connolly, Ms Couzens, Ms Crugnale, Mr Dimopoulos, Mr Edbrooke, Ms Edwards, Mr Eren, Mr Fowles, Mr Fregon, Ms Green, Ms Halfpenny, Ms Hall, Mr Halse, Mr Hamer, Ms Hennessy, Ms Kairouz,

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2141

Mr Kennedy, Ms Kilkenny, Mr Maas, Mr McGuire, Ms Richards, Mr Richardson, Mr Scott, Ms Settle, Mr Staikos, Ms Suleyman, Mr Tak, Mr Taylor, Ms Theophanous, Ms Ward Noes Ms Britnell, Mr Bull, Mr Burgess, Mr Guy, Mr Hodgett, Mr McCurdy, Mr Newbury, Mr Riordan, Mr Smith, Mr Southwick, Ms Staley, Ms Vallence Questions without notice and ministers statements YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH Questions resumed. Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, in the first instance, may I ask for some advice? The substantive question went to: when will the government release this report? The minister did not respond to that question. I realise that the standing orders and sessional orders have been amended, but is there any opportunity for you to— The SPEAKER: Order! Ms Kealy: Well, I am seeking advice. The SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order. The member may seek advice from the clerks outside of the house or at other points in time, but there is no point of order. Ms Allan interjected. Ms Kealy: Have you got any other commentary you would like to pass through the Chair? The SPEAKER: Order! Without the assistance of other members. Ms Kealy: Speaker, there is constant commentary. We are talking about youth suicide. I am constantly getting comments across the table. It is completely inappropriate, and I ask you to pull the member into line. The SPEAKER: Order! I ask members to allow the member for Lowan to ask her question. The member for Lowan has the call. Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:31): This week Kids Helpline reported new data which shows that since last December they have received a 44 per cent increase in call-outs from Victorian families in response to an immediate intent to suicide. The organisation stated:

It is very clear that the pandemic is taking its toll on the lives of children and young people. Why hasn’t the Victorian government adopted a proportionate response to COVID outbreaks, as seen in New South Wales, to protect the mental health of Victoria’s young people and save lives? Ms SPENCE (Yuroke—Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Community Sport, Minister for Youth) (14:32): I thank the member for Lowan for raising the very, very important issue of the mental health of young people in this state. With respect, I disagree with her assertion that we have not taken a proportionate response to this very important issue. Again I will restate that we will continue to invest in this incredibly important issue. We will continue to listen to young people across the state. What we will not do, though, is we will not take really cheap approaches to this. We will not put depictions of explicit self-harm on social media. They are things that we will not do because this is an incredibly important issue, and that is an incredibly dangerous thing to do. Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, I ask the minister to withdraw asserting that I—and that is how I took the comment—have made a cheap shot by asking a question about a proportionate response to lockdowns when there have been no cases in regional Victoria and kids are committing suicide.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS 2142 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Lowan will resume her seat. There is no point of order. The minister did not identify any member of this house. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: VICROADS LICENCE TESTING Mr CARROLL (Niddrie—Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Roads and Road Safety) (14:33): I rise to update the house on the investment and opportunities the Andrews Labor government is making to provide young Victorians with the opportunity to get their drivers licence. All members would appreciate and know the opportunities that getting a drivers licence presents, whether it was themselves, their son or their daughter, whether it is getting to work, a part-time job, school or university. The pandemic has had a major impact on licence testing. In line with the chief health officer’s directions we have had to scale back licence testing, but with restrictions easing in both regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne in coming days I am very proud that we are upping our licence testing. Our $60 million investment includes 12 new temporary testing sites as well as hundreds of support staff and more driver testing than ever before. We are already getting results. On average pre- COVID 9800 tests were completed every week. At the moment we are completing 17 600 drive tests every week. I am also pleased that we are bringing the learners test into the 21st century. A new online learners test is now available right across the state. One thing I learned when I became the Minister for Roads and Road Safety is that it had not changed much since the 1990s. The new program does reinforce critical road safety messages and incorporates a mix of theory, video and graphics. It is more intensive and interactive and also takes between 4 and 6 hours to complete. Most importantly, it underpins our important road safety strategy. I was very pleased to join the member for Macedon, my good friend, with her constituent Georgia recently, who completed the test. Since that time, since Georgia, some 5000 young Victorians have enrolled to complete the test and some 2000 learners have successfully completed the program. This is a new initiative statewide giving young Victorians the opportunity and the responsibility that comes with driving on the road. HOSPITAL WAITING LISTS Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:35): My question is to the Minister for Health. Sam’s wife is 20 weeks pregnant. Last week she was admitted to Horsham hospital with pressure on her brain which requires an urgent lumbar puncture. After a week of waiting Sam’s wife has been discharged to Hospital in the Home because there are no beds available for this procedure anywhere in Victoria. Without this critical procedure she is in danger of going blind and losing her unborn child. Minister, why isn’t a bed immediately available for this critically urgent procedure? Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:36): Can I thank the honourable member for Lowan for her question. As is my practice in this place when I get questions in regard to specific cases, I would invite the honourable member to approach me about those, and if there are specific things that we can do to assist any honourable member with constituent matters, that is my undertaking to the house wherever we possibly can. The general proposition, however, that I would address in this place goes to how these clinical matters are dealt with by clinical processes determined by clinicians. In regard to, if I understood the honourable member’s question, a particular form of treatment, we know that right across the state there are different layers of how hospitals operate in a coordinated manner when it comes to particular sorts of clinical procedures especially as they move up the acuity chain, and in— Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, I ask the minister to come back to the specific question, which is: why isn’t a bed available for this procedure across all of Victoria?

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2143

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has answered the specific part of the question. He is providing information. Does the minister wish to continue an answer? The minister to continue. There is no point of order. The minister is being relevant. Mr FOLEY: Yes. What I was seeking to explain to the honourable member was that the range of conditions and particularly acute conditions—as to how they are dealt with—is based on those clinical assessments by people on the ground. When it comes to Horsham and in terms of how it operates there, there is a coalition of how graduated efforts of acuity are dealt with. I know from personal discussions with the Grampians group of hospitals that many of these issues are dealt with through how they approach them through moving up the chain. In regard to the assertion as to this particular type of bed and this particular type of operation that is needed, I am not briefed on that at the moment, but I will give the honourable member an undertaking that I will get back to her if indeed her assertions are correct as to the specifics of what she has said. Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:39): The pressure on Sam’s wife’s brain is so severe that a blood vessel has burst in her eye. This family is another example of this Labor government failing Victorian patients, causing huge emotional, physical and mental stress. How many more Victorian families must suffer before the government fixes Victoria’s hospital waiting list crisis? Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:39): I thank the honourable member for her question, and again in regard to the specific circumstance I reiterate the earlier comments I made. But in regard to what I took to be the actual question about waiting lists, this is a government that in the November budget invested over $300 million in making sure that we turn around the blitz on elective waiting lists. We made sure that in the most recent budget another $136 million in addition to that was allocated for that process. We have made sure that throughout the entire process of the pandemic both category 1 and category 2A surgeries continued uninterrupted. In terms of the accusation implicit in the honourable member’s question that goes to this government not investing in health, not investing in elective surgery and not investing in what is important to Victorian families, particularly in health, I think the evidence speaks directly to the contrary. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional Development) (14:40): I would firstly like to send my best wishes to Victorians around the state who are dealing with the extreme weather events of the last 24 hours or so, particularly those in Gippsland who are dealing with floodwaters, fallen trees and road closures. I want to thank our State Emergency Service for the incredible job that they are doing and all emergency services workers who are out today. I rise today to update the house on how the Andrews Labor government is supporting the future of regional communities and delivering more jobs for Victorians in every corner of our state. The latest ABS employment data confirms that jobs are growing across rural and regional Victoria and that unemployment is down yet again, now at 4.5 per cent, the lowest of all the states. Our government is proud to support jobs across regional Victoria, and I was pleased to visit only recently HW Greenham & Sons at their plant in Tongala. This sixth-generation family-owned business is a meat-processing facility proudly supplying Australian beef for more than 120 years. Greenham saw an opportunity to unlock lucrative export markets by pivoting their business to premium meat products, and they have run with it in Tasmania, in Gippsland and now in Tongala. Through our signature Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund our government is proudly supporting a $50 million redevelopment of Greenham’s operations, which will create up to 230 new jobs, further strengthening the Goulburn Valley as a premier food-producing region. This is a tremendous vote of confidence in regional Victoria, and I congratulate Peter Greenham and his team for investing in their current and future workforce and in the future of regional Victoria. Our government is determined to

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS 2144 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 make rural and regional Victoria a great place to live, work and invest, and that is exactly what we are delivering with our support for businesses like Greenham. COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Ms CUPPER (Mildura) (14:42): My question is for the Minister for Health. On 27 May my electorate was locked down for seven days on the same settings as the worst hotspots in Melbourne. Our community was beyond frustrated, and our business community was pulling out its hair. The government said that the only way to get out of the global pandemic was a fully vaccinated community, but the nearest Victorian vaccination centre was 400 kilometres away—and some locals were travelling to Renmark in South Australia to get their jab. Other state vaccination centres have been operating for months, but our first Pfizer vaccinations will not be starting until next week. Given the urgency of the government response in other parts of regional Victoria, why did we have to wait so long? Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:43): I thank the Independent member for Mildura for her question. In regard to how the commonwealth vaccine program is rolled out, particularly in the Mallee area, I am very pleased to point to the fact that there has in fact been some movement in that space. The honourable member is right that the way in which we get out of this global pandemic is through, amongst other things, the vaccination program. And the commonwealth vaccination program, for all of its good intent, has undoubtedly run into some difficulties. Nonetheless here in Victoria, whilst most of the vaccines have gone to general practices, as is only appropriate, some 725 049 vaccines have been delivered by state- run clinics right across the state, and we continue to open more as supply from the commonwealth comes online. I was very pleased that the Prime Minister recently indicated that states’ concerns around second doses did not need to be worried about—that the commonwealth would provide, on time, all second doses—and we very much look forward to that being delivered. That has given Victoria the confidence to ramp up its vaccination program. Forty per cent of the vaccines being delivered in Australia at the moment are being delivered in Victoria, and what we want to do is grow that. What we want to do is make sure that every Victorian, wherever they are, continues to get access or gets access to the full vaccination program, within the restrictions that have been operating under the commonwealth’s distribution. We have been opening open access centres progressively wherever we can—we have passed 40 such centres. I can confirm and am pleased to advise the honourable member for Mildura that we are indeed opening a new open access clinic to be run by Sunraysia Community Health Services in Mildura, which will open next week. I can also for the honourable member for Lowan’s interest confirm that an open access clinic will be operating in the coming weeks in both Horsham and Nhill, and of course there is an expansion of the GP program vaccines in these areas as a result of advocacy that both the state and the Australian Medical Association made to the commonwealth to double the number of AstraZeneca doses in our GP network. We know that there is more to be done in the vaccination program. It is the ramp off this pandemic freeway that this country and this globe are on. This is an important part of making sure that all Victorians get the opportunity to be vaccinated and do their part in our recovery. Ms CUPPER (Mildura) (14:46): My supplementary question is also to the Minister for Health. Despite generally strong demand, vaccine hesitancy remains a problem. One local home care worker declared to a family she works with that she will not be getting the jab. This person works predominantly with the aged and people with disabilities in their homes. What is the government doing to educate the community about the importance and safety of the global vaccination program? Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:47): I thank the honourable member for her supplementary question. I did see the reports that the honourable member is referring to there, and my understanding is that the particular individual works for a non-government supported residential service organisation. In many ways, as regrettable as those comments are, they do reflect the need for a much wider set of engagements about how the

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2145 entire Australian community gets behind our vaccination program, for many of the reasons that I have already addressed in my earlier response. The honourable member is right: there is a need for a comprehensive communications program around the importance of vaccines being safe, being free, being available and being there for all Australians. That responsibility, under the national current arrangements, is actually the commonwealth’s, but the Victorian government is committing to doing what it can in the circumstances, where it can. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: BUSINESS SUPPORT Mr PALLAS (Werribee—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations) (14:48): I am pleased to update the house on the state’s support for business and the government’s positive economic vision. I had hoped of course to get a ministerial or a question from those opposite, but of course the member for Ripon is currently occupying the twilight zone for spruiking incomprehensible conspiracy theories, so I have got to take my opportunities where I can. Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, you may want to anticipate the point of order. I ask you to require the Treasurer to come back to actually making a ministers statement in accordance with sessional orders. The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. The Treasurer is to come back to making a statement. Mr PALLAS: With restrictions loosening, businesses are in a position to open up and the state can look forward to the future with confidence. The government has provided over $500 million to support businesses over the past two weeks, including $32 million to directly support regional tourism operators, and with Melbourne opening up again there is a lot of confidence out there, backed in by the creation of 243 000 jobs since September 2020, more than half of all the jobs created in the nation. As you know, there are alternative approaches to running the state’s economy. The Liberal member for Western Victoria in the other place proposed reducing GST to Victoria, an outstanding piece of public policy aimed to hurt her own state. I am pleased to say that this is not the approach of this government. We on this side are about economic responsibility in creating a pipeline of infrastructure projects and fertile conditions for business to grow. It is a formula of rational and methodical investment and growth. The only path to sustained economic recovery is to control the virus and for people to get vaccinated. It is an effort that focuses on the community’s needs and not on flaky conspiracy theories. While those opposite are sidetracked in Trumpesque conspiracies, this government is supporting the state to recover and to grow. SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:50): My question is to the Acting Premier. Acting Premier, Rowena and Tim run an allied health business in the Yarra Valley. They are the only two people in their small business, which is not registered for GST. They were very distressed to find that this Labor government has excluded them from any financial assistance despite their small business being forced to close under the government’s lockdown. Will the government now change its cruel and heartless decision to exclude thousands of Victorian small business operators like Rowena and Tim from receiving assistance that they desperately need? Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:51): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question and, as I have said a number of times in this place and outside, this is a very difficult period for all families, all businesses, all communities across our state— Mr M O’Brien interjected. Mr MERLINO: Well, I will get to that. This is a difficult time and it has an impact on our way of life. It has an impact socially, economically and in terms of our mental health and wellbeing, but we must follow the advice of public health experts to drive this outbreak into the ground so we can resume normal life in the COVID-safe way that we were enjoying just a few short weeks ago. Because of the

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE AND MINISTERS STATEMENTS 2146 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 efforts of all Victorians, including business, we are in a position that at 11.59 pm tonight there will be a further easing of restrictions in regional Victoria, and businesses that were closed in Melbourne will be open from midnight tonight, so for the next period. In terms of the support for business, which goes to the question that the Leader of the Opposition asked, we understand that is our responsibility as a government and we have outlined now more than half a billion dollars—$501 million—of business support, whether it is the Business Support Fund, whether it is focusing on regional tourism and accommodation, whether it is the additional funding that I outlined yesterday— Mr M O’Brien interjected. Mr MERLINO: I am coming to your question, Leader of the Opposition. Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, none of this helps Rowena and Tim. They have been excluded and the question is why. The SPEAKER: Order! The Acting Premier is being relevant to the question that has been asked. Mr MERLINO: Half a billion dollars of business support, and then, via the Treasurer and me, strong advocacy from the state to the federal government to ensure that there is some income support. That only lasts for the period that it is defined as a hotspot by the chief medical officer, and that does end tonight. We advocated that it continue; the federal government have declined. For people who are not registered for the GST and who have a turnover less than $75 000, they have never been eligible for Business Victoria coronavirus grant programs, including the Sole Trader Support Fund, all rounds of the Business Support Fund and both rounds of the business costs assistance program. What has changed in that time is that now none of those businesses are being supported by the commonwealth government’s JobKeeper program. The individuals that the Leader of the Opposition has outlined—previously they have got support from the commonwealth. They are no longer getting support from the commonwealth. Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:54): Just last Friday the Acting Premier said, quote, ‘business support is the responsibility of the state government’. James from Hallam runs a small retail shop. He started his business late last year. He thought lockdowns were behind us; he was doing well. But he has had no trade because of the latest lockdowns. He is ineligible for financial assistance under Labor’s restrictive criteria simply because he has not registered for GST. James now has less than $750 to his name. Acting Premier, why are you steadfastly refusing to help people like James who are on the verge of losing everything they have worked for because of this government’s failure to support small business? The SPEAKER: Order! I just remind members to address their remarks through the Chair. Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:55): There are approximately 2.4 million Victorian ABNs on the Australian Business Register, with 839 200 of these registered for GST. The Victorian government has no way to distinguish between trading businesses and non-trading ABNs such as holding companies. The business costs assistance program requires a business to be registered for GST, because it shows the business was actively trading before Thursday, 27 May, and is a genuine operation that the owner and the employees or contractors rely on for income. Without that GST criterion, there is no mechanism which can be used to validate turnover information for individual businesses. That is the point. Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, if the government wants people like James or Rowena and Tim to prove they are genuine, it should just ask them to prove it, but they need help. The SPEAKER: Order! It is not a point of order. The Acting Premier is being relevant to the question.

RULINGS BY THE CHAIR Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2147

Mr MERLINO: I have explained the why. I have explained that we have delivered more than half a billion dollars for business support during this particular lockdown. The responsibility for income support—the examples that you have raised today would have previously been supported by the commonwealth government. The commonwealth is declining to support these people. MINISTERS STATEMENTS: VICTORIA’S BIG BUILD Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (14:56): I can report to the house that construction on our Big Build program has been continuing during the last few weeks with important strict safety protocols in place, and I would like to put on the record my deep thanks to the unions, the employers and the people from across a whole range of different departments who have worked collaboratively to protect worker safety and importantly, too, to keep our projects going. I would also like to thank those workers on all of our projects for their adherence to really strict safety protocols while they continue to build these vital projects. Keeping construction going has helped our entire economy, the construction sector but also those small businesses who work in our supply chain. And we have seen construction continue on our Big Build projects like the Metro Tunnel, the West Gate Tunnel, the North East Link Project, level crossing removals at sites across the suburbs, the Monash Freeway upgrade and the Echuca–Moama bridge, and on a range of other road and rail projects right across the state. Work is also, I am very pleased to say, rapidly progressing on the planning for the Melbourne Airport rail project. I was pleased to join with my federal ministerial colleague, Minister Paul Fletcher, earlier this year to release project designs for consultation, and we have been thrilled with the feedback we have received from those initial consultations. What I can tell you is the main priority we have heard from Victorians—because this is Victoria’s airport rail link—is that they are keen to get this project started as quickly as possible, understandable given this has been talked about for a really long time. It is a shared view of the commonwealth and state governments to get this going as quickly as possible, which is why I was a little surprised last week to see ‘Call to postpone rail link’ splashed across local newspapers. And there is a conspiracy theory that is being promoted that the airport rail link will be 50 metres high. Well, that conspiracy theory, peddled by chief conspiracy theorist in the other place, Bernie Finn, has to be put to rest while we get on and deliver this important rail link. (Time expired) Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, it is disorderly to reflect on members of this or the other place, which the Leader of the House has just done. I ask you to require her to withdraw those words. The SPEAKER: Order! I have heard enough. I cannot require the minister to withdraw, but I warn the minister against reflecting on members of the other place. Mr Hibbins: On a point of order, Speaker, question 5375 to the Minister for Public Transport was due to be answered on 9 January this year. Obviously it is very long overdue, and I would ask you to have the minister respond to that question. The SPEAKER: I thank the member for raising that issue. We will follow the matter up with the relevant minister. Rulings by the Chair CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS The SPEAKER (14:59): Just before moving to constituency questions, yesterday the member for Warrandyte asked me to review the member for Narre Warren South’s constituency question to check that the member had not asked for an action rather than for information. I have reviewed the transcript, and the question sought information on a sports facility upgrade and its benefits to constituents.

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS 2148 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

Accordingly, the question is in order. I just take the opportunity to remind all members that are raising constituency questions to clearly relate them to their constituency. Constituency questions EVELYN ELECTORATE Ms VALLENCE (Evelyn) (15:00): (5901) My question is to the Minister for Health on behalf of thousands of people in my community and small business owners of health and fitness centres and gyms. Despite lockdown restrictions easing for businesses and venues, why are you determined to keep health and fitness centres and gyms shut, and will you make public the modelling and advice that you are relying on to make this rule? If it is on public health advice, then make it public. People are scratching their heads as to the legitimacy of your public health advice to keep places that make the public healthy forcibly shut. Why does your Labor-appointed chief health officer give public health advice to keep open drug injecting rooms to keep people on heroin and ice and allow 100 people to attend sex-on-premises brothels or gamble in betting agencies but force shut gyms and fitness centres that allow people to exercise for their physical and mental health and wellbeing? It makes no sense, and I call on you to reverse this crazy decision. BROADMEADOWS ELECTORATE Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (15:01): (5902) My constituency question is to the Minister for Women, and I am delighted that she is here at the table. What new initiatives and opportunities can be provided to improve safety and economic opportunity for the women that I represent in the state district of Broadmeadows and more broadly for Melbourne’s north? I have particularly in mind the Orange Door network, which the minister is rolling out across the state. This is a really important initiative that has come out of the world-first Royal Commission into Family Violence delivered by the Andrews Labor government. It highlighted how economic security and financial independence are critical enablers to support women and children to live free from family violence and to move beyond this to have better opportunities in life. I have pursued with the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus his model for microfinancing as well. OVENS VALLEY ELECTORATE Mr McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (15:02): (5903) My question is to the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery on behalf of Maryke Kendall, who owns the Moyhu caravan park. I ask the minister: can Ms Kendall become eligible for any business grant support in any fashion? She has been severely impacted by the COVID lockdown, and she has fallen through the cracks of every criteria that the Victorian government has set. Ms Kendall purchased the Moyhu caravan park back in 2019, pre- COVID. She settled the property in April 2020 after the COVID pandemic began and, as you can imagine, she has not been eligible for any financial support because she has no financial history. Customers now have been turned away due to the lockdown 4, with Melbourne people not allowed into our region, and Ms Kendall does not qualify for financial assistance because she has not made the $75 000 threshold. To add insult to injury, the long weekend closure has just cancelled all her bookings. I ask again: will there be any eligibility criteria for Ms Kendall to get a business support package? CLARINDA ELECTORATE Mr TAK (Clarinda) (15:03): (5904) My constituency question is for the Minister for Community Sport. What is the latest information on the construction of the Dales Park pavilion and warm-up court? Earlier this year I was delighted to take a walk through with Kingston council mayor Steve Staikos to see some of the progress, which includes the realignment of the existing netball court, installation of training floodlights, new spectator shelters and 144 more paved vehicle spaces in the park. I look forward to hearing from the minister about the construction of the new pavilion and what this exciting project means for my constituents.

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2149

POLWARTH ELECTORATE Mr RIORDAN (Polwarth) (15:04): (5905) My question is to the acting Minister for Water, and the question I have is: can the minister please let me know whether the government’s plans for supplying water or what water supply options for the now-disbanded Anglesea coalmine are now available? The minister will be well aware that a multimillion-dollar project in the Eden Project, a fantastic Australian-first visitor experience on the Great Ocean Road, is sitting ready to go, with solid investors and a community that is looking for a repurposing of this old coalmine site. It is simply waiting for the minister to give approval, whether it is for the Black Rock water recycling—which is my preferred option because it is a great opportunity to provide water and water opportunities further down the road—or the aquifer option. There is also an option for entitlements to water along the local creek. I look forward to the minister’s response. SOUTH BARWON ELECTORATE Mr CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (15:05): (5906) My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. The upgrade of the Waurn Ponds station will add an additional platform to that station, new entrances, a pedestrian overpass and hundreds of extra car parking spaces for the benefit of the community. Construction has been progressing well over the last several months, with local residents treated to the exciting sights of seeing cranes and tradies and heavy vehicles at that site on a daily basis. This project is the first part of a staged Geelong rail upgrade, an important improvement to the rail services in my electorate. My question is this: what are the upcoming construction stages for the Waurn Ponds station upgrade and the Geelong line upgrade? BRUNSWICK ELECTORATE Dr READ (Brunswick) (15:06): (5907) My constituency question is to the Minister for Planning. I have been contacted by several residents in Brunswick who are concerned about proposed apartment towers that are too large for their sites. One is at 2–6 Ballarat Street and 14–18 Ovens Street, just off Sydney Road, and it is proposed to be 27 metres high in a zone where the council’s preferred maximum height is 17 metres. Moreland council officers report that the design is not consistent with the goals of the Moreland planning scheme, will adversely affect a significant heritage building and will result in poor internal amenity for occupants. They assess that it offers little in the way of affordable housing. It has been recommended for acceleration in the development facilitation program, but I am worried this program may be exploited by developers wishing to circumvent the usual checks and balances. Will the minister respect the wishes of the council and residents and refrain from intervening in the approval process for this project? CRANBOURNE ELECTORATE Ms RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (15:07): (5908) My constituency question is to the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence. The minister will be aware that family violence is the greatest law and order challenge we face in Victoria, and I am aware that rates of family violence are too high across the state, including in the electorate I serve. I have spoken often about the scourge of family violence— that it is unacceptable but crosses people of all faiths and no faiths, those who are wealthy and those who live hand to mouth. It happens in families where people have PhDs, impressive honorifics and large salaries and those with little formal education. People like Jasbir Singh Suropada, Relationships Australia, the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health, Wellsprings for Women, the Peninsula Community Legal Centre and the Cranbourne Information and Support Service are working hard to respond. I take the opportunity to thank our local police for their approach as well. The minister is aware I have been advocating for an Orange Door, and I ask: how will we ensure our culturally and linguistically diverse community will be included in the development and planning of new facilities in the south-east of Melbourne?

BILLS 2150 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

FOREST HILL ELECTORATE Mr ANGUS (Forest Hill) (15:07): (5909) My constituency question is to the Minister for Planning. My question is: when will the minister respond to the request from the City of Monash on behalf of our mutual constituents regarding tree removal controls in the City of Monash? The issue of tree removals is a significant issue in Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs, where residents are blessed with extensive tree coverage. This is certainly the case in the two local government areas within the Forest Hill district—namely Whitehorse and Monash. So-called moonscaping of development blocks, where all trees and plants are removed from the block, continues to be an issue from time to time. Consequently it is important that a sensible balance be struck between this practice and the rights of landowners to manage the trees within their properties. The mayor of Monash has written to me regarding the lack of response from the minister regarding a letter the mayor sent to him dated 23 March 2021, but also following years of unfruitful discussions with officers from the department. I look forward to hearing that the minister has responded to the correspondence noted and provided a way forward for residents within the City of Monash. Following question incorporated in accordance with resolution of house of 8 June: NORTHCOTE ELECTORATE Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) (5910)

My question is for the Minister for Housing. What steps have the Victorian government taken during the circuit-breaker period and beyond to support public housing tenants in the Northcote electorate? Many public housing tenants currently call our suburbs home, and over the past two years I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of these residents through morning teas, drop-ins and reaching out to provide assistance. Several of our estates are also supported by incredible local organisations like Merri Outreach Support Services, SPAN Community House and Jika Jika Community Centre. And I was pleased to work with some of these organisations during the peak of the pandemic to help organise and deliver essentials like hand sanitiser, masks and information in multiple languages. More recently, I’ve had the chance to speak with residents in several local sites about the safe reopening of their community rooms. These spaces are incredibly important to residents—not just to access amenities and programs, but as a way to socialise and connect with each other. And I have written to the minister directly about reopening these rooms for residents as soon as possible. Restrictions are challenging for each and every member of our community. But we know that there are Victorians who have found the pandemic particularly difficult, including public housing residents. Often impacted by systemic vulnerabilities, locals living in public housing are at higher risk of more severe impacts from restrictions, whether those be economic, social or indeed health impacts. It is therefore critical that a core part of our ongoing response to the pandemic is ensuring that our most vulnerable residents receive the support they need, including being assisted to participate in the commonwealth’s vaccine rollout. My community would welcome hearing more about how we are supporting our public housing tenants during this difficult time.

Bills ENERGY LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (ENERGY FAIRNESS) BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed. Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (15:09): Put simply, this bill is all about empowering customers. The bill will ban retailers from selling energy retail plans door-to-door and from cold calling, which I referenced at the beginning of my contribution, before the adjournment. Just from personal experience and more recently, I think particularly during lockdown, there have been a lot of calls that have come

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2151 through, and I think that is the issue that the government wants to address. It can be coercive and misleading, and it really in the end works to the disadvantage of customers. They get signed up for deals that turn out to be more expensive electricity offers. So that is a critical point of this legislation. Vulnerable households are particularly susceptible to high-pressure sales tactics, and they are many of the people that I represent as the state member for Broadmeadows. What this legislation seeks to do is make sure that the bill provides greater protection against wrongful disconnections by introducing higher civil penalties as well as criminal offences, with maximum penalties of $1 million for the worst kinds of wrongful disconnections. Similarly, a $1 million maximum criminal penalty will apply to retailers who provide false or misleading information to the Essential Services Commission. Now, these new penalties send a defining message that if retailers do the wrong thing, if their behaviour is unlawful, they will pay a huge price. That is the clear and unambiguous message that this legislation presents. I think we should actually look at the context of this, that this legislation emanates from a pre-election commitment, so it was known and understood. The Andrews Labor government promised that if re-elected it would deliver the biggest regulatory shake-up of the energy sector in Victoria’s history and it would provide stronger punishment for retailers who do the wrong thing and better protection for customers. That was known and understood. There it was. They knew it was coming. Winter is here, so is the legislation, and the focus is going to be on a fairer deal for people who need it the most. It also extended the power saving bonus to help more customers get a better deal on their energy bills. Now, this adds to the work to cut power bills for Victorians by installing solar panels, batteries or hot- water systems to 770 000 houses throughout Victoria through the Solar Homes program. What the government has done is support all of the recommendations of the independent review of electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria, which found that intervention was required to make our system fairer for customers and recommended this whole raft of measures to help cut power prices. I really just want to emphasise that this is part of Labor’s energy fairness plan, which doubles civil penalty notices to $250 000 for retailers who undertake wrongful disconnections, making it the highest fine in Australia. So that is the context. That is the key focus of this bill, and the evidence is clear when you actually go to the figures on our energy policy framework to deliver benefits on the need to do this for Victorians. Electricity prices previously, under the Liberal government, increased by more than a third, 34.1 per cent, over four years, and that was way above the CPI, the consumer price index. The government is also connecting record levels of residential solar through the Solar Homes program, which I identified. In 2020 this figure hit 100 000 installations, and over the next 10 years it has a much higher target that will be of huge benefit. The latest CPI data shows that retail electricity prices have fallen by 10 per cent during the past year, so that is a huge benefit for people and could not be more timely and apt. Retail prices are now at their lowest since the September quarter of 2017, so that is a relief to an overwhelming majority of Victorians. The other point that I want to reference in this is that more than 2.7 million Victorians have already used Victorian Energy Compare to find a better offer on electricity, gas and solar to cut hundreds of dollars a year from their energy bill. So there is an alternative; it has been provided. This free and independent tool assesses electricity usage data, which means it takes less than a minute to compare offers and find the best available for each household, so you have got a better opportunity. Go to this, connect up; you can compare and contrast. It is regarded as nation leading in market reforms and means that retailers are now required to tell customers what their best offer is. That is a better reversal of the onus of proof. On average Victorians who use Victorian Energy Compare save $330 in their first year, with seven out of 10 customers finding a better deal by switching retailers. Victorians can also bypass confusing and costly energy deals by choosing the Victorian default offer, a regulated fair price to help Victorians and give them a better sense of trust in this market. This is particularly significant for the community that I represent. They are virtually the United Nations in one neighbourhood, people of 160 different nationalities now calling Australia home in the state

BILLS 2152 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 district of Broadmeadows. This is where you get your start in the land of opportunity, and we want to make sure that they have better access to make more informed decisions and—you know, calling it out—that they are not just ripped off. And this is why it is important, particularly to communities who are new arrivals either as migrants or refugees, to make sure that they get the best opportunity. So this bill brings a whole raft of reforms to deliver on that: to put the customer first, to get a better deal, to give them greater choice. That is actually in the public interest, and on that basis I want to commend the bill to the house and congratulate the minister on bringing this package. It could not be more timely to the house, and I look forward to its speedy passage. Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (15:16): I am pleased to speak on the Energy Legislation Amendment (Energy Fairness) Bill 2021 and to give my wholehearted support to it for particularly the people in my electorate in Ivanhoe and for those people in postcode 3081 because, just following on from the member for Broadmeadows, it is always the cold callers and the spruikers and the sellers who want to bang on the doors of the people of West Heidelberg. We never see them over in Eaglemont. We never see them over in the Ivanhoe postcode, in 3079. We always see them in West Heidelberg. And having lived in Olympic Village, West Heidelberg between 2005 and 2011 I know very well the experience of people cold calling on a range of issues and confusing people in my electorate. We have seen it time and time again in our active electorate offices, where we have had the infirm, the elderly, those with mental health issues and others who are under pressure in our community who are the first to call our offices finding themselves signed up. Through the deregulation and privatisation of the energy and essential services by the Kennett government we then saw this cavalcade of people banging on doors trying to sign people up to inappropriate arrangements, to pressure people with what are essential services in their community and to badger them. And we saw that time and time again in communities like West Heidelberg and in many of the communities that the member for Broadmeadows has touched on. It does not mean that they alone are the victims of these—well, they are crimes, but ultimately what people are totally fed up with is the fact that there is a reason that these communities are targeted. It is because those energy companies and the people that they employ to do this work are targeting vulnerable people in the community. It is the Labor government that said, ‘Enough is enough. We are not going to stand for that any longer; we are going to put a stop to it’, and I am glad that organisations like the Victorian Council of Social Service and others support those moves because all we are really doing there is demonising and putting greater pressures on those families and communities, often the elderly and infirm and those of non-English speaking backgrounds, who are targeted by these companies and are targeted by the armies of people that they send out to bang on doors and harass and pressure people to sign up to arrangements that they do not need, arrangements that they do not want. It is wrong, and it needs to stop. The claim also that is made by those opposite is that this somehow will affect the jobs of people who currently perform those duties, and can I just say in relation to the people who are often employed to do this work, they are often overseas students, they are often people who are vulnerable themselves and put under significant pressure to perform these roles and given very ordinary working conditions and very few rights in many cases to perform this work. Often it is virtually a pyramid selling scheme, where the arrangements really work against them. They do not work in the interest of the consumer but also of the people who are given pretty tawdry employment in many circumstances to perform these roles. It is usually people who are very vulnerable themselves. Cold calling in this way went out with the ark. They are not the sort of jobs in Victoria that we should be seeking to defend and support, because the people who are captured by them are often vulnerable themselves and are not given the appropriate rights in the workplace by those who employ them. They prey on vulnerable people in the communities. Those energy retailers and multinationals target those vulnerable communities, and then we are left as elected representatives—and great organisations, whether it is financial counselling services and community health, whether it is our legal aid services or whether it is great organisations like the Victorian Council of Social Service and others—to pick up the pieces and try and unpick for people dreadful arrangements that are often made.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2153

It is often people’s services; we do not just see it in the energy space. We have seen it broaden out. It might be telecommunications arrangements and the internet. We have seen it now as we move to solar panels and other great arrangements around electricity savings but also it might be in relation to sustainable lighting and other arrangements that people can provide, and suddenly you have this cavalcade of people banging on your door. For those of us, many on this side, who have spent plenty of time banging on doors and selling our wares, if you like, and advocating an interest in supporting communities, certainly I find that fortunately in many of the places where I go up and bang on the door there will be a sign there saying, ‘Do not knock here’—provided by our office! Can I just say that people are often relieved when you are not trying to sign them up to arrangements that are inappropriate, not trying to take advantage of them, not trying to confuse them and stress them out. There is a very big and significant difference here around a determination to somehow say that these are roles that we want to allow to continue in the community. I just think it shows the tone-deaf nature of those opposite, who are seeking to advocate for and maintain these arrangements to allow people to continue particularly to target Labor electorates and working poor people in our community, those who are vulnerable and those from non-English speaking backgrounds. For the opposition to continue to say that they want to support these jobs and support these arrangements from multinational companies to continue to be able to pursue, confuse and inveigle their way into the bank accounts and the lives of people in vulnerable communities—well, shame on them. Also for those many people who work in that industry with poor arrangements that are not appropriately regulated, who are vulnerable and who are seeking to make an income—nothing wrong with that—these sorts of roles seek to perpetuate inequality in the community and prey on vulnerable people. It is a vicious cycle. Those who bang on the doors to sell wares are given poor industrial arrangements, and it is bad for the people who are pressured to sign up to those deals. We have seen it not only in this instance but going back over time with the do-not-call arrangements. Things have changed a lot in relation to people having landline telephones and the way in which we are contacted these days but also the way in which consumers choose to inform themselves. We have seen that through many of the arrangements that are in place from our government, such as the $250 energy rebate that is available to people. We have many seniors in our community who have made a point of coming down to our electorate office so that my staff can assist them directly to access those rebates and benefits available to them. They are exactly the sort of people who come to our office when they get confused or when they get misled or misrepresented through trickery by the inveigling nature of those who seek to rip them off. We are just putting a stop to it, and if those opposite would like to go out there and campaign on ‘We want hawkers and cold callers to be able to work their way into vulnerable communities’—if that is the way in which they want to campaign for those people, well, good luck to them, because they are on the wrong path again. They are tone deaf to these issues. Ruling a line under this is something that is really significant and important in supporting vulnerable communities and in sending a very clear message from this Parliament about the values that we place on what is fair and reasonable. The fact is that there are now greater opportunities, as we have shown through the Victorian Energy Compare website, for people to inform themselves. This is the 21st century. The days of people running around banging on people’s doors and trying to sell and force their goods onto people—has anyone ever heard of the internet and the way in which people engage in how they might want to inform themselves and get access to other products? And while there may also be issues in relation to other forms of the way we engage with the market, the fact is that there are other regulations that are available—and also you do not have to do that. If someone comes and bangs on your door, on your property, that is a very significant arrangement. People seek to defend these arrangements because of course they are able to rip people off; they are

BILLS 2154 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 able to take advantage of people. It is the only reason those opposite continue to seek to support these arrangements, because they give a nod and a wink to those multinationals that it is okay. We do not see them in many of their electorates; we do not see these people banging on doors in many of their electorates. They are certainly not in parts of my electorate because they get the heave-ho pretty quickly; they get their marching orders. But there are other parts of the community where people are taken advantage of, where they need the protections of the state and where they need the advocacy of people in this place. Those opposite do not understand it, they do not empathise with it and they do not deal with it. I am very pleased that the government is holding to account those organisations and saying, ‘Enough is enough’. We know that the community does not support this cold calling door to door. We are not going to continue to pick on the disadvantaged for the rip-off merchants in our community that seem to prey on those who are vulnerable, and I am really pleased that we are not going to allow it and we are calling it out. We are not going to let it continue. They are not welcome in my electorate. I really do support this legislation, and I am really pleased that it will pass this place and set a very high standard about what we value in our community and the way in which we need to respect and treat those people who deserve our support in their financial arrangements and who are not to be taken advantage of. Following speech incorporated in accordance with resolution of house of 8 June: Ms EDWARDS (Bendigo West) This bill before the house today is about fairness. Energy is an essential service and one that most people cannot do without. It gives effect to key reforms this government committed to under our landmark energy fairness plan in 2018. The bill focuses on banning harmful, unsolicited sales practices and strengthens the penalties for energy companies who wrongfully disconnect customers, including customers who are reliant on life support equipment. It also forms part of the government’s broader package of reforms aimed at making Victoria’s energy retail markets simpler and fairer, cutting the cost of energy for households and small businesses and ensuring that energy companies that do the wrong thing face the consequences. This government’s initial $50 power saving bonus and our subsequent $250 power saving bonus have been enormously popular. Like many members in this place my office has been busy supporting constituents to apply for this bonus. As word has spread more and more people are inquiring about how to apply. This is particularly evident among the older people in my electorate who are benefitting from this bonus. We said before the 2018 election that we would deliver the biggest shake-up of the energy sector in Victoria’s history by providing stronger punishment for retailers who do the wrong thing and would provide better protections for customers, while extending the power saving bonus to help more customers get a better deal on their energy bills. This bill delivers on that commitment. We’ll put an end to door-to-door sales and cold-calling telemarketers harassing Victorian families and preying on the elderly and vulnerable. I’ve had many people contact my office very distressed because they have unwittingly been sucked in to changing providers only to find they do not have a better deal and are being punished financially for that change. I’ve also had many complaints about door-to-door salespeople who again harass and bully elderly and vulnerable residents, conning them into changing providers to their detriment. Just this week I was contacted by my gas provider with an email claiming they did not have access to my meter and therefore my gas could be cut off if I didn’t contact them. The email read: ‘We do not have access to read your Gas meter.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2155

In order for us to base your Gas bills on actual meter reads, we need access to your meter. So far, we have not been able to do this as we do not have clear access to read your meter. This means your bills are being based on usage estimates for your Gas usage. It’s your responsibility to provide access to your meter. Without access, you will continue to receive estimated bills. If you’ve been undercharged because we couldn’t read your meter, you may have to pay the entire undercharged amount. Likewise, if you get overcharged, we’ll repay or credit this amount to you. If access is not eventually provided, you may be disconnected. We need your help to access your meter. • Is your meter hard to locate? Let us know. We’ll update the details in our system and notify your meter provider. • Is your meter behind a locked gate? If you have a security code for your gate, please provide this so we can update our system and inform your meter provider. Or you may be able to change your lock to a Power Industry lock. This is a standard industry lock that locks your gate. Network providers have a master key that can be used to unlock these types of locks to gain a meter read. We can help you with the model/type to use and where to get them. • Are your opening hours causing access issues? Please get in touch to make arrangements for your meter to be accessed.’ The ridiculousness of this email was profound given they had read the meter at least five times in the past, and access was not an issue then. The meter is in a very visible and accessible part of the property. After contacting them I was advised that they would read the meter in the next quarter which means I will have a double gas bill to pay. I am in a position to manage this situation, but many people are not. Many people would not know what to do. They would be afraid their gas would be cut off. They would be facing a double whammy bill of two quarters if their meter reading was not done for one quarter. Many would not be able to pay the increased amount over two quarters. This is not acceptable. The email was intimidating and threatening, and I can only imagine what some elderly and vulnerable people would be going through if they received a similar email, text or phone call. Importantly, the email was giving the energy company the opportunity to provide me with an ‘estimate’ of what my gas bill might be—another underhanded way of overcharging customers for their energy. Claiming a discount because you’ve been overpaid on an estimate is not an easy process and would be difficult for many people to do. The point is that this practice should not be allowed. It is purely about circumventing an accurate meter read to provide an estimate that in many, many cases is a much higher reading and therefore cost to the customer. It is shameful behaviour. Wrongful disconnections by big energy companies are consistently a major complaint, particularly for vulnerable Victorians. That’s why we’re introducing tougher penalties to put retailers on notice. As part of Labor’s energy fairness plan, we will double the penalty for retailers who undertake wrongful disconnections, making it the highest in the nation. The bill introduces new criminal penalties of up to $1 million for energy retailers that knowingly or recklessly arrange the wrongful disconnection of customers, and for energy retailers and relevant exempt persons who disconnect or arrange the disconnection of households in a way that endangers customers on life support equipment. The bill also bans win-backs—so called short-term discounts that end up slugging customers more in the long run. Right now, energy retailers are able to back bill up to nine months when they have undercharged their customers—based on a meter reading estimate. This bill will reduce this to four months—so that customers are not forced to pay huge bills simply because their retailer has stuffed up. There are also criminal penalties in this bill of up to $1 million for licensees who provide false or misleading information to the Essential Services Commission.

BILLS 2156 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

There is more work to do to address the imbalances that have been created by the privatisation of the energy sector by the Liberals, and the lack of oversight that has ensued. The Andrews Labor government has a proud record on energy prices and increased energy fairness. Through our energy fairness plan we are making sure that large companies don’t take advantage of customers. This bill is a significant step in ensuring that all Victorians, but especially those who are vulnerable, are protected, are not slugged for massive energy bills, and that those energy companies who would do the wrong thing by their customers, companies that are driven solely by profit margins and not by any sense of care or compassion, are on notice with this bill. I commend the bill to the house.

Ms WILLIAMS (Dandenong—Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) (15:27): I move:

That the debate be now adjourned. Motion agreed to and debate adjourned. Ordered that debate be adjourned until later this day. EDUCATION AND TRAINING REFORM AMENDMENT (PROTECTION OF SCHOOL COMMUNITIES) BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Mr PALLAS: That this bill be now read a second time. Ms WILLIAMS (Dandenong—Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) (15:27): It is a pleasure to rise in support of the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021. Workplace safety matters, and of course, as we have had many reasons to discuss in this place, child safety also matters. We all have a responsibility to make health and safety our top priority and to ensure that every worker in every workplace can go about their day without fear of violence or aggression or threats. That applies especially to teachers, to principals, to support and other administrative staff and all other school workers who invest so much of their energy in nurturing and educating Victorian students, many children of MPs in this place included among them. We know that, sadly, work-related violence is by far the greatest occupational health and safety hazard for Victorian school staff, and it is a problem that is, sadly, confronted by all educators, irrespective of their age, their gender and their years of experience. In fact in 2019 La Trobe University did a study that surveyed Australian teachers on their experiences of bullying and harassment in the preceding 12- month period, which covered that 2017 to 2018 time frame. The study found that 57.8 per cent of teachers reported experiencing at least one incident of bullying and harassment from a parent—one too many, I think we would all agree. The study also found that over 80 per cent of surveyed teachers had considered leaving their job due to the bullying and harassment they had faced. Now, we know that work-related violence against school staff or students on school premises can negatively impact on the safety and wellbeing of students who also witness those incidents. It also presents a pretty bad example to those students as well, which is particularly pertinent in my portfolio responsibilities where we spend and invest a significant amount of both time and money in trying to change cultures that lead to violence in our community, and particularly, in my space, violence against women. Of course we know women are a very significant proportion of our education workforce. Teaching is more than a job. I think we can all agree that it is a vocation, but more than that again it is a passion, and we know the educators within our local constituencies, within our local communities, are extraordinarily committed to the work that they do and also to the children and the families that they serve in doing that work. These teachers and support staff pour immeasurable time and effort into educating our children and young people so that they can in turn go on to be active and wonderful

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2157 examples and participants in our communities. For students, particularly for children and young people of those younger ages but I think it probably applies to those teenagers too, although they may be less likely to admit it, school is a place that is a sanctuary and it is a place not only where they can learn and apply themselves in an academic setting but also a place where they take many lessons in terms of how they conduct themselves into the community for the rest of their lives and how they navigate their personal relationships and other parts of their lives as well. In short, this is a very longwinded way of saying that no-one should be subjected to threat or intimidation in the school grounds and that schools should be safe places for work and for learning for both staff and students alike, and that is why the Andrews government is giving Victorian schools the power to ban aggressive and violent parents from entering the school grounds in order to protect their staff and of course the students as well. That is what this bill that is before the house today is all about. These vital new measures will empower our senior school leaders to take necessary actions when inappropriate behaviour is being levelled towards people in the school community. It will empower authorised persons such as school principals to issue school community safety orders to parents, to carers and to other people who might engage in harmful, threatening or abusive behaviour. Also, given the means and mechanisms for exerting this type of behaviour have changed and evolved over time, particularly with the advent of new technologies, this bill allows schools to ban parents that engage in threatening or abusive communication through social media and other channels as well, which sadly many of us as local representatives will have seen within our own communities, particularly as many of us engage on social media platforms, and the different groups that represent different school communities within our constituencies do as well. This effectively means that authorised persons can impose requirements as well on the way that parents, carers or other adult members of the school community interact with the school or school community. That includes putting in place mechanisms that stop abusive adults from entering the school grounds or indeed other locations where school events are occurring if that is deemed reasonably necessary. I want to also highlight, though, that what this does not do is lock parents out from their children’s education. That is obviously something quite different. If adults are issued with an order of the kind that I have outlined, schools can still communicate with them and ensure that they continue to be informed about their children’s education. And as is appropriate, there are mechanisms also for an internal merits review and external review by VCAT if a person that is subject to one of these orders does not agree with the outcome. We know that the great majority of parents, carers and other adult school community members engage with their schools in an entirely appropriate and respectful manner, so the behaviour that we are capturing within this legislation that is before the chamber today is really targeting a minority of parents, but sadly there is a small group of parents and carers in our communities who can unfortunately do a disproportionate amount of harm and damage to our education profession and through that also to our student populations as well. It is really important that we put mechanisms in place that support our teachers and support staff as well as, of course, those volunteers who man the tuckshops or accompany children on school excursions or umpire the footy and netball games. These parents are a part of our school communities, and it is really important that we recognise that as well— that when we talk about schools and school communities the keyword there is ‘community’. We all speak in this place frequently from different fields and under different portfolio umbrellas about the importance of community and about the importance of strong and respectful communities, and that should apply just as equally to school communities as well. Often when we are talking about education settings in schools we are very much focused on young people in those settings, and I think what is unique and commendable about this bill is that we are rightly looking at, investigating and putting in place measures that encourage greater respect for a profession that gives so much and for the support workers around that profession that give so much to our communities and to the next generations of young people in our local communities. Of course those young people will grow and

BILLS 2158 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 become contributors to our broader community, and many of them will hopefully one day come to sit in this place too. Mr Rowswell interjected. Ms WILLIAMS: Lovely to see the support from the other side. I also wanted to reflect in my closing couple of minutes more broadly on the importance of schools and on the importance of this government’s support for our education system and our education settings, and this bill I think should be seen in the context of that broader support. Many of us in this place, in fact most of us, can talk to the significant investment and capital works in our local schools—school rebuilds or school upgrades. I know in my school community I have been fortunate enough to be able to announce and provide funding to most schools in my electorate: a total rebuild of Lyndale Secondary and a total rebuild of Dandenong High as well as significant upgrades, most recently in the budget, to Dandenong North Primary School and, though previously, Dandenong West Primary School. We have also had some really important upgrades to Rosewood Downs Primary School, among many others. Through those announcements, through that investment, I have gotten to know my local school communities and their staff and particularly their principals really well. It is really unfortunate when those conversations turn to some of the terrible conduct that teachers and principals are sometimes subject to, which is why this bill coming before this place represents a really significant step forward to me, because it is in addition to those capital upgrades and to the incredible programs that we offer in schools, and it is about ultimately showing our teaching staff and principals the respect that they deserve and making sure that we set an example in this place for our communities. Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh) (15:37): It is a pleasure to speak on this bill and to follow the minister at the table. I think it is in some respects an indictment that we even have to debate or in fact introduce rules and laws to combat issues like this. I agree; I share the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence’s view that it is a minority. Look, schools are sacrosanct. They are a safe space for kids, and in order for them to be a safe space for kids they have to be a safe space for staff, teachers and principals. In the best traditions of civil society you want your schools to be the place where a sense of appropriate civic behaviour is expressed and learned, plus democracy and a whole bunch of values. That is what in a sense binds us, particularly in the public school sector but across all schools. It is a chance for society to have expressions of its values lived in the school community, because that is where kids have their most formative years. Kids learn at home, but they learn at school. The fact that we are here debating protection of that safe space is a bit of a disappointment, but clearly it is a matter of importance, and I will go to why we are even debating a bill like this. It has come up through professional reviews as something that we need to be doing, and hence we have taken the approach that we want to support our staff in the school system—the private sector, the independent sector and the public sector. But also we want to protect other parents, because the impact of aggressive carers and parents is not just on staff but is also on other parents and the fabric of the school community. As the minister said, the principals, teachers and staff do not just have a job; they have a vocation and a passion, as the minister said. And I saw that. If we needed any reminder of the ethos of that profession, it was the pandemic. It was extraordinary, the leaps and bounds that that profession made. I often said to them when I started attending school assemblies again in a remote fashion or even in some smaller groups that if they thought about their contribution during the pandemic, they turned the entire education system— 1 million students, 2500 schools—on its side in the matter of a fortnight. You remember that in the early days of the pandemic we went to remote learning. We talk about the private sector—we all do, but particularly those on the other side—how they can pivot and how they can adapt to market forces, but my goodness me: 1 million students, 2500 schools, completely orientated to an entirely different model of teaching in the matter of a fortnight because of the global pandemic. That is what we are talking about in terms of the work of this profession. It is an extraordinary profession. It is absolutely a vocation. Of course not all in any vocation are perfect, and not all parents are perfect, so on the

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2159 fringes we have these issues—and this is what this bill seeks to address, particularly in terms of the aggressive behaviour of some minority cases of parents. I never thought I would get to the age when I would say ‘in my day’, but I remember, unfortunately I have to say in my day, when I was a kid, and maybe it was partly cultural—my parents finished school in grades 3 and 4; I talked about that in my inaugural speech—Mum and Dad always said to my sister and me versions of ‘Don’t talk back to the teacher; respect your teacher; do the right thing’. If a teacher made an assessment of your performance, that assessment was 100 per cent true. I could not deviate and I could not disagree, and I think what that meant was they also had that respect for the teaching profession. Hence it was their values that were passed down to me in terms of how I should behave in the school community, both in the classroom and outside in the playground. Now, I am not saying that is an appropriate way to have a relationship between a parent and a school. I think that was a subservient relationship, and it was a reflection of a migrant community in their first few years in the country. I think there is absolutely a space for contestability in the education of a child between a parent, guardian or carer and the teaching and principal profession. But it has got to be within the bounds of civility and within the bounds of respect. Just like we saw in the pandemic again—our respect for expertise—there is expertise in pedagogy. There is expertise in teaching. You cannot assume you know how to teach better than a teacher. Yes, you can contribute as a parent, and as the minister said, absolutely parents will have just as strong a role as they always have, because one of the other things I learned in this job more than previously is the fact that schools cannot run without the enormous support of their school communities who are not employed there formally—so, parents and others. It is incredible. Across all my schools, whether it be around fundraising or additional support in a capital improvement sense, with all those working bees, or literally just helping kids who are more vulnerable or at risk in a classroom, the depth and the wealth of knowledge and expertise amongst the parents is absolutely vital. But it has to be within the bounds of what the professional school community has sought and is seeking. Just to reiterate and go back to my earlier point, this bill sees the light of day on the floor of the Parliament because we have committed to this for a very important reason. The bill responds to recommendations of the Protective Schools Ministerial Taskforce on preventing and reducing violence and aggression in schools, which asks the Minister for Education to consider:

the benefits and risks of legislative change that enables harsher penalties for threatening or aggressive conduct towards school staff This was recommendation 4.2, along with other strategies to meet occupational health and safety obligations in schools. But as others have said, this bill is only one part of a broader strategy to address parent and carer aggression, which includes an overarching communication strategy that promotes positive engagement between parents and carers and school staff—which I again stress is the mainstream, is the mainstay. The bill is intended to address only the very small minority of parents and carers who do not take on board the positive message, but it is also consistent with all the other work we have done, the work that the minister has done in terms of respectful relationships across all Victorian schools, and the work in relation to the anti-bullying program and the Safe Schools program. Schools are the absolute safe space for all the community, and we are consistent in how we do that—the additional embellishments in terms of the capital upgrades for schools to be schools that are open to all abilities and physical abilities. That investment undertaken by the Minister for Education is consistent with all of those. In the few moments remaining for my contribution I do want to end where the minister also ended. We are extraordinarily lucky as members of Parliament to be in a position where we have a very responsive Minister for Education—and Premier and Treasurer—who listens to the advocacy of the school community and local members, including on the other side of politics and across schools in regional, country and metropolitan Victoria. Like the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence said, I think I am in a position where, bar one school, I have been lucky enough to be able to make an

BILLS 2160 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 announcement with the support of the Minister for Education on school upgrades across schools in my electorate. That is pretty extraordinary—bar one, and I mean in the government sector. There have been two in the independent sector, and I look forward to more in the independent sector as well. Our commitment in terms of education is deep, it is wide and it is consistent. As incredible as the Bracks and Brumby governments were for this state, we have dwarfed the funding consistently of those good governments. We have dwarfed the funding in capital in the six and a half years of the Andrews Labor government. We have also increased the funding, additional to the Student Resource Package funding that principals get to spend, to assist vulnerable kids in vulnerable parts of the state to do just as well at the end of the year academically and in every other way as every other kid. Our commitment to education is one of the proudest things of this government, and it is consistent, it is bold and it is reformist. This bill today is one part of that enormous part of the work. Mr CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (15:47): It is with some pleasure that I rise to speak on the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021. I must say I have had the tremendous opportunity to listen to some absolutely fantastic contributions, particularly from my Labor colleagues on this bill. I am one of, no doubt, a whole bunch of folk, members of Parliament, who happens to be a parent. I am very fortunate to be the father of young Isaac and Noah, who are two young lads. One is finishing the last few years of primary school, and one has just commenced secondary school. I am very proud from my end. They are both accessing the public education system for their education. I am sure most parents like to play an active role in their kids’ lives. I am someone who takes up every opportunity to participate in their schooling, to participate when I can in their weekend sporting activities and the like. I must say I think most parents tend to want to model the very best behaviour they can muster for their children. That is certainly something that I seek to do and I am sure that my former wife, Kirsty, seeks to do. We seek to be, of course, the very, very best parents and to model the very, very best behaviour for them so that they can see us as role models in their lives. I must say that is probably something that is undertaken in their own way by most parents. They seek to participate in their kids’ lives and to be fantastic role models. Of course through their journey in life and through my observation of their journey in life from participating with them, I do see the vast majority of parents doing the absolute right thing by their kids in the very best way that they can so that their kids can learn the very, very best behaviour from their parents. But unfortunately—and I am sure many of us have seen this—we have seen other parents go beyond what is reasonable and appropriate and not necessarily conduct themselves in a fair way or an appropriate way, particularly in terms of the activities of our kids, whether that be in a school context, in the sporting community or indeed in other parts of life. I am someone who is very passionate about having occupational health and safety rights for workers, and I think in a school context that means making sure that the school community has a set of expectations and a set of rights that can be enforced where appropriate to ensure that people do have a very strong and fundamental obligation and expectation about what is appropriate behaviour and that there are appropriate control mechanisms put in place when people do not demonstrate the very, very best values and behaviours towards one another. I must say, in reflecting on schooling and reflecting on my time in school, I think people of good faith recognise the important role that schools play for all of us in our lives. As young people we spend a significant proportion of our time in school. It must be close to 50 per cent of our waking hours as a young person that we are in some way or another engaged in school-related activities. And it would be fair to say that most parents do conduct themselves appropriately towards other parents and teachers and support staff and kids in the school context. Having said that, from time to time we do see the very, very, very worst of behaviours from an absolute minority of parents—bullying, intimidation, aggression, undermining, rumour-mongering and a number of other inappropriate behaviours towards either other kids or teachers and support staff. I think it is appropriate, as a government that is so passionate about the role that our schools play in our young people’s lives, that we do set up a set of

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2161 public policy expectations to ensure that there is a fair and safe place for kids to go, which is the school. We want to make sure that those schools have everyone conducting themselves in an appropriate way—the behaviour of parents can be so detrimental to the health and safety of other kids in the school and indeed of the teaching staff, the non-teaching staff and the like—and it is very pleasing that we have sought to put in place a raft of public policy arrangements to ensure that that indeed does happen. Schooling has such an important role. Clearly our government has very much made education almost our number one priority—it probably is our number one priority—over the last five or six years. The investments that have gone into our public education system are remarkable. Almost every school in my electorate has had a significant investment. We have built more schools over the last four or five years than I think have been built across the state of Victoria for the last 20 years, and that investment of course is welcomed by so many of those communities that have seen it. But it is also important that the state sets very clear expectations for our school community about what is appropriate behaviour and how to deal with inappropriate behaviour—and that is what this bill does. We do see unfortunately from time to time reports in the paper where physical violence has been threatened by parents towards teaching staff and the teaching community. We have seen vicious rumours spread about teachers and support staff. We have seen bullying from parents towards teachers. And they are certainly not the behaviours that I think most parents seek to show their kids. They are not the behaviours that are fit and proper and appropriate in a school context. Therefore I think these arrangements very much set clear expectations about what is appropriate behaviour and how we go about making sure there is appropriate behaviour, making sure that that does not unnecessarily add to the complex task of being a principal or a leader in a school community and making sure that parents understand what is expected of them—what is appropriate behaviour from parents towards those in a school context, whether it be a teacher or a support staff member or indeed often from parents towards other kids, which I have unfortunately witnessed from time to time. Workplace health and safety is a very longstanding tenet of those that have joined the Labor Party and seek to be in this place, and this set of arrangements shows very clearly Labor’s DNA—that we want to have a well-funded education system and we want to see appropriate behaviours modelled in our public schools. I will be very excited to see this bill pass, and I think it will make our schools the very, very best place for my kids and everyone’s kids across Victoria to go to. School should be a safe place, and these arrangements will make sure that our kids have the very, very best of experiences when they are at school. I commend this legislation to the Parliament. Mr McGHIE (Melton) (15:57): I rise today to contribute on the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021, and I would like to acknowledge previous contributions from all members on both sides of the chamber. But I am disappointed that we are even debating this legislation and introducing it. It just shows how our society has changed. This bill establishes a new school community safety order scheme that will apply to all Victorian state schools. This will give school principals, the Secretary of the Department of Education and Training, registered proprietors of non-government schools or any person or class of person the department secretary authorises the ability to issue orders under this scheme to make decisions to keep our valued, skilled teachers and staff safe at work. It is paramount to keep people safe at work. Our state teachers and school staff do an amazing job even in normal times, but they have been especially brilliant during the last 15 months with the COVID pandemic. Their ability to adapt to the new challenges our students have faced has been truly incredible. I have been lucky enough to visit a few of the schools in my electorate over the last few months and have seen how they adapted to reach their students, embracing technology and learning new skills. They have done a fantastic job as Victorian students spent significant time learning from home. I would like to take a quick minute here to thank all the teachers, principals and staff across the Melton electorate, and of course right across Victoria, for the incredible, valuable work that they do. It is

BILLS 2162 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 important that they know that they are valued and that this Andrews Labor government will introduce legislation like this here today to protect them in their important role in our community. I recently met with teachers and the principal at Kurunjang Primary School, and of course with the AEU delegates, to discuss their concerns. When our teachers and school staff are supported in their role and protected from inappropriate behaviour those teachers are not just the beneficiaries; safer schools also result in better outcomes for students. Higher morale has a positive effect on performance outcomes and helps build a more resilient community. I have many nieces and nephews who are teachers, such as Ryan, who started as a teacher in Alice Springs and now is teaching at Footscray High in competitive sports; Jade, who teaches at Catholic Ladies College in Eltham— Ms Ward: My former school. Mr McGHIE: That is right, yes. Simon teaches at Lalor Secondary College in hospitality, and Emily teaches at Brunswick Secondary College as the media coordinator. They are all very dedicated and professional towards their roles and their students. And of course I have a granddaughter, Sarah, who is in her second year of studies to become a primary school teacher. I am sure she will make a great teacher. My experience from my ambulance days confirms for me that when your workforce is not valued by your government and morale is low, then performance suffers. This government has done particularly strong work in valuing our healthcare workers and in campaigns that have highlighted that abuse towards health workers and that it is not appropriate or tolerated in Victoria. I see parallels here in this legislation, which seeks to protect our state’s educators and will result in better outcomes in our classrooms for students, staff and teachers. This aggression and violence towards teachers is no different than that towards paramedics, police, nurses and doctors. This scheme will empower those decision-makers I mentioned earlier to issue school community safety orders to protect school staff and other members of the school community from parents, carers or other adults who engage in harmful, abusive, threatening or disruptive behaviour on school grounds or at other places where school activities occur. Every Victorian should feel safe at work, especially in our schools. Overwhelmingly most parents and carers value and respect their children’s educators and staff, and I am sure there are many teachers who have one too many boxes of chocolates, scented candles or bath soaps at the end of the school year. Unfortunately, as we know, there are also a very few in our community that do not act appropriately toward their children’s educators and school staff. Aggressive and violent behaviour is not acceptable in Victoria, and especially it is not acceptable within our schools. It has been a very long time since I was sitting at a desk in a school, and I can honestly say I just do not recall aggression from my parents towards teachers at my schools of Maidstone Primary School and Tottenham Technical School. It was quite a low socio-economic area, and if we thought there was going to be aggression from parents towards teachers, you would think it would be in an area like that. I never, ever witnessed that in my years at school. I knew full well what response I would get from my parents if I was mucking around at school and causing trouble for my teachers. I know my mother would have taken to me and sorted it out very quickly. A member interjected. Mr McGHIE: She did. But of course we live in a very different time, and the advent of social media has played a role in intimidation and aggression. I think every member in this house can recall a keyboard warrior jumping on our Facebook or Twitter account intimidating and showing aggression. There seems to be a sense of invincibility and untouchability when bullies hide behind a computer screen or type furiously away at their smartphones. This impact has resulted in a modern-day problem for us, our students and our teachers and school staff. We have seen devastating impacts on our young

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2163 people. Our teachers also are all too often subject to this cowardly aggression. We know that words can damage and hurt. They can impact our lives. Reports of prolonged online bullying have been seen in our schools and community, and our legislation must be modernised to protect unfair online aggression in our schools, whether it is students or staff. I mentioned earlier that parents and carers often have long and frequent exposure in their relationship with their children’s schools. This of course happens when siblings attend the same school. So in some ways this long exposure to the school community is unique compared with contact with other parts of a family’s life. I must send a shout-out to one of my great teachers, Harold Doerner. Not only was he a great teacher, but he has become a great mate over the last 50 years, and we still have a lasting friendship. He always put in extra time for his students. He supported them with everything that they did. His family and my family have grown up together, and we have celebrated many special events. This bill confers powers on authorised persons to issue a school community safety order to prohibit an adult person who is not a staff member or student of the school from entering, remaining on or being within a range of up to 25 metres of the school premises or being at any place where there is a school activity taking place. It prevents approaching, telephoning, sending a message to or otherwise contacting a staff member or causing a third person to engage in this conduct; using or communicating on a communication platform or channel that is owned or controlled by, or established in relation to, the school; continuing to engage in the behaviour which resulted in the order being issued; or any other proscribed conduct. The bill provides that an authorised person may issue a school community safety order if they are satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe the person poses an unacceptable risk of harm to a member of the school community; where they pose an unacceptable risk of significant disruption to the operation of the school and the order is necessary to lessen or prevent the disruption from occurring; where they pose an unacceptable risk of interfering with the wellbeing, safety or educational opportunities of students enrolled at the school; where they have behaved in a disorderly, offensive, abusive, intimidating or threatening manner to a member of the school community at a school or at a place where school-related activities are taking place; and also where they have engaged in vexatious communications relating to a staff member—for example, a parent who sends an unreasonable volume of correspondence to a school about a single complaint. In certain limited circumstances an immediate school community safety order may be issued to prevent an adult person who is not a staff member or student of the school from entering, remaining or being within a range of up to 25 metres of the school premises. Those limited grounds are where the person poses an unacceptable risk of harm to a person on school premises or any place where there is school activity taking place. These provisions set up a reasonable and logical process to help protect staff and teachers. There are also provisions available to enable authorised persons to make a quick and temporary decision to protect their school community. An immediate school community safety order can only be in place for a maximum of 14 days. One of the features of this bill is that it also allows authorised persons who are not the school principal to make these decisions. This allows our school principals, when appropriate, to maintain communications with families to help resolve valid concerns in more appropriate ways. I commend this bill to the house. Following speeches incorporated in accordance with resolution of house of 8 June: Ms COUZENS (Geelong) I am pleased to rise to contribute to the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021. This bill confers powers on authorised persons to issue a school community safety order to prohibit an adult person who is not a staff member or student of the school from:

BILLS 2164 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

• entering, remaining on or being within a range of up to 25 metres of a school premises or being at any place where there is a school activity taking place; • approaching, telephoning, sending a message to or otherwise contacting the staff member(s), or causing a third person to engage in this conduct; • using or communicating on a communication platform or channel that is owned or controlled by, or established in relation to, the school; • continuing to engage in the behaviour which resulted in the order being issued; or any other prescribed conduct. The bill provides that an authorised person may issue a school community safety order if they are satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe the person: • poses an unacceptable risk of harm to a member of the school community at a school or a place where school-related activities are taking place and the order is necessary to lessen or prevent harm; • poses an unacceptable risk of significant disruption to the operation of the school and the order is necessary to lessen or prevent the disruption from occurring; • poses an unacceptable risk of interfering with the wellbeing, safety or educational opportunities of students enrolled at a school, such as a parent who refuses to leave the classroom or otherwise interferes with a teacher’s ability to instruct a class, but who does not behave in an offensive, intimidating or threatening manner; • has behaved in a disorderly, offensive, abusive, intimidating or threatening manner to a member of the school community at a school or at a place where school-related activities are taking place, such as a person who acts in a threatening or offensive manner to a teacher who is attending a school event, but does not interrupt or interfere with the event itself; or • has engaged in vexatious communications relating to a staff member, such as a parent who sends an unreasonable volume of correspondence to a school about a single complaint. In certain limited circumstances, an immediate school community safety order may be issued to prevent an adult person who is not a staff member or student of the school from entering, remaining on or being within a range of up to 25 metres of a school premises or being at any place where there is a school activity taking place. Those limited grounds are where the person poses an unacceptable and imminent risk of: • harm to a person on school premises or any place where there is a school activity taking place; • significant disruption to the operation of a school or activities carried on by the school, such as where a parent or carer is causing disruption because they are refusing to leave school grounds, or • interference with the wellbeing, safety or educational opportunities of students, such as where a parent or carer interrogates a staff member when they are teaching a class, impacting the education opportunities of the students in the class. The provisions for an immediate school community safety order allows schools to take swift and immediate action to remove a person from the school grounds or places where school activities are taking place. For example, because the person is threatening harm towards a teacher, and where there may not be adequate time for the school to undertake the show cause and procedural fairness procedures required before a school community safety order is issued. An immediate school community safety order can only be in place for a maximum of 14 days, after which time the authorised person must decide whether or not grounds exist to issue a school community safety order. The bill also provides greater procedural fairness to parents, carers and other adults who may be subject to a school community safety order than what is currently afforded through existing legislative schemes. Before issuing a school community safety order, an authorised person will be required to consider the impact of the order on the subject, such as their disability, that may be impacting their behaviour and whether issuing an order is the least restrictive means available to reduce the likelihood of the harm occurring, or the impact upon the operation of the school or the wellbeing of the school community. Those people who are proposed to be the subject of an order will have the right to make submissions, which must be considered by the authorised person before a final decision is made to issue the order. To date, existing legal avenues for dealing with violence and aggression from parents, carers and other adults have been limited in their effectiveness, as they do not cover the range of behaviours that constitute violence and aggression in schools and do not contain adequate protections that are appropriate for the school environment.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2165

The bill expands the protections afforded to school staff by capturing a wider spectrum of harmful conduct and behaviours from parents, carers and other adult members of the school community often experienced in the course of their work. Unlike other existing schemes, this bill properly balances the need to provide protection to school staff and other members of the school community from risks of harm with the need to acknowledge any relevant circumstances that may have caused or contributed to the behaviour or conduct causing the harm. In addition to ensuring procedural fairness is afforded through a show cause procedure and internal and external review avenues, the bill also introduces other protections that existing schemes do not have including by: • limiting who may issue school community safety orders to principals and other appropriate authorised persons, who have the appropriate skills and experience to be exercising the relevant powers under the proposed scheme; • requiring schools to consider how the decision would impact on the student’s right to access their education, the parent or carer’s ability to participate in the student’s education and the safety and wellbeing of the child so that interventions are limited to what is necessary; • requiring schools to put in place alternative arrangements to ensure a child’s education is not affected by a school community safety order, including by requiring a school to establish a communications and access protocol to ensure that the parent can continue to be informed of and participate in their child’s education. This bill will ensure that all Victorian schools have appropriate and proportionate powers to meet their occupational, health and safety obligations by strengthening legal protections for school staff, who work hard in the best interests of their students and families and deserve to work without fear for their personal safety. Protecting school staff and preventing and deterring violent and aggressive behaviours from adult members of the school community is essential to maintain schools as positive, safe and inclusive places of work and learning for everyone. I commend the bill to the house.

Ms EDWARDS (Bendigo West) I’m pleased to contribute to the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021. It’s pleasing to see that this bill has support in this Parliament across the chamber. I’d like to send a big shout-out and thank you to the principals, teaching staff, support staff, and parents and carers across Victoria for the outstanding support they have offered to students and families throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, for the swift and exceptional way they have transitioned to remote learning when it was required and for their ongoing support for the measures that have had to be introduced to protect our communities from the coronavirus. To support our teachers and students, this Labor government has invested $250 million to deploy more than 6000 tutors across Victoria, in the largest single investment in individualised learning in the state’s history. This bill delivers on a key recommendation from the 2018 Protective Schools Ministerial Taskforce—a recommendation to ensure that no-one can be threatened or intimidated at work or at school. The bill gives Victorian schools the power to ban aggressive and violent parents from entering school grounds to protect both students and staff. Senior school leaders will be able to take necessary actions when inappropriate behaviour is being levelled towards people within the school community. There is no doubt that the majority of parents, carers and other adults within our school communities have respectful, positive relationships with their child or children’s school. Parents and carers have a great deal of contact with the same staff members for many years. For me, having four children, I was grateful to have amazing support from the schools my children attended over some 15 years. Two principals who were there for the duration at primary and secondary levels, and teaching staff who knew my family so well, that one of the primary school teachers who was much loved was invited to our home for one of my daughter’s birthday parties. When my husband Lindsay passed away in 2002, it was these principals and teachers who provided much- needed care, support and guidance to my children. One of those principals personally delivered flowers to my home, and many of them attended his funeral. It is in times like these that you realise just how vitally important the connection and community of our schools is to so many families.

BILLS 2166 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

I am forever grateful to them for their support at that time and for enabling my children to go on to have an excellent education, rewarding careers and their own families. Lindsay was a teacher, and in the latter part of his career, a teacher of students with special needs. I’m very familiar with the stresses that can happen when a teacher is treated in an intimidating or threatening manner by parents or others within the school community. Our teachers are trained to deal with challenging situations; however, there are times when the extent of the abuse requires greater intervention. This bill will ensure that those interventions provide reassurance and support to our school leaders and teachers. Sadly, there is a small minority of people who behave in unacceptable ways, such as employing violent or aggressive behaviours towards principals and teaching staff, or other parents. There is no place for this behaviour in our community, and especially not in our school communities. Respect for our teachers, principals, and those who are part of any school community is not negotiable. To date, existing legal avenues for dealing with violence and aggression from parents, carers and other adults have been limited in their effectiveness, as they do not cover the range of behaviours that constitute violence and aggression in schools and do not contain adequate protections that are appropriate for the school environment. This bill is part of a broader strategy targeting the small minority of parents, carers and other members of school communities who engage in such inappropriate behaviour. Importantly, it will also include an ongoing school-based communications campaign to address parent and carer aggression. I note that the Leader of the Opposition hinted a while ago that not enough was being done to support schools dealing with troubled students. Clearly, he is lacking knowledge of how the Department of Education operates to support these students. The department has very clear processes that Victorian government schools apply to effectively respond to challenging student behaviours. This includes suspension or expulsion, in addition to support for students with challenging behaviours to remain in education. We see this every day in our schools for students with special needs. I want to thank the teachers who work with these students every day to deliver better outcomes and provide additional support to them. This is not an easy job, but I know from my close contact with the principal and staff at the amazing Kalianna School just how dedicated, professional and supportive they are. The government has undertaken targeted consultation with stakeholders including teacher unions, school associations, parent associations, Victoria Legal Aid, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Foundation House, Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and the Victorian Multicultural Commission. The bill enables authorised persons to make school community safety orders to prohibit an adult person— who is not a student or staff member at a school—from engaging in or continuing to engage in specified unacceptable behaviours, including prohibiting their attendance at a school or school-related place or engaging in behaviour which resulted in the order being issued. These measures are important, because we know that parent aggression and threats to safety experienced especially by teachers in the course of their work have been linked to greater staff turnover rates and departures from the profession. In 2020, 30 per cent of surveyed Victorian principals reported experiencing threats of violence and 21 per cent experienced physical violence according to the Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey. No-one should have to face this type of behaviour in their workplace. I’m so proud to be part of a government that has put education at the forefront of its policy agenda. The record investment in our schools over the past six years is unprecedented. I know that the many schools in my electorate who have received funding for new school builds and school upgrades are delighted that they are now able to have state-of-the-art buildings. In addition, our investment in special needs education is also unprecedented, and the impact that funding is having on those students is seeing better outcomes that ever before.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2167

Our investment in mental health support to our schools, to our doctors in schools program, our school breakfast funding program, sport and uniform assistance funding and our inclusive schools funding—just to name a few—are providing better support to our students, to their families and to our communities. This bill is ensuring that all our Victorian schools have appropriate and proportionate powers to meet their occupational, health and safety obligations by strengthening legal protections for school staff, who are so committed to working in the best interests of their students, their families and who deserve to work in an environment free from fear and where they feel safe. I commend the bill to the house.

Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing) (16:07): I move:

That the debate be now adjourned. Motion agreed to and debate adjourned. Ordered that debate be adjourned until later this day. CHILD WELLBEING AND SAFETY (CHILD SAFE STANDARDS COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT) AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Mr DONNELLAN: That this bill be now read a second time. Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (16:08): It is with great pleasure that I join the resumption of debate on the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021. There are a number of other speakers who have spoken on previous days this week in Parliament on this bill, and it is one of those rare occasions where there is quite a lot of unanimity across the Parliament. That is a welcome thing, and I think that the community likes to see when we can actually work together and agree on things. However, in this bill we are talking about child safety, and we have just adjourned the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021, which is about improving behaviour in schools and all of those sorts of matters. Some of the commentary has disturbed me—not second-reading debates on bills this week but some of the members statements and constituency questions and also some of the social media. The theme of the opposition this week seems to be about self-harm by young people. I really would ask them to think of the damage that they might have been doing. Mental health organisations and youth organisations are really clear about not speaking in too much detail about suicide ideation and about self-harm. I think we have seen some pretty ordinary behaviours, and I hope that some of the more sensible and mature members of the opposition would caution some of those members who have been indulging in that behaviour and remind them of the principles that are contained in this bill before the house—and those are about putting children and young people first. The minister at the table, the member for Richmond, and I were both raised in the Catholic Church, and that has influenced a lot in our commitment to social justice. But all of us who were raised in that faith have had to face some pretty inconvenient truths about what has occurred in some pretty dreadful situations, including people that we either went to school with or served at church with. So I am pretty proud that we have been part of a government that has really taken this stuff seriously. Pope Francis, I think, seems like not a bad sort of fellow, but some of the stuff that he has talked about this week, which is supposed to be 40-year groundbreaking stuff, like, ‘We’re actually going to take action against priests and bishops that offend against children’—well, in our government that is not groundbreaking. It is actually doing the absolute right thing, and it is backing it up with laws and with actions. Some of the crimes that Pope Francis named were offences against young children and attempting to ordain a woman. So, you know, I still think we have got a way to go if those things are being conflated into one thing.

BILLS 2168 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

The bill before the house will amend the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 to provide regulators of the standards with contemporary monitoring and enforcement powers. It includes a mechanism that clearly identifies the regulator for each sector that is subject to the standards. It provides the Commission for Children and Young People with additional statewide leadership and capacity- building functions and facilitates improved information sharing between regulators so that non- compliance with the standards can be more effectively and efficiently identified, making organisations safer for children. And haven’t we just seen the canniness—and I know you, Acting Speaker Halfpenny, know more, sadly, than almost anyone in this house, having worked on the parliamentary committee that reviewed these harrowing matters. Then we saw the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and these networks and these individuals that work to groom and to abuse children. They morph from one organisation to another. Whether it is a sporting organisation or a school or a religious organisation or a performing arts organisation, they will turn themselves into whatever they can to still access victims. So it is incumbent on us as legislators and those who might oversee regulations to really have a firm set of principles. The minister at the table has been here only three years longer than me, but we have been around here a long time. I remember the late Lynne Kosky, a wonderful, wonderful human being, when she was education minister, and the hue and cry when she and former Attorney-General Rob Hulls attempted to first introduce working with children checks and things like that. It was going to be the end of the world as we knew it, and I remember quite esteemed members of the National Party who are no longer in this place, who I quite respected, but who just thought that this was unnecessary red tape and all that. It is not unnecessary red tape. We have constantly got to be reforming and changing these types of protections so that we can outwit those rotten criminals, which is what they are. I think the society is changing, and this extends to the idea of people being able to hit their children, hit their partners. I think it was only this morning or yesterday morning that I heard an ABC radio report on people’s attitudes to sexual assault and whether the victims are mostly telling the truth, and there has actually been a shift in that. It had been a statistic that had not shifted—that you had about 40 per cent of the population that always thought that maybe the woman was not telling the truth and about the third of men who thought it was okay in some circumstances to hit your partner. Well, I think that we are actually seeing a change in that, and it is the next generation that are really leading it too. We see it in conversations about gender fluidity and all those types of things that have challenged all of us and our understanding of social norms and that discrimination and poor treatment for people are just not on. And having these standards will really just improve things for the kids of today but also the kids of the future, and it will also mean that those kids hopefully will see less incarceration. I heard the Minister for Youth Justice speaking earlier in this debate, and she was saying that so many of the kids that are in youth justice have been victims of abuse as they have come through the system. So if you can have these sorts of systems, where children are believed, where children are protected, where we can feel comfortable about talking about consent and all those sorts of things, it is a whole suite of things, and we ought not to be afraid of that. And I know the detractors will say, ‘Well, only parents should talk about this stuff’. Well, everyone needs to talk about this stuff. The need for and the impact of this bill—a comprehensive regulatory framework is required to ensure that organisations are supported to comply with these new child safe standards by consciously and systematically creating the conditions that promote child safety and properly respond to allegations of child abuse. And we also need a regime that addresses where organisations do not, where they fail to provide a safe environment for children and young people. And that is important, because we have got to have confidence in these organisations, and children need to see that organisations and the leaders in their community will take them seriously, and when things have gone wrong they will stand up and say, ‘These things have gone wrong’. There are so many people across this state who work for the benefit of our children—whether it is in child protection or it is in early learning, there are so many people across this state, and also, importantly, the public servants that have worked on the preparation of this bill and the many people

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2169 that have worked in the lead-up to this. We will continue to provide a child safe Victoria and a child safe country for our children. I commend the bill to the house. Mr McGHIE (Melton) (16:18): I rise today to contribute to the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021. And I want to acknowledge the member for Broadmeadows’s contribution. I thought it was amazing and so compassionate when I heard his contribution. One of the very first constituent meetings I had as a newly elected member of this house was from a woman in her 70s, and she came to my office with her friend. She wanted to talk to me about her experiences as a child many years ago, and for her it was important to get off her chest the pain that she had been carrying around for decades. I am still amazed that it was me and in my office that she chose to share this trauma that she had quietly held onto. She needed to tell someone, and as a representative of the government it was vital for her that she was heard. She bravely shared her story with me as a young girl in country Victoria being abused by a priest who was meant to be taking care of her in her community and not taking advantage of her and her sisters. Her parents never believed her. She did not want to take further action. She did not want compensation. The predator was long dead. She was not seeking anything from me. She just wanted to tell her story, to take some of the power back that was brutally taken away from her from someone who was already in a position of power in that community. I am still incredibly humbled by the strength of this remarkable woman. Her story that she entrusted to me is a constant reminder of the duty and responsibility that we have as members of this house to ensure that our state has regulatory systems and structures in place to protect the most vulnerable. I did refer this woman off to a support agency. I am proud to be part of this government and the duty it holds to our community to ensure mistakes of Victoria’s past are no longer repeated. I would like to thank the Minister for Child Protection and his staff and previous ministers, not just in his portfolio but across many portfolios, for the work they do to right previous wrongs and put those much-needed structures and regulatory systems in place. I have risen in this house to contribute on other important legislation to prevent further abuse in our community. Previously the Andrews Labor government conducted an expansion of mandatory reporting for child protection. That mandatory reporting refers to a legal requirement of certain professional groups to report a reasonable belief of child physical or sexual abuse to child protection. This has been not just across Victorian government agencies but across many sectors in Victoria. In 2019 the Andrews Labor government expanded the list of reporters to include people in religious ministries in line with recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. That expansion broke the confessional seal, making it a crime to fail to report child abuse after we removed the exemptions for disclosures of abuse in religious confession. That strong woman who came to see me, who stood in my office and shared her story, also told me of the pain she carried knowing that others had been abused by her tormentor. How many times had others in the community known about his despicable behaviour? Had he done this to others before her? Had this priest disclosed his depravity at confession? Could others have been prevented from this harm? These are questions she will never know the answers to now, but I as a member of this house, all of us as members of this house, have a duty of care to continue these important reforms. The Andrews Labor government committed to reviewing the child safe standards scheme as part of its response to the commonwealth’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The review also found that the regulatory framework requires significant reform. The review made 15 recommendations that fall under three broad categories. They are amending the standards to align with national principles for child safe organisations, amending the act to clarify who is responsible for regulating the standards and their functions, and amending the act to give regulators contemporary monitoring and enforcement powers, including information sharing.

BILLS 2170 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

The reforms in the bill implement eight of the 15 recommendations of Victoria’s review. The remaining recommendations are being implemented either administratively or through a legislative instrument. The bill will provide regulators of the standards with contemporary monitoring and enforcement powers to promote compliance and take action to address non-compliance. It will include a mechanism to clearly identify the regulator for each sector that is subject to the standards. This will reduce the burden on entities, many of which currently deal with multiple regulators for the standards. It will improve information sharing between regulators so that non-compliance with the standards can be more efficiently and effectively identified and addressed. It will provide a statewide capacity- building and leadership role for the Commission for Children and Young People, promoting consistent child safety outcomes across sectors. The review also found that where regulators of the standards can effectively integrate the standards into existing regulatory frameworks this approach should be used. Therefore the bill proposes to amend the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 to integrate the standards into that act for the education and training regulator—the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority—and to provide the authority with additional powers to ensure it has a comparable set of monitoring and enforcement tools as the commission and sector regulators. This bill also provides for the authority to have a similar set of monitoring and enforcement powers for the purpose of regulating registration and approval requirements under the Education and Training Reform Act. This includes the power to issue a notice to produce or accept an enforceable undertaking rather than limiting their use in monitoring and enforcing those standards. The bill provides that sector regulators and the entities they are responsible for will be prescribed in regulations. Prescribing regulators will allow flexibility, particularly where the legal status of the regulator changes in the future. To ensure there are no regulatory gaps the bill provides that the Commission for Children and Young People will be the default regulator for any sectors not allocated a regulator. The need for this bill is to ensure a comprehensive regulatory framework, which is required to ensure that organisations are supported to comply with the child safe standards by consciously and systemically creating conditions that promote child safety and prevent and properly respond to allegations of child abuse. A comprehensive regulatory framework is also required to address those organisations that fail to provide a safe environment for children and young people. The initiatives in this bill are significant. They build on existing protections. They will support the 50 000 organisations required to comply with the standards to make improvements to embed child safety into everyday thinking and practice. The commission’s statewide leadership role and new functions for regulators will support the diverse range of Victorian entities that provide services to children and young people to comply with those standards and to promote consistent child safety outcomes across the Victorian state. The reforms will strengthen the effectiveness of the Victorian child safe standards scheme and make organisations safer for Victoria’s children and young people. This includes agencies such as schools, hospitals, child protection services, youth justice services, sports clubs, youth organisations, certain private sector businesses and of course religious bodies. The bill will make organisations safer for children and will prevent child abuse. These changes will build on and strengthen the scheme and consolidate Victoria’s position as a leader in protecting children and young people. We cannot go back and change things from the past. We cannot always go back in time and shine a light on the darkness that operated in our institutions, in our schools and in our religious organisations, but we can, and must, improve the systems, the regulations and the structures for today. We must seek to shine the light on the darkness that abusers try to hide in now. We must ensure that no other person like that strong, elderly, inspirational woman that came to my office to share her story needs to come to an MP’s office and retell their story of hurt, of trauma, because her parents would not believe her and she felt she had nowhere else to go. The parents believed the perpetrator, the priest, over their daughters. It is for her and for other strong individuals that I will support strengthening our child protection regulations and support this bill. For them and the children these amendments seek to protect, I

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2171 commend this bill to the house. And I wish the elderly woman that came to see me and tell her story the very best for her future. I know she is elderly, but I hope now that she has got it off her chest she has a better future and she can relieve herself of all that pain. I commend this bill to the house. Mr ANGUS (Forest Hill) (16:28): I am pleased to rise to make a brief contribution in relation to the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021. As I said, I want to make just a brief contribution, and I want to particularly focus my comments in relation to the crisis that we are now facing here in Victoria. I would encourage and implore the government to deal with that. It is all well and good to bring in certain pieces of legislation that will address various issues in times to come, but I think it is vital that the government acts immediately in relation to the crisis that we are seeing with young people here in the state of Victoria. We are seeing not only a crisis in relation to children that are in the care of the child protection system and known to child protection—and I will come back to that in a moment—but a crisis in relation to what we would term ‘ordinary children’, if you like, just children from normal families and backgrounds that are in the community. In relation to the children known to child protection, there have been some dreadfully alarming statistics come to light in recent times. One of the statistics that came out recently is that 65 children known to child protection died in 2020, which is an increase of 150 per cent since 2018. Additionally, there were a record number of urgent reports to child protection that were not being responded to. I particularly want to commend my friend and colleague, a member for Eastern Metropolitan Region in the other place, Dr Matt Bach in relation to the work he has been doing in this area, and particularly in relation to some of the press releases and other opinion pieces that he has recently done on the crisis that is enveloping child protection here in Victoria. I would steer people to and recommend that they look at the opinion pieces and look at the press releases that have been done that expose the catastrophic situation that we have here in Victoria under this government with the child protection system. To think that children in need are calling the numbers, calling the helplines, and not being responded to is an outrage. So, as I said, it is all well and good to bring in new bills and this and that, but if the system, as it is now, is not working properly, that should be the focus of the government. They need to get on and fix that and help provide a way out for children that are either in the child protection system and are being neglected or those that are potentially on their way into that system and those that need interventions to help them with their current challenges that they are facing. In relation to the current situation off the back of the repeated lockdowns that we have had here in Victoria, the Kids Helpline— The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Halfpenny): Member for Forest Hill, are you going to speak at all on the actual bill? Mr ANGUS: I am. I am talking about child wellbeing. The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Halfpenny): Okay. You have had a number of minutes now, but you have not actually talked on the bill. Mr ANGUS: Well, I beg to differ, Acting Speaker, but I will defer to you of course. So I am talking about child wellbeing. That is what it says: child wellbeing and safety. Mr Wynne: He is just coming off the longer run. Mr ANGUS: I am. Thank you very much, Minister. I appreciate that contribution. Mr Brayne: How long, though? Mr ANGUS: Well, it will be long enough. You keep listening, mate, and you might learn something and see the priorities here. If we look at the reality, we have got the Kids Helpline data showing a 184 per cent increase in duty-of-care interventions in Victoria since December. We have

BILLS 2172 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 got 44 per cent of call-outs that have been in response to an immediate intent to suicide and 31 per cent of call-outs have been in response to reports of child abuse. So we have got all our agencies— Beyond Blue, Headspace and other agencies—just being run off their feet in terms of trying to respond to the current crisis we have. I refer to an email I received late yesterday from a secondary schoolteacher, a coordinator indeed of one of my secondary schools, in relation to the students that are in her care. She said that many of them are in a state of despair, and they are suffering enormously from the adverse mental health conditions and outcomes because of the current situation that we all find ourselves in here in Victoria. So I implore the government to not only bring in a bill like this but to deal with the causation of the mental health crisis that we are seeing here in Victoria. Like you perhaps, Acting Speaker, I have had many constituents contacting my office, particularly those that are homeschooling, who are facing the challenges of doing that and trying to— The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Halfpenny): Sorry, member for Forest Hill, you really have not been speaking on the bill at all—the contents of it—and actually the details of the legislation that we are debating. Mr ANGUS: Well, again, I beg to differ. I am talking about child wellbeing, and we are talking about the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 relating to the compliance of relevant entities of child safe standards. We are talking about the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. They are exactly the matters I am talking about. I am talking about schooling, which has been allocated to parents rather than the school environment, and that is causing enormous child wellbeing issues. The government does not want to talk about it—I understand that. The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Halfpenny): But, member for Forest Hill, this is about protecting children from abuse, not about the general welfare of children. Mr ANGUS: Well, I beg to differ with you. I think it does cover the broader aspect. I am not just talking about the abuse aspect; I am talking about their wellbeing overall. But I heed your comment, Acting Speaker. So I suppose the other thing that I just want to say in relation to this, again in relation to protecting children, is I think of the working with children system that we have got here in Victoria. I had a situation in the last 10 days where one of my principals contacted me to say that they had a senior member of their administration team, who obviously needs a working with children check to be in the school environment, in a position where they were unable to renew that working with children check because the system was not able to handle it. The system, for whatever reason, was unresponsive. She was then caught between a rock and a hard space in terms of obviously needing it for her job but being unable to get it, and then the department saying that she had to have it. So we have got all these fundamental issues that sit below the headline, if you like, in relation to this particular bill. But the government must address this. It is one thing to bring in a bill like this to deal with that, but it is important that the government takes a more holistic view in relation to the management of children and the care of children here in Victoria. So I just urge the government to heed some of the expert input that has been put up and the evidence that has been put before them in relation to the crisis that we are in here in Victoria and to respond appropriately to that—and most importantly to respond in the future in relation to potential lockdowns or other sanctions following the COVID crisis in an appropriate way that is to the benefit of our children. Ms ADDISON (Wendouree) (16:36): I rise to speak in support of the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021. We are introducing this significant legislation to protect children across Victoria from child abuse and improve compliance with child safety standards. I am always very happy to follow in the footsteps of the member for Melton, who made another outstanding contribution, having read the bill and being across all the issues of what checks and balances we are actually introducing in this bill. It was really good to hear that level of technicality and interest in the legislative process; I was really pleased to hear that from the

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2173 member for Melton. He is such a great member. He does his homework, he reads his bills and he makes sure that he is always ready to make a great contribution to debate. So I am really pleased about this. This bill continues our commitment to implement all recommendations of the 2013 landmark Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other non- government organisations—Betrayal of Trust—which found serious incidents of child abuse in some of our most trusted and important institutions and organisations. I thank the MPs and former MPs who undertook this inquiry for the work they did to shine a light on the issue of child abuse and give a voice and agency to those who have suffered so much. Sadly, child abuse is much more common than many people think, impacting children of all ages and from all cultural backgrounds, regardless of their socio-economic status, across Victoria and Australia. It is an issue that we cannot turn our backs on or close our eyes to. The Australian of the Year, Grace Tame, was groomed and raped by her 58-year-old maths teacher when she was in year 10 and just 15 years old. This is abhorrent to me. I have taught year 10 students, and they are still so young and vulnerable. For a teacher to do this to a student is just disgusting, and it is a crime. And I am very pleased that her perpetrator was found guilty and sent to jail for these crimes. Grace’s story is incredibly hard to read, but it cannot be ignored. Grace’s strong leadership and the Let Her Speak campaign have been pivotal in progressing the national conversation about child grooming. I thank Grace Tame for her outspoken advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, particularly those who were abused in institutional settings—she is a truly admirable and worthy Australian of the Year. Child abuse is a scourge on our society, and the impact of abuse has destroyed many lives. For survivors there are very many long-term effects. They suffer from low self-esteem, ongoing learning problems, difficulty forming trust and positive relationships, a lack of self-respect, confusion over their role within a family, ongoing anger that cannot be resolved, self-destructive behaviour, guilt and depression. With support and counselling the long-term effects of child abuse can be reduced, but more must be done to protect vulnerable Victorians from sexual predators. The harm caused is ongoing and not just for the individuals but for their families, friends and communities. Consequences for families include insecure housing, the need for financial support and legal implications. The cost of doing nothing is unacceptably high and the consequences severe and serious. The reforms in this bill are important for keeping children safe, and the child safe standards are significant for protecting our youngest Victorians. This is broad-ranging legislation that covers child protection, health, mental health, education and industrial relations. I thank the Minister for Child Protection for the work that he is leading and his ministerial office and the department for working on this very important bill. The standards must be complied with by organisations that provide services or facilities for children. This means more than 50 000 Victorian organisations will be covered by the changes that we are making today—schools, hospitals, sports clubs, youth organisations, certain private sector businesses and religious bodies. As I speak in support of this bill I do so with the community that I represent front of mind. Ballarat is known for its gold, its cold weather and child sex abuse by the clergy. Many people living in and around Ballarat have been affected by child sex abuse, and this is unacceptable. My home town, where I grew up and was raised as a Catholic, was home to some of the Catholic Church’s and Australia’s most notorious paedophile priests. The abuse has been described as rampant. From the data from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, more than 20 priests and Christian Brothers have been identified as subject to one or more claims of child sexual abuse in the Ballarat diocese, which takes in western Victoria, including Warrnambool and all the way to Mildura. By the end of 2017, 140 people had made a claim of child abuse in relation to the Ballarat diocese, including 56 complainants against Christian Brothers alone.

BILLS 2174 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

Child sex abuse has devastated the lives of far too many in my community. According to local survivor groups, clergy abuse has contributed to more than 50 suicides, and the trauma continues for their families, friends and loved ones. Thank you to everyone for their bravery and strength in speaking out about the abuse they experienced and their calls to keep children safe in the future, including Phil Nagle, Peter Blenkiron, Andrew Collins and Stephen Woods. The systematic sexual abuse of children must never be allowed to happen again. I am sorry that more was not done to protect and support you, but we have learned lessons from the past and are acting to prevent other children from being harmed. I wish to acknowledge the Loud Fence movement, which was started in Ballarat by Maureen Hatcher during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The idea behind putting brightly coloured ribbons on the fences of the former St Alipius boys school and St Patrick’s Cathedral was to let survivors know that the Ballarat community sees them, hears them and believes them. This incredible movement has since gone global. It now represents survivors of all sexual abuse. And thank you to the many Ballarat organisations who have been on the front line of supporting survivors of clergy abuse, including Shireen Gunn and her team at the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault. Ballarat CASA continues to support many survivors of sexual assault who come forward to disclose having experienced child sexual abuse trauma in the past and many who continue to work to support people who have been sexually abused in my community. I am proud to be part of a government that is continually working to improve the safety and wellbeing of children and young people and to prevent child abuse. As a community we cannot accept anything less. The reforms being introduced are in step with community values and expectations. As adults we have the great responsibility of protecting children from harm and nurturing and educating future generations. Child safety and the best interests of the child must be of paramount importance to an organisation’s operations, and this is at the heart of this bill. The overarching objective of child safe standards is to support cultural change in organisations to prevent, respond to and report allegations of child abuse. This bill requires organisations to be safer for children by requiring them to implement policies and procedures to make improvements to embed child safety into everyday thinking, planning and practice. It ensures that Victoria’s regulatory framework for child safe standards is as strong as possible. I am proud to support the reforms, which will better protect children by strengthening the regulatory scheme. We are introducing this bill because our government publicly committed to reviewing child safe standards and the regulatory framework in response to the publication of the final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, established in 2013 by the Australian government. I really do want to thank Julia Gillard, the then Prime Minister, and then federal Attorney- General Nicola Roxon for establishing this very important royal commission. We will strengthen the effectiveness of the regulatory system, we will promote compliance, we will give the commissioner for children and young people additional statewide leadership and capacity-building functions, and we will make it easier for improved information sharing between regulators. These are important, strong protections that put children at the forefront of our decision-making, and I commend the bill to the house. Mr BRAYNE (Nepean) (16:46): I also rise to speak on the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021. I do so obviously proud to be part of a government that is taking huge steps to strengthen existing laws relating to child safety. The Andrews Labor government has led the nation in legislative protections for children and young people. We introduced mandatory child safe standards on 1 January 2017, which meant that organisations that provide services or facilities for children must comply with new, revised standards. This includes over 50 000 such organisations: schools, hospitals, sports clubs, youth organisations, certain private sector businesses, religious bodies and so on. Victoria’s child safe standards exist in response to the Betrayal of Trust inquiry, which handed down its report in 2013, detailing horrific incidences of child abuse happening within important organisations and institutions throughout the state.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2175

We also introduced the reportable conduct scheme from 1 July 2017, which mandated that organisations that supervise children must report allegations of child abuse to the Commission for Children and Young People to ensure they are investigated appropriately. The Andrews government has also expanded the groups of people and workers who are required by law to report a reasonable belief of child physical or sexual abuse to child protection authorities. Indeed that does include people in religious ministry breaking the confessional seal as well as of course teachers, counsellors, kindergarten teachers and so on. Our society, our community, rightly demands constant refreshment and management of existing laws to ensure that the protection of children and young people is front and centre at all times and that the laws are able to meet the challenges of the time. It was hugely pleasing yesterday to watch such a passionate bipartisan approach in relation to this bill, showing obviously both the seriousness of this topic but also the importance in everyone’s minds that we treat this issue as completely separate to any minor political squabbles. The members for Thomastown, Ferntree Gully and Broadmeadows in particular made great contributions. As I said, the need to constantly revise laws relating to child protection is critical, but this bill does further strengthen the current procedures and builds on the parliamentary committee’s work in 2013. The government committed to reviewing the child safe standards scheme as part of its response to the commonwealth’s Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse. In 2019 the Victorian government completed the review of the Victorian child safe standards. This bill therefore implements eight of the 15 recommendations. Broadly this amendment bill will provide regulators of the standards with contemporary monitoring and enforcement powers to promote compliance and take action to address non-compliance. It will include a mechanism to clearly identify the regulator for each sector that is subject to the standards. This will reduce burdens on entities, many of which currently deal with multiple regulators of the standards. It will improve information sharing between regulators so that non-compliance with the standards can be more efficiently and effectively identified and addressed, and it will provide a statewide capacity-building and leadership role for the Commission for Children and Young People, promoting consistent child safety outcomes across sectors. In addition, this bill will amend the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 to incorporate new powers to monitor and enforce compliance with the child safe standards within the existing framework for regulating schools and other education and training organisations. This will expand the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority’s existing powers and role in regulating the child safe standards. It will also provide certainty for education and training organisations about who is responsible for regulating compliance with the standards. This will establish a simpler regulatory framework and it will reduce the burden on education and training organisations as they will be regulated under one framework rather than two. It will also result in better outcomes for child safety because there will be a clearer regulatory framework, including more clarity between regulators so that children are less likely to slip through the cracks. The consultation for this bill was extensive, including with child advocacy organisations, organisations that are subject to the standards, including sports clubs, religious bodies, Aboriginal organisations, private businesses and disability service providers. Regulators of the standards, peak bodies and councils were also consulted. The amendments in this bill were also informed by 67 written submissions from the public, 1119 survey responses from children and adults, and meetings with more than 145 stakeholders that were undertaken as part of the review of the standards. The reforms outlined in this bill will commence on 1 January 2023, except for the amendment that relates to changing the current definition of ‘child’ to include the term ‘young person’. Commencement for that will begin once the bill receives royal assent. The commencement date of the start of 2023 is to provide sufficient time for regulators of the standards to prepare for the new arrangements and implement the required organisational and systems changes. Regulators will be required to comprehensively overhaul their compliance and enforcement frameworks and guidance

BILLS 2176 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 materials and communicate these changes to their regulated entities. In many cases regulators will also need to recruit and train authorised officers to support the change to a risk-based regulatory approach. This government has made funding for issues relating to child safety a top priority and has, additionally, invested heavily in programs that ensure the best possible success and support for children in or coming out of out-of-home care. In the November budget last year the Andrews government invested in the historic Home Stretch program to extend support for children in out-of- home care to the age of 21. In this year’s budget we expanded the program even further to extend Home Stretch to all young adults on permanent care orders. Each year in Victoria around 500 young people aged 16 to 18 have their child protection court orders cease for the final time and they leave care, which can of course mean potentially having very few places to go or experiencing the difficulties that face people of all ages when submitted to a completely independent, isolated position. In November we invested $75 million over four years plus ongoing funding to make the Home Stretch program universal for all kids in and out of out-of-home care. An additional $39 million over four years is funded in this year’s budget to extend Home Stretch to young people on permanent care orders. In addition, that support is now available to all 18-year-old care leavers if they wish it. I found the point by the member for Yan Yean extremely interesting before—that there was opposition at the time to the working with children checks. This obviously in retrospect seems ridiculous, but it is this kind of legislation that we are building on that continues the work of that time, and it is bizarre to think that that was opposed back then. I want to thank the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers for his work in seeing this bill come before the Parliament and for his ongoing efforts to further strengthen and allow greater enforcement of existing laws in relation to child protection. It remains the role of any state government to ensure that our children, particularly children from difficult and less fortunate backgrounds, are supported through their young lives in order to give them the best possible chance to succeed in whatever their future entails. This bill continues the ongoing work of this government to see that that happens. I commend it to the house. Following speech incorporated in accordance with resolution of house of 8 June: Ms COUZENS (Geelong) I am pleased to rise to contribute to the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Child Safe Standards Compliance and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2021. The overarching objective of the child safe standards is to support cultural change in organisations so that they embed child safety into everyday thinking and practice. I want to congratulate the Minister for Child Protection for his work to keep children safe and to his commitment to this important bill. Children’s safety is everyone’s responsibility. Governments have a critical leadership role to play in continuing to ensure our child safeguarding schemes are both effective and efficient. The Andrews Labor government has led the nation in legislative protections for children and young people. We introduced mandatory child safe standards on 1 January 2017, and the reportable conduct scheme from 1 July 2017. Child safe standards are the standards that all organisations that provide services or facilities for children must comply with. There are over 50 000 such organisations—schools, hospitals, sports clubs, youth organisations, certain private sector businesses, religious bodies and so on. I know that the community of Geelong will be reassured that the amendments to this legislation will help protect their children, and others, across many organisations that they participate in. The organisations are overseen by the Commission for Children and Young People and they support cultural change in organisations and embed child safety into everyday thinking and practice. The reportable conduct scheme requires organisations that supervise children to report allegations of child abuse to the commission to ensure they are investigated appropriately. Our government has also expanded the groups of people and workers who are required by law to report a reasonable belief of child physical or sexual abuse to child protection authorities. It now includes people in

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2177

religious ministry—breaking the confessional seal—as well as doctors, nurses, teachers, police, counsellors, kindergarten teachers and so on. The amendments are primarily designed to strengthen the compliance and monitoring powers of regulators, improve information sharing between them, and to entrench the leadership role of the commission in supporting organisations to understand, implement and adhere to the standards. The standards themselves are also being updated to align with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, while retaining Victoria’s current focus on ensuring Aboriginal cultural safety and empowering children. The new standards will be gazetted in July 2021, with commencement 12 months later to give organisations time to transition. The reforms in this bill align with key findings from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The royal commission found that: • Oversight bodies responsible for monitoring and enforcing the standards should have statewide leadership and capacity building functions. • Regulators should take a responsive and risk-based approach when monitoring compliance with the standards. • Existing regulatory frameworks should be used to monitor and enforce the standards, where possible. • There should be coordinated and ongoing information exchange between regulators of the standards. The bill will: • provide regulators of the standards with contemporary monitoring and enforcement powers to promote compliance and take action to address non-compliance; • include a mechanism to clearly identify the regulator for each sector that is subject to the standards. This will reduce the burden on entities, many of which currently deal with multiple regulators for the standards; • improve information sharing between regulators so that non-compliance with the standards can be more efficiently and effectively identified and addressed; • provide a statewide capacity building and leadership role for the Commission for Children and Young People, promoting consistent child safety outcomes across sectors. To improve the oversight of how organisations respond to allegations of child abuse and child-related misconduct, the Andrews Labor government in July 2017 commenced the reportable conduct scheme. The scheme requires certain organisations with a high level of responsibility for children to: • Ensure that the person in a relevant position of authority is made aware of and reports any allegation of reportable conduct made against a worker or volunteer to the commission. • Ensure appropriate investigation of the allegation. • Report any finding and the reasons for the outcome of an investigation to the commission. In addition to reportable conduct the Andrews Labor government have also expanded mandatory reporting to child protection. Mandatory reporting refers to a legal requirement of certain professional groups to report a reasonable belief of child physical or sexual abuse to child protection. In Victoria, as is the case in every jurisdiction in Australia, Aboriginal children are significantly over- represented in out-of-home care. Wungurilwil Gapgapduir, which means ‘strong families’ in Latji Latji, is a tripartite agreement between the Aboriginal community, Victorian government and community service organisations designed to address this. It outlines a strategic direction to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care by building their connection to culture, country and community. The Andrews Labor government is committed to the principle of self-determination and in this year’s budget we invested a further $31.5 million to continuing the transfer of case management of Aboriginal children on protection orders to Aboriginal community controlled organisations.

BILLS 2178 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

ACAC is a co-designed model of Aboriginal child protection, which authorises Aboriginal community controlled organisations to assume full responsibility, case planning and case management for Aboriginal children subject to protection orders The ACAC program implements section 18 of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005, enabling the secretary of the department to authorise the principal officer of an approved ACCO to undertake child protection functions and powers for Aboriginal children and young people and their siblings on Children’s Court protection orders. Under the Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care program, authorised ACCOs will have the opportunity to actively work with the child’s family, community and other professionals to develop and implement the child’s case plan and achieve their permanency objective in a way that is culturally safe and in the best interests of the child. In November we also funded an Australian-first pilot of Aboriginal-led teams that will work hand in hand with child protection in responding to child protection reports. We know this work is not easy. But we are heartened at the collective effort of everyone involved to do what we can to meet these targets and improve outcomes for the First Peoples. This bill will make organisations safer for children and will prevent child abuse. These changes will build on and strengthen the scheme and consolidate Victoria’s position as a leader in protecting children and young people. I commend the bill to the house.

Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing) (16:54): I move:

That the debate be now adjourned. It has been a really excellent debate across the Parliament in the last couple of days. Motion agreed to and debate adjourned. Ordered that debate be adjourned until later this day. OFFSHORE PETROLEUM AND GREENHOUSE GAS STORAGE (CROSS-BOUNDARY GREENHOUSE GAS TITLES AND OTHER MATTERS) AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Mr PALLAS: That this bill be now read a second time. Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh) (16:55): It is a pleasure to speak on this bill. It is one of those bills that is extraordinarily exciting to read. I am being ironic, but it actually gives us the governance arrangements to seize an opportunity which is compelling. The bill makes a cross-boundary title framework developed between Victoria and the commonwealth over a number of years operational by enabling Victoria’s participation in a new cross-boundary authority. The authority can deem an area of Victoria’s waters to be regulated under commonwealth legislation for the purposes of greenhouse gas title and storage operations, including the granting of greenhouse gas pipeline licences. The area within the cross-boundary title remains under Victorian jurisdiction for all other purposes, and Victorian environmental legislation, such as the Environment Effects Act 1978, continues to apply. Our legislation complements the commonwealth act and allows Victorian waters to be part of the commonwealth waters for the purpose of this bill. The commonwealth will manage a cross- boundary title. In the Treasurer’s second-reading contribution he said the bill seeks to:

enable the Victorian Minister to make decisions as part of the cross-boundary authority (as permitted or required under the Commonwealth Act) … and:

support the Victorian Minister’s participation in the cross-boundary authority by inserting or amending appropriate information sharing, delegation, and other administrative provisions.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2179

I do not have much time to speak on this bill, but I wanted to quickly acknowledge the minister in the other place, the Minister for Resources. I also wanted to acknowledge the Minister for Economic Development, the Treasurer, for his commitment in pursuit of this hydrogen project. He sent me on a mission to the Latrobe Valley to participate in a conversation effectively with a number of key stakeholders, including the then chief scientist, Alan Finkel, in August 2019. It was a very interesting presentation by the then chief scientist, and he did mention the importance of having diverse energy sources available to us to ensure energy sustainability and security. For example, I think I remember him saying that if the sun stopped shining or the wind stopped blowing, hydrogen was one of those sources he listed that could act as an important transition energy source while new renewables emerged. This is what the bill is about and why there is an environmental, social and economic imperative to transition out of fossil fuel intensive energy sources, because it is the Andrews Labor government, like in so many areas of our national life, which is leading by example and doing the heavy lifting on behalf of the country. That is what our climate change strategy is all about. That is why in May this year we proudly unveiled our ambitious climate change strategy and interim targets, cementing Victoria as a national leader in tackling climate change. Of course we all know that we had already, prior to that, made a commitment for net zero emissions by 2050, but these step-down targets were real and bold: a 28 to 33 per cent reduction in emissions by 2025, and 45 to 50 per cent by 2030. The strategy is underpinned by a whole lot of resources, hundreds of millions of dollars and legislative reform, the most recent of which was the $100 million to transform our transport sector, offering up $3000 for Victorians who buy zero-emission vehicles and a target that 50 per cent of all new car sales in Victoria will be ZEVs—zero-emission vehicles—by 2030. We have made a whole range of investments, and while I note that the opposition are supporting this bill, it is really shame on them that they deny climate change until this day. A member for Western Metropolitan Region, Mr Finn, on 25 May this year said in the other place:

… we have a government which prides itself on pushing against climate change—even though there is nothing we can do about it, but they do it anyway … Well, my response is: there is a lot we can do about it. We exceeded our targets for 2020 emissions two years early. This kind of denialism is not the Liberal Party of the past; it is happening today. Following speeches incorporated in accordance with resolution of house of 8 June: Mr NORTHE (Morwell) Thank you for the opportunity to provide some comments on the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Cross-Boundary Greenhouse Gas Titles and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2021. The main purpose of the bill is to amend the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2010 to support the framework for cross-boundary greenhouse gas storage in the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 of the commonwealth; and to make other technical and consequential changes. By way of background, the commonwealth government amended legislation last year that allowed for the regulation of cross-boundary titles that cross between state and commonwealth waters. The purpose of those amendments was to facilitate the creation of greenhouse gas titles which intersect jurisdictional boundaries. Essentially this bill amends the Victorian end of the act to allow gas title formations to be allowed across these same borders. Where this happens, a cross-boundary authority consisting of the commonwealth and Victorian ministers will be established and essentially enables the Victorian minister to make the required decisions under the commonwealth act, supported by information-sharing, delegation and administrative provisions. The second-reading speech referenced some very important initiatives from a Latrobe Valley and Morwell electorate perspective, with those initiatives being CarbonNet and the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project. This bill seeks in part to enable the facilitation of these two projects to the next level. Being able to have a greenhouse gas storage formation in Bass Strait is crucial to the commercialisation of HESC and could further assist in the reduction of greenhouse gases currently emitted from Latrobe Valley power stations. There is great potential in the CarbonNet project, which has undertaken vast works in Bass Strait. Prospective geological formation sites, such as Pelican, that can potentially store greenhouse gases can cross commonwealth and Victorian waters and borders, and therefore it’s important to ensure appropriate oversight,

BILLS 2180 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

administrative and decision-making processes are in place. HESC is a coal-to-hydrogen project that could become a valuable export industry emanating from the Latrobe Valley and Victoria to Japan, but in reality it can only be successful if linked to CarbonNet and the ability to store greenhouse gases. HESC is currently going through a pilot phase of inception, and it has been pleasing to observe the success of the project thus far and the support from state and federal governments along with the Japanese government and the private sector. If realised to its full potential, the economic benefit to my community would be profound and where employment and jobs are desperately needed. My community has observed a significant downturn in traditional industries that have supported our region for decades. The closure of Carter Holt Harvey sawmill in Morwell, the closure of Hazelwood power station and the pending closure of Yallourn power station have and will impact our local economy substantially, and therefore the necessity to have replacement jobs and industries is crucial. The threats to the energy and timber industries in our region are real, and my fear is that if government decisions and policies continue down the current pathway they are on, then a rapid decline and a loss of jobs will be the outcome, and that will be to the detriment of Gippsland and its people. It’s difficult to fathom from where I sit that despite all of what I have just said there is still no transition plan for the Latrobe Valley. So many of this government’s energy and environmental policies and legislation impacts the Latrobe Valley community and business community, yet the government can’t tell us to what degree or what they are doing to mitigate the damage. HESC might partly help, but, again, a transition plan is desperately needed, as is the knowledge of what real jobs will be developed in a local context. So projects like CarbonNet that offer a solution to the greenhouse gas conundrum are worth exploring, particularly if they can help to create new industries and new jobs. As mentioned, it’s not out of the realms to apply carbon capture and storage to Latrobe Valley power stations in addition to HESC if necessary. Carbon capture and storage has worked effectively and safely in other jurisdictions, but nonetheless its important the necessary works and oversight are completed to uphold that important criteria. In closing, the provisions in this bill seem commonsense and hopefully help to facilitate the progression of CarbonNet and HESC, which if realised offer a great economic opportunity to the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland region. I commend the bill to the house.

Ms SANDELL (Melbourne) Today I am speaking on the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Cross Boundary Greenhouse Gas Titles and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2021. Or in plainer terms, this is a bill to allow greenhouse gases to be pumped under the ocean in areas that cross Victorian and commonwealth waters. This practice of pumping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide under the ground, or under the ocean, is commonly known as carbon capture and storage. So before I talk about the specifics of this bill, I’d like to make some general comments about carbon capture and storage. The fossil fuel industry has been telling us for years that the climate impacts of their emissions and pollution can be lessened or eliminated by ‘storing’ these emissions from burning coal, oil and gas underground, or under the ocean. Yet in reality, carbon capture and storage is a fig leaf that hides the fossil fuel industries’ continued and knowing destruction of our climate. They use it to say they should be allowed to continue to pump emissions into the atmosphere. The first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project started in 1972. Despite this almost 50-year history, there are only 19 operating carbon capture and storage projects around the world. Over half of the currently operating projects are used to extract more fossil fuels, creating more climate pollution. The process is called ‘enhanced oil recovery’, where captured CO2 is pumped into oilfields to essentially push out more oil. And no operating carbon capture and storage project comes even close to capturing all of the carbon pollution they create. For example, the Gorgan carbon capture and storage project in WA will capture only 3.3 per cent of the emissions generated from extracting, refining, transporting and burning the gas from the field. Only 3.3 per cent! For over 50 years governments around the world have been paying trillions in subsidies to coal, oil and gas to develop a technology that would allow them to keep profiting from fossil fuels. Yet unlike the technologies of renewable energy and storage, CCS has failed to materialise.

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2181

Imagine if this time, and this money, had instead been spent on renewable energy and accelerating our global transition to renewable energy and electric transport. Imagine too, if we’d used even a fraction of this money to protect and restore our natural carbon storage solutions. That is: the world’s forests, wetlands and peatlands. Now I know that some reputable climate commentators and scientists point out that in VERY niche circumstances, carbon capture and storage may have a role to play in tackling the climate crisis. As we get closer to net zero emissions, there are going to be some emissions that are incredibly hard to eliminate. In these, and only in these, circumstances, being able to store emissions may be necessary—for example, in the decarbonising of some industrial processes like cement manufacturing. But I want to be clear, this does not apply to burning coal, oil and gas for energy, transportation and manufacturing. All of these emissions can be replaced with renewable energy, storage and electrification right now. It’s only political will that’s getting in the way of us decarbonising these industries. The fossil fuel industry, and their lobbyists who have given millions of dollars in donations to the Liberal, National and Labor parties, will try to convince us otherwise, but they’re wrong. They’re self-interested. And actually, I’d say their actions have even been deeply immoral. Just like tobacco companies and asbestos companies knew the immense danger of their products, but kept promoting them to make a few more bucks, the fossil fuel industry has taken a page out of their playbook. In trying to make a few more dollars for themselves, the fossil fuel industry has deliberately, knowingly delayed decarbonising our energy supply, transport and manufacturing, despite knowing that it would have a devastating impact on our climate and our children. And now, when they’re losing the battle to renewable energy, they’re trying to convince people and politicians that they can keep polluting because CCS will be the solution. Well, we shouldn’t fall for it. Coming back to this bill now, it is clear from the explanation of this bill provided by the government that the reason it has come to Parliament is because of a project called CarbonNet and a related project called theHydrogen Energy Supply Chain. The bill is to remove a barrier so these projects can proceed. So what are they? First, CarbonNet. CarbonNet is a $150 million project established by the Victorian and commonwealth governments. According to the Victorian government’s website, it is ‘working towards establishing a commercial scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) network in Gippsland, Victoria’ that ‘provides a safe, competitive, flexible solution for Victoria to manage its future carbon emissions from industrial sources’. The industries named on the website are hydrogen and fertiliser. The site of this project is in the Bass Strait off the coast of Gippsland, including both Victorian and commonwealth waters. Over the past 3½years, the project has done rock sampling and lots of surveying. But now CarbonNet has hit a roadblock. It’s unable to progress because its preferred offshore site straddles the commonwealth and Victorian boundaries. This bill fixes that issue. Next is the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project. This is a $500 million project to make hydrogen from coal in the Latrobe Valley and ship that hydrogen to Japan. The Victorian government has given $50 million to the project and the federal government has also provided $50 million. The explanation for this bill says ‘CarbonNet is a critical enabler of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project which will not proceed without a carbon capture and storage solution’. The Greens and I may be willing to accept that the CarbonNet project, or projects like it, are warranted for that point in the future when we need to store the tiny proportion of Victorian emissions that can’t otherwise be eliminated. However, the Greens and I absolutely do not support this so-called Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project, which is simply a way to try and extend the life of the brown coal industry in Victoria. From day one, it’s been a bogus project. The very idea that we would be trying to make hydrogen from Victorian brown coal—the world’s most polluting coal—is just ludicrous. Spending public money on such a project is outrageous.

BILLS 2182 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

I’ve spoken in this place before about hydrogen, so I won’t labour the point again. But Victoria needs to accelerate the creation of renewable hydrogen. We should not be making it from coal, especially when this is explicitly designed simply to extend the life of our brown coal industry, which we need to be transitioning out of, quick smart. The idea that CarbonNet will enable the Latrobe Valley to turn coal into hydrogen while storing emissions under Bass Strait is a con, and dishonest to the coal workers and community in the Latrobe Valley. These workers and their community need governments who are actively supporting a just transition from coal and to clean, renewable energy. So in summary on this bill: it’s about removing a legal technical issue so that carbon capture and storage activities can happen in areas of overlapping state and commonwealth waters. It’s specifically about enabling the CarbonNet project to proceed. The CarbonNet project may have some merit in Victoria’s net zero emissions future, but if it is actually about propping up more Latrobe Valley coal, then it’s yet another fossil fuel con. Given that the explanatory memorandum for the bill specifically references that CarbonNet is intended to enable brown coal hydrogen, it’s hard not to see these projects and this bill as more political support for the coal, oil and gas industries from the Liberal and Labor parties in return for the political donations they receive. And if I seem frustrated to be speaking about a bill and explaining these projects in Parliament, it’s because I am. I would so much prefer the government’s time, and our time as MPs in this place, was spent on laws that will replace our three polluting coal power stations with renewable energy. We also need laws to protect the actual proven carbon storage technology that nature already provides. We need to end native forest logging now, protect and restore forests and wetlands, take up regenerative agriculture and look after our oceans. This is what I want to see, and it was what I wish this government and this Parliament could spend our time on.

The SPEAKER: Order! The time set down for consideration of items on the government business program has arrived, and I am required to interrupt business. Motion agreed to. Read second time. Third reading Motion agreed to. Read third time. The SPEAKER: The bill will now be sent to the Legislative Council and their agreement requested. ENERGY LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (ENERGY FAIRNESS) BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Ms D’AMBROSIO: That this bill be now read a second time. and Mr ROWSWELL’s amendment: That all the words after ‘That’ be omitted and replaced with the words ‘this house refuses to read this bill a second time until the government has: (1) reviewed the efficiency of the Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria (EWOV) in resolving complaints about energy contracts sold through telemarketing and door-to-door sales; (2) thoroughly investigated the consumer protection outcomes of mandating that energy companies and agents that sell products through the solar homes initiative join an approved dispute resolution scheme such as EWOV; (3) examined the empirical need for enhanced consumer protections in the energy market; (4) investigated the prohibition of commission-based remuneration for direct marketing workers who operate in the energy sales sector;

BILLS Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2183

(5) investigated the consumer protection outcomes of requiring all energy contracts sold through direct marketing to be pre-lodged with the Essential Services Commission; (6) reviewed the avenues through which ‘Do not knock’ stickers are made available and advertised to vulnerable cohorts within the Victorian community; (7) reviewed the effectiveness of plain information statements as a form of consumer protection.’ The SPEAKER (17:00): The minister has moved that the bill be now read a second time. The member for Sandringham has moved a reason amendment to this motion. He has proposed to omit all the words after ‘That’ and replace them with the words that have been circulated to members today. The question is:

That the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the question. Therefore those supporting the reasoned amendment moved by the member for Sandringham should vote no. House divided on question:

Ayes, 48 Addison, Ms Fregon, Mr Pakula, Mr Allan, Ms Green, Ms Pearson, Mr Blandthorn, Ms Halfpenny, Ms Read, Dr Brayne, Mr Hall, Ms Richards, Ms Bull, Mr J Halse, Mr Sandell, Ms Carbines, Mr Hamer, Mr Scott, Mr Carroll, Mr Hennessy, Ms Sheed, Ms Cheeseman, Mr Hibbins, Mr Spence, Ms Connolly, Ms Horne, Ms Staikos, Mr Crugnale, Ms Hutchins, Ms Suleyman, Ms D’Ambrosio, Ms Kairouz, Ms Tak, Mr Dimopoulos, Mr Kennedy, Mr Taylor, Mr Donnellan, Mr Kilkenny, Ms Thomas, Ms Edbrooke, Mr Maas, Mr Ward, Ms Foley, Mr McGhie, Mr Williams, Ms Fowles, Mr McGuire, Mr Wynne, Mr Noes, 19 Angus, Mr Morris, Mr Southwick, Mr Battin, Mr O’Brien, Mr M Staley, Ms Blackwood, Mr Riordan, Mr Vallence, Ms Britnell, Ms Rowswell, Mr Wakeling, Mr Hodgett, Mr Ryan, Ms Walsh, Mr McCurdy, Mr Smith, Mr T Wells, Mr McLeish, Ms

Question agreed to. Register of opinion on motion Ayes Ms Couzens, Ms Edwards, Mr Eren, Mr Merlino, Mr Pallas, Mr Richardson, Ms Settle, Ms Theophanous Noes Mr Newbury, Mr Northe

The SPEAKER: The question is:

That the bill be now read a second time and a third time.

BILLS 2184 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

House divided on question:

Ayes, 48 Addison, Ms Fregon, Mr Pakula, Mr Allan, Ms Green, Ms Pearson, Mr Blandthorn, Ms Halfpenny, Ms Read, Dr Brayne, Mr Hall, Ms Richards, Ms Bull, Mr J Halse, Mr Sandell, Ms Carbines, Mr Hamer, Mr Scott, Mr Carroll, Mr Hennessy, Ms Sheed, Ms Cheeseman, Mr Hibbins, Mr Spence, Ms Connolly, Ms Horne, Ms Staikos, Mr Crugnale, Ms Hutchins, Ms Suleyman, Ms D’Ambrosio, Ms Kairouz, Ms Tak, Mr Dimopoulos, Mr Kennedy, Mr Taylor, Mr Donnellan, Mr Kilkenny, Ms Thomas, Ms Edbrooke, Mr Maas, Mr Ward, Ms Foley, Mr McGhie, Mr Williams, Ms Fowles, Mr McGuire, Mr Wynne, Mr Noes, 18 Angus, Mr McLeish, Ms Southwick, Mr Battin, Mr Morris, Mr Staley, Ms Blackwood, Mr O’Brien, Mr M Vallence, Ms Britnell, Ms Riordan, Mr Wakeling, Mr Hodgett, Mr Rowswell, Mr Walsh, Mr McCurdy, Mr Ryan, Ms Wells, Mr Question agreed to. Read second time. Third reading Motion agreed to. Read third time. The SPEAKER: The bill will now be sent to the Legislative Council and their agreement requested. Register of opinion on motion Ayes Ms Couzens, Ms Edwards, Mr Eren, Mr Merlino, Mr Pallas, Mr Richardson, Ms Settle, Ms Theophanous Noes Mr Northe

EDUCATION AND TRAINING REFORM AMENDMENT (PROTECTION OF SCHOOL COMMUNITIES) BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Mr PALLAS: That this bill be now read a second time. Motion agreed to. Read second time.

ADJOURNMENT Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2185

Third reading Motion agreed to. Read third time. The SPEAKER: The bill will now be sent to the Legislative Council and their agreement requested. CHILD WELLBEING AND SAFETY (CHILD SAFE STANDARDS COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT) AMENDMENT BILL 2021 Second reading Debate resumed on motion of Mr DONNELLAN: That this bill be now read a second time. Motion agreed to. Read second time. Third reading Motion agreed to. Read third time. The SPEAKER: The bill will now be sent to the Legislative Council and their agreement requested. Business interrupted under resolution of house of 8 June. Adjournment The SPEAKER: The question is:

That the house now adjourns.

COVID-19 Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) (17:23): (5911) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, and I urgently want him to amend the onerous conditions that are implicit in the government’s much-hyped lockdown funding for cash-strapped small businesses. It is obvious why the Andrews Labor government was happy to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars. It knew that barely half the people it meant to help would actually qualify. Small businesses—the very people it was meant to keep afloat—are the ones paying the full penalty. The Andrews Labor government’s rules on the run show sole traders—individuals earning below $75 000 a year, making them GST exempt—will not get a penny from this uncaring government. The Andrews Labor government’s ridiculous three-week time frame to apply, even though the rules keep changing, is going to further restrict access to this funding. The Andrews Labor government has failed to include many industry codes, and people have been denied support on a technicality. The Andrews Labor government made sure there was no appeals process if these desperately needed grants are denied and has declined to adopt the Ombudsman’s recommendation of an appeal process for those who believe they have been unfairly denied support. Is the minister aware that accountants in country towns across Victoria are this week under siege as clients plead for help to get much-needed assistance? This government decision is all headline and no deadline and cruelly denies any support. If the people do not qualify for the conditions in the funding assistance, which carries the same power as legislation under the emergency rules the Premier demanded, there is no role for the Ombudsman and no appeal process for those who have once again been dudded by this heartless government, the one with Australia’s worst COVID record—and counting.

ADJOURNMENT 2186 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

O’HERNS ROAD, EPPING, INTERCHANGE Ms HALFPENNY (Thomastown) (17:25): (5912) My adjournment is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and the action I seek is that she celebrate with me and residents of the Thomastown electorate at the opening of the very big and exciting O’Herns Road interchange project. This project was an incredible effort from residents and Labor, in opposition at the time, doing a grassroots campaign to ensure that the proper infrastructure needed in the growing suburbs around Epping were given the services that they need. So well done to all the residents that were part of this fantastic campaign, and it will be so exciting when in the middle of this year we can celebrate. I hope the minister will join us and celebrate this great milestone. CAULFIELD ELECTORATE DANCE SCHOOLS Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (17:26): (5913) My adjournment is for the Acting Premier, and the issue that I would like to raise is particularly around a number of dance schools in my electorate that are doing it really tough at the moment. These dance schools provide a really important outlet to a number of young kids particularly that have suffered during the lockdowns, and for mental health it is a vital outlet for many of these young kids. I will can attest to it; both of our kids did dancing in earlier years, and it does wonderful things for kids’ self-confidence—something the kids really need right now. I wanted to particularly pay tribute to the 23 dance schools in my electorate: Glamour Puss Studios, Hunger For Dance, Keff Melbourne, Move Dance Melbourne, Kim Factor School of Dance, Embodiments Dance, Dynamite Dance Centre in Caulfield, Rebekah Davey Academy of Dance, Maddie’s Dance Academy for Girls, B Dance, United by Keren Zumba school, S3 Studio pilates, Ignite Bollywood Dance Company, Happy Feet Studios, Rhythm Tap Melbourne, St Kilda Ballet School, Unitd Styles Studio, Infinity Pilates Studio, TrainStation Dance and Fitness, Theatrical Academy, Jhalak Dance Academy, Troupe Kidz and Flamenco Dance Melbourne. Those are 23 schools all doing a whole range of varied dance programs largely for kids. We have been known in Victoria as a creative industry capital. Unfortunately we saw our livable city crown being lost, we are now rating eighth internationally, and a lot of that has been lost because of the creative industries that have really set up our state. We have got to get that back, we have got to support these kids, we have got to support these families, and I ask the Acting Premier why these kids have been excluded and why these schools cannot open. What funding will the Acting Premier provide for the 23 dance schools that have been locked out, that have been closed, that have not been able to continue for at least another week, that have put their businesses on the line and that have put their livelihoods on the line? Again, this is causing extreme mental health issues and anxiety for each and every one of those kids that are not able to do the important things they love, the important things that drive them, the important things that restore confidence and ultimately the important things that would be able to get their lives back on track. OUTDOOR DINING Ms GREEN (Yan Yean) (17:28): (5914) I rise to raise a matter for the attention of the Minister for Local Government in the other place, and the issue that I ask his assistance with is that I would like to see him issue a bulletin to local governments in relation to outdoor dining. There is no doubt that our restaurant and hospitality businesses have done it really tough over the last 12 months, and the Minister for Planning’s announcement of a year ago said that businesses would be able to not be restricted in their outdoor dining and that this would continue until 12 months after the end of the state of emergency. I am really disturbed to find that my local businesses in Nillumbik are being told that they are going to have to dismantle things at 30 June—this month. I have seen some fantastic examples of work across the state, whether it is in Mildura, Warrnambool, the north-east, Gippsland or the inner city. There have been some really innovative ways that outdoor dining has been pursued, but not in

ADJOURNMENT Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2187

Nillumbik. It just seems that there has been this approach of ‘no’ and hectoring and bothering our businesses. I know there are a handful of councils that are doing the same, and so I hope that the minister is going to be able to put out a bulletin and he is going to once and for all say to councils that they need to work hand in glove with our hospitality businesses so that they can recover from COVID. Also our community wants to dine outdoors, and this could be one of the good things coming out of COVID. I hope the minister can work with and assist our businesses in this way. COVID-19 Mr McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (17:30): (5915) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, and the action that I seek is that the minister immediately review and expand the criteria for the lockdown 4 assistance program. I have many businesses now contacting our office who are ineligible for financial assistance, the latest $2500 for the lockdown that we are currently in. Amanda from Yarrawonga says:

As a private practice physiotherapy business in regional Victoria we are hopefully eligible for up to $2,500 in assistance because we have been significantly affected by the circuit breaker lockdown … there is a ruling that we are strictly not allowed to conduct indoor group exercise in the second week of the lockdown. The majority of our clientele each week are attending the clinic for a therapeutic exercise program conducted in groups. That means that in this second week of the lockdown, our practice has suffered significant loss of income due to the ruling. It is unfortunate that we are unable to access the— grants—

… that Metropolitan physiotherapy practices can, despite the significant loss of income. This is just the tip of the iceberg for the businesses contacting us, and I urge the minister to immediately review the criteria. There should be a box after the question, ‘Has your business been financially affected by lockdown 4?’, and if you tick that box that says ‘Yes’, you should qualify. The government needs to support the thousands of businesses that have fallen outside of these tight guidelines as funds are extremely tight in small business in regional Victoria. FAMILY VIOLENCE SERVICES Mr BRAYNE (Nepean) (17:32): (5916) The action I seek is for the Minister for Women and Minister for Prevention of Family Violence to provide an update to my community on how the Victorian government’s announcement on funding for women’s health services in this year’s budget, alongside the broader investment in preventing and responding to family violence, will support my constituents in Nepean. In my community there has been growing demand for family violence support services after the 2020 global pandemic. Many constituents got in touch with my office seeking assistance during this time, and I spoke personally with many women who were fleeing awful situations at home and seeking support. This government, with the hard work of the Minister for Women, has a remarkable and proud record in this space, and I look forward to updating my community on the minister’s response about this incredibly important issue. AUSTRALIAN TIMETABLE ASSOCIATION Mr HIBBINS (Prahran) (17:32): (5917) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure as the minister I believe is responsible for VicTrack, and the action I seek is for the minister to work with VicTrack and the Australian Timetable Association to facilitate their tenancy of the vacant Windsor station building. Having a tenant in the Windsor station building is one of my community’s top priorities for an upgrade to Windsor station, and it was great to hear from the Australian Timetable Association last year that they were interested in leasing the site. They are undertaking really important work preserving Australian public transport timetables for the State Library of Victoria. They have run out of space at the Prahran Mechanics Institute and have taken a short-term lease elsewhere. They applied to lease the Windsor station building through VicTrack in September 2020, and earlier this year they were told the building may have potential interest from a number of parties and if all approvals are obtained, it will be offered for lease via a

ADJOURNMENT 2188 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021 publicly advertised process, but they have heard nothing since then and no action appears to have been taken. This site has been empty for many, many years. The Australian Timetable Association are in dire need of a new workspace. It would be fitting for this organisation to lease this space, but instead they have been left in limbo by an unsatisfactory application process through VicTrack. They need clarity. They are keen to lease this site, so I would ask that the minister work with VicTrack to provide the Australian Timetable Association with clear information, time lines and processes for their application. We welcome the funding in the recent budget for planning for an upgrade to Windsor station, including a new entrance, which has also been one of my community’s top priorities, and they would appreciate further details of what that funding is for and the time line for works. Windsor station is a valuable and historic community landmark in the Prahran electorate. Leasing the building would have strong community benefit whilst respecting the station’s heritage listing and providing the Australian Timetable Association with a perfect location for their transport-related work. MAROONDAH HOSPITAL Mr HALSE (Ringwood) (17:35): (5918) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health. We all want our youngest Victorians to get the very best medical care they can. That is why this most recent budget delivered $100 million to build new emergency department zones dedicated to children, including at Maroondah Hospital in my district of Ringwood. This investment will give local parents confidence that their kids are being taken care of while also creating hundreds of jobs during the process. In addition, the most recent budget announced funds to commence planning for an expanded adult emergency department at Maroondah Hospital. The action I seek is for the minister, when convenient, to tour the facilities at Maroondah Hospital, to meet staff and to appreciate the great importance of this budget announcement. UPPER FERNTREE GULLY HEIGHT LIMITS Mr WAKELING (Ferntree Gully) (17:35): (5919) I wish to raise a matter on the adjournment for the Minister for Planning, and the action I am seeking is for the minister to provide a response to me again and explain why the community within Ferntree Gully was not consulted prior to the minister’s approval of amendment GC172 in December of last year. The Dandenong foothills are an incredibly important part of the Knox community, and it is not just the views of the Dandenong Ranges and their foothills that are highly valued by my community. My community values the environmental character and the significance of this area, its treed landscapes providing a habitat for important native species of flora and fauna. For many years, both as a former Knox city councillor and currently as a member of Parliament, I have worked alongside my community and Knox City Council to achieve important planning protections for the foothills. Back in 2006 the important foothills protections, which provided the overlay, were put in place, but at the time applications for protections of Ferntree Gully Village were removed from the council’s request. In 2013, by working with the council we were able to provide protections for Ferntree Gully Village, with the installation of its two-storey height limit. However, it is gravely concerning that amendment GC172, which was implemented by the minister in December of last year, arbitrarily raised the mandatory maximum building heights for residential buildings in the foothills without any consultation. This has raised that height limit from 8 metres to 9 metres. This is but one example of a worrying trend within the government of taking decisions which have or may have a significant effect on local communities without allowing communities to have their say. It is not policy neutral, as the minister has previously stated. The previous mandatory maximum building height was an important feature of the protections for this area, particularly in relation to maintaining the existing neighbourhood character of the foothills. On 6 May this year I raised this question in this house and asked the minister to explain why he had made these decisions without consulting with my community. In his response that I have received,

ADJOURNMENT Thursday, 10 June 2021 Legislative Assembly 2189 dated 9 June, he failed to provide an answer as to why residents in my community were not consulted about this important change. So again I ask the minister to take action and provide a response to me so I can inform my community why residents in Ferntree Gully and other affected communities were not consulted on this important planning amendment. Following matter incorporated in accordance with resolution of house of 8 June: NORTHCOTE ELECTORATE TRAIN LINES Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) (5920)

My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Public Transport. The action that I seek is that the minister arrange a briefing between myself and senior members of the Department of Transport regarding the regulations underpinning train horn noise levels. Speaker, the electorate of Northcote is fortunate to be serviced by two train lines—the Hurstbridge and the Mernda. They are a fundamental part of our suburbs and in many ways have shaped our way of life in the inner north, connecting us to work, study and recreation. And an incredible transformation of our train network is currently underway. Labor is planning for the future of our suburbs —we’re building big, modernising our networks and changing the way we move around. The Mernda line has been extended and the Hurstbridge line has been duplicated to cater to more passengers. The Metro Tunnel will take pressure off the city loop so more trains can run to and from our suburbs. And of course our level crossing removals are unlocking open space and creating faster, safer journeys for everyone. We’ve seen the immense difference this has made at Grange Road in Alphington. As we speak, there are another four set to be removed in Preston as we raise the rail over Oakover Road, Bell Street, Cramer Street and Murray Road. As we continue to upgrade our train lines and remove level crossings, we are not only making our roads and rail lines safer, but also requiring train horns to be used less. It’s perhaps one of the less advertised advantages of separating our rail from our roads—but one which resonates deeply with many in my community who live in very close proximity to the rail lines. The truth is these lines were constructed over a hundred years ago when our city and our lives looked very different. Back then, trains did not run so often. Far less people lived in our suburbs. We did not have a night network as we do now. And far fewer people worked from home. I speak to many residents living close to the rail line who experience these horns on a daily basis. These are families and individuals who are supporters of our public transport networks—and chose to live close to these lines for all of the benefits they bestow. And residents of course appreciate that train horns are a key element in maintaining safety, particularly at level crossings. They know the horns serve to warn pedestrians and motorists of approaching trains, particularly people with vision or hearing impairments, and at night when people may not expect train services to be running. However, in more recent times, I have heard reports that the volume and frequency of the horns has been increasing. The recurrent disruption can have a real impact on people’s health, their sleep, their work and of course the peaceful enjoyment of their homes. Residents simply want to be certain that this noise remains within the regulated parameters, and to explore whether any operational adjustments can be made to limit the noise emissions without compromising safety on the line. To this end, I would appreciate an in-depth briefing from your department in respect of these matters.

RESPONSES Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (17:38): The member for Prahran raised a matter regarding an organisation, the Australian Timetable Association. I have now educated myself a lot about the Australian Timetable Association and the work they do and their desire to take up an opportunity to lease the Windsor station building. I will have to get some advice from VicTrack on both the process for the leasing arrangements around the Windsor station building and also the opportunities for the Australian Timetable Association to be part of that process, and I will report back to the member for Prahran.

ADJOURNMENT 2190 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 10 June 2021

The member for Thomastown raised a matter for me regarding the O’Herns Road upgrade. I would like to thank the member for Thomastown for her outstanding advocacy for transport infrastructure projects in her local community, because there is a lot going on in the northern suburbs at the moment. Certainly this is another one of our important projects that is being delivered across a couple of stages. It is also important to note that this is not just a road project. It contains important pedestrian and cycling connections as well. Major construction is well underway on the second stage, which is adding a lane in each direction between the Hume Freeway and Redding Rise. It will provide important connections to the Hume Freeway, new intersections, and I have mentioned the pedestrian and cycling upgrades as well. We are getting close, member for Thomastown, to these works being concluded, and I accept the member’s offer to join her to inspect the progress of works and to celebrate the opening of the lane from the completion of the second stage of the project in the near future. Again, I thank her for her ongoing advocacy for improvements in her local community. The remaining eight members raised matters for various ministers, and they will be referred to those ministers for their action and response. The SPEAKER: The house now stands adjourned. House adjourned 5.40 pm until Tuesday, 22 June.