PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD)...Wednesday, 6 June 2001 ASSEMBLY 1675 Wednesday, 6 June 2001 The SPEAKER (Hon. Alex Andrianopoulos) took the chair at 9.36 a.m. and read the prayer

PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES(HANSARD)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-FOURTH PARLIAMENT

FIRST SESSION

6 June 2001

(extract from Book 7)

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

By authority of the Victorian Government Printer

The Governor

JOHN LANDY, AC, MBE

The Lieutenant-Governor

Lady SOUTHEY, AM

The Ministry

Premier and Minister for Multicultural Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. S. P. Bracks, MP

Deputy Premier, Minister for Health and Minister for Planning . . . . . . . . . The Hon. J. W. Thwaites, MP

Minister for Industrial Relations andMinister assisting the Minister for Workcover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. M. M. Gould, MLC

Minister for Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. P. Batchelor, MP

Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Ports andMinister assisting the Minister for State and Regional Development. . . The Hon. C. C. Broad, MLC

Minister for State and Regional Development and Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. J. M. Brumby, MP

Minister for Local Government, Minister for Workcover andMinister assisting the Minister for Transport regarding Roads . . . . . . . . The Hon. R. G. Cameron, MP

Minister for Community Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. C. M. Campbell, MP

Minister for Education and Minister for the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. M. E. Delahunty, MP

Minister for Environment and Conservation andMinister for Women’s Affairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. S. M. Garbutt, MP

Minister for Police and Emergency Services andMinister for Corrections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. A. Haermeyer, MP

Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. K. G. Hamilton, MP

Attorney-General, Minister for Manufacturing Industry andMinister for Racing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. R. J. Hulls, MP

Minister for Post Compulsory Education, Training and Employment andMinister for Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. L. J. Kosky, MP

Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for Youth Affairs andMinister assisting the Minister for Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. J. M. Madden, MLC

Minister for Gaming, Minister for Major Projects and Tourism andMinister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. J. Pandazopoulos, MP

Minister for Housing, Minister for Aged Care andMinister assisting the Minister for Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. B. J. Pike, MP

Minister for Small Business and Minister for Consumer Affairs . . . . . . . . . The Hon. M. R. Thomson, MLC

Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hon. G. W. Jennings

Legislative Assembly Committees

Privileges Committee — Mr Cooper, Mr Holding, Mr Hulls, Mr Loney, Mr Maclellan, Mr Maughan, Mr Nardella,Mr Plowman and Mr Thwaites.

Standing Orders Committee — Mr Speaker, Mr Jasper, Mr Langdon, Mr Lenders, Mr McArthur, Mrs Maddiganand Mr Perton.

Joint Committees

Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee — (Council): The Honourables B. C. Boardman and S. M. Nguyen.(Assembly): Mr Cooper, Mr Jasper, Mr Lupton, Mr Mildenhall and Mr Wynne.

Environment and Natural Resources Committee — (Council): The Honourables R. F. Smith and E. G. Stoney.(Assembly): Mr Delahunty, Ms Duncan, Mr Ingram, Ms Lindell, Mr Mulder and Mr Seitz.

Family and Community Development Committee — (Council): The Honourables E. J. Powell and G. D. Romanes.(Assembly): Mr Hardman, Mr Lim, Mr Nardella, Mrs Peulich and Mr Wilson.

House Committee — (Council): The Honourables the President (ex officio), G. B. Ashman, R. A. Best,J. M. McQuilten, Jenny Mikakos and R. F. Smith. (Assembly): Mr Speaker (ex officio), Ms Beattie, Mr Kilgour,Ms McCall, Mr Rowe, Mr Savage and Mr Stensholt.

Law Reform Committee — (Council): The Honourables D. G. Hadden and P. A. Katsambanis.(Assembly): Mr Languiller, Ms McCall, Mr McIntosh, Mr Stensholt and Mr Thompson.

Library Committee — (Council): The Honourables the President, E. C. Carbines, M. T. Luckins, E. J. Powell andC. A. Strong. (Assembly): Mr Speaker, Ms Duncan, Mr Languiller, Mrs Peulich and Mr Seitz.

Printing Committee — (Council): The Honourables the President, Andrea Coote, Kaye Darveniza and E. J. Powell.(Assembly): Mr Speaker, Ms Gillett, Mr Nardella and Mr Richardson.

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee — (Council): The Honourables D. McL. Davis, R. M. Hallam,G. K. Rich-Phillips and T. C. Theophanous. (Assembly): Ms Asher, Ms Barker, Ms Davies, Mr Holding,Mr Loney and Mrs Maddigan.

Road Safety Committee — (Council): The Honourables Andrew Brideson and E. C. Carbines.(Assembly): Mr Kilgour, Mr Langdon, Mr Plowman, Mr Spry and Mr Trezise.

Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee — (Council): The Honourables M. A. Birrell, M. T. Luckins,Jenny Mikakos and C. A. Strong. (Assembly): Ms Beattie, Mr Carli, Mr Dixon, Ms Gillett and Mr Robinson.

Heads of Parliamentary Departments

Assembly — Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: Mr R. W. Purdey

Council — Clerk of the Legislative Council: Mr W. R. Tunnecliffe

Hansard — Chief Reporter: Ms C. J. Williams

Library — Librarian: Mr B. J. Davidson

Parliamentary Services — Manager: Mr M. L. Bromley

MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-FOURTH PARLIAMENT — FIRST SESSION

Speaker: The Hon. ALEX ANDRIANOPOULOSDeputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees: Mrs J. M. MADDIGAN

Temporary Chairmen of Committees: Ms Barker, Ms Davies, Mr Jasper, Mr Kilgour, Mr Loney, Mr Lupton, Mr Nardella,Mrs Peulich, Mr Phillips, Mr Plowman, Mr Richardson, Mr Savage, Mr Seitz

Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and Premier:The Hon. S. P. BRACKS

Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and Deputy Premier:The Hon. J. W. THWAITES

Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition:The Hon. D. V. NAPTHINE

Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition:The Hon. LOUISE ASHER

Leader of the Parliamentary National Party:Mr P. J. RYAN

Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary National Party:Mr B. E. H. STEGGALL

Member District Party Member District Party

Allan, Ms Jacinta Marie Bendigo East ALP Leighton, Mr Michael Andrew Preston ALPAllen, Ms Denise Margret 4 Benalla ALP Lenders, Mr John Johannes Joseph Dandenong North ALPAndrianopoulos, Mr Alex Mill Park ALP Lim, Mr Hong Muy Clayton ALPAsher, Ms Louise Brighton LP Lindell, Ms Jennifer Margaret Carrum ALPAshley, Mr Gordon Wetzel Bayswater LP Loney, Mr Peter James Geelong North ALPBaillieu, Mr Edward Norman Hawthorn LP Lupton, Mr Hurtle Reginald, OAM, JP Knox LPBarker, Ms Ann Patricia Oakleigh ALP McArthur, Mr Stephen James Monbulk LPBatchelor, Mr Peter Thomastown ALP McCall, Ms Andrea Lea Frankston LPBeattie, Ms Elizabeth Jean Tullamarine ALP McIntosh, Mr Andrew John Kew LPBracks, Mr Stephen Phillip Williamstown ALP Maclellan, Mr Robert Roy Cameron Pakenham LPBrumby, Mr John Mansfield Broadmeadows ALP McNamara, Mr Patrick John 3 Benalla NPBurke, Ms Leonie Therese Prahran LP Maddigan, Mrs Judith Marilyn Essendon ALPCameron, Mr Robert Graham Bendigo West ALP Maughan, Mr Noel John Rodney NPCampbell, Ms Christine Mary Pascoe Vale ALP Maxfield, Mr Ian John Narracan ALPCarli, Mr Carlo Coburg ALP Mildenhall, Mr Bruce Allan Footscray ALPClark, Mr Robert William Box Hill LP Mulder, Mr Terence Wynn Polwarth LPCooper, Mr Robert Fitzgerald Mornington LP Napthine, Dr Denis Vincent Portland LPDavies, Ms Susan Margaret Gippsland West Ind Nardella, Mr Donato Antonio Melton ALPDean, Dr Robert Logan Berwick LP Overington, Ms Karen Marie Ballarat West ALPDelahunty, Mr Hugh Francis Wimmera NP Pandazopoulos, Mr John Dandenong ALPDelahunty, Ms Mary Elizabeth Northcote ALP Paterson, Mr Alister Irvine South Barwon LPDixon, Mr Martin Francis Dromana LP Perton, Mr Victor John Doncaster LPDoyle, Robert Keith Bennett Malvern LP Peulich, Mrs Inga Bentleigh LPDuncan, Ms Joanne Therese Gisborne ALP Phillips, Mr Wayne Eltham LPElliott, Mrs Lorraine Clare Mooroolbark LP Pike, Ms Bronwyn Jane Melbourne ALPFyffe, Mrs Christine Ann Evelyn LP Plowman, Mr Antony Fulton Benambra LPGarbutt, Ms Sherryl Maree Bundoora ALP Richardson, Mr John Ingles Forest Hill LPGillett, Ms Mary Jane Werribee ALP Robinson, Mr Anthony Gerard Peter Mitcham ALPHaermeyer, Mr André Yan Yean ALP Rowe, Mr Gary James Cranbourne LPHamilton, Mr Keith Graeme Morwell ALP Ryan, Mr Peter Julian Gippsland South NPHardman, Mr Benedict Paul Seymour ALP Savage, Mr Russell Irwin Mildura IndHelper, Mr Jochen Ripon ALP Seitz, Mr George Keilor ALPHolding, Mr Timothy James Springvale ALP Shardey, Mrs Helen Jean Caulfield LPHoneywood, Mr Phillip Neville Warrandyte LP Smith, Mr Ernest Ross Glen Waverley LPHoward, Mr Geoffrey Kemp Ballarat East ALP Spry, Mr Garry Howard Bellarine LPHulls, Mr Rob Justin Niddrie ALP Steggall, Mr Barry Edward Hector Swan Hill NPIngram, Mr Craig Gippsland East Ind Stensholt, Mr Robert Einar 2 Burwood ALPJasper, Mr Kenneth Stephen Murray Valley NP Thompson, Mr Murray Hamilton Sandringham LPKennett, Mr Jeffrey Gibb 1 Burwood LP Thwaites, Mr Johnstone William Albert Park ALPKilgour, Mr Donald Shepparton NP Trezise, Mr Ian Douglas Geelong ALPKosky, Ms Lynne Janice Altona ALP Viney, Mr Matthew Shaw Frankston East ALPKotsiras, Mr Nicholas Bulleen LP Vogels, Mr John Adrian Warrnambool LPLangdon, Mr Craig Anthony Cuffe Ivanhoe ALP Wells, Mr Kimberley Arthur Wantirna LPLanguiller, Mr Telmo Sunshine ALP Wilson, Mr Ronald Charles Bennettswood LPLeigh, Mr Geoffrey Graeme Mordialloc LP Wynne, Mr Richard William Richmond ALP

1 Resigned 3 November 1999 3 Resigned 12 April 20002 Elected 11 December 1999 4 Elected 13 May 2000

CONTENTS

WEDNESDAY, 6 JUNE 2001

PETITIONWon Wron prison........................................................1675

PAPER ..............................................................................1675MEMBERS STATEMENTS

Bennettswood: justices of the peace ..........................1675Consumer affairs: Morwell fraud..............................1675Fundraising: north-eastern licensed clubs................1676Springvale Primary School ........................................1676Tertiary education and training: BIGS .....................1676Inner Northern Local Learning and

Employment Network .............................................1677Member for Chelsea Province: Southcorp Wines ....1677Wallan Primary School ..............................................1677Mount View Primary School......................................1678Essendon citizens advice bureau ...............................1678

GRIEVANCESAttorney-General: former Chief Magistrate .. 1678, 1692Won Wron prison........................................................1681Member for Warrandyte: share portfolio.......1683, 1686Member for Berwick: conduct....................................1687Fishing: Gippsland Lakes ..........................................1689Gaming: problem gambling.......................................1694Minister for Post Compulsory Education,

Training and Employment: performance..............1696Banks: closures ...........................................................1699Kingston: councillors..................................................1701AWU: political connections .......................................1703

TRANSPORT (FURTHER AMENDMENT) BILLIntroduction and first reading....................................1704

DRUGS, POISONS AND CONTROLLEDSUBSTANCES (AMENDMENT) BILLIntroduction and first reading....................................1704

CRIMES (VALIDATION OF ORDERS) BILLIntroduction and first reading....................................1704

VICTORIAN MANAGED INSURANCE AUTHORITYBILLSecond reading............................................................1704

TRANSFER OF LAND (AMENDMENT) BILLSecond reading.................................................1707, 1714

DISTINGUISHED VISITOR .............................................1709QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Essential Media Communications consultancy .......1709,1710, 1712, 1713

Marine parks: establishment......................................1709Docklands: job creation .............................................1710Trams: dynamic fairways system...............................1711Planning: broiler farms..............................................1712Tertiary education and training: funding..................1712Rural Victoria: arts projects ......................................1714

LAND SURVEYING BILLSecond reading............................................................1716

APPROPRIATION (2001/2002) BILLSecond reading............................................................1719

ADJOURNMENTFarm dams ..................................................................1768Housing: Thomson estate...........................................1769Murtoa College...........................................................1769High Street, Preston: clearway..................................1770Mornington Peninsula freeway: extension ...............1770Disability services: Warragul ....................................1771Dorset Road, Ferntree Gully: extension ...................1771Children: Vietnamese foster care ..............................1772Residential tenancies: review.....................................1772Aged care: fall prevention..........................................1772Housing: Moorabbin refuge ......................................1773Sandringham and District Memorial Hospital.........1773Responses ....................................................................1773

PETITION

Wednesday, 6 June 2001 ASSEMBLY 1675

Wednesday, 6 June 2001

The SPEAKER (Hon. Alex Andrianopoulos) took thechair at 9.36 a.m. and read the prayer.

PETITION

The Clerk — I have received the following petitionfor presentation to Parliament:

Won Wron prison

To the Honourable the Speaker and members of theLegislative Assembly in Parliament assembled:

The humble petition of the undersigned citizens of the state ofVictoria express their utmost support for the retention andcontinued operation of the Won Wron prison near Yarram onthe basis that its closure would —

cause a loss of almost 40 jobs in a community of1800 people

remove approximately $2.5 million of expenditure fromthe district economy

result in the loss of benefit of a range of communitywork presently provided to the region through prisonereffort

deal a substantial blow to a rural community which todate has been proactive in managing difficult economicconditions.

Your petitioners therefore pray that the Victorian governmentsupport this initiative.

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.

By Mr RYAN (Gippsland South) (2683 signatures)

Laid on table.

PAPER

Laid on table by Clerk:

Report of the Auditor-General on ministerial portfolios, June2001.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS

Bennettswood: justices of the peace

Mr WILSON (Bennettswood) — I place on recordmy congratulations to a number of local residents whohave recently been appointed as justices of the peace(JPs). I was delighted that so many local residentsresponded to my call for appointment to the position ofJP. In the International Year of Volunteers we shouldpay special tribute to those members of the community

who perform the important duties associated with beinga JP.

Cr Tom Morrissey is the current mayor of the City ofMonash and has served the Damper ward for manyyears with distinction. He has also served thecommunity in many other areas, including through hisinvolvement in Rotary.

Mr Bryan Nitz’s voluntary service has been through theBennettswood Neighbourhood House. His othercommunity services have included St Scholastica’sparish and the scouting movement.

Mr Cyril Ashton was founding president of theWaverley Ratepayers Association and is a life memberof Mount Scopus Memorial College in Burwood.

Mr Robert Carmichael is a presenter withWhitehorse–Boroondara Community Radio 94.1 FM,and was chief executive officer of the AsthmaFoundation Victoria for more than two decades.

Mr Don McLeish is a past president of ArcheryVictoria, is a member of Waverley City Archers andhas been involved in the scouting movement for manyyears.

I congratulate these five outstanding Victorians andwish them well in their new roles.

Consumer affairs: Morwell fraud

Mr MAXFIELD (Narracan) — Barry Patrick, fromBridle Road, Morwell, in the Latrobe Valley, andKarl-Heinz Veljkovic, from Harkaway Road, Berwick,have been terrorising people for perhaps as long as30 years. They are con men and thieves with a twist.They are predators who prey on innocent, hardworkingpeople, systematically tearing their lives apart. They area perfect operation, with Mr Veljkovic acting as thefront man and real estate agent, selling businesses andfinance under his company name, Teilis FinancialServices. He then places the unsuspecting person withBarry Patrick, who has a multitude of businesses forsale and who is portrayed as a struggling entrepreneur.

Most people who have become involved with them, ifnot all, have lost their homes, superannuation, savings,cars and eventually their credit rating. Basically thesetwo men are in partnership on paper and in person.They use company names as though they were tissuepaper, inventing and dumping them like there is notomorrow. They systematically trap people in a web oflies and deception. Between 1993 and 1998 at least25 companies came and went as these two men acted

MEMBERS STATEMENTS

1676 ASSEMBLY Wednesday, 6 June 2001

together, and they used at least half as many againtrading names for them.

Most of these unscrupulous practices occur from apremises in Centre Road, Morwell, from where theyoperate their sinister empire. Their talents extend intothe banking industry where the National AustraliaBank, the ANZ and IOOF have fallen victim to theircraftiness in fraudulently taking out personal loans andcredit cards in other people’s names. It is reported thatwhen interviewed by the fraud squad, the NAB alonehad at least 15 separate cases where Patrick andVeljkovic had acted fraudulently, yet for some obscurereason the banks decided not to press charges and choseto wipe off debts that have amounted to thousands andthousands of dollars. However, the devastation does notgo away for the victims whose signatures have beenused. They are left to fight these institutions — —

The SPEAKER — Order! The honourablemember’s time has expired.

Fundraising: north-eastern licensed clubs

Mr KILGOUR (Shepparton) — I am glad to behere today to say welcome to everybody on this veryspecial morning after a magnificent evening last night! Iam disappointed that we did not hear the cries ofhonourable members on the other side that were heardin the last Parliament about family-friendly hours. Whatdid we hear all the time? We heard talk aboutfamily-friendly hours! There were new members in thatlast Parliament and all they wanted to do was to saywhat terrible people the now opposition members werewhen they were in government. They said we wereterrible and they had to have family-friendly hours.However, that is not what I stood up to say.

I congratulate the licensed clubs in north-easternVictoria — my colleague the honourable member forBenambra will support me — on raising money for theState Emergency Service (SES). In recent days18 Tabaret venues raised somewhere in the vicinity of$63 000 by having sausage sizzles and variousentertainments at their venues on a Saturday. I wasinvolved, as were other honourable members innorth-eastern Victoria and the Murray Valley area, andthe clubs did a magnificent job for 25 local StateEmergency Service operations. Tabcorp matched themoney that was raised for the purchase ofcommunication equipment. It was a magnificent day.While many negative things are heard about pokiesvenues, the licensed clubs and Tabarets in north-easternVictoria have done a magnificent job and I am sure thatthe SES is thankful.

The SPEAKER — Order! The honourablemember’s time has expired.

Springvale Primary School

Mr HOLDING (Springvale) — I congratulate thestaff and students of Springvale Primary School, whichis in my electorate, following the confirmation that inthis year’s budget it will receive $1.6 million for theimplementation of the school’s master plan. Theconfirmation of this funding will enable the school tocommence the plan shortly and will ensure that thecommunity can realise its vision for a safer school. Itwill be consolidated in one area and have bettercurriculum development. The funding will alsofacilitate the provision of better sporting andrecreational facilities, and it will all be done in thecontext of preserving the main administrative area ofthe school, which is a beautiful Federation heritagebuilding.

The school was subjected to a cruel hoax at the lastelection when the Liberal Party promised $300 000 formajor capital works. Clearly the opposition had no ideaof what investment was required to enable the school torealise the vision of its master plan. This was notsurprising, given that the project was completelyunfunded and one of a series of electoral stuntsperformed with the desperate aim of hoping that theelectorate would forget the chronic underfunding of ourpublic education system that occurred under theprevious government.

I congratulate the school principal, Vince Curatore, allof the parents and staff and most particularly all of thestudents, as they realise the redevelopment of theirschool and the implementation of their master plan.

Tertiary education and training: BIGS

Mr BAILLIEU (Hawthorn) — The BuildingIndustry Group Scheme (BIGS) was a group trainingscheme run by the Construction, Forestry, Mining andEnergy Union (CFMEU) and in particular governmentmate Martin Kingham. BIGS was given a clear bill ofhealth by the Minister for Post Compulsory Education,Training and Employment just last year, but BIGScollapsed in April this year. More than 220 apprenticeswere displaced, and considerable sums of public moneywere lost. The minister immediately moved in anorchestrated campaign with the CFMEU to place theblame for this collapse on the Master BuildersAssociation. The MBA runs its own entirely separatescheme.

MEMBERS STATEMENTS


According to the minister the MBA’s failure to accepther proposal to merge the two schemes wasresponsible. But now the minister has failed to makeavailable the administrator’s report on BIGS and theterms of the deal she put to the MBA. That dealincluded assumption of all the massive debts andliabilities of BIGS, which no organisation in its rightmind would have accepted. It was never anything morethan a blame-shifting exercise.

This minister wants to protect factional Labor matesfrom scrutiny, particularly those involved in unionelections, and she is running a vendetta against theMBA, embarrassed by her own failure to resolvequickly the MBA’s own legitimate problems with HIH.The minister who endorsed BIGS financial status wasalso the Minister for Finance. This failure is hers. Sheshould immediately release all details, and order anindependent investigation.

Inner Northern Local Learning andEmployment Network

Mr LEIGHTON (Preston) — I acknowledge thework of the Inner Northern Local Learning andEmployment Network. The networks were establishedand funded by the Bracks government with significantresponsibility for planning post-compulsory educationand training in their areas.

The inner northern network is made up of a number oforganisations — the Darebin, Moreland and Yarracouncils; the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE;adult, community and further education; secondarycolleges, including Reservoir District in my electorate;the Adult Migrant Education Service; and welfareorganisations. It is chaired by Cr Peter Stephenson fromthe City of Darebin, and I congratulate him for hisleadership and work in the community and the directionhe has been giving to the interim committee.

The inner northern network was established early thisyear following a successful expression of interest lastDecember. In the first year particular priority has beengiven to improving employment and training outcomesfor Kooris. The network has ongoing funding overthree years of $400 000 per year, which is substantialsupport from the Bracks government, and a number ofmajor education institutes in and around my electoratesuch as Latrobe University, RMIT and the NorthernMelbourne Institute of TAFE. With traditional areas ofhigh unemployment, the success of this organisation iscritical in bringing employment opportunities andeducation closer together.

Member for Chelsea Province: SouthcorpWines

Mr COOPER (Mornington) — I am concernedabout an allegation that a union official demanded thatSouthcorp Wines supply him with 24 dozen bottles ofpremium wine at no charge. In a letter dated15 November 1995 the joint branch president of theAustralian Workers Union, Mr Bob Kernohan, wrote toSouthcorp Wines stating that this practice of officials ofthe union requesting goods free of charge fromcompanies is not supported by the union and is notunion policy. Mr Kernohan went on to state that such apractice compromises those who do it. The questionthat now must be asked is whether this particular AWUofficial kept the 24 dozen bottles of premium wine forhis own use. Alternatively, did he sell the wine and, ifso, what did he do with the proceeds? How does thisunion official justify this tactic of standing over acompany and demanding goods free of charge? Did hedeclare the so-called gift to the taxation department?These questions need to be answered and should beanswered by the union official who did this. That unionofficial is now a member for Chelsea Province inanother place, the Honourable Bob Smith.

Wallan Primary School

Mr HARDMAN (Seymour) — I inform the houseabout Wallan Primary School, which is one of the verygood schools within the Seymour electorate. Recently Ivisited the school and talked with the principal, Mr PhilSutton, who is obviously a proud and enthusiasticadvocate for his school.

In the state budget the Bracks government gave$2.5 million to the school, which has more than500 students, to build 18 new classrooms, amultipurpose facility and a canteen and to develop itslibrary. The plans for the facility are well thought outand appropriate to the needs of the local community.

The principal also broadly talked about the school,which is the first state government school in thesouthern hemisphere to be accredited to run the PrimaryYears Program of the International Baccalaureate.

The Primary Years Program (PYP) is a method ofteaching based on the inquiry model focusing ondeveloping children’s research and learning skills. Allstaff are professionally developed in many learningstrategies including Blooms Taxonomy, De Bono’s sixthinking hats and multiple intelligences. The PYPcompliments the Curriculum and StandardsFramework, and I congratulate all the staff andcommunity of Wallan Primary School for their

GRIEVANCES


commitment to excellence in education and daring to bedifferent in offering what they feel is the best for theirstudents.

Mount View Primary School

Mr SMITH (Glen Waverley) — I raise the matterof a local primary school in my area that has expressedits concern over the funding proposals released in thestate budget. Mount View Primary School principal,Pat Waring, took the step of writing to the parents of allthe 725 students at the school to outline his concernsover the direction of school funding in the budget.

Mr Waring expressed concern that his classroom sizeswere still above standards and that no funding had beenallocated to alleviate this. He was troubled by the lackof transparency in the allocation of upgrade fundingand noted that it appeared as if school funding wasbeing used as a political tool to buy favour with theelectorate. Further, he said it seemed that anyneeds-based funding was going only to those schoolsthat were badly run down.

I have a child attending the school and I think it isappalling that schools must be in such a state ofdisrepair before the government will commit anyserious funds to upgrade them. We do not want asituation where schools are deliberately neglected inorder to attract much-needed funding.

Mr Waring, who is a well-respected principal in theMonash community, suggested an alternative systemwhereby upgrades were prioritised and fundingobjectively distributed on a needs basis. This wouldallow schools to plan their maintenance schedules withcertainty. For a government committed to a world-classpublic education system, the Bracks government’sbudget has sadly failed the children at Mount ViewPrimary School. It is a disgrace that the fundingdecisions of the state government are so blatantlypolitically motivated.

Essendon citizens advice bureau

Mrs MADDIGAN (Essendon) — In thisInternational Year of the Volunteer I would like to paytribute to the Essendon citizens advice bureau. Thisworthy organisation celebrates its 32nd birthday thismonth. It has for those years been providing excellentservices to the people of Essendon and surroundingdistricts. Under its current president, Jack Filling, itcontinues to do that, not only running the emergencyrelief scheme on behalf of Moonee Valley City Councilbut also working with a number of other organisations

in the Essendon area, particularly local lawyers, inproviding a free legal service.

It is an indication of the dedication of some of thepeople who work for the bureau that looking throughlast year’s annual report I recognise a number of namesof volunteers who were there when I was the Essendoncouncil representative in 1985. Women like BettySomerville, Betty Allanson, Terry Cartwright, FaySpeer and Joyce Tatum have given over 17 years ofexcellent work in this voluntary capacity. Some ofthose women are rostered on at least once a week andsometimes twice a week. The sort of work they put intothis organisation and to the community on a voluntarybasis if costed out would cost the council or anotherorganisation a huge amount of money.

Apart from a short period for rebuilding, the bureau hasalways been at the Moonee Ponds town hall, which isnow the Clocktower Centre. It has continued to operatein a worthy and responsible manner. It is a greatasset — —

The SPEAKER — Order! The honourablemember’s time has expired. The time set down formembers statements has also expired.

GRIEVANCES

The SPEAKER — Order! The question is:

That grievances be noted.

Attorney-General: former Chief Magistrate

Dr DEAN (Berwick) — I wish to grieve about thesituation which is currently being referred to as theAdams affair. I make the general point that it would beregarded in the legal community that there could be nogreater sin for any Attorney-General than to conspire toremove a member of the judiciary. Such a thing wouldbe regarded as low and as improper as anyAttorney-General could be.

You might find that an Attorney-General could set fireto the Supreme Court and still survive as anAttorney-General. You may find that anAttorney-General could run off with the wife of a chiefjustice and still remain the Attorney-General. But if anAttorney-General conspired or colluded with others toremove a member of the judiciary you would find thatthat Attorney-General could not remain theAttorney-General.

When this matter concerning Michael Adams first cameto my attention some time in September 2000 I already

GRIEVANCES


knew he was a robust character. I had run into Michaelon more than one occasion during my involvement withthe Pathfinder project, and it was clear to me that hewas an individualistic and sometimes very testycharacter. When these conflicts in the court came forthit seemed to me that what could be done and whatneeded to be done to fix the problem was for theAttorney-General to engage in some form of mediationor other work.

When the Attorney-General sat on the seat just behindme and said to me, ‘I think we should have a bipartisanapproach to this’, I took him at his word. At that point itseemed that the robust character, Michael Adams, hadrun into some problems with his magistrates and if wewere bipartisan in our approach to the matter theproblems would be fixed. However, it concerned methat as time went by the matter was not fixed. Not onlywas it not fixed but it got worse and worse.

When the motion of no confidence was finally broughtby the magistrates I still thought the Attorney-Generalmay try to fix the problem and that I should remainbipartisan. When the Attorney-General asked me to bebipartisan it was the first time in my entire relationshipwith him that he had ever asked me personally to doanything. Many of my colleagues told me that thisman’s history would suggest that I should besuspicious, but I was not. I said to them, ‘No, I will notbe suspicious of the Attorney-General. I will take himat his word’. Someone also asked me, ‘Why is it,Robert, that for three and a half years Michael Adamshas had this relationship with his magistrates, yetnothing like this has happened before? Why is it that assoon as the new government and this Attorney-Generalcame to office this problem started to bubble over?’.Still I said, ‘No, I take the Attorney-General at hisword’.

The Victorian Bar Council is a very small place, andlittle happens in the legal profession without itsmembers knowing the truth. Even at that stage I wasstarting to get some feedback from members of the barand other members that all was not right. Nevertheless,I took the Attorney-General at his word, went in frontof the cameras and said, ‘So far as I am concerned, Iwish Mr Adams well, and I hope all will be right’.

As the weeks went by someone suggested to me thatnot only was there a bad smell about it but that anadvice existed. The advice went directly to the removalof the Chief Magistrate — not any Chief Magistrate butthis particular Chief Magistrate. I again passed that upas being just talk. When the next thing I heard was thatthe press was submitting freedom of information (FOI)requests to the Attorney-General to get hold of that

advice, I pricked up my ears. I was then provided with acopy of a document that contained both the first and lastparagraphs of the alleged advice. I will remindhonourable members of what the first and lastparagraphs say. The first paragraph says:

I am asked to advise on:

(a) What means are available to remove the ChiefMagistrate from his position as Chief Magistrate? and

(b) What are the consequences for the Chief Magistrate’spension entitlements in so removing him?

The last paragraph says:

The current Chief Magistrate if removed from his positionthis year would not satisfy the requirements of section 14 ofthe County Court Act 1958 and so would not be entitled to apension in accordance with that section. Accordingly, as hewould remain a magistrate, his pension entitlements would bethe same as any other magistrate.

Then I started to get seriously worried.

Honourable members interjecting.

Dr DEAN — Any lawyer reading an advice withsuch first and last paragraphs would be extremelyconcerned, and it would not be a matter that they wouldlaugh about, as I suspect members of the governmentwish to do. I started to make some inquiries. What Ifound out was probably the crux of why I became soconcerned. I found out not that the advice was preparedwhen the allegations came to light in September orOctober 2000, but that it was prepared in January ofthat year — some nine months before any of theallegations surfaced. I was concerned that in Septemberor October the Attorney-General had said out there inpublic in front of the cameras that that was the first timehe had heard about the allegations and he wouldtherefore try to act on them. Yet here was an advice thatsaid that something was being done as early as January.

The next fact I found out was who actually prepared theadvice: it was Mr Dreyfus, QC! Everybody in this placeand everywhere — and it has been admitted by theAttorney-General — knows that Mr Dreyfus, QC, is aclose friend and confidant of the Attorney-General. Thenext thing that happened was that I got a copy of theadvice. Silly me, apparently everyone at the bar exceptme had a copy of the advice. Anyway, the next thingthis Johnny-come-lately did was look very closely atthe advice. What did I find? First, that it referred notonly to how you could remove the Chief Magistrate bygoing to the Supreme Court but to the fact that anothermechanism that could be employed to get rid of theChief Magistrate would be to demote him, which wouldbe an executive act that did not require going to the

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Supreme Court, and make him an ordinary magistrate.There were two mechanisms in the advice designed toget rid of the then Chief Magistrate.

The next thing I found was that there was a big sectionabout how much it would cost the government toremove Michael Adams. Then the Herald Sun, whichwas hot on the trail of the advice and everything thatsurrounded it, went to the person who actuallyproduced the advice. What did he say? He said that hedid the advice which says, ‘I am asked to advise abouthow to get rid of a Chief Magistrate’ and he did it forhis own personal amusement! Nobody in thisParliament or in Victoria believes that that is the case.Then he said that at the time there was some confusionand the bar was concerned about Michael Adams. Is hesaying that he produced advice on how to get rid of theChief Magistrate to the Victorian bar — that it wantedadvice on how to get rid of the Chief Magistrate? Ithink not.

If you read his advice closely one thing is very clear,and that is that the only person who can do anythingabout the advice or to whom it is remotely relevant isan Attorney-General. Why? Because only anAttorney-General can take an executive action todemote a Chief Magistrate, only an Attorney-Generalcan take a matter to the Supreme Court to remove aChief Magistrate and only an Attorney-General is at allconcerned about how much it will cost him and hisgovernment to pay off or get rid of a Chief Magistrate.So no-one believes that Mark Dreyfus, QC, preparedthe advice for any other purpose than to advise anAttorney-General.


Dr DEAN — And so the questions were asked. Icame into this place and did — —


Dr DEAN — Mr Acting Speaker, can I have a bit ofprotection?

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!Could I have a bit of silence? I am having difficultyhearing the honourable member for Berwick.

Dr DEAN — I did what any shadowAttorney-General would do — that is, I came into thisplace and asked questions. I asked theAttorney-General questions that were absolutely direct.Let me tell you that there are three things you can dowith a question: you can admit it, you can deny it oryou can avoid it. That is a well-known legal principle. Icame into this place and asked the Attorney-General

questions that he could either deny, admit or avoid.Direct though the questions might have been and easilydenied by simply getting up and saying, ‘That is nottrue’, every single question was not denied — it wasavoided!

Let me tell the house this: another legal principle is thatif you avoid — and deliberately avoid — a question,that is as good as a plea of guilty, because you had theoption. What were the questions I asked theAttorney-General? I asked him whether he got thebenefit of that advice. What was his answer? He said, ‘Ididn’t ask for that advice to be made and I never sawthat advice’. We asked him again ‘Did you get thebenefit of that advice? Did you discuss it?’. His answerwas, ‘I never asked for this advice to be made and Inever saw it’. He absolutely and clearly avoidedanswering the question whether that advice wasdiscussed with him. Why? Because we all know it was!How ridiculous to assume that when he was goingthrough the process of a magistrate being removed, hedoes not discuss it at all with his friend and confidant,Mark Dreyfus, QC — who just happens to be full bottleon the very topic! Absolute rubbish!

Then I asked him a lot of other questions. I said, ‘Didyou call Mr Adams into Parliament and say “You’re adisgrace”? Did you say that you would not haveappointed him? Did you say, “If I hear a mention of ano-confidence motion the press will hear”?’. I askedhim those three very simple questions. What did he do?Did he say, ‘I deny saying that’, ‘I deny calling him in’or ‘I deny saying he was a disgrace’? Not at all. Hegave an airy-fairy answer, which left him not admittingor denying but avoiding. Then I asked, ‘Did you ring amagistrate early in 2000 and say, “You are gutless fornot moving a motion of no confidence”?’.

Why was that important? Because if he had done that, itwould show not only that he was aware of and involvedin a motion of no confidence early in 2000 — whichwould put the finger on the suggestion that he did notknow it until then — but also that he was promotingsuch a proposition. The fact is he avoided that questionagain.

I then asked, ‘Did Bob Stary, your friend, ring aroundwith your authority and collect information againstAdams?’. It was a very straightforward question towhich he should have leapt up and said, ‘That is a lie’or whatever he wanted to say. He avoided it again. Ithen asked, ‘Why $750 000 extra? Surely that wasbecause Adams wasn’t going to leave?’. What did hedo? He avoided it again. I asked, ‘Did you make secretvisits to the courts and talk to them about Adams inearly 2000 and say, “He’s got to go”?’. Again, the

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Attorney-General got up and avoided the question. Iasked, ‘Did you discuss the matter with an appointee tothe Magistrates Court — who had just gone into thecourt and then made complaints — before she wentin?’. Again he avoided the question.

The situation the Attorney-General is now in is this: heis faced with a raft of allegations, all of which he hasfailed to deny, and if he does not deny them he ispleading guilty!

Won Wron prison

Mr RYAN (Leader of the National Party) — I risetoday to grieve on behalf of the people of Yarram.Today a petition has been tabled in this Parliamentsigned by 2683 people from Yarram and district. Itproclaims the intent on behalf of the people of Yarramthat one of the community assets, which ironically isthe prison that was established there some 38 years ago,should remain open.

This issue has come about because this caring andsharing government, this government that proclaims itsintentions of looking after country Victoria, thisgovernment that says it will govern for all Victorians,this government that says it will make decisions in theinterests of all Victorians, this government that will beinclusive and involve people in how it goes aboutmaking its decisions, came like a thief in the night andon budget day dropped the bombshell that the prison atYarram would close.

The people of Yarram will not accept that decision andwill not take the matter lying down. They intend tofight the decision constructively. As I said, the prisonhas been in the area for some 38 years and is animportant part of the community: it employs 42 staffand has a payroll of $2 million; it is worth an estimated$12 million to the local economy; it has establishedrehabilitation and integration programs; it has anestablished mechanism for convenient visitation bypeople coming to see the prisoners; it expends$1 million in the local community; and has an estimatedannual operating budget of $3 million.

The facility brings many other benefits to the region,not the least of which is that over the 38 years of theprison’s existence, and particularly over the past10 years or thereabouts, a program called Prisoners onthe Run has been established, which is designed tobenefit the disadvantaged in the Gippsland community.During its existence it has raised something of the orderof $770 000 — $50 000 this year — and all of thatmoney has been dedicated to the needy anddisadvantaged people of Gippsland.

In addition, the prisoners contribute to the local regionsome 15 000 hours of community programs of all sorts,shapes and kinds in a variety of spheres. It isappropriate to say that the prison is essential to the lifeand times of the district of Yarram, yet what has theBracks government done? It announced in the budget adecision which will have the effect of closing the prisonover the course of the next two years and thecommunity of Yarram will lose the benefit of this localfacility.

These have been tough and difficult years for thecommunity. They have suffered drought — —

Mr Maxfield interjected.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Narracan is getting underthe skin of the Chair. I ask him to be quiet and not tointerject.

Mr RYAN — Isn’t it lovely to hear the interjectioncoming from a Gippslander! On behalf of this Laborgovernment one would expect him to support thepeople of Yarram in requiring the prison to remainopen, but what does he do? He sits on the backbenchbagging those poor people who have been subjected tothat process by this mob, and he is one of their number!

Mr Maxfield — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, the Leader of the National Party said I wasbagging the people of Yarram. Under no circumstancehave I bagged the wonderful people of Yarram.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!What is the point of order?

Mr Maxfield — The point of order is that I ask himto withdraw his allegation that I was bagging thewonderful people of Yarram who have suffered underthe pathetic Kennett government.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!There is no point of order.

Mr RYAN — Isn’t it lovely! What a greatexhibition on behalf of a Gippslander. One would thinkhe would back those people and look after them at atime when the government, of which he is a part, hasclosed one of the great community assets of the area. Itis typical. They are in complete denial. They have hadproblems with the subsidence issues and ongoingdifficulties with the Basslink program which thegovernment wants to completely ignore. There aredifficulties with the marine parks issue, which is anabsolute circus visited upon those people by thisgovernment. Appalling decisions have been made and

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the government now discovers it cannot even get thelegislation right, which apparently will be rewritten insome way, shape or form. It is a further element of theuncertainty brought to the Gippsland community bythis lot that claims to be a government on behalf ofgood old country Victoria! The reality is that it couldnot give two damns!

There are other difficulties also. Not far away, PromMeats was closed. To his credit — and he is in thehouse today — the Minister for State and RegionalDevelopment has recently seen a delegation on thisissue and the National Party hopes that something canbe done to assist. Those are the problems faced by thepeople of Gippsland — 85 jobs lost within 45 minutesof Yarram.

One of the great ironies is that the township of Yarramand its community is currently participating in theAlberton project, which is funded in part through theDepartment of State and Regional Development. It is apilot project intended to enable small towns in countryVictoria to play an important part in the design for theirway ahead and making their way into the future, beingable to think laterally and being able to accommodatethe needs of their communities in times to come.

What have we here? In the face of this project funded inpart by the minister’s own department, with no moreado the government comes in on budget day and takesthe heart out of one of the great community assets ofthe township. The government says the prison hastwo years to run. The community will not cop thedecision and there will be more about the issue over theintervening two years. A team is travelling to Yarramthis day, which in part comprises representation fromthe Department of State and Regional Development,and I do not detract for one moment from theircompetence. They are good people and they do a goodjob. They will meet with community and shirerepresentatives to examine what they regard as somesort of option to the closure of the prison.

I assure the house that the people of Yarram and theWellington Shire Council will work with thegovernment to explore every possible option to replacethose 40 jobs that could be lost through the prospectiveclosure of the prison. The jobs to be lost include notonly the 40 direct jobs but also about the same numberof jobs elsewhere because of the carry-over effect.Without qualification, the people will work with thegovernment to see if a replacement enterprise can belocated. The National Party hopes that something willturn up to provide those alternative forms ofemployment. However, history tells us it is a big ask;history says it will be very difficult.

Six years ago I was involved in the establishment of thetimber mill in Yarram. It stands on what was about100 acres of bare paddock. The mill was establishedfrom nothing with assistance from the previousgovernment and in concert with the local community.That timber mill now employs 41 people in a town of1800 people. It is a magnificent symbol of what can bedone when a government works constructively with arelatively small community to get an outcome thateverybody — including the previous government andthe present government if it had done anything about it,and it has not as yet — would be proud to say is a greatsymbol of that joint effort. That took a lot of work onbehalf of a lot of people and it tapped into a competitiveedge in the community.

What will this government do to replace those 40 jobs?It will be interesting to see what happens. I say withoutany qualification that the community will work with thegovernment to achieve the outcome that is wanted.However, I fear that despite the best efforts of allconcerned we will not get an outcome remotely like40 jobs.

Let us go forward in time for a moment and presumefor the purposes of the discussion that in six or ninemonths time we are no further advanced. What will thegovernment do? It will be faced with what I think is analmost inevitable choice. Will it pursue this stupiddecision to close this prison? I will come back to therationale in a moment. Will the government cost thiscommunity the 40 jobs there plus the extra 40 jobs thatare dependent on the operation of this facility? Will itpersist with this and take those jobs out of this town?

Will this caring and sharing government cut the heartout of this place or will it continue the operation of thisfacility and ensure that a tremendous local resource ismaintained and the benefits that currently flow from itcontinue to flow? That is the nub of the question wewill be considering in the coming months and years. Iwant the government to know that I will be here to askthe question on behalf of these people with monotonousregularity. It is a question the government will have toanswer and an issue on which it will have to deliver.

The background to this decision is that the prison hasbeen there for about 38 years. It is a minimum-securityprison and employs about 40 people. It contributes tothe economy to the extent that I have indicated andprovides various additional benefits. The Minister forCorrections was good enough to give freely of his timeto meet with a deputation a few days ago and that wasappreciated. We found out in the course of thatdeputation that a 10-year master plan had beendeveloped, and inevitably that master plan involved an

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examination of the Yarram facility. It looked at thecapital expenditure that might be required to bring thefacility up to speed. It looked at the various servicesprovided through the prison to the prisoners themselvesand the community at large. It looked at the way thecommunity generally benefits. In the course of thatdeputation we were assured that when the decision wasmade those issues were taken into consideration andbalanced against the needs of the corrections system.

I ask you rhetorically, Mr Acting Speaker, wouldn’tyou think that when this was happening the governmentwould have had the good grace and courtesy to at leasttalk to the local community in some way, shape or formabout what it was proposing? Wouldn’t you think thatin the course of meetings the government was havingwith the municipality in other forums it would at leasttalk to the local council about what it proposed to do?Wouldn’t you reckon that it would have had thecommon decency to provide some sort of opportunityfor the local community to have some input into this?We now have the A team going down there and pickingup the pieces when we could have had a much betteroutcome.

That is what the people of Yarram are putting to thegovernment. A true win-win situation can come fromthis; it can be salvaged from the wreck created by thegovernment, and it can be done in this way: it should bepossible to ensure that Won Wron can continue toprovide the service it has historically provided to theprison service. Honourable members know that on anygiven day in Victoria about 300 prisoners who shouldbe in the corrections system and in jails are in policecells. We know that there is a 10-year master plan. Wedo not know all the details but we know that thegovernment intends to build a new 600-bed prison anda new 300-bed prison in metropolitan Melbourne. Wealso know that the government will build two smallerprisons to hold 100 to 120 prisoners.

However, what is supposed to happen in the next twoyears to provide the additional beds the governmentwill invariably need in that time? How the blazes is thegovernment going to provide the additional facilitiesotherwise provided by the Won Wron facility? Whatwill happen at the end of two years when thegovernment does not have any more beds built andthere is an additional number of prisoners floating in thecommunity?

There has been some discussion about portables beingbuilt. I am not sure where they are to be located but Ibelieve the government has leapt into this on anill-informed basis. It could have done a full and properexamination of the capital required to bring Won Wron

up to par, worked with the local community in a waythat would have seen that achieved and ensured thatWon Wron could continue to provide the service ithistorically has to the prisoners who are kept there.However, we have the government coming in like athief in the night and dropping this bombshell on thepeople of Yarram on the day of the budgetannouncement.

The people of Yarram are anxious to work with thegovernment. They want to achieve the best outcome fortheir community and for the government. They want toachieve a situation whereby that prison, which hashistorically provided such a tremendous service to theprison service and I understand is regarded by theprison system as being the singularly mostcommercially efficient operation in the systemoverall — the best — can continue to play thatimportant role. They want to ensure that the communitycan continue to benefit as it now does in the ways Ihave outlined, and importantly, that the prisoners cancontinue to draw the benefits they receive from beinglocated in this area and doing the work they do in thecommunity. These are the sort of outcomes thecommunity of Yarram wants. However, above all else,it will not wear this; it will not cop this on the chin.

Today the community is working with the governmentto see if options exist, and I guarantee honourablemembers that the National Party will be back to checkon this as the years go by.

Member for Warrandyte: share portfolio

Mr ROBINSON (Mitcham) — I grieve today aboutthe standards of behaviour in corporate and public lifeand the need for higher standards of propriety. Therecent collapses of HIH Insurance and One.Tel haveput this issue squarely in the spotlight. The publicdemands higher standards to counter the rorts beingperpetuated on shareholders, policy holders and staff inthose two companies, many of whom are decent,hardworking Victorians. I note that one of theAustralian Securities and Investments Commissioninvestigations under way into One.Tel involves claimsof possible insider trading, a very serious offence thatprohibits trading in shares based on knowledge ofmarket-sensitive information not readily available to thegeneral public.

Today I wish to concentrate on a Victorian example ofcorporate propriety gone walkabout. The case in pointis Melbourne IT, a company the main function ofwhich has been a domain-name register. Melbourne ITcommenced life as an arm of the University ofMelbourne or Melbourne Enterprises International Ltd

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(MEIL). In July and August 1999 the university choseto take advantage of the share market informationtechnology boom and float this entity. My recollectionis that the previous government assisted thedevelopment of Melbourne IT shortly before that with agrant of some $500 000. However, the float wasconducted in a way that raised serious concerns when itwas examined by the Victorian Auditor-General lastyear.

I refer to page 37 of the Auditor-General’s Report onMinisterial Portfolios dated June 2000, which states:

The prospectus stated that a proportion of the offer was to bereserved for clients of the broker and secondary broker. Theprospectus did not indicate that only around 8 per cent of the42 500 000 shares on issue would be available to the generalpublic who were not on a broker’s list.

…

We were aware of some criticism in the media that very fewmembers of the general public, including staff of MelbourneUniversity were able to obtain shares in the float. This factoris reflected in the above table which indicates that the generalpublic only received around 8 per cent of the total sharesallocated.

The Auditor-General’s report found a few other things.It identified a failure to obtain an independent valuationfor the float. It remarked that the notification of a vitalcontract with a United States software company waswithheld from the Australian Stock Exchange for amonth. Significantly, and in a damning indictment ofthis process, the Auditor-General identified a deliberateundervaluing of the company.

I return to the Auditor-General’s report. At page 36 hestates:

Despite what we considered were indicators that the marketwould have valued the company much higher prior to thefloat if updated market forecasts had been made, MEIL wasnot prepared to pursue this avenue …

Further on he states:

The published results of Melbourne IT for the period ended31 December 1999 provide evidence of an earnings capacityfar beyond the level stated in the prospectus. Revenue was19 per cent higher than forecasts. The reported revenue ofMelbourne IT for the first quarter of 2000 increased againstbudget by a massive 585 per cent to $11.3 million. This wasonly $3.6 million short of the company’s entire revenue for1999.

It is obvious from the public record that ordinaryinvestors were given far less information and far lessopportunity to invest in this float than others closer toMelbourne IT.

At a time when we can see the slippery dealings thatappear to have been entered into with the high-flyers at

HIH, One.Tel and other corporations, Victorians areentitled to feel uneasy about this matter. This isespecially so when we understand that those who goton board early in this share float were rewardedhandsomely: the subscription price was $2.20, yet onthe day of the float the share price hit $9.10!

The Auditor-General found that the jump inMelbourne IT’s share price was the second highestpercentage gain in the history of the Australian StockExchange. That works out at an appreciation on oneday of 413 per cent, which in anyone’s book is not abad day’s work.

It is appropriate that we recognise the good fortune andthe timing of those who got in on the ground floor andmanaged to secure a shareholding before the publicfloat on 14 December 1999.

Mr Brumby — How would you do that?

Mr ROBINSON — Let us recognise the MelbourneUniversity council member identified in theAuditor-General’s report. Let us also recognise theMEIL director and the three advisers on the share float.Let us then recognise the at-least nine directors andstaff of Melbourne IT, all of whom are mentioned in thereport.

While we are at it, let us recognise as well the extremegood fortune of the 4 per cent of shareholders who,prior to the public float, managed to secure forthemselves parcels of more than 10 000 shares —remembering that on the first day the shares appreciatedby 413 per cent. Christmas must have truly come earlyfor those very fortunate shareholders.

We should not let the scrutiny stop there. After all,scrutiny is a good thing, especially when it comes toshare dealings. I am sure that ordinary hard-workingVictorians who were denied a slice of this pre-floataction might want to join with me today in recognisingthe less well-known and more anonymous shareholderson the Melbourne IT shareholder register — forexample, Phillip Neville Honeywood, of 82 MichaelStreet, North Fitzroy. Coincidentally this is the sameproperty in which the honourable member forWarrandyte — who also goes by the name of PhillipNeville Honeywood — declared an interest in the June1996 pecuniary interest register.

Do not get me wrong, Mr Acting Speaker, I do not havea problem with honourable members holding shares —I hold shares, and I know many others do — but thecircumstances in this case are extraordinary.

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What makes the honourable member for Warrandyteunique among the list of those who secured shares priorto the public float is that of the 5312 shareholders hewas the only one — the only single one — who hadbeen, up until 20 October 1999, the Minister forTertiary Education and Training in the state of Victoria.That is rather unusual.

What also makes the honourable member forWarrandyte unique as a shareholder is that until20 October 1999 — —

Dr Dean interjected.

Mr ROBINSON — I thought we were intoconspiracy theories! I thought conspiracy theories werethe flavour of the morning — and this is a ripper! If wewere to prosecute on the basis of conspiracy theories,we would hire the honourable member for Berwick. Hewould love this one!

What also makes the honourable member forWarrandyte unique as a shareholder is that until20 October 1999 he was also the only person inVictoria principally responsible for the MelbourneUniversity Act. He was the only shareholder of the5312 shareholders recorded at the time of the publicfloat with the power to appoint members to the board ofMelbourne University. If I am not mistaken, he was theonly shareholder who at an earlier time had approvedand licensed the university to operate a new privateuniversity. These are all extraordinary coincidences, Iam sure.

Dr Dean — Have you debated bills relating to ColesMyer?

Mr ROBINSON — Yes, and I declared aninterest — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Mitcham will ignoreinterjections, and the honourable member for Berwickwill stop interjecting across the table.


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Berwick! The honourablemember for Mitcham, without assistance.

Mr ROBINSON — In the dying weeks of theKennett government no-one would have been moreacquainted with the dynamics of Melbourne IT than thehonourable member for Warrandyte.

Mr Honeywood — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, impugning a member of Parliament — —

Government Members — Guilty!

Mr Honeywood — We’ll come to you in amoment! Impugning a member of Parliament’sintegrity in a grievance debate goes against standingorders. I ask that you draw the honourable member’sattention to that.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Warrandyte takes offence.Will the honourable member for Mitcham withdraw?

Mr ROBINSON — I am not sure what I am meantto withdraw, because I am not impugning anyone. I amjust stating facts. I am happy to withdraw whatever it isthat the honourable member takes offence to, although Iam not sure if that is what he asked.

Unless I am mistaken, the honourable member forWarrandyte, in those various unique capacities which Ihave outlined to the house, would have had a rareinsight, or the privilege of gaining a rare insight, intothe operations of the University of Melbourne and theplanned float of Melbourne IT.

The public record, as evidenced by theAuditor-General’s report of last year on ministerialportfolios, shows that prior to his resignation asMinister for Tertiary Education and Training, thedecision had been taken to float Melbourne IT.Honourable members know that happened in July andAugust 1999 and that expressions of interest had beensought from brokers to underwrite and facilitate thefloat. We know that happened on 6 August.

However, I am advised from my own inquiries thatonly two weeks after resigning his ministry, and stillweeks before the public float, the honourable memberfor Warrandyte sought shares in the float. I understandhe secured those shares on 10 December — which, byanother coincidence, happened to be the same day theexistence of Melbourne IT’s contract with the UnitedStates-based software firm Intuit was announced to theAustralian Stock Exchange — which helped to boostthe share price to an extraordinary level on the first day.

The honourable member for Warrandyte did that assomeone who had much greater access to informationthan a member of the public. Honourable membersshould remember that the public did not become awareof the extent of the undervaluation of the business untilthe company’s first-quarter results for 2000 werereleased many weeks later.

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Victorians are entitled to be gravely suspicious aboutthe circumstances of this case because it has, I feel, acertain odour to it. I am sure the honourable memberfor Warrandyte, as someone who has had a modestrecord as a share investor, will want to assure allVictorians that he exercised absolute propriety in thismatter, and I look forward on behalf of all Victorians toreceiving some advice from him. In particular, he mightlike to explain precisely how he obtained the shares andhow many he obtained; what advice he received aboutthe investment before he staked his claim; what heknew about the true value of these shares before hepurchased them; and whether anyone else associatedwith him as a minister — for example, ministerialstaff — gained access to the shares before the float.

While the honourable member is considering advice onthese points he might like to advise Victorians why itseems to have taken him seven months to declare thisshareholding. The honourable member did not registerhis shareholding until the September quarter last year,almost a year after he became a shareholder. By myreading, he would have had at least two opportunitiesbefore that: one in the summary of primary returns ofNovember 1999, with variations between 1 Octoberand 15 December 1999. Now, I can understand that thestag party might have gone on for a few days, and therecording of a great statistic might have slipped hismind. It might have been a stag party hangover, soperhaps we could forgive him one slip.

He had a second opportunity in the May 2000 return. Itmust have been quite a hangover! The matter did notcome up in that return either, and we had to wait untilthe June 2000 return to learn of the variation.

It seems the honourable member for Warrandyte wasable to muster far more speed registering his shareinterests with stockbrokers than with the Parliament,otherwise he would have missed a fantastic return forthose who got in on the ground floor. The honourablemember and his leader — and let us not forget hisleader in this case — need to answer a couple of simplequestions. How many shares did he get his hands on?How much money did he make on the float? Dohonourable members opposite seriously expect decent,hardworking Victorians to believe that, had thehonourable member for Warrandyte not been theresponsible minister in the lead-up to the float, hewould still, with his very modest record of shareownership, have pushed as hard as he did to obtainshares ahead of the float?

The honourable member and his former leader need tothink very carefully about this question before theyprovide the advice that is so desperately needed in this

tawdry affair. In conclusion, the honourable membershould provide that comprehensive advice now.Honourable members should not have to wait sevenmonths to get some answers.

Member for Warrandyte: share portfolio

Mr HONEYWOOD (Warrandyte) — It is alwaysinteresting when a member of Parliament chooses toimpugn another member’s character and integrity. It iseven more interesting when, as in this case, thehonourable member’s words are crumbs from the tableof Kim Carr, who has been trying to get this story upfor three months. He has tried twice to sell it to the Ageas an exclusive story and used exactly the sameinformation, no more and no less, at Senate committeehearings a month and a half ago which were open to thegeneral public.

At the end of the day there is absolutely no story. Whyis there no story? Because, for one thing, state ministersfor tertiary education and training have nothing to dowith universities’ financial affairs or with any issues todo with company floats or whatever. I would not havehad a clue about Melbourne IT when I was ministerbecause the federal government provides all the fundingfor universities and a state minister is not privy to thefinancial relationships between a university and anyother entity. State ministers deal with TAFE issuesmore than anything else.

For another thing, I have been a client of J. B. Were formany years. That company issued a public statement toMichael Gawenda, the editor of the Age, when KimCarr was trying to float the same yarn some weeks ormonths ago, making it quite clear that J. B. Wereallocated to Phillip Neville Honeywood exactly thesame allocation of shares in the float it wasunderwriting as to any other of its clients.

Government members interjecting.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Mitcham has madeallegations; and the honourable member forWarrandyte is attempting to answer. I would appreciatea bit of silence while the honourable member isattempting to answer the questions.

Mr HONEYWOOD — J. B. Were issued a publicstatement to Michael Gawenda at the time Kim Carrtried to throw this up. What it said was thatMr Honeywood got exactly the same — —

Ms Delahunty interjected.

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Mr HONEYWOOD — Mary, I would be verycareful if I were you. When we look at the Delahuntyfamily trust — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Warrandyte will refer toother honourable members by their correct titles. TheMinister for Education is interjecting and is out of herplace. I do not appreciate that.

Mr HONEYWOOD — J. B. Were issued thepublic statement that I received the share allocation onthe same basis as any other client of J. B. Wereaccording to a strict formula based on the number ofshare transactions I had had with the firm.

The other key point is that when I was a governmentminister I had a strict rule of not being involved in anysingle share transaction that had anything whatsoever todo with any government affiliation. At the time of thisfloat I was an opposition member of Parliament.J. B. Were was appointed the underwriter, and no nexuscan be made between my former role as minister in theprevious government and subsequently as an oppositionmember who happened to be offered shares byJ. B. Were, as were many of J. B. Were’s clients at thetime. I never sought them; I was offered them as aJ. B. Were client. I am not a very astute investorbecause I sold them for $1.20 a share and they werepurchased at $2.20 a share!

Member for Berwick: conduct

Mr WYNNE (Richmond) — I grieve today for thedamage inflicted on Victoria’s judiciary at the hands ofthe opposition. Earlier the honourable member forBerwick said there was no greater sin than for anAttorney-General to conspire to remove a member ofthe judiciary. When he said that it was clear that he wasnot talking about the current Attorney-General, becausethere was no conspiracy in relation to former ChiefMagistrate Michael Adams. As we all know,Mr Adams resigned after a series of serious complaintswere made against him. In his earlier contribution thehonourable member could only have been talking aboutanother Attorney-General who conspired not only toremove 12 accident compensation judges, but also, ofcourse, infamously, the Director of Public Prosecutions.She conspired to do that with the current shadowAttorney-General.

Yesterday, in a cowardly attack in this house, theshadow Attorney-General launched a politicalcampaign against a member of Victoria’s judiciary.

Dr Dean — On a point of order, Mr Acting Speaker,I am not sure whether I correctly heard the honourable

member for Richmond, but he may have accused me ofconspiring with a previous Attorney-General. If he did,he knows the rules of this debate — that is, you are notentitled to impugn the character of any member of thisParliament — and if that is what he said — —


Dr Dean — Rob Hulls was not here! If that is whatthe honourable member said, I want him to withdraw it.

Mr WYNNE — If the honourable member takesoffence, I withdraw it.

The shadow Attorney-General used the protection ofParliament to make what would otherwise be highlydefamatory accusations about a member of Victoria’smagistracy.


Mr WYNNE — In a number of previouscontributions the shadow Attorney-General has saidthat he held in very high regard his mentor, SirReginald Smithers, a former Federal Court judge forwhom the honourable member was an associate for anumber of years. Sir Reginald Smithers would beshocked and appalled at the behaviour of his formerassociate, the shadow Attorney-General.

In an unprecedented attack, the shadowAttorney-General alleged that a member of Victoria’smagistracy was not appointed on merit, nor because ofher outstanding abilities and contribution to Victorianjustice, but as a political plant purely by virtue of hermarriage. Those accusations are not only blatantlysexist, but display the shadow Attorney-General’sunconcealed disdain for the Victorian judiciary and theseparation of powers.

Ms Caitlin English was appointed a Victorianmagistrate on 22 June 2000. She was appointed under aprocess established by the previous government. Shewas interviewed by a panel and recommended forappointment without reservation by that panel. Theappointment was made solely on merit and reflectedMs English’s ability and her contribution to the legalprofession.

Ms English has a significant background in pro bonowork as a first executive director of the Public InterestLaw Clearing House and a number of years in legal aidwork. Ms English has significant experience in bothcriminal and civil matters. I reiterate that she wasappointed under a process established by the formergovernment. The shadow Attorney-General’s

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accusations suggest that not only was sheappointed — —

Mr Leigh — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, my understanding of the standing orders,which Labor members frequently want to use, is that ifthe honourable member wants to make accusationsagainst another honourable member he has to do it bysubstantive motion. The honourable member forRichmond is making accusations against the shadowAttorney-General, which he should not be doing.


Mr Leigh — You are the first guys to get up andcomplain about it. You cannot have it both ways!

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Richmond is close tomaking accusations against the honourable member forBerwick. I ask the honourable member for Richmond tobe very careful.

Mr WYNNE — Thank you for your advice,Mr Acting Speaker. That the magistrate was purely apolitical plant — —


Mr WYNNE — The shadow Attorney-Generalsuggests that Ms English was engaged in some form ofconspiracy. That is the imputation of what you saidyesterday in the house, shadow Attorney-General.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Richmond will make hisremarks through the Chair and not across the table.

Mr WYNNE — To say that Ms English engaged ina conspiracy to dispose of her chief judicial officer is abaseless and outrageous accusation. The shadowAttorney-General is, frankly, not fit for the office heholds of shadow Attorney-General. This slur on amagistrate — —


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The honourable member for Richmond continuing,without assistance.

Mr WYNNE — The opposition’s accusationsundermine the integrity of each magistrate in Victoria.The shadow Attorney-General has gone too far, as wasacknowledged last night by the Victorian Bar Council,which said that the allegations reflected badly on theopposition and should not have been made. I refer tothat public view of the bar council. The honourable

member for Kew and the shadow Attorney-General haddistinguished careers at the bar, and the bar council isthe professional association that represents barristers inthis state. I refer to what its chairman, Mr Derham, saidabout the accusations of the shadow Attorney-General.Mr Derham is reported as having said, in part:

‘The allegations made against the magistrate are very seriousbut no evidence was produced to support them. It is veryunfair that such unfounded allegations were made.

‘The magistrate concerned has been placed in an extremelydifficult and unfair position’, Mr Derham said. ‘The nature ofa judicial position makes it hard, if not impossible, for a judgeor magistrate to respond publicly to complaints or criticismwithout compromising …’


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!So far I have been lenient with interjections across thetable. The Chair is now having difficulty in hearingwhat the honourable member for Richmond is saying. Iask the honourable member for Berwick to containhimself.

Mr WYNNE — The opinion continues:

… without compromising the independent and neutralposition that he or she occupies. This is particularly so whenthe allegations are made without any clear basis. This positionis worsened by the protection awarded to the maker of thestatement by parliamentary privilege. The allegations reflectbadly on the opposition and should not have been made.


Mr WYNNE — That is the bar council!


Mr WYNNE — What do you think they are sayingabout you?

This is not the first time the shadow Attorney-Generalhas attempted to undermine the Victorian magistracy,having previously levelled an unprovoked attack on allmagistrates suggesting they were lazy andundisciplined. In the same attack the shadowAttorney-General accused the Acting Chief Magistrateof having no control over the magistrates. That wasentirely without foundation and flawed in every respect,including the failure of the shadow Attorney-General toget the Acting Chief Magistrate’s name right. He couldnot even get the name of the Acting Chief Magistrateright! Further, the shadow Attorney-General referred tothere being 130 judges sitting in the Magistrates Courtwhen there are in fact 94.

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The shadow Attorney-General was prepared to bringJudge Kent before the Parliament with no regard toproper process, natural justice or indeed proceduralfairness. On 17 May he sought leave to move a motionin the lower house following the conviction ofJudge Kent on 11 May, and quite appropriately leavewas refused. This should have been evidence enoughfor Dr Dean that the overwhelming majority ofParliamentarians — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!the honourable member for Richmond should refer tomembers of the house by their correct titles.

Mr WYNNE — That should have been enoughevidence for the shadow Attorney-General that theoverwhelming majority of parliamentarians view thedoctrine of the separation of powers as absolutelyfundamental. However, not to be perturbed by anynotions of decency or fairness the shadowAttorney-General persisted, continuing his patheticpolitical antics, bringing only disrepute to himself andto the party he seeks to represent.

The shadow Attorney-General has made all sorts ofunfounded calls for resignations and inquiries, yet theformer administration of which he was a part repeatedlyrefused all cries for investigations into the systematicmassacre of democracy in Victoria. I give a couple ofquick examples. The former government rejected thecall for accountability when it plotted to undermine theDirector of Public Prosecutions; disbanded theAccident Compensation Tribunal and dumped11 respected judges; and abolished the Office of theEqual Opportunity Commissioner because she dared toquestion the former government’s treatment ofvulnerable members of the community

It abolished the Law Reform Commission because itdared to be independent; abolished the state IndustrialRelations Commission; and replaced three members ofthe planning division of the then AdministrativeAppeals Tribunal for purely political reasons. There is along history. This is a serial offender. He goesaround — —


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!The Chair is having difficulty hearing the honourablemember for Richmond.

Mr WYNNE — The shadow Attorney-Generalgoes around peddling gossip and innuendo. He hastalked to Bluey off the trams and Billy the Pig fromMexico. Everyone has a yarn — and allunsubstantiated. I repeat, all unsubstantiated!

This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated in a memberof the Parliament. Frankly, Mr Acting Speaker, theshadow Attorney-General is not fit to hold the highoffice he enjoys at the moment. His leader should standhim down for this outrageous attack on the magistracyin this state. He should be stood down. His behaviour isabsolutely outrageous. He seeks to undermine themagistracy in this state and he simply does notunderstand the fundamentals of the separation ofpowers. He should be stood down!


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Lupton) — Order!Are we all settled?

Fishing: Gippsland Lakes

Mr INGRAM (Gippsland East) — I can understandthe excitement of honourable members consideringthey were here until about 4 o’clock this morning. Iwish to change the subject.

I grieve for the recreational anglers of Victoria,particularly those of my electorate of East Gippsland.


Mr INGRAM — Honourable members should keeptheir shirts on because I am not talking about marineparks. The matter I grieve on this morning is the impactof the current water release rules from major storagesthat seriously threaten the viability of our inlandfreshwater and estuarine fisheries. As part of the debateof the past few days a forum has been held at RMITwhere the future water needs of Melbourne and thepotential of Melbourne Water to build a new waterstorage were discussed. In the past few days the debateabout the impact of major storages on the ecology ofthe river systems has been focused on by the ABC.

My electorate of Gippsland East contains the ThomsonDam, the major storage for Melbourne Water, whichprovides about 50 per cent of the water consumed inMelbourne. That storage has had a major impact on theecology of the Gippsland Lakes and the ThomsonRiver. I will focus on the impact on the fisheries in theGippsland Lakes.

One of the last major storages to be built, the ThomsonDam came on line in the early 1980s. It is interestingthat since that time there has been a major decline in therecreational and commercial bream fisheries in theGippsland Lakes, which are important for both tourismand the commercial fishing industry. With that decline,much of the debate has focused on recreational anglersblaming professionals for overfishing, the professionals

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blaming the large take from the recreational sector andthe ongoing impact of cormorants. A large number ofpeople will call always for the culling of cormorantsbecause of their impact on the fisheries. The majorimpact on bream fishing in the Gippsland Lakes has

been the coming on line of the Thomson Dam. I askleave to have a graph that I presented earlier to theSpeaker and Hansard included in my presentation.

Leave granted; graph as follows:

Relative year class strengths from 1972 to 1995

Source: Walker et. al. (1998), Development of an environment-recruitment model for black bream: a case studyfor estuarine fisheries management. FRDC Final report

Mr INGRAM — The graph shows the recruitmentand the relative year class strengths of the black breampopulation in the Gippsland Lakes. It shows whatspawning has occurred in particular years and thestrength of that year’s year class of small bream.

Coincidentally, for the first four years after theThomson Dam came on line in 1981 there was nospawning of black bream in the lakes. Most of ournative fish are batch spawners: they produce largeamounts of larvae and eggs in the years whenconditions are favourable. The worst aspect is that thepeaks of the spawning recruitment in the big years haveevened out. It is about a third of what the productionwas since before the dam went on line. I am not sayingit is the only thing that has impacted on the breampopulation of the Gippsland Lakes, but it is a major oneand will have long-term implications for bothrecreational fishing and tourism. Not only will it affectthe health of the Gippsland Lakes, it will also continue

to aggravate the debate between recreational andcommercial fishermen. That needs to be looked at,because what we have lost are those large spring flowsthat the native fish require to spawn.

Another issue is the impact of cold water pollution —that is, the release of cold water from below majorstorages in Victoria and Australia. A forum to be heldon 18 and 19 June at Lake Hume Resort will discussthe impact of cold water pollution on freshwater nativefin fish in the Murray–Darling Basin and the rest ofAustralia. I quote from a report from June last year ofthe River Murray Scientific Panel on EnvironmentalFlows entitled River Murray — Dartmouth toWellington and the Lower Darling River. It addresses arange of impacts on the Murray–Darling Basin, but itidentifies river regulation as the major impact:

Because water lower in storages is cooler and has a differentwater quality, releasing water from lower level off-takessends this bottom water downstream … Temperature

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depression of several degrees can occur for a few hundredkilometres as a result.

The report also states that this would be the case for theDartmouth and Hume dams, where river zonesimmediately downstream have lower watertemperatures. Consequently there is an overallreduction in all forms of productivity in those riversystems.

The report continues:

Secondly, some species require temperature thresholds to bereached to trigger spawning … Lowering river temperaturesis likely to favour introduced fish.

In other words, the current water release rules benefitfish like carp, which proliferate in the Murray–DarlingBasin, above native fish. When we hear about theimpact of carp on our rivers we should realise that it isour manipulation of the environment that ispreferencing the carp and allowing them to thrive. Wehave lost three warm water native fish from the MittaMitta River immediately below the Dartmouth Damand from there until the river reaches the Murray. Theseare the Murray cod, the trout cod and the Macquarieperch. This is an issue that affects regulated riversacross Australia. For large distances downstream fromstorages all the native fish populations that once existedhave been lost.


The only way to address temperature depression in the RiverMurray is to ensure that water is released at more natural(higher) temperatures during the spring–summer season.

As a general rule, this would mean releasing water fromthe surfaces of those storages.

The report also identifies the years in which theDartmouth Dam was constructed — between 1977 and1990 — when it almost reached full capacity, and itshows the impact on the Mitta Mitta River below thedam when that storage was totally full.

The flows released from the dam are not part of anatural flow regime, and they have no seasonal or dailyvariability. More importantly, the summer watertemperature only briefly rises above 16 degrees Celsius,a temperature that is crucial for the breeding of nativefish species. That is why we have lost the Macquarieperch, in particular.

Rarely does it get above the optimum temperature forMurray cod, which is 20 degrees, so in large sections ofour rivers we are killing off our native fish. We aretrying to deal with this by restocking large numbers offish such as Murray cod and trout cod and other

freshwater natives, but the impact is such that they donot recover. We are not achieving their spawningrequirements.

The report shows the actual spawning requirements forthe Murray cod, the trout cod and the Macquarie perchin the rivers outlined. Since 1990, when the dam wasfilled, there have been no seasons when any of the threenative species could have spawned in the Mitta MittaRiver below that storage; and since the dam was builtthere have been very few seasons in which thosespecies have had favourable conditions.

This was addressed recently in a report I obtained fromNew South Wales. The report, which contains the mostrecent data on cold water pollution, is entitled ‘Eternalwinter in our rivers — addressing the issue of coldwater pollution’. It was written by Allan Lugg, thesenior conservation manager with the New SouthWales Fisheries at Nowra. The report has not beenreleased because it includes assumptions that becauseof cold water pollution in that state the New SouthWales government would be at severe risk of legalaction for polluting its rivers. This would go across theVictorian acts as well. The Victorian government andthe Department of Natural Resources and Environmentwould be at risk of polluting our rivers below majorstorages by not addressing the cold water pollutionissue.

The report found that 3000 kilometres of New SouthWales rivers are seriously affected by cold waterpollution. It states that:

Failure to address the issue will jeopardise the attainment ofbenefits from environmental flows recently put in place.

It would seriously jeopardise the benefits we hope toobtain by increasing environmental flows, particularlyin the Murray River. Increased environmental flows inthe Murray would be irrelevant: we would not gain anybenefits from them because of the way we are affectingthe fisheries.

The report also states:

More recently the New South Wales Fisheries has undertakenresearch at Burrendong Dam. Native fish were kept in sixpaired channels — three fed with warm water drawn directlyfrom the spillway pondage and another three fed with coolwater drawn from the same source but via a heat exchanger inthe river.

They did a 31-day growth test of silver perch. In thewarm water channels the average growth was 25 percent in length and 112 per cent in weight, whereas thefish in the cool channels grew an average of only 2 percent in length and 16 per cent in weight. Only 25 per

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cent of the fish in the cool water — the same waterquality, only colder — survived the full 31 days.

While we are stocking large numbers of native fish intoour inland rivers we are killing them off, so we are notgaining any benefit. More importantly, they do not havethe conditions to spawn even if they survive, and theirgrowth is severely retarded. The report continues:

Alien fish species, most particularly, trout, redfin perch andcarp, have much lower breeding temperature thresholds. Coldwater pollution has enabled these species to enjoy greaterrecruitment success and proliferate, which has placedadditional pressure upon native species through predation andfood/habitat competition.

The report further states:

Given these findings, it is reasonable to assume that CWP isseverely reducing the productivity of rivers and associatedecosystems such as wetlands, and probably contributes tolower abundances of many species including fish, water birds,frogs and bats, which depend upon aquatic invertebrates.

The report addresses the fact that the governmentwould be liable for this problem:

It could be reasonably argued that by omission to installappropriate storage release infrastructure, cold water fromstorages of changed chemical and physical characteristics toinflows is being introduced to downstream reaches to thedetriment of aquatic life and downstream uses and thuspollution of waters is occurring.

It continues:

To date, no person or organisation has yet brought an actionfor a breach of the legislation on this issue.

The minister needs to take appropriate action toimplement these measures, including a plan to fix thesituation. A number of solutions have been identified,and things would be similar in Victoria. I ask thegovernment to take note of the outcomes of the forumto be held at the Lake Hume Resort on 18 and 19 June.


Indeed, failure to raise water temperature will greatly reducethe potential benefit of environmental flows —

in the River Murray —

as the temperature of the water is likely to be an even greaterlimiting factor than the volume or timing of flows.

Attorney-General: former Chief Magistrate

Mr McINTOSH (Kew) — I grieve that this statedoes not have an Attorney-General that understands thedoctrine of the separation of powers. Although he maytalk the talk of open, accountable and transparent

government, he certainly does not walk the walk ofopen, accountable and transparent government!

Last week I raised in this place my concerns about anarticle that the Attorney-General had written in the Age,in which he talked about the separation of powers. Hespoke about there being three limbs of government —the judiciary, the executive and the legislature. I amconcerned when he says that each is independent of theother and must operate separately from the other,because while the judiciary may be completely separatefrom the legislature and the executive, the mostimportant factor is the executive. The government andthe cabinet and its ministers are all drawn from thisplace and are fully accountable to this place.

The only forum in which the people of Victoria canhold the Attorney-General to account for whateverreason is this place. There is no doubt that theAttorney-General must have found himself in aninvidious position in late 1999 or early 2000 when itappeared, even on his own admission, that concernswere being raised about the Chief Magistrate.

I pause to bring a bit of sanity back into the debate. Imust disclose that I have known Michael Adams foralmost 20 years. I knew him before I was a member ofthe bar, which I joined in 1985. My firm used to briefhim from time to time, and that was when I first methim. I served on the bar council with Michael Adams,and I have remained an acquaintance of his since.

I also know one of the other principal players in thisdrama, Mark Dreyfus. I certainly would not call Mark afriend, but he has been an acquaintance of mine at thebar. We have been opposed on at least one occasionfrom my recollection, and certainly I was aware of hisinvolvement with the Labor Party, because it received adeal of publicity when the party was restructured.Likewise I am sure he knew of my Liberal affiliationswhen I was at the bar.

I have also known a number of magistrates who havebeen mentioned in despatches, robing rooms orotherwise. All of the people were meritoriousappointments to the Magistrates Court. They are finelawyers, and they discharge their jobs to the best oftheir abilities.

There is no doubt that in about December 1999 theAttorney-General became aware of tensions in theMagistrates Court. He was no doubt aware, as was I,that there were tensions about three principal rules thatMichael Adams had promulgated. There was the4 o’clock rule, which said that no magistrate couldleave the precincts of the court until 4 o’clock, even if

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they had finished their list or discharged the businessbefore them in the court. They could then take overflowwork from another magistrate or another court. MichaelAdams also introduced a rule rotating magistratesaround different courts and in different locations aroundcountry Victoria in an attempt to address the perceptionthat there was a closeness between magistrates, policeand certain others. There was also a concern about thetaping of proceedings, which was adopted perhaps toaddress the perception that magistrates were not reallyfully accountable in an appeal process because therewas no true record of what was going on in acourtroom.

There were other concerns on which I do notnecessarily need to elaborate. However, on theAttorney-General’s own admission there were rumoursof complaints about the behaviour of the ChiefMagistrate. Perhaps the Attorney-General foundhimself in an invidious position, but he is accountableto this place. If those rumours were of concern to thepoint of his actually getting to the decision to removethe Chief Magistrate — I am not saying that theAttorney-General got to that point then — surelyhonourable members should have known, because he isaccountable to this place.

The advice I have seen, which seems to be factuallybased, was produced in about January 2000. TheAttorney-General, not the honourable member forRichmond or others, needs to explain and to answer anumber of questions. I will list the questions I wantanswered as the representative of the people of the Kewelectorate and, with many others in this place, as arepresentative of the people of Victoria. When andwhere did the Attorney-General become aware of thosecomplaints and what was the nature of thosecomplaints? There is no doubt that theAttorney-General appears to have asked Mark Dreyfusto provide advice about the restructuring of theMagistrates Court. Precise details need to be providedabout the advice that was sought and the timing andnature of that advice. The Attorney-General was talkingabout the restructuring of the Magistrates Court, whichis an act of the executive and the legislature. He is fullyaccountable for those matters and he owes this placeanswers to those questions.

On his own admission Mark Dreyfus was a friend ofthe Attorney-General’s, and indeed in a newspaperarticle the Attorney-General describes Mark Dreyfus asa confidante. The Attorney-General needs to explainwhy he was seeking advice from Mark Dreyfus, hisconfidante, about the restructuring of the MagistratesCourt. He was aware of complaints about MichaelAdams, so why is he still persisting with the suggestion

that he did not discuss these matters with MarkDreyfus, and why should we believe that Mark Dreyfushad nothing to do with it and commissioned this advicefrom a junior barrister, Anthony Klotz? It starts tostretch the credibility of the argument to say that aconfidante is briefed to advise about the restructuring ofthe Magistrates Court but the issue of the complaintsbeing made about the Chief Magistrate is not discussed.

I do not propose to reread the excerpts from the advicethe honourable member for Berwick read earlier thismorning. There is no doubt that it is a detailed advicethat does two things: it discusses how you can go aboutremoving any magistrate and the process theAttorney-General has to go through to present anargument to the Supreme Court to get a magistrateremoved. That is canvassed in the advice, and theopinion given by Anthony Klotz to Mark Dreyfus wasapparently for no other purpose. In a newspaper articleAnthony Klotz said he did not know what its ultimatepurpose would be. The advice also discusses theproposition that Michael Adams could be removed bythe executive, not by the legislature, from his positionas Chief Magistrate and demoted to an ordinarymagistrate; that natural justice did not need to beaccorded to Michael Adams and the executive could dothat at its own whim. The executive is fully accountableto this place for its every action.

There is another matter that needs to be dealt with —that is, what happened after this process? Honourablemembers know that a number of tensions weredisclosed in an article that appeared in the Februaryedition of the Law Institute Journal about a discussionthat took place between members of the executive ofthe institute about judicial appointments, particularly inthe Magistrates Court. I quote from the journal at thepoint where the Attorney-General is answering aquestion about the process of the appointment of peopleto the Magistrates Court. It states:

There’s no real process. There’s a bit of a protocol now forthe magistrates, put in place by the former attorney. You hadto undergo a course before you could become a magistrate. Agroup of people was short-listed from all those who hadundertaken the course. I’ve since found out that you had to beinvited by the Chief Magistrate to do the course, which againperpetuates the problem.

I read that — there may be another explanation — as anexplicit criticism of the Chief Magistrate and the wayhe apparently went about making appointments to theMagistrates Court.

Michael Adams responded in the following edition ofthe Law Institute Journal by saying that was not true.While he may have been a member of a particularpanel, ultimately it was a person in the Department of

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Justice who made the decision to invite people to dothis course. It had nothing to do with the ChiefMagistrate; it had to do with an officer in theDepartment of Justice. That started the process.

Concerns were being raised by the Attorney-General inDecember 1999, yet we now see this opinion thatclearly talks about removing Michael Adams. It maynot be a criminal conspiracy. However, if theAttorney-General is criticising the Chief Magistrateabout the appointment of magistrates to the MagistratesCourt; if he is concerned about the rumours of tensionsbetween magistrates and Michael Adams; and if he isaware of the rumours of tensions created by the rulesMichael Adams was implementing, surely he should beaccountable to this place. He owes this place a full,open, accountable and transparent explanation of theprocess he went through in removing Michael Adams.

Greg Levine, a senior magistrate, wrote a letter onbehalf of the magistrates association to theAttorney-General making a number of complaints, andit was somehow leaked to the press. The letter mayhave been released, but I have certainly never seen acopy of it. It seems to me that it was leaked from onlyone or two sources — either from Levine or theAttorney-General. If that is the case, we are owed anexplanation as to how and why it was leaked andthereby became the public document that initiated thewhole process that resulted in an unprecedented vote ofno confidence in the Chief Magistrate, and ultimatelyhis unprecedented resignation.

That is what I grieve on. Until we have a full, open andaccountable explanation of the process theAttorney-General went through, this matter can neverbe put to bed. Considering that the honourable memberfor Richmond raised all sorts of allegations about theprevious Attorney-General, all these matters shouldsurely be irrelevant. The government has set the highbar, and if it has not, the Independents have. TheIndependents have already ruled that out, which seemsto me incomprehensible. For the betterment of theMagistrates Court and Victoria generally we need to geta full, open and accountable explanation from theAttorney-General soon.

Gaming: problem gambling

Ms CAMPBELL (Minister for CommunityServices) — The rapid expansion of the gamingindustry has brought with it wide-ranging socialimplications for the Victorian community. I grieve onthe lost opportunities during the term of the Kennettgovernment to introduce strategies for a responsiblegaming industry and to minimise the incidence of

problem gambling, and measures to assist problemgamblers.

I contrast that with the Bracks government’sresponsible gaming policy and its clear strategies tominimise problem gambling in Victoria, which are nowrecognised nationally. The measures introduced by thegovernment have proved successful in encouragingproblem gamblers to obtain assistance. The Bracksgovernment through the Department of HumanServices has directly responded more effectively toproblem gambling issues. This government hasdeveloped an integrated and comprehensive problemgambling communication strategy, which is recognisedall around Australia.

I am proud to say that the — —


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Seitz) — Order!The minister, without assistance!

Ms CAMPBELL — I am proud to say that thegovernment’s communication strategy has now becomenationally recognised — it will soon beinternationally recognised — as having a proven trackrecord in getting results. The government has notapproached the issue of problem gambling in the sameway as did the Kennett government. This governmenttook the issue seriously, and it has brought the broadercommunity on board.

Let us look at some of the things the Bracksgovernment has done, including the proactive measuresit has taken to ensure that under its responsible gamingpolicy people have freedom of speech. The governmenthas enabled research to be released, and it put aconsiderable amount of money into the problemgambling communication strategy. The government hasalso ensured that its advertising message hits the mark.The government considers the effectiveness of itscampaign and evaluates its strategy. It has ensured theproblem gambling telephone number is the property ofthe government and not that of an independentorganisation. The government is also ensuring that thedata collected is made known to the wider communityinstead of being buried in the vaults of some researchorganisation or the Department of Human Services.

The government has also ensured that brochures areavailable in different community languages. Theagencies and sites for problem gambling services acrossVictoria have been widely acclaimed. Even theProductivity Commission’s data shows that Victoriahas more agencies to counsel problem gamblers thananywhere else, and the commission has recognised their

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effectiveness. The government has engaged inpartnerships with the wider community and ensuredthat the messages are specifically targeted at differentsubgroups. Specific messages are targeted at women,men, young people, older people, the Kooricommunity, children and adolescents, and it isformulating a specific rural and regional strategy.

The problem gambling communication strategy of theBracks government is in stark contrast to the very weakapproach of the Kennett government.

I will go through some of those items individually.Freedom of speech has been given back toorganisations and individuals who wish to speak ongaming in Victoria. Contrast that with the formerKennett government, which defunded the VictorianCouncil on Problem Gaming. The Bracks governmenthas established a problem gambling secretariat that isfree to speak.

Under the former Kennett government the funding andservice agreements for what was then known as BreakEven — what a misnomer that was — but is now calledGamblers Help were stifled. Under the Bracksgovernment the funding and service agreements enablepeople to speak out and enable organisations to recordthe number of people accessing their services in theirannual reports. Under the former Kennett governmentannual reports could not contain data about which thewider community should be informed.

The government has ensured that members of the widercommunity have opportunities to speak. As anexample, members of the Interchurch Gambling TaskForce were threatened and told that if they spoke up notonly would their problem gambling services be at riskbut so too would services for which they were able totender. Clearly under the former Kennett governmentalthough organisations were underfunded, their fundingwas threatened if they spoke out. They are no longertreated in that way. Organisations are able to presentdata in their annual reports, are free to speak with thelocal media and are able to communicate withVictorians in a free and open manner.

Research information that was locked in theDepartment of Human Services never to be released isnow available to the wider Victorian community, and inFebruary the government was proud to present to it theresults of research into problem gambling. The reportsthat were stifled under the former Kennett governmentcontained substantial advice. A report that the Bracksgovernment was proud to release is called Playing forTime — Exploring the Impacts of Gambling on Women.It contains strong advice concerning recommendations

that I am pleased to say the Bracks government has notonly released but has acted upon. Therecommendations under the heading ‘Solutions’suggest that community education strategies should beundertaken. The Bracks government has acted on arecommendation not released under the former Kennettgovernment! Suggested interventions include strategiesdirectly designed to impact on women. The advice andrecommendations were stifled under the formerKennett government but delivered by the Bracksgovernment.

A person who has now found the opportunity to put hisviews on gambling to the world is none other thanLloyd Williams, a man who made a considerableamount of money from gaming. He has found his voice,and it is interesting that he is no longer mute on theeffects of gambling addiction. He has freed himself ofhis pecuniary interest, which has given him the freedomof speech.

Under the former Kennett government the ethnic mediahad no opportunity to be briefed, nor did it have astrong message delivered to it. The Bracks governmenthas invested in advertising in the ethnic media andkeeps it constantly informed on what is happening withproblem gambling. The results are spectacular. Morepeople from a range of culturally and linguisticallydiverse communities are now linking in with problemgambling services.

It is worth placing on the record the funding put intogambling solutions by the Bracks government. The‘Think of what you’re really gambling with’ messagehas been launched with strong funding behind it. Lastsummer $1.8 million was invested in the summeroffensive, and $6.1 million will be put in this financialyear. It is interesting to compare those figures with thecommunications funding under the former Kennettgovernment of $2.5 million over three years in the firstinstance, and $5 million for its Walk Away campaign,which was an absolute waste of money in terms ofresults for problem gamblers.

I turn now to the contrast between the Bracksgovernment and the Howard federal government. TheHoward government made a pathetic announcement acouple of weeks ago that it had allocated the princelysum of $8.4 million to problem gambling over threeyears, of which $1.5 million is allocated to research.Nationally that amounts to the princely sum of$2.3 million per annum, which is an insult.

I contrast the expenditure of the Bracks governmentwith that of problem gambling programs in other states.As I said, last summer Victoria put in $1.8 million, and

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that will rise to $6.1 million this year. In the lastfinancial year South Australia put in $480 000 and$555 000 has been allocated for the next financial year.Western Australia put in the grand total of $5000 forbrochures, and Tasmania put in $115 000. Thegovernment is very proud to contrast its stronginvestment in problem gambling programs with thepathetic efforts of the Kennett government.

I also want to cover the results of the problem gamblingcommunications strategy. That is a proud record. It iscopybook communication campaign management. Itwas research and evidence based, and it has hit themark. As I have previously informed the house, therehas been a 91 per cent increase in telephone counsellingservices and a 118 per cent increase in face-to-facecounselling as a result of the government’s campaign. Ithas been effective because it has sought to achieveattitudinal change and help-seeking behaviour amongVictorians affected by problem gambling. It wasresearched and tested, benchmarks were set, and everystep of the process has been evaluated. It makes theprevious government’s 28 per cent response to itsmiscampaign a non-effective farce.

I turn now to the evaluation of the government’scommunication strategy. The government has ensuredthat Victorians have thought about what they are reallygambling with: 80 per cent of Victorians recognise thatmessage and the government’s televisionadvertisements. It has ensured that the Gamblers Helptelephone line is owned by the Department of HumanServices in contrast to the pathetic management by theKennett government, where the gambling help line wasowned by an individual organisation that tried to takethat number with it when its contract expired. It wasonly as a result of considerable work by the Departmentof Human Services and the Western Australiangovernment that we got that back here in Victoria. Ithank those concerned.

To sum up, the communication strategy has beenextremely successful. It has been combined with thegaming policy initiatives implemented by the Bracksgovernment and led by the Minister for Gaming. Thestrong results are recognised throughout Australia, andthe government is very proud of its work. I conclude bysaying the government has provided a strong strategicapproach to the Victorian problem gambling strategy. Ithas learnt from the mistakes of the Kennettgovernment. It is working hand in hand with theMinister for Gaming, the Honourable JohnPandazopoulos, in increasing the influence of localcommunities in the assessment of gaming licenceapplications, the display of dollars and cents onmachines, the restrictions on advertising, public

awareness, clocks, and the list goes on. This is in starkcontrast to the pathetic efforts of the Kennettgovernment.

Minister for Post Compulsory Education,Training and Employment: performance

Mr BAILLIEU (Hawthorn) — I rise to grieve fortertiary education in Victoria, for rural and regionalstudents and those students in the fibre and agriculturalindustries and for apprentices and trainees in Victoria. Igrieve because we have a Minister for Post CompulsoryEducation, Training and Employment who has droppedthe ball and whose concentration is on her otherportfolio in the finance area.


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Seitz) — Order!The honourable member for Hawthorn, withoutassistance.

Mr BAILLIEU — We have a minister who takesher lead from Senator Kim Carr in Canberra and theAustralian Education Union. We have a minister whohas an ideological bent against non-TAFE providersand who is quite willing to use students in a politicalbattle with the federal government despite heroutrageous freeze. We have a minister who hasbasically done nothing, or certainly has not doneenough in her portfolio.

I want to look first at the International Fibre Centre(IFC).

Ms Campbell — She has got it back on track.

Mr BAILLIEU — The minister at the tableinterjects that the Minister for Post CompulsoryEducation, Training and Employment has got it back ontrack; we will come back to that. The InternationalFibre Centre was established by the previousgovernment with the support of industry and theGeelong community. It was conceived andimplemented as a visionary project with cutting-edgetechnology set to lift the sights and horizons of the wooland fibres industry. It was launched with greatappreciation from the industry and had a drivenchairman. It was driven by the government and therewas a commitment to it.

Tragically, the fibre centre has been scuttled. There isno other way to describe it. The tragedy is that thisgovernment set out to scuttle the centre because it was aKennett government project. I remember that one of thefirst things the Minister for Post CompulsoryEducation, Training and Employment did in this

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Parliament when the government came to office was tostand in this chamber and bag the fibre centre,undermine its staff, undermine the visions andforeshadow its demise, and she achieved her aims. Thatis a tragedy for the industry, the fibre centre, thestudents and all of those involved. In December 1999the minister described the fibre centre as an unmitigateddisaster for Victorians. She said:

The Bracks government inherited a disaster with the IFC.

She described it as ‘the mess left by the previousgovernment’, ‘the mess associated with theInternational Fibre Centre’ and ‘one of Kennett’sdreams that turned into a nightmare — an absolutedisaster’.

Mr Stensholt interjected.

Mr BAILLIEU — The honourable member forBurwood intervenes and says, ‘She is right’.Unfortunately the Minister for Post CompulsoryEducation, Training and Employment had not visitedthe centre. She did not know what she was talkingabout. In mid-2000 the minister visited the centre andafter that visit she said:

The IFC has world-class facilities, equipment and staff. It is anational asset.

…

The IFC offers world-class facilities, equipment andexpertise.

…

I can’t help being impressed by this fantastic facility, theinvestment, the terrific staff, and the links with education andtraining. Looking around there are so many ideas andpossibilities.

…

There is a sense that the IFC can be a driver for the wool andfibre industries.

The reality is that this minister did not know what shewas talking about in the first place and set out to scuttlethe IFC, and, tragically, that has occurred.

The shame of that is confirmed in theAuditor-General’s Report on Ministerial Portfoliostabled today. On page 54 the Auditor-General says:

The operating results of the International Fibre Centredeteriorated during the year due to a conscious decision bythe Victorian government to reduce the funding allocation …

A conscious decision to destroy an institution that hadthe support of industry and was a visionary project!Along the way the minister undermined the confidenceof the staff and the stakeholders in the institute. I am

sorry to say that they sought all along to find somebodyto bail them out, but the net result is that the IFC is allbut gone despite the misleading statements of thehonourable member for Geelong North, who said thatfunding of the centre would be guaranteed. He said thatfull funding would be confirmed until July of this yearand that a commitment from the federal governmentwas not required in the form of cash. However, thereality is that eventually the government went lookingfor a political solution and the federal government hadno choice but to move the IFC’s resources to theCSIRO. That is the tragedy of this demise. The studentshave missed out and the institution has been effectivelyscuttled. As is reported by the Auditor-General:

The bulk of the equipment from the Geelong campus of theInternational Fibre Centre will transfer to the CSIRO, while asmall amount of the equipment will transfer to the Brunswickcampus of the international fibre centre.

Brunswick may survive, but the IFC in Geelong isscuttled.

Let me move on to the Institute of Land and FoodResources (ILFR), which was established after amerger between the Victorian College of Agricultureand Horticulture and Melbourne University’s faculty ofagriculture in the 1990s. ILFR provides training andeducation in both vocational and higher educationforms in natural resources, horticulture, agriculture,food industry and forestry. It has several campusesaround Victoria including Dookie, Glenormiston,Longerenong and McMillan. I have had the pleasure ofvisiting Glenormiston a couple of times, as well asDookie and Longerenong. The minister has not beenanywhere near them.

When ILFR sought to change the structure of itscourses in 1997, which would have inevitably led toreduced access for higher education and vocationaleducation students, the Kennett government stepped into prevent it. In October last year the institute issued adiscussion paper on its restructure. As a consequenceILFR has moved to downgrade Glenormiston andLongerenong by removing access to higher education atthose campuses. I quote from page 4 of the paper:

Despite repeated representation by ILFR and the VFF, thePETE —

that is, the post-compulsory education, training andemployment department —

has refused to include ILFR in an additional fundingdistribution of $14.3 million to regional TAFE institutes inSeptember 1999.

I raised that matter with the minister in November lastyear, and she said, ‘No way, we’re not giving money to

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ILFR. ILFR is a university. We don’t do that. We’llplay political games and say that’s a federalgovernment responsibility’. Tragically, the restructurewent ahead. There will now be reduced access to highereducation at those campuses.

I quote from the editorial in the Weekly Times of11 April, which is headed ‘Rural towns the losers in unishake-up’:

But the restructure will also mean fewer choices in coursesand their location.

ILFR is certainly within its rights to make thesedecisions — but where is the minister’s vision foraccess to higher education in country Victoria? There isnone. Where is the driver? Where is the ministersaying, ‘This is what we want to happen. This is wherewe want students in western and northern Victoria tohave access to higher education.’?

That reduction in access will be poorly received in ruraland regional Victoria. The minister is to be condemnedon two accounts: for her failure to respond to thatrequest for funding, as a result of which these campuseshave been moved to the TAFE college realm; and forher failure to provide a vision for access to highereducation in rural and regional Victoria.

I will quickly mention the Building Industry GroupScheme (BIGS), the financial collapse of which theminister has overseen. Despite the fact that BIGS is runby the Construction, Forestry, Mining and EnergyUnion and her factional mate, Martin Kingham, she hassought to shift the blame onto the Master BuildersAssociation by saying, ‘Gee, they refused to mergewith BIGS when the government put the deal to them.Therefore, they’re to blame for its collapse’. Althoughthe minister gave BIGS a clean bill of financial healthlast year, it has since collapsed. She is the Minister forFinance, and she has the responsibility. She cannot shiftthe blame onto an organisation that has not had anyinvolvement.

I refer to driver education training, a report on whichhas been sitting on the minister’s desk for months andmonths. Despite requests to have it released and actedupon, there has been no action. As a consequence,driver education training in Victoria is under threat.You have only to refer to page 47 of theAuditor-General’s report to have that confirmed.

I also mention the freeze that the minister imposed onprivate providers of traineeships in November 1999. Itwas implemented without any consultation or warning,supposedly to allow the minister and her department toreview quality issues in traineeships. The minister

appointed her own consultant, Professor Kay Schofield,to do a report. She indicated that the freeze was adisaster and, as we had been saying, that it had notassisted quality issues because it had frozen in badquality providers and frozen out those who weregrowing through market support.

After that 12-month period the freeze was extended inNovember last year to 30 June this year. I suspect it isabout to be extended again, and that will be a tragedyfor those providers. We have seen providers go to thewall, apprentices and trainees miss out, and the industryundermined. We have also heard claims of dirty dealsdone along the way and the minister refuse to releasematerial under freedom of information that would givethe truth to those claims.

The management of the freeze is a disaster. Theminister has been playing political games with thefederal government. She has sought additional growthfunding for trainees — but what has occurred?Although the federal government has come good with$230 million in growth funding, this minister isrefusing to lift the freeze, yet again.

I also mention the passing of the Lavin Institute, whichwas the largest private provider of aged care nursingtraining in Victoria. Despite the minister’s dealingswith Lavin — including her covert dealings with itbefore the election — she turned her back on theinstitute. Consequently hundreds of students weredisplaced and Lavin went to the wall. The trade-off isthat the minister has been forced to spend even moremoney on providing aged care nursing training than shewould have had to if she had supported Lavin in thefirst place.

I also refer to TAFE colleges. I note in theAuditor-General’s report that was tabled this morningthat last year 6 of the 22 public TAFE providers wereconsidered to be operating under financial difficulty.The minister has chucked tens of millions of dollars atTAFE colleges, but what has been the outcome? Nowwe have five colleges in financial difficulty. There hasbeen no financial improvement in the TAFE colleges,and one of the reasons for that is highlighted on page 51of the Auditor-General’s report:

We recommend that the Office of Post CompulsoryEducation Training and Employment undertakes a thoroughreview of the outcomes of enterprise bargaining, particularlyover the management of unfunded salary increases, in orderto ensure that the stated efficiency improvements are achievedand that such costs do not adversely impact on the overallprovision of education and training by institutes.

This is the agreement the minister signed off on, andthe one imposed on institutes without any regard.

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The actions she has taken in the tertiary educationsector in Victoria have been a disaster. She has notdone enough, and as a consequence both public andprivate providers are suffering, apprentices and traineescannot get access to the courses they want and access tohigher education by rural and regional students isdiminished by her lack of vision.

Banks: closures

Mrs MADDIGAN (Essendon) — Today I grievefor the residents and traders of the Strathmore andEssendon area, who have been treated badly by theCommonwealth Bank of Australia, and even worse bythe National Australia Bank (NAB). I congratulatethose same residents and traders for their determinationto establish their own bank in response to the branchclosures in their area.

Unfortunately closures of bank branches are nothingnew in recent times in Victoria and Australia and havecaused considerable hardship to many communities.Nevertheless the situation in Napier Street, Strathmore,is perhaps the worst situation I have heard of. NapierStreet has a small but very successful shopping strip inthe northern part of the electorate of Essendon. It is in asubstantially residential area that has a large number ofolder residents, as well as a fair sprinkling of youngfamilies.

I can remember when a series of bank advertisementson television appealed to older people to put theirmoney in the bank. The advertisements showed a ratherscared-looking older couple and advised them not toput their money under the mattress, because that wasunsafe, but rather that the bank was there to help themand they should give the bank their money to look aftersafely. As their interest in profits has risen the banks’concern for the safety of residents’ money hascorrespondingly decreased. The actions of the NationalAustralia Bank, in particular, make that quite clear,reinforcing the view of banks that many people nowhold — that banks are not at all interested in smallconsumer accounts.

Originally two banks, the Commonwealth and theNAB, had branches in Napier Street. The sad story ofNapier Street started when the Commonwealth branchclosed in 1998. At that stage the NAB gave the localtraders and the community a guarantee that its NapierStreet branch would stay open. That was verycomforting to the traders, and a lot of them transferredaccounts to that bank. You can imagine their surprisewhen only 18 months later the NAB announced it wasgoing to close its Fletcher Street branch. The

Community News, one of our local newspapers,reported:

Strathmore Village Trader Association spokesperson GeoffKirschner said last week the NAB’s announcement would‘make it very difficult’ for the centre’s 30 or so retailers tomaintain their customer base and to conduct their ownbanking.

‘Its disappointing for a number of reasons. When theCommonwealth closed, we did receive an undertaking fromthe NAB that the branch would continue on’, Mr Kirschnersaid.

‘A lot of traders switched across to the NAB to support themcontinuing on …’

…

A spokesperson for the National Australia Bank, Haydn Park,said the closure was due to ‘a declining level of activity’ atthe branch.

…

Mr Park said customer accounts would be transferred toFletcher Street, Essendon, or to other alternative branches,and customer information evenings would be held ‘to explainwhat we’re doing, why we’re doing it and other bankingservices available’ before the closure on 17 September …

It came as something of a surprise to the traders and methat although a number of them had transferred theirquite substantial business accounts from theCommonwealth to the NAB only 18 months before, theNAB would say its branch was no longer profitable. Imade a number of phone calls to the NAB at the timetrying to find out why that was so. I discovered thebranch was not unprofitable; indeed, it was quiteprofitable but was not reaching the level of profitabilitythe bank had now determined was appropriate for localbranches!

I also learned of a most interesting accountingprocedure. The NAB has two accounting streams, itsbusiness customer stream and its communitycustomers. The bank assessed the profitability of theNapier Street branch only after excluding any profitsfrom business banking from the calculation, becauseFletcher Street was now its business branch. Therefore,while the traders actually used their Napier Streetbranch for all their financial transactions, thosetransactions were not counted at Napier Street but atFletcher Street, even though some of the Napier Streettraders had never been to the Fletcher Street branch intheir lives.

In those circumstances the claim by the NAB thatactivity in Napier Street was declining was hardlysurprising. We could all easily produce such a result inour finances by, for example, not counting a part of ourincome. At the time, the NAB sent out a number of

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letters to various people who had spoken to them,including me, telling us about the brave new world theywere organising for the people of Strathmore. In a letterto the Strathmore Village Traders Association inAugust 1999, the bank said:

This letter is to advise you that we will soon be moving fromour premises at Strathmore. We will be moving toEssendon — 100 Fletcher Street Essendon 3040 — and wewill be ready to deliver quality financial services from20 September 1999.

…

To make the move as a smooth as possible for you, we willtake care of transferring your accounts to Essendon …

We believe you’ll find the services at Essendon to be to yoursatisfaction and we will work with you to understand yourrequirements.

When I wrote to the bank explaining that many of theresidents in that area were older and therefore unlikelyto find Internet facilities an alternative, it responded byme telling me once again that those people could godown to Fletcher Street. The bank concluded its letter tome with the words:

The electronic channels include, but are not limited to,automatic teller machines and EFTPOS terminals insupermarkets and stores. Telephone services are available tomake invoice payments or transfer funds and to makeaccounts inquiries outside normal banking hours. Businesscustomers can carry out these functions without leaving theiroffices or shops by using personal computers.

There is nothing so far about elderly residents. Theletter continues:

We acknowledge that some customers, particularly theelderly, at first may be unsure or nervous about using some ofthese alternative channels. Demonstrations can be arranged toovercome their reluctance.

One of my residents, who received a similar letter, rangup the NAB to see if they could get one of thosedemonstrations but could not find anyone in theorganisation who knew anything at all about them.

While it might serve some people well, according tosome research electronic banking is failing a lot ofcustomers. The Finance Sector Union (FSU) hasprepared a paper using some of the research relating toelectronic banking it has been able to unearth. Thatresearch shows:

While EFTPOS and ATMs do offer extended services, thereis a considerable body of evidence that indicates that peopleare still reliant on face-to-face banking. A recent survey ofChoice magazine readers found that 88 per cent used bankbranches at some point.

Users of banks might not all use branches at the sametime, but they frequently have specialist needs thatcannot be met via an electronic teller. The FinanceSector Union research further states:

In addition, the Pricewaterhousecoopers annual survey ofcustomer attitudes to financial services over the Internet lendsfurther direct support to these findings. The survey found that:

In 1998, 67 per cent of respondents were notcomfortable if financial products and services are onlyavailable over the Internet. By 1999 this number hadincreased to 70 per cent.

In 1998, 66 per cent of respondents were notcomfortable about providing personal details over theInternet. By 1999 this number had increased to 71 percent.

Seventy-six per cent of all respondents knew nothing orlittle about financial services available over the Internet.This position remained unchanged.

In 1998, 91 per cent of respondents said they needed agood or very good knowledge of the institution beforeusing its products or services over the net. By 1999 thisnumber had increased to 95 per cent.

Those figures demonstrate that a large part of thecommunity does not find Internet or telephone bankingan acceptable solution to over-the-counter branchbanking.

The residents and traders were told that they could stilluse the Fletcher Street branch, where they would get anexcellent service. Honourable members can imaginemy surprise when on 17 April I received the followingletter from the National Bank:

I am writing to officially inform you that due to a decline incustomer traffic and over-the-counter transactions, theNational Australia Bank will close its branch at 100 FletcherStreet, Essendon, on July 18th 2001.

So much for the excellent service when the NapierStreet branch closed. The letter further states:

An ATM, or automated deposit machine, and EFTPOSfacilities will however remain in the area for our personal andbusiness customers.

Our branch at Moonee Ponds will continue to provide fullbranch services …

If I were working at Moonee Ponds I would be gettinga bit nervous by now, because we know what happenedto the last branch from which they promised excellentservices:

Customers will also have access to our Niddrie and Keilorbranches located nearby.

Staff there should feel a bit nervous as well. The lettercontinues:

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… the National Australia Bank recently announced that ourcustomers are now able to use Australia Post …

I do not know how much research has been done onpeople’s attitudes to Australia Post, but I have lot ofanecdotal evidence from my constituents, especiallyolder constituents, that shows that they do not feelcomfortable discussing their personal financialtransactions in post offices surrounded by theirneighbours and where often there are no areas wherethey can have private conversations. Certainly there areno offices such as the ones found at banks when therewere over-the-counter facilities. The suggestion thatthis is a reasonable alternative will not be readilyaccepted by a large part of the community. Of course,ATMs are fine if you have an automatic tellingmachine card, but many people in my electorate do not.

Branch closures not only impact on residents but canhave a dramatic effect on local shopping centres. As Isaid, there is a vibrant shopping centre in Napier Streetand a major transport hub and shopping centre inFletcher Street. Both shopping centres will be severelydisadvantaged by the National Bank’s decision. It isobvious that if people cannot go to a bank in NapierStreet, they will more than likely do their shopping inan area that has a bank they can use — thoughgoodness knows where that will be now.

Some of the business impacts identified by the FSUresearch were:

Increased use of cheque cashing by customers —

which obviously can make a business more liable tofraud —

loss of cash sales;

accumulation of excess cash;

increase in bad debt;

delays in depositing cheques;

increased security concerns and risks;

difficulties in obtaining cash and change;

farming businesses may be particularly disadvantaged by theloss of bank staff with intimate knowledge and experience inrural banking matters.

The community impacts include:

Average decrease in spending by individuals after closure ofbank branch in their town put at $320 a month.

The loss of $320 per user per month in a small retailshopping centre is a substantial decline. Othercommunity impacts included losses of about four jobsper branch and indirect job losses because of businesses

not being able to sustain their livelihoods when thereare fewer people shopping in the area.

I thought the National Bank might have been doingsomething useful for the community when on 24 May itannounced major community banking initiatives. Thenational concession card account provided by theNational Bank will allow a free rebate of $40 a month,which is equal to 13 free over-the-counter transactions amonth. That is fine if you can find a counter to use. Formy constituents that has proved fairly ineffective.

The traders and the residents of Strathmore decided notto be continually at the mercy of the National Bank,which obviously had little concern for their welfare, sothey started a community bank with the assistance ofthe Bendigo Bank. This month they launched theirprospectus inviting people to buy shares in the bank. Iam happy to say that I have made a small investment,which will be on my next return to the membersregister.

The local traders have worked exceptionally hard. Theyhave conducted many public meetings and set up stallsin Napier Street on Saturday mornings to encouragepeople to join. Over a year they managed to get thenumber of pledges necessary to proceed. I congratulatethe directors of the Strathmore Community Bank, whoare all traders from the Napier Street area. They includeCraig Jenkins, Mark Burgin, Geoffrey Cullen, NinoD’Agruma, Geoffrey Kirschner — he is the localpharmacist who was a pivotal player in getting thecommunity bank off the ground — Vincenzo Moro,Murray Sykes, Catherine Tyrrell, Pierre Werden andJames Griffen. They have all worked hard with othertraders and the local residents to bring back bankingservices to the Napier Street shopping centre.

The bank will be formally launched by the Treasurernext Saturday morning. At last the traders and residentsof Napier Street will have a bank the management ofwhich cares about their welfare, and they will havebanking services that will be at their convenience. Onceagain older people will be able to bank easily and toshop in their local shopping centre.

Kingston: councillors

Mr LEIGH (Mordialloc) — Today I grieve abouttwo matters. One is a local matter, and the other isabout corruption in the state bureaucracy going backsome years.

Mr Nardella interjected.

Mr LEIGH — Yes, going back some years. First, Irefer the Minister for Local Government to the situation

GRIEVANCES


in the City of Kingston, which is in crisis. One of thesenior councillors — he is the only one whounderstands anything about finances — has quit. He isquoted as saying, ‘I’ve had gutful. The conduct of somecouncillors has left me in an untenable position’. He hascomplained about verbal abuse from officers andprofanity by the mayor. The entire planning departmentof the City of Kingston’s strategic planning team hasresigned. It is frankly in utter chaos.

However, worse than that is the fact that a formermayor, Arthur Athanasopoulos — better known locallyas Arthur Daly — is the only person who has had hisdual occupancy developments passed by council. Thefour Labor councillors in the city — the present mayorCr Elizabeth Larking, Cr Johanna Van Klaveren, whoworks for the honourable member for Carrum, and twoothers — have blocked every dual occupancydevelopment that has gone before council exceptArthur’s. When he was the mayor he said the City ofKingston was a wonderful city. The moment theydumped him and would not give him a second term, heleft the City of Kingston and now lives in the City ofMonash.

According to Cr David Normington, who resigned fromthe council — —

Mr Nardella — Say it outside!

Mr LEIGH — He does say it outside.

According to Cr David Normington, who resigned fromthe City of Kingston:

I became increasingly frustrated at the Labor clique’s blatantand obvious refusal —

and I make this available; this is a transcript from alocal paper —

of every planning application to come before council with theexception of the then mayor. He saw no reason for thecontinued delays in projects around the city tying up millionsof dollars worth of building projects despite therecommendations and the approval from councillors andknowledge of senior officers.

In virtually every one of these instances the proposalswere passed when they went to the Victorian Civil andAdministrative Tribunal. This council is treating thedevelopment of the city as a joke. It has misused itsposition to protect a Labor mate who, frankly, is not thereal mayor of the City of Kingston. There are two ofthem: one is the federal shadow Treasurer, Mr SimonCrean, and the other is the Honourable Bob Smith inthe other house. They are the two who are running ourcity, and it is a scandal. It is being run by the Claytonmafia branch of the Labor Party. They are a pack of

shady shysters who are taking money from the rest ofour city, putting it into Clayton and ripping our city off.

They have ripped the guts out of the City of Kingston.That is what is going on! It is the Labor Party throughto its soul! This is what it did in Darebin and Oakleighin the past, and the City of Kingston can now becompared to the City of Darebin. I call on the ministertoday to bring in an administrator, or at least someoneto investigate what the hell is going on in the council,because it is in crisis and chaos.

Even worse, the government says councils should notincrease rates above 2 per cent. What did this Laborclique do? It put up the rates by 7.8 per cent to cover itsshenanigans. The Labor clique is incompetent and theofficers have lost control of the city. I think Cr JohannaVan Klaveren should be identified. She continuallyverbally abuses the city officers — she screams abuseat them. At public meetings the mayor tells the citizensthat they are idiots — abuses residents! What is goingon is an outrage. I call on the government today toshow some guts and dump this pack of idiots who arerunning our city into the ground.

The City of Kingston had some reasonable councillorsbut a plot was orchestrated by the Australian LaborParty, with the result that we got a group of politicallycorrupt councillors — the Gang of Four, asCr Normington refers to them — run by Mayor Larkin.These people have no idea what they are doing to ourcity. They are destroying the heart and soul of a greatcity and it is a shame. I know what they are doing inMordialloc. They are stripping cash intended for theforeshore and putting it into Clayton to prop up theLabor Party. Why has the mayor refused to allow meaccess under freedom of information to theinvestigations of the local government department ofhis antics? It is corrupt in the extreme. It is the Darebincouncil of the south-eastern suburbs! No matter whatColonel Klink over there says, this city is in crisis andthe residents are entitled to — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! The honourable member will refer tohonourable members by their due titles.

Mr LEIGH — I am happy to refer to thehonourable member for Springvale, whom I calledColonel Klink, as the honourable member forSpringvale.

A government member interjected.

Mr LEIGH — Well, his teeth have been melted.The fact is that in this city — —

GRIEVANCES


Mr Nardella — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, the honourable member for Mordialloc hasjust gone against your ruling by referring to thehonourable member for Springvale in a derogatorymanner. I ask you to direct him to withdraw thatderogatory remark.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! I listened to what the honourable member forMordialloc said in his response. He referred to theperson he had addressed as the honourable member forSpringvale, using that terminology. I do not uphold thepoint of order.

AWU: political connections

Mr LEIGH — The second matter I wish to draw tothe attention of the house is a serious matter ofcorruption. We will play guess who. I am happy tomake the documents available to the house. I refer tonotes and a document that I am prepared to makeavailable to the house, and I quote:

I have been actively seeking an independent audit of theAustralian Workers Union since 1990.

Following a short break in the continuity of employment withthe Australian Workers Union between 1990 and 1993, Iworked for a short period for Senator Robert Ray, who wasthen the Minister for Defence, and Allen Griffiths, federalmember for Maribyrnong. I was re-employed with theAustralian Workers Union in late 1993.

As I said, I am happy to make the document availableto the house. It goes on:

During my period of employment with Senator Ray I wastold to work exclusively under the charge of … (who Ibelieved worked for state minister David White as an adviser,and Rowland Lindell …

Everyone today will know him as a bagman for theLabor Party. He runs around with the brown paper bagsand is obviously the husband of the honourablemember for Carrum.

Mr Maxfield — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, I just heard an appalling comment made abouta bagman of the Labor Party. Rowland Lindell is themost honourable person I know. He is a man ofincredible integrity, and for such a cowardlyattack — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! What is your point of order?

Mr Maxfield — I ask that the honourable memberopposite who has made these cowardly and despicablecomments withdraw those comments because I am

appalled that he could make such appalling commentsabout a fine individual and a wonderful man.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! The honourable member for Narracan has askedfor comments to be withdrawn. Unfortunately, I wasnot listening at the time. However, I do not believe thepoint of order can be upheld because it did not dealwith a member in the chamber.

Mr LEIGH — The document continues:

… who worked for Senator Gareth Evans). Both of thesepeople work from 1 Treasury Buildings at Treasury Place andI was told to work with them on the same level (level 4), thesame level that Senator Ray’s Melbourne office was placed.

The work that was performed from this building wasexclusively dedicated to preparing literature and flyers forunion elections. I was told by … and Lindell that I couldclaim overtime to make my salary ‘reasonable’. I queried thispractice and was told that it is normal practice in all electoraloffices whether they are state or federal. Whilst I neverclaimed overtime I did not work, I observed on manyoccasions on a Friday afternoon Rowland Lindell clearlyfalsifying his overtime claim form.

Between November 1989 and 1994 the phone bill andphotocopying paper usage, including replacementphotocopiers due to burn-out, must have totalled manyhundreds of thousands of dollars. I know for a fact that onnumerous occasions both Senator Ray and Senator Evanscautioned Stephen Conroy …

He was cautioned about the high cost of the bills. Thefact of the matter is that the people involved were:

… Rowland Lindell, Bill Shorten, Bob Kernohan, MarshaThomson, John Lenders …


Mr Nardella — On a point of order, Mr Speaker,The honourable member has just impugned a ministerfrom the other house. I ask him to immediatelywithdraw those imputations. They are against standingorder 108 and I ask him to withdraw them immediately.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! Will the honourable member for Mordiallocwithdraw the comments?

Mr LEIGH — Yes, thank you. The documentrefers to the state secretary of the Labor Party and to:

… Bill Noonan and a majority of young Labor aspirants.

I am calling for two matters to be investigated: themisuse of the offices of a federal senator and the misuseof state taxpayers’ money. The amount of $40 676 wasspent by this state employee, who was in the officesupposedly working for a state member of Parliament

TRANSPORT (FURTHER AMENDMENT) BILL


but in fact was working for a federal minister on unionelections. I am outraged and seek federal policeinvestigation into the misuse of the facilities at1 Treasury Place and, secondly, the fraudulent misuseof taxpayers’ money by the shadow Minister forFinance, one Stephen Conroy, who has ripped off theVictorian taxpayers. This 27-year-old was getting$50 000 in today’s terms.


Mr LEIGH — The guy is a crook. Here is theevidence.


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! The honourable member for Narracan!

Mr LEIGH — He misused taxpayers’ money inthose days. This grub wants to be the Minister forFinance in a Beazley government. He is a grub andought to resign from the Senate along with RowlandLindell, the bagman of a corrupt — —


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! That is terrible behaviour from both sides of thehouse!

The question is:

That grievances be noted.

Question agreed to.

TRANSPORT (FURTHER AMENDMENT)BILL

Introduction and first reading

Mr BATCHELOR (Minister for Transport) introduced abill to amend the Rail Corporations Act 1996 and theTransport Act 1983 and other acts to make provision forthe winding-up of the Public Transport Corporation, toamend the Melbourne City Link Act 1995 and theMelbourne City Link (Miscellaneous Amendments)Act 2000 and for other purposes.

Read first time.

DRUGS, POISONS AND CONTROLLEDSUBSTANCES (AMENDMENT) BILL


Mr CAMERON (Minister for LocalGovernment) — On behalf of the Attorney-General,I move:

That I have leave to bring in a bill to amend the Drugs,Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 to makeprovision in relation to offences relating to trafficking andcultivating drugs of dependence, to amend the Magistrates’Court Act 1989, the Bail Act 1977, the Confiscation Act1997, the Sentencing Act 1991 and the Juries Act 2000, tomake consequential amendments to other acts and for otherpurposes.

Mr McARTHUR (Monbulk) — Will the ministerprovide the house with a brief explanation of thislegislation?

Mr CAMERON (Minister for LocalGovernment) (By leave) — Essentially this legislationrevolves around two matters. It deals with the Mr Bigsin the area of crime and drugs and it increases thepenalty for trafficking. In addition it will enable drugmatters to be combined into the one offence so thatthose drug traffickers will be sentenced for the trueextent of their drug trafficking and its harmful effects inour community.

Motion agreed to.

Read first time.

CRIMES (VALIDATION OF ORDERS) BILL


For Mr HULLS (Attorney-General), Mr Cameronintroduced a bill to amend the Crimes Act 1958 tovalidate certain orders purported to have been made forthe taking of forensic samples from offenders and forother purposes.

Read first time.

VICTORIAN MANAGED INSURANCEAUTHORITY BILL

Second reading

Debate resumed from 3 May; motion of Ms KOSKY(Minister for Finance).

Ms ASHER (Brighton) — The opposition does notoppose this very small machinery bill. However, I will

VICTORIAN MANAGED INSURANCE AUTHORITY BILL


make a few comments in relation to it. The VictorianManaged Insurance Authority (VMIA) is a body thatwas established under the previous government in1996. This is the first opportunity the government hashad to review it, to ask for comment on its operationsand to see whether as the insurer and risk manager forgovernment departments and participating bodies itneeds any additional powers or whether anyhousekeeping needs to be done in relation to it.

The authority is the body charged with looking afterrisk for government sectors. Indeed, according to itsannual report for 2000 the authority’s mission is toprovide high-quality, cost-effective and timely riskmanagement and insurance services to its clients. Theauthority’s objectives are to create and promote anenvironment and culture within client organisations thatwill proactively identify and manage risk exposures byproviding risk management advice, profiling andmonitoring risks and offering a range of riskmanagement and insurance solutions to clients.

The third objective of the authority is to establish andmaintain viable financial operations of the authoritythrough the prudent management of insurable risk,through developing appropriate pricing policies,through managing a sound investment platform andthrough the accumulation of adequate financialreserves. Its further objectives are to deliver aconsistently high-quality, cost-effective services and toprovide that they are administered in the most effectiveand efficient manner.

The chairman, Mr Keith Fitzmaurice, observed in theforeword to the 2000 annual report that the authorityfaced a challenging year in 1999–2000 with theconsolidation of operations of the public health careagencies insurance program of the Department ofHuman Services, which was a major programundertaken by the VMIA in that year. In that year itachieved an operating surplus of $19.7 million, andobviously has performed well so far. Theseamendments form part of a group of amendments inrelation to which the authority itself has approached thegovernment. The authority has embarked on areview — and it is referred to in the annual report —and wishes in a legal sense to tidy up the powers thatenable it to operate.

As at 30 June 2000 funds invested by the authorityamounted to $357.3 million, so clearly there is animperative for it to give maximum service to Victoriangovernment departments. As at May 2001,130 departments or public bodies were clients of theVMIA. I will not read them out, but a whole range ofbodies and government departments opt to use the

VMIA to manage their risk. This bill is the result of theauthority’s large review of its operations, although to anexternal observer the amendments are not earthshattering. Indeed, I recall from the second-readingspeech that the minister made some reference to the factthat the act is narrow in scope and would probablyinterest only a small number of people. However, if thisbody failed in its duty — and I am not for one minutesuggesting it would — there would be much broaderinterest because of the financial exposures across theVictorian government that would result. The bill will beseen as a series of housekeeping amendments in thefirst review of the VMIA since 1996, the year in whichit was established by the former government.

The bill amends several definitions, the key one beingthe definition of ‘participating body’ to automaticallyinclude all budget sector bodies, rather than, as is thecurrent requirement, the government’s having topublish notices in the Government Gazette on anindividual basis regarding every single body it wishesto gazette. Clearly that is not practical in terms of thetime of the government, ministers or the VMIA. Thebill attempts to pick up all participating bodies anddefine them in legislation. A participating body willnow been defined as a statutory authority receivingmore than 50 per cent of its funding from theconsolidated fund, and a body corporate receiving morethan 50 per cent of its funding from the consolidatedfund, and in which the state has a controlling interest.These bodies will now be automatically caught underthe act rather than there having to be a process ofindividual gazettal, which was the case previously.

Further, the bill allows the minister to declare adepartment of the Parliament as a participating body,provided the President of the Legislative Council andthe Speaker of the Legislative Assembly agree. Indeed,the President of the Legislative Council informs me thatthe Parliament does get its insurance through theVMIA, although I also understand there is some legaldoubt about whether a department of the Parliament canbe gazetted. This amendment will put beyond doubt thefact that the Parliament of Victoria can be aparticipating body as defined under the VMIA act.

The bill also allows a minister at any time to revoke adeclaration of a participating body to be part of theVMIA system. At the moment the act is silent on thisaspect, although it is implicit under the Interpretation ofLegislation Act. Nevertheless the bill completelyclarifies that issue and attempts to put the matterbeyond doubt.

The bill also provides more rigorous requirements formanagement within government departments and

VICTORIAN MANAGED INSURANCE AUTHORITY BILL


statutory bodies in compiling asset registers and riskmanagement strategies, the rationale being thatdepartments are to take full responsibility for suchpreparation and the VMIA is to report to the ministerand the department or participating body on theadequacy of the registers and strategies. At the momentdepartments and participating bodies are required tolodge these strategies, but there has been a perception,possibly at the VMIA, that bodies were not takingownership of their own risk analyses. This bill makes itcrystal clear that the onus will be on individualparticipating bodies and government departments totake ownership and responsibility of those issues.

Obviously VMIA intends to work with departments,but the strategy is for departments to take fullresponsibility and ownership of their own riskmanagement strategies. Indeed, I refer to the VMIA2000 annual report, where the chief executive officerobserves:

A risk management strategy needs to be ‘owned’ by the entitypreparing it so that it reflects elements that are particular tothe organisation and expressed in language acceptable to itsculture.

That is the thinking behind this amendment. The billmakes it clear that the VMIA does not cut across eitherthe Accident Compensation Act or the TransportAccident Act — the obligatory insurance schemesrequired by state law.

The bill also provided for the VMIA to provideinsurance to a participating body, jointly or byarrangement with the department. For example, itcovers all public hospitals but does so through anagreement with the Department of Human Servicesrather than with each individual hospital.

It was the establishment of that agreement that featuredin the annual report of the Victorian ManagedInsurance Authority as one of its major projects for theyear 2000.

The bill also clarifies the VMIA’s capacity to offerindemnities to members of statutory authorities that donot have boards of management. Keith Fitzmaurice, thechairman of the VMIA board, has written to me andmade it clear that the VMIA in conjunction with theDepartment of Treasury and Finance has reviewed theVictorian Managed Insurance Authority (Amendment)Bill and supports the identified changes.

This would appear to be a sensible clean-up operation.It is the sort of bill that realistically one would haveexpected to be part of omnibus legislation. It shows thatthe government does not have an overall legislative

program and is bringing routine housekeeping mattersbefore the house.

In the interests of honourable members speaking on thebudget, which is obviously of far greater significance, Iwill curtail my remarks and leave it at that.

Mr RYAN (Leader of the National Party) — Inaccord with the sentiment latterly expressed by theshadow Treasurer, the honourable member forBrighton, I will also be brief because I am consciousthat others want to speak on the budget in particular.

The National Party supports the legislation. Theestablishment of the Victorian Managed InsuranceAuthority (VMIA) in 1996 was a tremendous initiativeof the former government and has led to many benefitsfor Victoria. The general structure and outline of thosematters has been detailed by the shadow Treasurer inher contribution.

I want to make three specific points. The first is that itis to the great credit of the VMIA that Victoria hassustained effectively minimal damage through the HIHInsurance Group collapse. The VMIA has been activein the marketplace in ensuring that Victoria’s positionhas been protected. When one looks at the relativedevastation that has been caused by the collapse of HIHacross the border in New South Wales and the damageit has wrought in that state, it bears witness to theefforts of the management of the VMIA to preserveVictoria’s position in a way that best serves the peopleof our state. I place on the record on behalf of theNational Party the appropriate approbation to themanagement of VMIA for that outcome.

Secondly I refer to the issue of insurance for countryhospitals. This is an ongoing matter of great concern tothe provision of health services in country locations. Itis a particular concern for the medical profession aswell as for health services generally. I appreciate that itis an ongoing challenge for all those service providers. Iwould like to think the VMIA will be able to take apivotal role in achieving an outcome there which isbetter than that which the health services now have toaccommodate. I have great confidence in themanagement of VMIA to achieve that outcome. It is amatter of pressing concern for country health services.

Thirdly and finally, I would like to reflect on the factthat VMIA is responsible for the insurance of the macewhich is beside me. I am not sure to whom theinsurance claim went when the last one was pinched,but suffice it to say that my faith in VMIA is such thatif this one here is pinched, we will get appropriate coverand appropriate return.

TRANSFER OF LAND (AMENDMENT) BILL


With those few words I support the bill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr LENDERS(Dandenong North).

Debate adjourned until later this day.

TRANSFER OF LAND (AMENDMENT)BILL

Second reading

Debate resumed from 3 May; motion of Ms GARBUTT(Minister for Environment and Conservation).

Mr PERTON (Doncaster) — The opposition willsupport this legislation, but during the course of debateI will raise some concerns raised by, for instance, theLaw Institute of Victoria about some of theconsequences of the bill. My contribution would havebeen very short indeed save that today’s Report onMinisterial Portfolios by the Auditor-General refers tothis project in some detail, and it will be appropriateduring the course of debate to refer to it.

The most important provision of the bill is clause 9,which enables the making of regulations to setdifferential pricing for land registry services providedvia the Internet and/or other electronic means. Theregulations will need to go through a regulatory impactstatement process and public consultation and scrutinyby the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee.

The reason this set of regulations comes into place is aresult of the now long-running automation of the LandRegistry. As you might be aware, Mr Acting Speaker,before I came to this place I was a lawyer, and beforebecoming a barrister I did my articles with Mr NoelTregent, who was very active in the campaign for theautomation of the land titles registry system, althoughat that time he may have been said to be ahead of histime. It took quite some time for Land Registry and itspredecessor bodies to adopt the suggestion that thesystem become electronic.

At page 253 of his June 2001 Report on MinisterialPortfolios the Auditor-General states inparagraph 3.5.28:

In its current form, the land titles register comprises acollection of mainly paper-based land titles and supportingdocumentation including:

3.9 million land titles of which 2.5 million are currentand 1.4 million have been cancelled;

300 000 plans which define the boundaries of new landparcels created through subdivisions;

270 000 survey reports which contain documentsprepared by land surveyors in support of plans ofproperty subdivisions; and

13 million instruments which are source documents fornew details registered on land titles including mortgageamendments, transfer of land titles to a new proprietor,caveats and creation of multiple land titles from existingland titles.

That vast amount of documentation is perfect forreduction to electronic data format, after which it can bemade available via the Internet to those people whoneed the information. The Attorney-General hasexamined the process because, having commenced in1989, it seems to have taken an unconscionably longtime, and there has been a cost blow-out from about$62 million to $91.6 million.

The Minister for State and Regional Development hasincluded the additional funds made available for thisproject as part of what he describes as his commitmentto providing information technology (IT) services inVictoria. I will not get into a quibbling match aboutthat, because there is no doubt that it is a bipartisanproject. My suspicion is that the cost blow-out is theresponsibility of neither this minister nor hispredecessors but relates to the project management andtechnical issues referred to in the report.

For the record I will look at the steps taken to automatethe Land Registry. In 1989 the automated land titlessystem was introduced to enable the conversion ofpaper titles to computer titles. In 1991 approximately28 per cent of paper titles had been converted toelectronic format by in-house staff. In 1992 theautomated land titles system was expanded to enablethe online update of computer folios by the LandRegistry and to facilitate remote title searches byinterested parties. In 1993 the conversion of paper titlesto electronic format within the automated land titlessystem was suspended because of a lack of resources,with only 28 per cent of titles being converted.

In 1994 a report by the Department of Premier andCabinet on the business operations of the former LandTitles Office, now the Land Registry, recommended theautomation of all paper titles. Between 1995 and 1997 aproposal to attract private sector funding for the titlesautomation process was unsuccessful. In 1997 approvalwas obtained from the then Treasurer, Mr AlanStockdale, for the automation of all land titles, withinitial funding of up to $62 million and the finalfunding allocation to be determined once tenders werereceived. New tenders for a titles automation servicewere called, with the cost of automation to be fundedfrom excess fees generated from the operations of theformer Land Titles Office.



In 1998 tender evaluation was completed and threecontracts were entered into for project managementservices, land titles data conversion and thedevelopment of the new Victoria online titles system(VOTS). In 1999 the implementation of the online titlessystem commenced, and in 2000 there was a revisedcost estimate of $91.6 million and a revised completiondate for the initial implementation of VOTS ofNovember 2001, with minor enhancements to befinalised by April 2002.

The Auditor-General also undertook an analysis andoverview of the project. In essence, his conclusion wasthat the concerns about project management were:

… further compounded by changes within the LandRegistry’s internal project management structure, due to anumber of key staff departures since 1998, which haveadversely impacted upon the continuity of knowledge andexpertise in relation to the Titles Automation Project.

I am in no position to know precisely who left and why.The Auditor-General does not make any adversefinding as to the reasons for them leaving. At this stage,that matter is better left alone.

After having looked at the current titles automationproject (TAP) management framework, theAuditor-General concludes at page 263 of the report:

The revised management framework should improve theoverall management of the titles automation project and thelevel of accountability provided to senior management.However, it will be vital that the ongoing effectiveness of thisframework and associated management processes arecontinually reassessed to ensure that adequate control ismaintained over the progress and emerging costs of theproject.

From my perspective as the shadow Minister forConservation and Environment and the shadowMinister for Multimedia, I will be observing thesematters with interest. I hope there will be ongoingbriefings as they proceed.

The benefits of the project are set out in table 3.5E atpage 255 of the Auditor-General’s report under theheading ‘Expected reduction in processing times forland title transactions’. The current service time forcomputerised titles is 1 hour, but the automated servicetime will be less than 2 seconds. The current servicetime for paper titles is 24 hours — the automatedservice time will, of course, not be applicable. Thecurrent service time for instruments is 24 hours, but theautomated system service time will be 1 to 10 seconds.The current service time for the registration ofdocuments lodged is 3 weeks for 80 per cent ofdealings, but the automated service time will be less

than 15 minutes for simple dealings and one to fivedays for complex dealings.

The advantages for the users of the services —obviously every home purchaser, vendor and otherperson dealing in real estate in any way whatsoever —will be dramatic. In those circumstances, it isappropriate for there to be a differentiation of fees sothat services delivered over the Internet with suchremarkably more efficient timing will be charged at alower rate.

I have written to the Law Institute of Victoria. Whilethe committee has not made a formal submissionthrough its processes, Mr Peter Lowenstein, the seniorresearch solicitor, has written to me on its behalf sayingthat the law institute does not see anything overlycontentious in the amendments. He states also:

Bearing in mind that the Land Registry is converting toelectronic titles in place of paper ones, the amendments, so faras they affect the register book, seem to be appropriate.

There is, however, one aspect of the bill of which you shouldbe aware. That is section 9, which adds a new subsection (3)to section 120 of the Transfer of Land Act. When the tenor ofthe new subsection is considered, it is obvious a whole newraft of fees will come into existence for what is essentiallysupplying information from a vital public register. In myview — and I hasten to add it is my view, not that of the lawinstitute — it may well be that the general public will bediscouraged by fee differentials from visiting the LandRegistry and, instead, will be encouraged to useDNRE-appointed service providers, whether they wish to ornot. Once again, in my view, this is not in the best interests ofthe public who should not feel discouraged from visiting theoffice of a public register established for their benefit. Thesubsection also opens the way for information splitting. Thatis, a certain level of fee is charged for what is deemed byDNRE to be basic information. A different, and higher, levelof fee is charged for what is deemed by DNRE to benon-basic information. You need to appreciate the fee levelscould be quite artificially set, and, not necessarily, representany real cost differences in sourcing and providinginformation to the public. You have to query — if this sort ofinformation splitting should occur — whether it is in the bestinterests of the public, bearing in mind the information held atthe Land Registry is vital for the day-to-day operation of thestate’s economy, and has been compulsorily provided by thepublic themselves, when lodging documents at the registry.

Finally, bearing in mind the date on which your letter wasreceived, and the need to respond to you by today, thecomments set out above have not been endorsed by theinstitute’s executive committee …

Mr Lowenstein then asks that I indicate that to thehouse and say that it is a speedy response. It is also awell-informed response.

I ask that the Minister for State and RegionalDevelopment pass on to the responsible minister thoseconcerns of the Law Institute of Victoria and that in

DISTINGUISHED VISITOR


setting the new fees under the new regulation clausesthe government bear in mind the fact that it is a publicregistry with information compulsorily acquired fromthe public. The Victorian Land Registry system is oneof the best in the world and maintaining public accessand confidence is very important.

Clauses 4 and 8 deal with the present requirement in theact that when a Crown grant of land is made a duplicatemust be created. The purpose of the amendment is to doaway with the duplicate document for a freehold Crowngrant and enable the Registrar of Titles to immediatelyconvert such Crown grant to electronic form, inaccordance with the manner in which the bulk of landtitles and related information is now held.

Clause 5 deals with the current requirement in the actfor the Registrar of Titles to always create a copy orextract of the original title information held by theregistrar. The requirement is very cumbersome andserves no purpose when the new title has been createdbut is cancelled immediately within Land Registry.

I have received a letter from Ms Pam O’Connell, whois a teacher of property law at Monash University. Shehas written:

I have been looking at fraud issues in land registration for anarticle I am writing. At the recent real property teachersconference in Melbourne in February there was somediscussion with delegates from Queensland about whether theabolition of duplicate certificates of title had led to any fraudproblems. Apparently there have been no identity frauds sincethis change. However, there was resistance from somesolicitors and some landowners and it was found politic toprovide that a certificate could issue on request. If a certificateissues it has to be produced for registration of a dealing. Thegeneral opinion at the conference was that duplicates of titlewere as likely to promote fraud as to prevent it, given thatmost forgeries are committed by trusted agents and confidantsof the registered owner. Abolition of duplicate titles preventsmortgage by deposit, but this loss would not be mourned.Queensland has abolished this type of mortgage, andelsewhere it is now caught by credit legislation. This isprobably the most controversial aspect of the legislation, but itseems inevitable if we are to progress to electronicconveyancing.

The letter concludes with some information aboutforums. Is this a convenient time, Mr Acting Speaker?

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Plowman) —Order! This is a convenient time to break for lunch. Thehonourable member for Doncaster will get the callimmediately after question time.

Debate interrupted pursuant to sessional orders.

Sitting suspended 1.00 p.m. until 2.03 p.m.

DISTINGUISHED VISITOR

The SPEAKER — Order! It gives me greatpleasure to welcome to the gallery Mr Hamdy ZakiHussein, the Consul General of Egypt. Welcome, Sir.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Essential Media Communications consultancy

Mr DOYLE (Malvern) — Can the Minister forHealth confirm that the cost of a consultancy for a drugcommunications strategy awarded by his department toEssential Media Communications blew out by 200 percent and that Essential Media Communicationscontinued to charge the department without properdepartmental approval?

Mr THWAITES (Minister for Health) — Thegovernment has a comprehensive drug strategy worth$77 million. Part of that strategy is to go into bettercommunications, because we have to communicateright across the community to inform people about thedamage caused by drugs — and that is what thegovernment is doing.

The allegations made by the honourable member forMalvern are incorrect. The advice I have received isthat Essential Media Communications (EMC) wasengaged to provide communications advice in relationto drugs. The contract was varied, and all appropriateprocedures were met. The reason the contract had to bevaried was that extra work needed to be done. It wasappropriate that the work was done, and it means thatthe public is able to get a better service.

As I said, I am advised that the initial contract wasvaried and additional work was done. I am also advisedthat the Department of Human Services had a variationthat was approved by the DHS legal unit. There was aconcern about the variation. I had that followed up, andthe subsequent advice I received was that the variationwas properly carried out.

Marine parks: establishment

Mr RYAN (Leader of the National Party) — Giventhe government’s admission yesterday that it has beencaught out trying to introduce section 85 provisions forfishers that are unrelated to the current marine parksproposal, will the Minister for Environment andConservation now reveal the government’s true agendafor the destruction of the current rights of Victoriancommercial and recreational fishers to fish our marinewaters?



Ms GARBUTT (Minister for Environment andConservation) — The government has been clear aboutits intention, which was to limit — —


Ms GARBUTT — Keep going. Carry on! Theno-compensation provisions of the bill clearly wentfurther than the government intended. That has beenmade absolutely clear right from the beginning. We willbe moving a house amendment to bring it back towhere it was intended. It was simply a draftinganomaly.

Dr Napthine interjected.

The SPEAKER — Order! I ask the Leader of theOpposition to cease interjecting.

Docklands: job creation

Mr LANGUILLER (Sunshine) — Will theMinister for Major Projects and Tourism inform thehouse of the latest investment in the boomingDocklands development and indicate how many jobsare likely to be generated by this important project?

Mr PANDAZOPOULOS (Minister for MajorProjects and Tourism) — There has been heaps of greatnews coming from Docklands, the biggest majorproject in town, over the past 12 months. Thehonourable member for Prahran acknowledges that.She has recently been there to look at many of thedevelopments.

I will quickly run through some of the things that havebeen happening at Docklands. In April the Premierannounced that Lend Lease Corporation Ltd had wonthe bidding rights for the $1.8 billion development ofthe Victoria Harbour precinct. Last month I announcedthat the winning tenderer for the Collins Street bridgeextension into Docklands was Thiess Contractors PtyLimited.

Last December I announced that Digital HarbourHoldings had won the development rights to the4.4-hectare site in the Commonwealth Technology Portprecinct. The Seven network’s new Melbourneheadquarters and digital broadcast centre wascompleted in May, and digital broadcasting willcommence next January.

Some 1100 residential apartments have been pre-soldby the Mirvac Group and MAB, and the companies areway ahead of their sales schedule. The waterfront willbe opened up, with views across Victoria Dock,through the development of Harbour Esplanade. That is

all great news about the biggest major project inMelbourne — Docklands — over the past 12 months.

Today I am pleased to announce more great news forDocklands. The first parcel of land in the Batman’s Hillprecinct has been awarded to Pan Urban Corporation,which will construct a $150-millionenvironmentally-savvy, multi-use twin-towerdevelopment. That will create 1000 jobs in addition tothe many thousands of jobs already created — andgrowing — in Docklands.

One of the great things about the development is that itis not only savvy, it is environmentally friendly inadopting the principles of environmentally sustainabledevelopment. It is a smart design that does not trade offgood design and good environmental outcomes. Insteadit provides the best of both worlds. Energyconsumption for airconditioning will be reduced, andthere will be an appropriate maximising of sunlight inwinter and its minimisation in summer. It will be builtnext to the Collins Street bridge extension, which isstarting construction next month, and it will openaround the same time.

There is much great news about what is happening inDocklands. The government thanks Pan UrbanCorporation and the many other companies for theirinterest in and commitment to creating more and morejobs in the biggest major project in Melbourne.


Mr DOYLE (Malvern) — Will the Minister forHealth advise the house how the Essential MediaCommunications consultancy, which was meant to runfor 10 working days at a cost of $19 050, blew out tocost $63 900.25 without producing anything?

Mr THWAITES (Minister for Health) — Thehonourable member for Malvern obviously did notlisten. Extra work was done because extra work wasneeded. This is not something that is surprising. If extrawork needs to be done, you ask for it and it getsdone — and it was.

The last time the honourable member for Malvern saidthere was a blow-out he referred to the Austin Hospital.He went to the press saying that the contract involvingone Bernie McKay had blown out from $46 000 to$98 000.

He was wrong because additional work was requiredand was done. Exactly the same thing has occurred inthis case: additional work was needed and was done.The Department of Human Services indicated that extrawork was required because it flowed directly from the



earlier services that had been provided, and it was notpractical to let another tender at that stage because thatwould have required a repetition of work.

It is appropriate to vary contracts, and provisions in thegovernment purchasing guide relate to this very issue.The government provision says under the heading‘Commercial contract variations’ that contractsapproved under delegation may be varied by up to$50 000 without notice to the accredited purchasingunit. That is exactly what occurred. In this case therewas a provision whereby the director of public healthprudently sought legal advice from the Department ofHuman Services legal unit, which endorsed the contractvariation.

I should also say that there was an internal memo froman officer of the Department of Human Services whichstated that that variation would contravenedepartmental guidelines. Having seen that document Iwas concerned about that and asked my department toadvise whether there was any breach of guidelines inrelation to this. I subsequently received advice from thedepartment that that internal memo was incorrect, thatall provisions were properly adhered to and that thevariation complied with the Department of HumanServices purchasing guide in all respects.

What’s more, at the end of this process it wasdetermined that more work was required and that alarger contract would be involved. For that reason therewas a new competitive tender involving anyone whowanted to bid for the larger project. Unlike under theprevious government, Essential MediaCommunications was appointed according to acompetitive tender. I compare that to the previousgovernment’s actions — time after time it breachedtender guidelines and spent millions of dollars onconsultancies! In summary, in this case, unlike with theprevious government, all the guidelines were properlyfollowed and the government did what was appropriateright the way through.

Trams: dynamic fairways system

Mr STENSHOLT (Burwood) — Will the Ministerfor Transport inform the house of the new deal thegovernment has negotiated with City Link on behalf ofall Victorian motorists, this time in relation to ToorakRoad?

Opposition members interjecting.

Mr BATCHELOR (Minister for Transport) — Ifyou listen you might learn something too.

Mr Leigh interjected.

Mr BATCHELOR — There is no hope for thehonourable member for Mordialloc.

The SPEAKER — Order! The minister, answeringthe question!

Mr BATCHELOR — That is right, the honourablemember for Mordialloc is only prepared to blockadetrains and oppose good initiatives like this one. I remindhonourable members that this government is preparedto negotiate with Transurban to try to get a betteroutcome for the state and the motorists of Melbourne.

As I have announced previously, the government hasreached an agreement with Transurban whereby thecompany will not exercise its contractual rights inrelation to clearways on Toorak Road. As part of thatarrangement the government was to trial theintroduction of a dynamic fairway system to improvethe running times for trams. I am pleased to announcethat as of this week that dynamic fairway system is upand running, and is operating successfully on ToorakRoad. The dynamic fairway is a new signalling systemthat is designed to give priority movement to trams overthe other vehicles that are causing congestion.


Mr BATCHELOR — The honourable member forMordialloc would not be aware of the traffic conditionson Toorak Road, but most honourable members would.Toorak Road is one of Melbourne’s most notoriousbottlenecks, and the levels of traffic congestion have adeleterious impact on the running times of trams. Thedynamic fairway system has been installed at fourintersections on Toorak Road — at Punt Road, ChapelStreet, Williams Road and Grange Road. Electronicsigns have been mounted over the tram tracks andflashing markers have been installed on the road, bothof which are activated when an approaching trampasses a sensor. These signs direct vehicles either tomove off the tram tracks to the left or, where aright-hand turn is permissible, to do a right-hand turn.That will improve the traffic management along ToorakRoad for cars, trucks and trams.

This system has been made possible because the Bracksgovernment was prepared to negotiate with Transurbanand ask it not to exercise its contractual rights, whichwere bequeathed to the company courtesy of theKennett government. It gave Transurban the right toforce cars and trucks onto the tollway. It is interestingthat the Leader of the Opposition, who voted for thatpolicy when he was in government, still proudlysupports it. That is in stark contrast to the great benefits



that have been provided to the people of Victoriathrough the introduction of this program.

I congratulate the City of Stonnington, M Trams andTransurban for their support of this excellent initiative.Unlike this current opposition, the Bracks governmentis committed to developing an integrated transportsystem to try to solve traffic management issues andimprove public transport in Melbourne.

Planning: broiler farms

Ms DAVIES (Gippsland West) — Exactly whendoes the Minister for Planning intend to insert the newVictorian code for best practice for broiler chickenfarms into municipal planning schemes? Will thisinsertion be sufficient to give councils the authority torefuse inappropriate applications without such refusalsbeing constantly overturned by the Victorian Civil andAdministrative Tribunal?


The SPEAKER — Order! The house will come toorder!

Mr Maclellan — On a point of order, Mr Speaker,as the honourable member for Gippsland West knows,the Minister for Planning approved the code yesterdayand issued a public statement saying so. Therefore, Iask you, Mr Speaker, to rule which parts of the questionare in order.

The SPEAKER — Order! The question asked bythe honourable member for Gippsland West soughtinformation from the minister in regard to the planningprocess. The question is quite in order to be posed tothe minister.

Mr THWAITES (Minister for Health) — Thegovernment has accepted most of the recommendationsof the advisory committee, which supports a new codeof practice for broiler chicken farms. The key aspect ofa code is to classify broiler farms into differentcategories depending on their distance from othersensitive uses. The only departure from the committee’srecommendations is that the government will berequiring tougher rules in relation to odour monitoring.

In relation to the honourable member’s question, I havewritten to the Victorian Civil and AdministrativeTribunal, and will shortly write to all councils, advisingthem of the release of the report and the government’sresponse. The code can now be considered as formalgovernment policy in any pending VCAT applicationsor council decisions on broiler farms. I have askedVCAT to bring this to the attention of parties that may

be potentially affected. The code will not affect anypermits that have already been granted by VCAT, butwill affect future applications. The new code will beinserted in municipal planning schemes as soon aspossible, but the advisory committee report requiresthat certain steps be undertaken first. Most importantly,a generic environmental improvement plan is to beapproved by the committee established by the Ministerfor Agriculture.

In the meantime, the government’s policy on the codeis to be classed as seriously entertained planning policyto guide councils and VCAT and enable them to refuseinappropriate applications for broiler farms. In all suchapplications, as in all planning applications, VCAT willbe an independent planning appeals body.


Mr DOYLE (Malvern) — I refer the Minister forHealth to his previous answer. Given that theDepartment of Human Services briefed the minister’soffice regarding Essential Media Communicationscontract breaches on 19 September 2000, and furtherthat the department advised that there were breaches ofDepartment of Human Services guidelines andconditions regarding appropriate invoicing, costvariations, expenditure and total contract value relatingto the contract, did the minister, his parliamentarysecretary or any members of the minister’s privateoffice approve the variations to this contract?

Mr THWAITES (Minister for Health) — I havealready indicated that the departmental officialsappropriately approved the variations — and that wasdone according to appropriate departmental guidelines.In addition to that, because I was concerned about thematter and the fact that there was advice that in oneway the appropriate variation procedures had not beenfollowed, I asked the department for advice on that. Theadvice subsequently received from the department on1 June specifically indicates that the departmentalpurchasing guidelines had been followed, that theywere correct, and that the previous memo, whichindicated that there was some contravention in relationto that, was incorrect.

Tertiary education and training: funding

Mr HOLDING (Springvale) — Will the Ministerfor Post Compulsory Education, Training andEmployment inform the house of the cost to Victoria ofchanges to commonwealth labour market programs?

Ms KOSKY (Minister for Post CompulsoryEducation, Training and Employment) — As many in



the house will know, this Friday I will be debating withthe federal minister, Dr Kemp, and ministers of theother states and territories, the current AustralianNational Training Authority (ANTA) agreementfunding offer, which is on the table. However, thatoffer, while it is definitely better than the previousoffers — and Dr Kemp, for the third time, has increasedit after he said that he would not — has to beconsidered within the context of cost shifting that hasoccurred within the recent federal budget.

As honourable members will be aware, there hasalready been cost shifting in relation to training —almost $1 billion has been cut out of labour marketprograms at a commonwealth level just to shift cost totraining, and those costs are being picked up by thestates and territories. Victoria has also budgeted for$20 million to cover costs associated with the CommonYouth Allowance program, which was acommonwealth decision. In effect, cost shifting hasalready been taking place in relation to training inVictoria.

If we look at the most recent announcements in the2001–02 commonwealth budget over the next fouryears, we see that training credits of up to $800 areprovided for 64 500 eligible job seekers under the Workfor the Dole program and training credits, again of up to$800, are provided for mature-age and indigenous jobseekers. All honourable members would know that$800 is totally inadequate for proper training. If you aregoing to have a proper training program that will berecognised according to industry needs and standards,then $800 is a pittance — and of course thecommonwealth expects the Victorian government topick up the shortfall in that funding. Thecommonwealth makes an announcement and expectsthe states and territories to pick up the costs.

It is estimated that the cost from the 2001–02 Victorianbudget will average around $74 million over afour-year period. That is an additional $74 million thatVictorian taxpayers will have to pay for announcementsmade by the commonwealth government in its mostrecent budget.

On the one hand they offer a few crumbs for the ANTAtraining agreement, and on the other hand they takethem away by making announcements of proposals thecost of which will have to be picked up by the states. Ata time when Victoria is experiencing almost 50 per centgrowth in its apprenticeships and traineeships, thecommonwealth must meet its mutual obligation byproperly funding training for young people.


Mr DOYLE (Malvern) — I ask the Minister forHealth whether it is true that the only reason EssentialMedia Communications was chosen for this bogusconsultancy was because of the impeccable credentialsof its senior consultant, Mr James McGarvey, whoserésumé submitted to the Department of HumanServices consisted entirely of working for a federalLabor MP; for a Kirner government minister; for GregSword, the ALP president; for John Brumby as hisprivate secretary from 1994 to 1996; for the ALP as akey organiser for the 1996 election campaign; and mostrecently, as the campaign manager for his ownparliamentary secretary, the honourable member forFrankston East.

Mr THWAITES (Minister for Health) — Theanswer is no. The honourable member has a certainproblem in that there was a full competitive process forthis appointment.


The SPEAKER — Order! The honourable memberfor Mornington!

Mr THWAITES — There was a full competitiveprocess.


The SPEAKER — Order! The honourable memberfor Monbulk!

Mr THWAITES — That process was overseen bythe appropriate departmental bureaucrats. They chosethis organisation on the basis of criteria.


Mr THWAITES — Members opposite laughbecause they never did this. They never had acompetitive process. They are judging — —


The SPEAKER — Order! The honourable memberfor Wantirna!

Mr THWAITES — They look back on the timethey were in government, when time after time properprocess was breached. Before honourable membersopposite get too excited, we are talking about a contractworth around $60 000 — —




The SPEAKER — Order! The Leader of theOpposition is showing disrespect to the Chair. I shallnot warn him again.

Mr THWAITES — When the honourable memberfor Malvern was the parliamentary secretary, in oneyear alone Corporate Kudos got $493 000 for a contracton communications advice!


The SPEAKER — Order! The Treasurer!

Mr THWAITES — Corporate Kudos is thecompany that took over the business of KNF. Or whatabout this: in the year the honourable member was thereTurnbull Porter Novelli got a contract for $512 000, solet us just look at the other side. Time after time ithappened in relation to various privatisation contracts.In respect of Latrobe Regional Hospital there was abungled contract, and a consultancy of $496 000 justfor public relations around that contract!

As I have already indicated to the honourable memberfor Malvern, proper process was followed throughoutthis, both in the competitive process at the start and inrelation to following the guidelines of the Departmentof Human Services right throughout the whole process.

Rural Victoria: arts projects

Mr MAXFIELD (Narracan) — Will the Ministerfor the Arts inform the house of the actions thegovernment is taking to promote community-based artsprojects throughout regional and rural Victoria?

Ms DELAHUNTY (Minister for the Arts) — Ithank the honourable member for his question and forhis interest in the arts. On this side of the house we havean interest in the arts and culture in the state, rising toan absolute passion.

I am delighted to announce today a boost of$7.9 million for Victorian artists and arts organisations.Contrast that with the former Kennett government’s artspolicy, which, as all honourable members recall, was anedifice complex based in the central business district.The government is delighted to announce that acomponent of that $7.9 million extra boost for the artsincludes $5 million for regional arts, particularlyregional arts infrastructure.

It might be worth noting that the shadow Minister forthe Arts was quoted in the Herald Sun recently assaying:

There has been nothing knew or fresh from government.There have been a few add-ons in rural areas …

Add-ons! Well, $5 million is not a bad add-on! I amtalking about performing arts centres right around thestate, including at Geelong, Bendigo and Swan Hill; theBallarat Fine Art Gallery; and that lovely little galleryin Nicholson Street, Bairnsdale, will also receive someextra money. But we are not neglecting the city. Thegovernment is providing assistance for Craft Victoria’srelocation and funds for the lovely and innovativeTheatreworks in St Kilda, in the seat of Albert Park,which is held by the Deputy Premier.

The government has also increased its support foraccess and participation in the arts. We want Victoriansright across the state to feel they can participate in artsand culture, and particularly in the festivals. To mentionjust one, the Dunnolly Gold Rush has now beensupported by this government.

It is not just regional Victoria; we are taking arts to theworld. We are promoting regional artists and artsorganisations in touring projects from Taipei to Tokyo,Singapore to Seoul, Milan to Moscow, Paris toPortugal, and Dublin to Dili.

One group that is flying overseas to represent Victoriainternationally is the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, which istouring Hawaii and New Zealand. The oppositionmight be interested to note that at the moment it is theonly group in Victoria doing more backflips than theopposition! Another production touring at the Viennafestival is performed by Tom E. Lewis, and Irecommend it to the Leader of the Opposition. Theproduction is called Lift ‘em Up Socks.

Finally, we are seriously investing in young musiciansand rock music development. The government’s policyin arts and culture is to ensure there is access andparticipation. We want to support rock musicians andcontemporary music development. So far as the arts areconcerned, Victoria is definitely the place to be.

TRANSFER OF LAND (AMENDMENT)BILL

Second reading

Debate resumed.

Mr PERTON (Doncaster) — Before the luncheonbreak I referred to clause 5 and to a letter from Ms PamO’Connell from Monash University. Finally, I refer toclauses 6 and 7 which do away with mandatorydestruction of old or historic certificates of title andallow the registrar to save out-of-date certificates of titleso long as the certificate of title is altered so that it is



clear that it can no longer be used to support landtransactions.

I have had the benefit of advice from Middletonssolicitors, in particular Mr Derek Begg, who looked atthe proposal and wrote that the amendment:

… is technical in nature, to assist the LTO, there is nothingproposed that causes any concerns to me. In fact thenon-destruction power (new section 27BA) is the currentprocedure anyway — obviously someone has realised therewas no legislative basis for the procedure.

In other words, for some time there has probably been abreach of the law but the sensible course has been toallow people to keep documents and certificates of titlethat have sentimental value and have been altered in away that prevents them from being used for landtransfer purposes.

With those precautionary statements, the oppositionsupports the bill and will not be moving anyamendments.

Mr STEGGALL (Swan Hill) — The Transfer ofLand (Amendment) Bill represents almost an end to thework that began in this place in about 1985 when we setout to achieve what we then called Landata and to bringonline all land transactions. Some 15 years later we aregetting towards the end of that work.

The program has spread over three governments andhas been embraced by all, as well as by the industry. Itis an example of where technology, having beenintroduced into land transfers, shifts the power andinfluence from departments through to the peopleinvolved in the industry and eventually the generalpublic. People will have access to all impediments onland titles. Instant information, for which we used tohave to pay a lot of money and wait a long time — andin some cases employ solicitors and real estate peopleto get — will now be available online.

It is a large bonus for country Victoria that we havebeen keen to achieve. Access to the land titles officeand all things relating to it will be virtuallyinstantaneous and we will not be faced with the longdrawn-out procedure that existed in the 1980s and1990s. The bill will provide for fees for online servicesto be set by regulation, which is a breakthrough. In anumber of areas we have had trouble getting the feestructures for online services adopted.

An area that is particularly important to us is thetelemedicine operation. We have introducedtelemedicine services to many isolated areas but havebeen unable to reach a fee structure or fee paymentsystem with the commonwealth so as to fully utilise it.

The legislation overcomes that problem and will enablefees for online services to be set. Of course, those feeswill vary depending on the service and the way inwhich it is activated.

The bill will also enable out-of-date paper certificatesof title to be saved for historic purposes. In thechangeover to electronic form, our historic titles will beable to be saved and looked after. Victoria’s titles officehas been one of the best and the systems it has had inplace over the years have been very good. Because oftheir historic nature, to lose those paper titles to newtechnology would have been an indictment of oursociety.

The bill will provide for a Crown grant of land to beimmediately converted to electronic form and willenable related activities to be instantly available andunderstood. Also, when land is resold quickly — forexample, off-the-plan sales — there is no requirementto produce a duplicate certificate of title.

This legislation has been ongoing over many years andhas achieved total support from all sides of the house. Inote that it is a little behind; it was due for completionin March of this year. There is now a revised target forApril 2002. It is also interesting to note that the cost ofthis operation is expected to blow out to $91.6 million,an increase of more than $29.4 million or 47 per cent ofthe original cost estimate, which is a reflection of theeffort and work that has been involved.

This was a huge task back in the 1980s, when it wasfirst tackled. As I said, it began in the early years of theLabor government, continued through the Kennettyears and continues on under the Bracks government.With all of us working together the task will eventuallybe completed and the people of Victoria will be givenaccess to the information. Gaining access to much ofthat information has been difficult for power-typereasons. The capacity to identify impediments to landtitles through the Internet will be of great benefit toeveryone. No longer will it be the case of only oneperson with the information having the power.

National Party members support the legislation andwish it a speedy passage through the Parliament. I trustthat as we progress we will be able to achieve the goalwe set ourselves and provide good service throughoutVictoria for those involved in the sale of land.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr HOWARD (BallaratEast).


LAND SURVEYING BILL


LAND SURVEYING BILL

Second reading

Debate resumed from 3 May; motion of Ms GARBUTT(Minister for Environment and Conservation).

Opposition amendments circulated by Mr PERTON(Doncaster) pursuant to sessional orders.

Mr PERTON (Doncaster) — The bill comes to thehouse as a result of a review of professional regulationsrequired by national competition policy. In preparingthe opposition’s response on the bill I was grateful forthe briefings I received from the department and theSurveyor-General, Mr Keith Bell, who wasaccompanied by Mr Mark Cleary and Mr AlanMcPherson. I am also grateful to the Victorian divisionof the Institution of Surveyors and ConsultingSurveyors Victoria, which proved to be very helpful inproviding not only its resources but also those ofacademics teaching in the field. In addition there hasbeen wide interest in the bill.

While articles on surveying do not appear on the frontpages of the newspapers on a daily basis, surveying isone of the foundations of the certification of landownership in Victoria. As you are aware,Madam Acting Speaker, Victoria and New SouthWales, together with South Australia, are internationalshining lights in the field of land registration certainty.The system of surveying in this state is very much partof that.

The bill provides for a new system of registeringsurveyors. It saves those surveyors who are alreadyregistered but requires them to take part in an annualregistration system accompanied by professionaldevelopment, which is the modern way of regulatingprofessions and professionals and ensuring they remainup to date.

The bill also sets out anew the role of theSurveyor-General as it relates to land survey. Itestablishes the Surveyors Registration Board ofVictoria and outlines its role, as well as providing asystem of appeal to the Victorian Civil andAdministrative Tribunal for those who are dissatisfiedwith the board’s decisions. It also puts in place a systemof offences.

I will not go over all the information referred to in thesecond-reading speech and provided at the briefings, asmany members still want to contribute to the budgetdebate. Most of the opposition’s views on the bill willbe put during the committee stage.

One of the amendments I have circulated relates to therole of the Surveyor-General. I have also circulatedamendments relating to the method of appointment tothe board and to a provision that legislatively puts inplace the minister’s undertaking to appoint theSurveyor-General as the chairperson of the board.

The Surveyor-General has played an important role inVictorian history. The reason Melbourne is such aneasy city to live in, travel around and navigate — —

Mr Wilson — It is the world’s most livable city!

Mr PERTON — As the honourable member forBennettswood says, in undertaking assessments of theworld’s cities, including looking at natural and artificialenvironments and a number of other factors, the Centrefor Population Biology in the United States has ratedMelbourne, together with Seattle and Montreal, as theworld’s most livable city.

Mr Wilson interjected.

Mr PERTON — As the honourable member forBennettswood rightly points out, so much of that is atribute to the work of the early surveyors andsurveyors-general like Hoddle, who set up a gridsystem for the city of Melbourne and ensured that itwas easy to get around, live in and work in.

As shadow minister my contact with both of theprofessional associations and their members has beenpositive. They were much involved in the review of theprofession.

The drafting of this bill does leave something to bedesired. Members of the opposition are aware there aresome power plays at work within the department andthat the position of Surveyor-General, which has hadsuch an historically important role, appears to be beingdowngraded in status, control and responsibility. Otherpublic servants are seeking greater power at theexpense of the Surveyor-General. The surveyorsprofessional associations do not like that and theirmembers have made that clear during the draftingprocess.

Obviously between the early drafts that were producedbetween December and January and the draft that cameinto the house, a number of the concerns of thesurveyors were made good. They now support thegeneral tenor of the legislation, but they believe theamendments I am suggesting ought to be made in anobjective and cooperative drafting process. That is thereason I will be moving them.

LAND SURVEYING BILL


With those few comments I indicate that the oppositionis not opposed to the legislation but will be seeking tomake amendments in the course of its passage throughthe Parliament.

Mr STEGGALL (Swan Hill) — As is the case withthe Liberal Party, the National Party does not opposethe bill and will support the amendments to be movedby the honourable member for Doncaster. I trust thatthe government will give close consideration to theadoption of those amendments.

I noted the honourable member for Doncaster’scomments about the surveyors of the past and the rolethey played in making Melbourne worthy of its tag asthe world’s most livable city. I can assure you that thesurveyors have also played a very strong role in countryareas, and probably made their greatest mark in countryVictoria during the gold rush, when they becameexperts in their chosen field.

As technological change has come about some of themistakes of the early surveyors have been able to becorrected, but it is amazing just how accurate they werein their day. I remember some of the changes whichcame about during my time as a councillor with theformer City of Swan Hill and which affected the oldestpart of the community. When the surveyor’s line wasput over it using the new technology the whole placewas found to be a little out of line. That is common inmany areas where improved technology is used.

This bill comes to us as a result of national competitionpolicy (NCP), which is something I suppose theParliament is getting used to handling. I am amazed athow the Parliament handles some NCP reviews withgreat gusto and runs away from others. With theamendments to be proposed the measure has thesupport of this Parliament.

The purpose of the bill is to replace the Surveyors Act1978 and introduce annual registration for licensedsurveyors. It establishes the Surveyors RegistrationBoard and provides for investigation into theprofessional conduct of licensed surveyors, which I amsure is welcomed by the industry as well as by all whodeal with them. It also provides for fees for themaintenance of the survey control network.

The National Party has consulted quite a lot on this bill,and there has been general support throughout thewhole industry for the changes it will bring to the landsurveying industry. I trust the bill will have a speedypassage and there will be a committee stage to handlethe honourable member for Doncaster’s amendments. Iam not sure what the arrangements are for today. By the

look of the honourable member for Ballarat East, Ithink it’s not looking good, mate! He has got that lowerlip — —

Mr Perton — That intransigent look whichsays — —

Mr STEGGALL — That look of arrogance ofthose in power!

Mr Perton — And which says, ‘We’ve stuffed upbut we’re not going to admit it!’

Mr STEGGALL — That’s right! But I am sure thatif he really considered the approach that the publicbelieves the government has towards life that he wouldbring it on and make sure that we could introduce,debate and discuss those very well-formed amendmentsthat will help this legislation gain the support of theindustry.

The National Party is not opposing the legislation andwill support the amendments to be moved by thehonourable member for Doncaster. I trust that this billwill have a speedy passage through the Parliament.

Mr HOWARD (Ballarat East) — I am pleased tospeak on the bill, which recognises the significance ofsurveyors to this state as a result of 150 years ofoutstanding work. We have heard about the work theydid in surveying Melbourne and other cities of thisstate, as well as the work they have done in surveyingthe countryside across the state. They are clearly vitallyimportant in terms of any transfer of land and indetermining what will be the appropriate boundaries forthat land.

This legislation has been brought forward aftersignificant consultation with surveyors around the state.It is my understanding that through that consultationvarious changes have been carried out. The legislationinitially puts in place an annual registration ofsurveyors and sets a fee which will be paid to the newregulatory board within the government to perform theregulation as it applies to cadastral surveying inVictoria.

In following through on the annual registration thesurveyors will need to provide their details ofqualifications so they can be formally registered. Theannual licence fee will be applied to this registrationand will be passed on to the regulatory body to be usedfor professional development of surveying and toensure that the surveying industry is well supported andmaintains and improves its place at the forefront ofwork in this area.

LAND SURVEYING BILL


The Surveyor’s Registration Board is established by thebill. It will be a skills-based, eight-member board whichwill advise government on the administration, policiesand strategic directions of land surveying and relatedinfrastructure. It will perform an important role inhelping to oversee the work of the surveying industry inthe state.

The bill also establishes the Surveyors RegistrationBoard of Victoria Fund. All fees or any fines andpenalties paid or recovered and any expenses incurredby the board in carrying out its functions may be paidinto or out of the particular fund that will be established

The bill also retains reciprocal arrangements that are inplace to facilitate mutual recognition between states,territories and New Zealand, so we are keeping in touchwith other states and also with New Zealand in terms ofongoing work and arrangements in the surveying area.

It provides for investigations into professional conductof licensed surveyors through a system of preliminaryinvestigations and formal hearings so that, again, wecan be assured of the standard of those carrying outwork as surveyors in this state.

It enables appeals through the Victorian Civil andAdministrative Tribunal for any party affected bydeterminations of the board with regard to refusal forregistration or renewal of registration and theimposition of conditions of registration. They will bereferred to VCAT if any challenges are made in thisregard.

The bill also provides a regulation-making power tosupport the introduction of a survey infrastructuremaintenance fee at a later time, something we willcontinue to work with the industry to develop. Itenables a licensed surveyor to continue to have thepower to enter land, after giving reasonable notice tothe occupier, for the purposes of carrying out a landsurvey. However, the surveyor will not be able to enterinto residences unless he or she has obtained writtenconsent. It relates to the conditions upon which anysurveyor can enter a property or residence and itclarifies those issues. The bill provides for all currentso-called cadastrals, meaning land surveyors, to bedeemed to be licensed under the new bill upon paymentof their fee and it repeals the Surveyors Act 1978 andmakes consequential amendments to other acts.

As I have also stated, in working through the billmembers in the industry have expressed concern abouta number of issues from time to time. This governmenthas worked with Keith Bell, the Surveyor-General, andthe industry overall to attempt to redress those issues,

clarify them and ensure that the legislation is presentedin the best form to enable this industry, which is veryimportant for the state, to work effectively. I am pleasedto see that through those consultations we have ensuredthe position of the Surveyor-General will continue to bea highly regarded position in this community and thatprofessional standards and development can bemaintained.

The many changes of recent years, where fewersurveyors are required to work for the state, as it were,and more surveyors are working in private practice —the movement of the industry from the public into theprivate sector is a move that has clearly been observedover recent years — have left surveyors in an uncertainposition regarding their future, so I am pleased the billhas been brought forward by the government.

With regard to the amendments proposed by thehonourable member for Doncaster, the government willclarify its position on those later this day. I support thebill and trust it has a speedy passage.

Mr WILSON (Bennettswood) — I am pleased tojoin debate on the bill, which provides for a newregulatory framework of land surveying in Victoria. Ithas six main goals: firstly, to provide for the annualregistration of licensed surveyors to perform landsurveying in Victoria; secondly, to provide forinvestigations into the professional conduct of licensedsurveyors; thirdly, it establishes the SurveyorsRegistration Board of Victoria; fourthly, it establishesthe Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria Fund;fifthly, it repeals the Surveyors Act of 1978 and makesconsequential amendments to other acts; and finally, itprovides for fees for the maintenance of the surveycontrol network.

The minister’s second-reading speech reveals that areview of the Surveyors Act was undertaken inaccordance with the national competition policyrequirements as part of a joint departmental andindustry review of surveying regulation. The reviewrecommended that professional regulation continue inorder to protect the integrity of the cadastre, because itunderpins the government’s guarantee of title andtherefore provides significant benefits to thecommunity. However, the current regulatoryarrangements have become outdated and requiremodernising to ensure the profession continues toprovide a high quality surveying service to theVictorian community.

As the shadow minister, the honourable member forDoncaster, outlined in his earlier contribution,opposition members have consulted widely on this bill.

APPROPRIATION (2001/2002) BILL


We have ascertained that there is still a degree of angstwithin the profession about this legislation. Indeed, Ihave received representation from surveyors within myown electorate, and therefore I hope the governmenttakes on board the shadow minister’s amendments and,with the support of the National Party, produces a pieceof legislation that will enjoy broad support.

In his contribution the shadow minister gave a briefoutline of the reasons behind the amendments beingmoved in his name, and I look forward to his furthercontribution on those amendments.

Other honourable members have spoken of theimportance of the role of the Surveyor-General.Following some research on his role I want to reflect oncomments made by the Honourable Alan Hunt inanother place in debate on the Electoral CommissionBill as long ago as 1982. In debate on the bill he stated:

Both bills —

He was referring to the bill before the house and anearlier electoral commission bill —

provide for an identically constituted commission chaired bythe Chief Judge of the County Court or his nominee,complemented by the Chief Electoral Officer and theSurveyor-General.

The speech continues:

The first of these safeguards is the absolute protectionprovided by clause 4 for the Chief Electoral Officer and theSurveyor-General against political interference in theperformance of their duties.

Mr Hunt made the point that the legislation provided:

… the same protection as the Auditor-General enjoys for theChief Electoral Officer and the Surveyor-General so that theywill have absolute confidence in performing their roles withthe impartiality and integrity demanded of them and will beseen to be impartial and independent by the public at large.

It is important to place on the record how important theopposition believes the role of the Surveyor-General tobe in Victoria. I commend the amendments of theshadow minister to the house and hope that we seesupport from the National Party and the government toenable them to go through.

Debate adjourned on motion of Ms DUNCAN (Gisborne).



Second reading

Debate resumed from 15 May; motion of Mr BRUMBY(Treasurer).

Ms DUNCAN (Gisborne) — It is with greatpleasure that I speak today on the Appropriation(2001/2002) Bill, commonly referred to as thebudget — and what a wonderful budget it is! Iparticularly like the theme of the budget, which isdelivering today and building for tomorrow. That isexactly what this budget seeks to do and in fact does. Itshows the government’s enormous foresight, somethingthat was lacking in the previous government, whichwas all about cutting services and reducing money oninfrastructure in order to give Victoria a big, fat surplus.It did not do a whole lot about delivering services anddoing the sorts of things that governments should do.That is its primary role. It is not about accumulatinglarge surpluses; it is about delivering services toVictorians for their taxes.

The budget builds on the achievements of the first19 months of the Bracks government and is intended toequip Victoria for the future, and we see this in all waysin this budget, in the short, medium and long term. Asthe Treasurer has said, it is a budget that is right for thetimes.

The budget is certainly good for the people in myelectorate of Gisborne and for all Victorians. Itcontinues with the government’s rebuilding of ourhealth system and reinvesting in our schools and TAFEinstitutes. It is about protecting our environment,overhauling the corrections system and buildingstronger communities. The budget brings particularbenefits to the electorate of Gisborne in the areas ofeducation, health and community safety, and withregard to community safety the benefits are wide andmany.

The Bracks government has provided an additional$51 million for the construction of eight new policestations. I am happy to say that the township ofGisborne will be getting one such new police station. Inaddition the $51 million will help to replace15 outdated stations around country Victoria. Again,the township of Romsey in my electorate is anotherbeneficiary of this policy. The very old police stationwill be replaced because it is inappropriate and nolonger able to meet the needs of the community. Ivisited the Romsey police station several weeks agoand saw first hand just how difficult it is for police to



operate in that facility. Apart from being physicallyinappropriate it has more than served its purpose.

The new Gisborne police station will be a 24-hour one.It has been long and eagerly awaited by the people ofGisborne. Honourable members may recall that I havespoken about the police station previously. It has quite ahistory. Essentially the previous local member ofParliament had made promises in several previouselections that the Gisborne police station would beupgraded from its very poor facilities to a 24-hourpolice station.

I believe the commitment has been made during thepast two or three election campaigns, yet we have seenno police station on the ground nor any forwardestimates in the previous budgets to indicate it was onthe horizon. In fact quite the opposite occurred: notonly was no funding allocated for it in any of thosebudgets, but an attempt was made to sell the land inRobertson Street, Gisborne, which had always beenearmarked for the police station. It was only good luckthat at the time a number of councillors noted thatalthough the land had been declared to be in surplus itwas not.

The station will no longer operate from its existing site;the new station will be built on land that isappropriately located near the premises of the CountryFire Authority, the State Emergency Service and theambulance station in what will appropriately become aservices precinct. Much concern dating back manyyears has been expressed to me by the residents ofGisborne about the response times they can now expectgiven that when their police station was closed they hadto rely on the police station in Kyneton for most of theirservicing, which caused them much angst because theyfeared that if they required police attendance it wouldnot be available in the time they needed it. Theallocation of $5 million to Gisborne for its new 24-hourpolice station is a fantastic achievement that will givethe people in my electorate, in the township ofGisborne and the surrounding areas, enormous peace ofmind. They will now have a fully equipped andserviced 24-hour police station.

The township of Gisborne has grown considerably overthe past few years, as have the surrounding areas, and itis appropriate and timely that work on the police stationbe commenced. It will provide state-of-the-artinfrastructure for up to 50 police and other staff, and asI said, it will give peace of mind to the people ofGisborne and the surrounding areas.

The work is due to commence in March 2002, and Ihope it will be completed by December 2002. The

$545 000 allocated for the replacement of the Romseypolice station is also welcomed by the electorate. It willbring its facilities and infrastructure up to scratch andequip it for modern policing. As I said, the station, as itcurrently exists, is very inappropriate.

The Bracks government will spend $30 million on aninnovative information technology project to link ruralhospitals and health professionals throughout Victoria.The funding will also put patients and doctors incontact with specialists at major city hospitals. TheBracks government is committed to closing the gapbetween the health services provided to rural Victoriansand those provided to urban Victorians. No longer willrural Victoria be the toenails of the state; instead it willbe an integral part of the foot. This initiative is a step inthat direction. The health technology project will ensurethat health services to Victorians, regardless of wherethey live — whether they are in the heart of Melbourneor the far reaches of the state — are state of the art,highly effective and able to deliver an improved healthservice to all Victorians, which is what the governmentis on about.

In the last budget, as part of the government’s electioncommitment, the Gisborne electorate was lucky enoughto secure $11 million for the redevelopment of theKyneton hospital. At that time it was envisaged that thecosts would be closer to the $12 million mark, so thisbudget delivers an additional $1.7 million for theproject to ensure that the Kyneton hospital is able toprovide the best facilities possible. The $1.7 millionallocation is indicative of the emphasis this governmentplaces on health services, and the Gisborne electoratehas been a beneficiary, yet again, of that commitment.

The government’s ongoing commitment to education isone of the key planks of this budget. All the schools inthe Gisborne electorate will benefit from the$23 million statewide allocation for computer upgrades,including additional computers, hardwareimprovements and networking. Those things are alwaysvery welcome in schools, and the schools in myelectorate have communicated that to me. The Laborgovernment has also injected a massive $283 millionfor education infrastructure that will contribute to thegovernment’s goals of increased retention rates andparticipation in the knowledge economy. Under theMiddle Years of Learning program, money is allocatedto specifically target that area of great need ineducation: this government and this minister understandthose middle years are critical in a student’s education.

I am pleased to say that one of the great beneficiaries ofthe $283 million investment in educationalinfrastructure will be the Bacchus Marsh Secondary



College, which has received an allocation of $4 million.The minister and I were privileged to go there to makethe announcement shortly after the budget was released,and the feeling among the students and the staff at thecollege was fantastic. The staff at the school wereextremely pleased with the budget and the greatbenefits it would bring to the school and students nowand in the future. It reflects the theme of the budget:delivering today and building for tomorrow.

The purpose of the new science and technology centreat the Bacchus Marsh Secondary College campus is toprovide specialist facilities for aquaculture, horticultureand viticulture studies, and it will also be the venue forthe science component of the Middle Years of Learningprogram. The government will organise theredevelopment of the centre in partnership with theBallarat TAFE institute and the Shire of Moorabool,which will ensure maximum return on investment. Thestaff and the school community are very excited aboutthe project and the prospect of being involved in itsdevelopment. As the minister said at the announcement,it is state of the art; it is about innovation; it is aboutmaking sure that our students have all the facilities andthe specialist staff that the centre needs to ensure it canproduce the best possible outcomes for Victoria inscience and technology.

Increasingly we see how important those areas are toour economy and our society, and how our studentsmust be equipped to work in them. I was pleased andprivileged, as was the minister, to make that specialannouncement at Bacchus Marsh. It will be exciting towatch the project develop.

In addition, Tylden Primary School will receive$843 000 for the redevelopment of its staff andadministration facilities and further money fortechnology-enhanced classrooms and improved toiletfacilities. Again, that is a clear example of thegovernment’s commitment to small rural schools.Towns such as Tylden were given nothing by theformer Kennett government. It is fantastic to see thissmall community with the school pretty much at itscentre so excited at the prospect of its redevelopment.The community has been given a fresh start afterfeeling left out under the previous government’sadministration.

The Bracks government has again illustrated itscommitment not just to education itself but to educationin Victoria’s regional and rural towns. This governmentand this minister are not about closing schools butabout enhancing and building on what we have byinvesting today for the future of not only students buttowns and communities.

As I said, all the schools in my electorate will benefitfrom the statewide allocation of $23 million forcomputer upgrades. This additional funding will takethe average computer-to-student ratio in Victoriangovernment schools to 1 in 5, which is fantastic. Again,all schools in my electorate will benefit from the$40 million statewide allocation for purpose-builtinformation and communications technology centres.These state-of-the-art e-learning facilities will beprovided in every government secondary college.

These are some of the immediate and direct benefitsthat electorates such as Gisborne are seeing. The budgetsets the scene for continued economic and jobs growth.The government is about investing in newinfrastructure, about getting the climate right forVictorian business and small business, and encouraginga creative and innovative economy.

A key plank of the budget is the targeting ofemployment. Victoria must have continuedemployment growth. In the year to March 2001 some68 500 jobs were created, which is fantastic for thewhole state. Again, it needs to be emphasised that whilewe saw employment growth under the previousgovernment it was almost exclusively generated in theMelbourne area. The wonderful thing aboutemployment growth in this term of the Bracksgovernment is that one in three of the jobs created is inregional Victoria. The climate is being set across thestate so that towns in my electorate of Gisborne andthroughout regional Victoria will benefit fromimproved employment growth. We do not want peoplehaving to move to major cities to gain employment. Weneed to create employment in those areas so thatcommunities in small towns can continue to developand thrive.

I turn to the great transport benefits the budget deliversto our communities. My electorate has seen greatbenefits from the wonderful Linking Victoria program.There has been a substantial investment in theWoodend railway station, which is aimed at ensuringthat train links from Bendigo to Melbourne benefit allthe communities along the way and that everyone gainsfrom the fantastic growth to be generated as a result of amore efficient service and reduced travelling times.

The government recognises that it is trying to run a railsystem that aims to deliver 21st century rail serviceswhile relying on 19th century infrastructure. Theinvestment in standardising the rail gauge is anotherillustration of the progressive policies and thepreparedness of the Bracks government to invest ininfrastructure to generate benefits for the future. Thegovernment has shown enormous foresight in putting



together the budget. As I said, the emphasis is on jobsgrowth, which has been delivered by investment ininfrastructure, reducing business taxes and encouraginginnovation. All of those things are enunciated in somedetail in the budget.

Businesses in my electorate have expressed theirappreciation of the business tax cuts. The tax reformpackage announced in April is delivering betterbusiness taxes, lower taxes, fewer taxes, no new taxesand a simpler tax system — and there are fewertaxpayers as a result. It has also reduced the paperworkand cut red tape — and as I said, small businesses aregrateful.

The government is investing $193 million over fouryears in initiatives to improve Victoria’s environmentalsustainability and biodiversity by tackling salinity,protecting Victoria’s marine environment and restoringflows to the Snowy River. We can see thegovernment’s commitment to the environment in theallocation it has made to the marine national parksproject.

This is a fantastic budget. I heard opposition membersgoing on about the things that were not in the budget.Some called out, ‘Where are the major projects?’, whengovernment members were speaking. I point out thatthey are right under their noses; they are in mybackyard and their backyards. They are happening atVictoria’s rail stations, schools and hospitals. Those arethe major projects, not the icons in the middle ofMelbourne. They are the serious investments that willstand Victoria in good stead not just for today but forthe future. I commend the bill to the house.

Mr COOPER (Mornington) — The AustralianFinancial Review got it right in its editorial of 16 Maywhen it said:

The Bracks government’s second budget is a disappointingdocument. The Victorian general government sector is aboutto be pushed back into cash deficit, and that deficit isprojected to rise to almost $300 million in 2002–03.

In a comment piece in the paper on the same day AlanMitchell said:

Victorian Labor, it seems, is settling uneasily into thefinancial discipline of government. The Bracks governmenthas budgeted to go from a cash surplus of $1.2 billion in2000–01 to a deficit of $22 million in 2001–02. On presentpolicies, the general government cash deficit is projected toincrease to $300 million in 2002–03.

…

Needless to say, these figures are not exactly highlighted inyesterday’s budget papers. They are tucked away at the backof the 300-page budget statement, where the Victorian

government complies with its obligations to presentcomprehensive budget figures according to the nationaluniform standard.

They certainly are tucked away, but when one goesthrough the budget documents one can find otherreferences that are also disquieting. Table D4 in thebudget paper 2 for 2001–02 is the general governmentsector balance sheet and shows that net debt in 2001was $1.767 billion and that that will steadily grow from2001 through to a figure of $2.363 billion in 2005.Table D1 is the general government sector operatingstatement and it shows the net lending and borrowingfigures, which go from a plus figure of $606 million in2000–01 to a minus figure of $477 million in 2004–05.This indicates that the kind of financial restraint that isneeded to keep the state ship afloat is sadly missing.

All of this brings back memories of the appallingfinancial management, or lack of financialmanagement, that this state saw between 1982 and1992 and that the Kennett government then had toredress between 1992 and 1999. To its eternal credit,that is what the Kennett government did, and theBracks government inherited a significant financialsurplus. I think all Victorians would hope that thatfinancial surplus will not be wasted — that it will notbe put to the sword by a government that is drunk onspending but very low on sensible financialmanagement.

If members were looking for headlines on this budgetthey could come in the following forms: higherspending, lower growth, lower employment growth,reduced investment levels, increased borrowings,increased deficits, and an increase in the unfundedsuperannuation liabilities of the state. These are thekinds of headlines we are seeing.

Mr Baillieu interjected.

Mr COOPER — As the honourable member forHawthorn says, it all sounds terribly familiar. It starts togive all of us, particularly those who were here prior to1992, the sorts of nervous tremors that we got aroundbudget time with Labor Treasurers ranging from thenow infamous Rob Jolly — the modern moneymanager, as he liked to call himself — through to thelast in the line, Tony Sheehan, who had the appallingtask of having to try to sweep up the mess and dosomething about it. To Mr Sheehan’s credit, he did thebest job he could, even though it was a task that nobodycould have turned around.

This budget is forecasting things such as loweremployment growth, reduced investment levels,increased borrowings and increased deficits while also



looking at higher spending and the consequences oflower growth. It is a matter of concern and one thatshould be of concern to this government. It issomething members opposite should be taking veryseriously. They were warned 12 months ago and theyare being warned again. They are being warned by verysober and experienced economic commentators innewspapers of some renown such as the AustralianFinancial Review. Those commentators are saying tothis government: stop and have a bit of think before youcontinue down the path you have set out upon.

Of course the government is setting its credentials inregard to its spending. It is saying that it is going tospend a lot of money. That is welcome and thecommunity will see some results for its money. In myelectorate, for example, a new primary school is to bebuilt in East Mornington. That will be welcome, as wehave seen five primary schools in the Mornington areatrying to cope with a significant increase in growth.Over the past four or five years the bureaucracy in theeducation department has maintained that those fiveschools will be able to accommodate the schoolpopulation growth in Mornington. The schoolprincipals in the area, the local member — me — andothers have said that we do not accept that; we do notbelieve that is right, and finally the penny has droppedand a new primary school is to be built.

On the other hand, while we are getting a new primaryschool in East Mornington, a new secondary college isneeded in Somerville, which is another high-growtharea, but not only has the Minister for Education saidthat a new secondary college will not be built but she isintent on selling off the land so that no futuregovernment can build a secondary college in that area.The minister has outraged the community of Somervillewith her determination to get rid of a site which was,interestingly enough, bought by Joan Kirner when shewas Minister for Education. Joan Kirner recognised thatthere was growth in Somerville that would need to beaccommodated, but the present Minister for Educationsays that she knows better. While I did not agree withMrs Kirner on many occasions, she certainly made theright decision when as Minister for Education shebought that land. She was under no pressure to buy it.In fact, from the point of view of economic sanity itwas a purchase that the government of the day couldwell have done without, given that it was trying to savesome money by that stage because the financial shipwas going down. However, Joan Kirner recognised theneed in a high-growth area, bought that land and now itvirtually has a for-sale sign sitting on it because of thedecision of the present Minister for Education.

Along with a few other members who have asignificant interest in the major project of the Scoresbyfreeway I attended an information forum for thetransport industry at the City of Greater Dandenong’sSpringvale offices on 20 April. Everybody in this housenow acknowledges that the Scoresby freeway is highlynecessary. The Labor Party has gone from a position oftotal opposition to it when it was in opposition to nowbeing a major proponent of the project. The Ministerfor Transport spoke at that information forum and Itook some notes. Those notes reveal that he said thegovernment is committed to the Scoresby project.Victoria, meaning the Victorian government, wants theScoresby project declared a RONI — a road of nationalimportance — and the government wants road fundingto go towards the freeway.

The minister said that the Scoresby project could notproceed without federal funding. His plea to all whowere there, including a number of members of theLiberal Party, was to apply pressure to and get fundsfrom the federal government for the Scoresby freewayproject.

The project is something that all the people who were atthe forum are committed to. It came as pleasant newswhen the Prime Minister announced that the federalgovernment would commit $220 million towards theproject. Virtually everyone welcomed theannouncement, but there were a couple of exceptions.

One was the Labor candidate for the federal seat ofDunkley, the current mayor of Frankston, Cr MarkConroy. The Frankston Hastings Independent of15 May quotes him as saying:

… the $220 million announcement was ‘a disaster’.

We are all waiting with bated breath for his nextannouncement. Those of us who pay any attention towhat Cr Conroy says are looking forward with greatanticipation to his comment on the magnificentallocation by the state government of $2 million to theScoresby freeway project — I repeat, 2 million!Cr Conroy, the Labor mayor of Frankston, describedthe federal government’s contribution of $220 millionas a disaster, yet he has been strangely quiet about themiserly $2 million announced by the VictorianTreasurer, Mr Brumby, in the state budget.

Cr Conroy has also not commented on the article in theHerald Sun of 17 May headed ‘Freeway backtrack’:

Treasurer John Brumby appears to have become lukewarmabout the $1 billion Scoresby freeway, infuriating federaltransport minister, John Anderson.



Asked on radio about the project, Mr Brumby said Victoriadid not have the capacity to pay for it even with the federalgovernment’s $220 million contribution.

Although the federal government has kicked money in,the state Treasurer is now white-anting thecommitments of his colleague, the Minister forTransport. We already have two voices coming fromthe government on this — and no doubt there will be athird and a fourth. The government is showing thateven though it pays lip-service to the Scoresby project,it is still committed to the original position it held priorto the state election in 1999 — that is, that Scoresby isnot on its priority list. The Bracks government is notinterested in committing funds to the project. When thepressure comes on — when it has a chance to kick in$220 million to match the federal governmentdollar-for-dollar and get the project started — it walksaway. Putting in $2 million is an insult! It might as wellhave not put anything into the budget.

However, I find it strange that Cr Mark Conroy is soquick to blast the federal government but so slow to sayanything about the state government’s response — infact, he is so silent that one would have to describe himas a hypocrite. The people of Dunkley are still waitingto hear him comment on this issue.

People like Cr Conroy and others, who are so quick tocondemn, should also be talking about the forecasts inthe budget for lower economic and employment growthin this state. The government has made those forecastsbecause the proof is there already. It can be seen innewspaper articles, such as the one that appeared in theHerald Sun of 29 May under the heading ‘3300 jobslost in industry shifts’, as well as the lists that detail lostjobs and investments.

The Liberal Party is keeping those lists because it wantsto know what is going on. The list I have, which is notcomplete, shows that from January 2000 to May 2001,12 662 jobs were lost as a result of businesses eitherclosing down or shifting interstate or overseas. Is thisthe kind of record the government wants to stand on? Isit the kind of record the government believes will bewelcomed by the community? The government has asurprise coming if it believes that!

I go back to the days prior to 1992, when Victoria wasrightly described as the Rust Bucket State. It seems theBracks government has not learnt from the past; itseems intent on repeating the mistakes of theCain–Kirner governments. Do we believe MarkPhillips, the industrial reporter for the Herald Sun, iswrong when he says:

Victorian manufacturing has lost or is to lose more than3300 jobs — and another 2650 are at risk.

…

Employer groups and unions warn the pain is likely tocontinue, particularly in the traditional manufacturing sectorsof textiles, clothing and footwear, and engineering.

…

Bill Shorten, of the Australian Workers Union, believes jobsare being axed because company managements are makingknee-jerk decisions.

‘There are some bad business decisions being made’, he said.

He would be a good judge, would he not? He has beenin business and risked his own money.

Mr Nardella interjected.

Mr COOPER — Bill Shorten has never risked adollar. Have you ever risked a dollar? Of course youhaven’t! You have never risked a dollar. Virtuallyno-one on the government benches of this Parliamenthas ever been in business or risked their own money inbusiness. The head of the Australian Workers Unioncriticises businesses for trying to survive, but the realityis they can survive when they go interstate oroverseas — they just do not seem to be able to survivein Victoria.

And is it any wonder? Look at the tax regime thegovernment is applying to business. Workcover alonehas forced many businesses out of action. Taxes inother areas have forced businesses out of the state orout of business, yet the government proclaims itself tobe a friend of business. Well, it does not fool business!Businesses are not fooled. They are walking away, andthat is not good news for the state, for young people orfor investment.

As I said earlier, when the government produced itsbudget 12 months ago it got some warning signals. Notonly speakers on this side of the house warnedgovernment members — although I can understandgovernment members wanting to ignore adviceproffered to them by members on this side. I do notaccept that it is a sensible response, but it isunderstandable that they might walk away from anyadvice opposition members might offer. However,rational, sensible, middle-of-the-road commentators arealso offering advice to the government and thegovernment is ignoring them, too. It is about time thepenny dropped and the Treasurer and the Premierstarted to think about some of the things said in theeditorial of the Australian Financial Review that Iquoted at the start of my contribution.



It is a disappointing budget. A big-spending budget,yes; but in all the parameters that make a state grow, itis sadly lacking.

Mr NARDELLA (Melton) — I will talk about thebudget today, but first I will mention St Augustine’sprayer, which might also be called St Liberal’s prayer.It goes something like, ‘Give me chastity — but notyet!’. The Liberal version might be more like, ‘Give mea decent opposition leader — but not yet!’, ‘Give me adecent opposition leader who is not being constantlychallenged — but not yet!’, ‘Give me unity within theLiberal Party — but not yet!’, ‘Give me a leader withthe numbers in his new seat, wherever that may bebecause of the redistribution — but not yet!’.

What a pathetic response to the excellent budgethanded down by the Treasurer a couple of weeks ago,producing $774 million in tax cuts for business.

An Opposition Member — But not yet!

Mr NARDELLA — That is something that theLiberal and National party members only dreamed ofwhen they were in office. They do not know a goodbudget when they see one.

What a pathetic carry-on about the Scoresby freeway!What a pathetic response! Government members had todrag the federal government members kicking andscreaming to the Scoresby freeway altar to get them toput their own money in. They did not want to put theirmoney in. The only thing that forced them to putmoney in was the Aston by-election and the tragicpassing of the former federal member for Aston. That isthe only thing that dragged them to the Scoresbyfreeway altar. But it is not a fair dinkum marriage; theywant to get a little bit pregnant. They do not want to puthalf the money into a RONI — a road of nationalimportance.

The state puts half the money into a road of nationalimportance and the federal government puts in the otherhalf. In this case half the money is about $400 million.However, that miserly lot, which does not communicatewith its federal colleagues and does not care aboutVictoria, put in only $220 million. What a patheticresponse to a really serious issue in the Scoresby area!

I congratulate the Treasurer on his excellent budget. Itis indeed excellent, especially for people in the westand the outer west. That is my concern, because thepeople out there are the electors I represent. Myconstituents have received a large in-flow of capital intotheir services. The budget brings $7 million intoschools in my electorate. Compare that to the situationfour years ago under the Kennett government!

The honourable member for Mornington wants to talkabout running businesses. He was a minister who couldnot run a business. The only thing he could do was floga business off so someone else could run it. He did nothave the capacity or the capability to run businesseswhen he was a minister; yet he says governmentmembers have no experience. Of course we haveexperience. Government members probably have morebusiness experience than honourable members on theother side ever will, because we know how to runbusinesses.

We know what it is to struggle. We on this side do nothave a silver spoon in the mouth from the time we areborn. We do not create the One.Tels of the world. Myconstituents go out and create real businesses and doreal work without the silver spoon in the mouth andwithout the silver service. Members on the other sidehave businesses created for them by mummy anddaddy. ‘Mummy and daddy will give me the money,they will fix me up’ — that is the type of business theyrun. Put them into government, however, and theycannot run anything.

Look at their record in education. The formergovernment’s record in education was appalling:360 schools were closed, especially in country Victoria;8000 teachers went down the hole and were sacked;2000 cleaners got the bullet just before Christmas1993 — what a great Christmas present! For sevenyears those great economic managers devastated theVictorian economy — education, health and theambulance services — and I refer to the MetropolitanAmbulance Service and the $32 million that waswasted on the grubs who were pocketing that money.Yet opposition members have the gall to say they arethe economic managers and the ones who look after myconstituents. Four years ago, not one red cent foreducation was allocated to the western suburbs. Yetthey want to tell my constituents that they are bettereconomic managers. What a load of rubbish!

They are not even united. On one side there is theNational Party and on the other the Liberal Party. Lastnight we saw that they are disunited. They cannot makea decision together. They hate each other.

Last week the honourable member for Brighton, theshadow Treasurer, responded to the budget. Her mate,the honourable member for Warrandyte, had his ownpress conference and stabbed her in the back because hewanted all the kudos and the glory. He could not handlethe shadow Treasurer getting all the attention. What apathetic bunch! They do not care and have never caredabout my constituents. At least there is now agovernment and a Treasurer that do care.



Today I want to talk about broiler farms, which are aconcern in the Rockbank region. Local residents havebeen drastically affected by the establishment of broilerfarms at Rockbank. They are facing a massive battle inmy area. Representations have been made to me and Ihave gone out and talked to residents at variousmeetings. I have put leaflets out informing thecommunity about the Victorian Civil andAdministrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearings both inMelbourne and out at Paynes Road. I have maderepresentations to the Minister for Planning on thisissue, as has the community, and we have been listenedto.

Broiler farms are being built close to schools andhouses and are affecting people’s health. The odour isdriving people away from their homes and is bringingdown the value of properties in the region. There isinappropriate planning and control in the area. Duringdiscussions with the Minister for Planning I called onhim to adopt the draft broiler code of practice to bringcertainty within the area and, more importantly, for theresidents and farmers in areas such as Rockbank.

The honourable member for Gippsland West also has aconcern about broiler farms in her electorate. They areinsidious. There are no controls; they cannot control theodour. I welcome the adoption of the importantdirection given to VCAT on Monday by the Ministerfor Planning.

Broiler farms are a major concern in my electorate. It isan inappropriate industry for the area. I will continue towork with the community to ensure I bring whateverinfluence I can to bear on the broiler industry, alongwith Melton Shire Council, which is appealing to theSupreme Court against the last decision of VCAT —and I support that action to stop broiler farms being inthe region.

The second issue I want to discuss concerns LeakesRoad. Leakes Road crosses the Western Highway atRockbank, which is an extremely dangerousintersection. Honourable members who travel along theWestern Highway will know the intersection I amtalking about. Currently, a flyover is being built atHopkins Road, but a Leakes Road flyover needs to bebuilt. The Leakes Road intersection is past HopkinsRoad going towards Melton and Ballarat on theWestern Highway.

In the past I have raised the issue with the Minister forTransport and have asked him to make representationsto the Honourable John Anderson, the federal Ministerfor Transport and Regional Services. I have also raisedit directly with Mr Anderson. I appreciate the reply I

received from Senator Ron Boswell, the federalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transportand Regional Services. He reported that investigationsand preliminary work were occurring through Vicroadsas an initial step to building the flyover. On behalf ofmy constituents in Rockbank, and other motorists usingthe Western Highway, I asked that the work becommissioned as soon as possible once that preliminarywork is completed. It is a federal highway and is not aroad of national importance like the proposed Scoresbyfreeway, where the state government will fund half theproject and the federal government will fund the otherhalf. The federal government is responsible and thework needs to be undertaken as quickly as possible.

The next issue I raise concerns the Deer Park bypass, a$175 million project, and again a federal road project.The bypass is needed to relieve the congestion andimprove the safety in and around Deer Park, especiallyaround Station Road and Robinsons Road and theCaroline Springs area. It is important that money beallocated to this project. This work needs to be done forthe economic benefit of the region.

The final road project I refer to is Anthonys Cuttingbetween Bacchus Marsh and Melton on the WesternHighway. I raised this issue with the former Ministerfor Roads and Ports, the Honourable Geoff Craige,when I was in the upper house before the last stateelection. This stretch of road is dangerous. It has beenmade safer by the erection of some barriers in themiddle of the road that stop cars crossing the medianstrip and causing head-on collisions. However, it isimportant that it be raised to freeway standard so thatthere can be freeway conditions all the way from theWest Gate Bridge to Ballarat.

I welcome the extra funding allocated to Delahey andSydenham for bus services. Local residents and I haveasked the Minister for Transport to introduce the busservices, which are extremely important to serviceschools and residents who currently do not have anybus services whatsoever. That is a legacy from the pastseven years of the Kennett government. These are newestates where the previous government did not plan orallocate money for bus and public transport services.Mr Anderson from the Delahey residents associationand other residents have been calling for such busservices for many years. There will be communityconsultation on the new services. I want the localcommunity to get involved over the coming months —and it is important the community is consulted.

The budget builds on the other $20 million put into theMelton electorate over the past 18 months, adding up toaround $28 million. It is gratifying to see the



technology and music wings at Melton SecondaryCollege coming to reality, and I would like the Ministerfor Education to attend to open those facilities. Thegovernment is building for the future in a real sense.

I take the opportunity to thank the Treasurer and hisparliamentary secretary, the honourable member forDandenong North, John Lenders, for coming out andconsulting with my constituents when the Harveyreview was being conducted. The honourable memberfor Dandenong North listened to what was being saidby business people in my electorate. I ticked off whatthey were saying and all of their concerns wereaddressed. They were matters such as a reduction inpayroll tax, which is occurring over time, and the liftingof the threshold rate for payroll tax. One of the mattersnot discussed, although it was alluded to, was that thethreshold for land tax should go up, and it has gone upto $120 000. That is a bonus for many of the medium tolarge businesses in my electorate.

A raft of other measures were put in place. The removalof the five taxes and the $774 million saving put inplace by the government are extremely important to thebusiness community. The Bracks government listens tobusiness. It wants job growth in Victoria. The greatproblem — the Minister for Manufacturing Industry,who is at the table, knows this — is that the federalgovernment does not care about Victoria.

I leave you with this quote from a comment by RivkaPile, which appeared on page 14 of the Age of 1 June:

I understand Louise Asher’s frustration with thegovernment’s promises ‘we shall — but not yet’. Her Kennettgovernment was all ‘now’; cuts to schools, now! Cuts topublic hospitals, now! Cuts to public transport, now!

The contrast is remarkable. The government really hasturned the corner in Victoria with the budget.

Mr STEGGALL (Swan Hill) — I always enjoyfollowing the honourable member for Melton. I amsorry he has to leave because I enjoyed his commentson the stewardship of the Labor Party in government inthe 1980s. When the coalition took over it wasdiscovered the budget was only three-quarters fundedand that 25 per cent was funded by debt. We in the thencoalition knew we had enormous difficulties andproblems. It was very different from the budget positionthis government found itself in some years later.

Today I will traverse issues with thoughts and ideas onwhere country Victoria might travel, and I will posesome of the questions that need to be asked andanswered. It is interesting to listen to the nonsense thatcomes out of the mouths of so many honourable

members when they refer to the country, which theyhave no knowledge of at all, and to understandthat — —

Mr Maxfield — Do not talk about the NationalParty like that!

Mr STEGGALL — I will talk like that because ifyou can get your colleagues to understand what countryVictoria is about, what it is doing and what it is, insteadof using it as a political football, then you and I mightget on a lot better.

The changes made by the coalition changed the face ofcountry Victoria. I note the presence of the honourablemember for Ripon. He and I are working through whatwould be the end of one of the most difficult changes inthe provision of health throughout small country towns.It could not be left the way it was; we had to change itand put it into a structure that would work.


Mr STEGGALL — The honourable member forNarracan might be surprised that the honourablemember for Ripon and I have been working with theminister, both here and in Canberra, together with JohnForrest, the federal member for Mallee, to achieve whatI believe will be a good structure for the delivery ofacute and aged care when we eventually get thesolution for our isolated communities. Without thechange most of the hospitals in the area would havebeen lost. The same could be said of the schools —13 schools closed in my electorate and today have beenreplaced by 5 or 6 top-class schools — and not oneparent or community would want to go back to the littleschools of 10 to 15 students. Those changes were vitalfor our children. One of the biggest problems secondaryschool principals throughout country Victoria had wascatching up the education of students from smallschools, and in some cases it took up to three years.

The National Party contributed to changing the face ofcountry Victoria, and National Party members areproud of it. We did it not because it was popular butbecause it was right. I am proud of where we tookcountry Victoria. Obviously we did not win the politics,but we won a strong base for the country to move onfrom.

I take the opportunity now to look at some of the issuesthat need to be addressed — the next range of issuesthat I hope governments and oppositions will consideras we go through the policy areas in the future.Technology has changed our approach to the country,particularly in many of the dryland areas, where huge



machinery and the latest technology is changing thedemographics and structure of our vast society.

We need to maintain human settlement that offersquality of life in sparsely populated areas. How are wegoing to do it? How do we protect the biodiversity andconserve our natural resources and maintain a labourforce in country areas? The Europeans do that through ahuge range of subsidies, payments and grants theymake to the land managers, mainly the farmers. That isnot available to us in the current situation; with apopulation of 20 million people throughout Australia,that is not something we can expect to plan for.

The community infrastructure upgrades are needed inthe interests of on-farm cost savings and efficiencies.Community road, bridge and rail networks must bebrought to a high standard to ensure reliable productmovement from farm to market. All our communitiesare involved in exporting food and fibre production.When we consider our transport and infrastructureneeds we must be aware that farmers, communities andcountry towns are not competing with the town, city orstate next door: they are competing with the totalstructures and infrastructure of South America —including Chile and Argentina — South Africa and, insome instances, America. In Thailand our dairyindustry competes with the industries of Poland andother countries of Eastern Europe. We must try toidentify our needs for community infrastructureupgrades and understand why we are doing theupgrades.

In the future the government must respond to the ageingpopulations of many areas of country Victoria byensuring that services and facilities are put in place tomeet people’s needs. Last year we had a marvellousconference with La Trobe University in Melbourne onsmall towns and the ageing. We considered thedemographic changes in our community in relation tosimilar changes, particularly in the Midwest ofAmerica. We all need to be aware and must appreciatethat active aged people will remain active until they arein their 80s. The aged population now is different fromthat of a few years ago. In country areas we are findingthat whereas people retire and go away — to the northcoast of New South Wales, the Mornington Peninsulaor somewhere else — —

Mr Hulls — Niddrie?

Mr STEGGALL — No, not Niddrie! We arefinding that whereas those people go away while theyare active, as soon as one of the partners dies or getssick, the remaining one usually comes back home to thesmall town. We must be careful to ensure that we do

not deny services to small towns because we are findingthat people who go away in retirement are later comingback to the small towns.

We look to governments and to society to develop andpromote alternatives to land ownership. Leasing,sharefarming, networks, alliances, joint ventures,cooperative ownership and clustering of business arealready starting throughout country areas. I am awarethat the brothers of the honourable member forWimmera are involved in those types of landownership. We must consider alternatives so that theburden of ownership of farms will not be the negative itis in many areas and industries as we compete in theinternational marketplace.

The right to farm is something about which I havespoken many times. I am pleased that the governmenthas now responded to the paper produced and that thecommittee responded to the issues we were looking at. Iunderstand that by the end of this year legislation willbe introduced that addresses some of thoseright-to-farm issues.

I am delighted that the Attorney-General is with us. Wemust get a system in place so that we take some of thefear out of native title claims. We have some coming upin my community right now. While most of it settlesdown to the federal government through the NationalNative Title Tribunal, the future operations of actsrelating to native title by which we will resolve manynative title claims will be the responsibility of stategovernments. We will need the cooperation of theminister and the department to ensure we achieve that.

On the issue of farms and ecotourism, the governmentmust nurture creative approaches to the operation ofnon-farm businesses such as tourism in conjunctionwith the farm business. We need to be able to createknowledge, education and training. People talk aboutthe gap between the city and the country. The real gapis in the understanding. The people of Melbourne haveso many pressures and things on their minds that theydo not understand what life is in the country and thestrengths and the needs there. We understand that thepeople of Melbourne have enough hassles andproblems of their own. They dominate us politically,financially and culturally, but they must take time out totry — and governments must make sure that they do —to understand what we do.

Earlier I was surprised that a member from the country,the honourable member for Narracan, showed howlittle people know and understand. He comes from abeautiful part of Victoria in Narracan, which is an areathat has changed. It is one of the two different types of



country in Victoria. Narracan and Gisborne would bethe two seats where the people have chosen a lifestyle.They protect very strongly what they have. They arenot looking for new development, production orindustries, because they have a lifestyle and Melbourneas a commuter base. That makes them different; Iunderstand that and I just ask that those members try tounderstand the problems of some of our areas and whatwe need in them.

One of the matters we are looking at and that I hope thegovernment may consider is payroll tax concessions forinvestment in country areas. We must ask the question:should we put in place positive discrimination such astax breaks in favour of businesses or communityoperations in targeted small towns of, say, up to1000 people? I will give honourable members an ideaof what that would mean in an electorate such as SwanHill so that they understand that things are quitedifficult. In my electorate such a scheme would includethe small towns of Sea Lake, Charlton, Birchip,Wycheproof, Donald, Inglewood, Boort, Pyramid Hill,Wedderburn, Serpentine, Manangatang, Nyah, LakeBoga, Nyah West, Ultima and Piangil. If theredistribution is put in place, the most likely additionswill be Murtoa, Minyip, Rupanyup and Warracknabeal.That is just one electorate.

An honourable member interjected.

Mr STEGGALL — No, St Arnaud has more than1000 people. I was referring to positive discriminationfor communities of fewer than 1000 people.

I refer to some of the new country industries that Iwould like to see us and our science programs,universities and education system move towards. Weneed planned land use change on a large scale if we areto position farmers and small rural businesses to makemore money without degrading the natural resource.Planned land use on such a scale is new and willchallenge us. Only when farmers make more moneyfrom sustainable industries will the social andenvironmental capital of country areas be enhancedrather than run down.

We must invest in the development of profitableagricultural industries based on suites of differentperennials for different soils, systems and climates.Those industries will have to stand the triplebottom-line test of economic, environmental and socialbenefit to offer long-term regional growth anddevelopment. Believe it or not, those things are startingto be talked about in northern Victoria and, I am sure, inother parts of the state.

On the production of alternative fuels such as ethanoland other biomass-based products, we must begin thetransition to a biomass-based economy, which has thepotential to help restore the landscape and createthousands of new jobs in Australia by halfway throughthis century. This will require the planning of thousandsof hectares of sustainable crops including oil-producingMallee scrub and other food stocks. Plantings couldalso produce eucalyptus oil, activated carbon, greenelectricity and other products for increased farmprofitability. Small regional power plants would lowerthe cost of fuel in regional areas and returns would stayin the local area. That is interesting to look at, thinkabout and consider. Only an hour ago an email arrivedfor me from America which summarised advances inethanol production from corn. It claimed that it is nowpossible to get an economic return from ethanol. I willnot read the article now as it would take too much time.

These issues are not the stuff of dreams; they arehappening around the world. The minister would beaware that in Western Australia Woodside and someother companies are investing in large-scale productionof Mallee scrub — oil Mallees — for their water table.These companies are building a plant which willconvert the scrub to eucalyptus oil, activated carbonsand the production of green electricity. As manyhonourable members will already be aware, each of ourdistributors has to supply a certain amount of greenelectricity over the next few years. These types ofthings are possible and, in some cases, already exist.

The minister has been involved with part of theMurray–Darling Basin studies and the work that isbeing done there. The past few years have seendevelopments in land care, salinity plans and otherthings that have been absolutely fantastic in the country.They have changed people’s minds and thoughts aboutthe way they approach land use. That is just about overfor the major operations. Now there need to belarge-scale operations to make sure the Murray–DarlingBasin, particularly in the Mallee where I come from,the Lachlan and some parts of New South Wales andSouth Australia are able to get a stable operation inplace.

It is very exciting, but I do not see much of this sort ofdevelopment in the budget. I do not see or hear muchdiscussion in this place of these types of things. I wishwe had more, but we do not. Maybe the Minister forAgriculture, who has been good enough to join us,might consider coming into this place one day andmaking a ministerial statement on the future ofagriculture as he sees it and let this Parliament, with themajority of its members coming from Melbourne, hearand discuss the issue for a couple of hours, at



10 minutes a go, so that we could examine and exploresome of the issues which we as a society need and canmove toward. Today, enormous scientific knowledgefrom both around the world and locally is available tous. I believe there is a lot of goodwill in the corporatesector. The federal government has shown similargoodwill through its commitment to theMurray–Darling Basin and the states. They can put up alot of money to tackle the issues in these areas. It has ahuge spin-off in all our country areas — country towns,schools and hospitals, the whole box and dice.

That knowledge is available to us. The minister mightconsider making such a ministerial statement. I hope hedoes. This Parliament has not seen anything like that,and I would very much appreciate it. It is only on adebate such as the budget that honourable members canmove into that type of discussion which needs tohappen in this place. When you listen to the commentsthat are made against the country by the city members,mainly from the government, you are horrified to thinkjust how little they know.

I have to tell the house this: I had some friends up toSwan Hill at the weekend. They suffered from a reallack of knowledge and could not understand what washappening in that area. However, they were fascinatedby what was going on and how we handled thesethings. They do not know anything about that. Themedia in Melbourne will never tell them of what we aredoing. Metropolitan-based people need to have a farbetter knowledge of what this great country of ours is.Gippsland, the south west, the north east, the north westor northern or central Victoria are all very specialplaces and I am very proud of country Victoria; itspotential is fantastic. We must identify exactly who weare, what we stand for and what our ability is to be ableto sustain our land and people bases and our business,which is basically the export market. This is what wehave to do.

That is just a very short summary of some of thesubjects that I would have liked to have seen in thebudget.


Mr STEGGALL — We’ve got a few more pageshere!

Members of the National Party would have liked to seea little bit more in the budget. Some initiatives are in it,and I hope we will be able to improve the operation ofcountry Victoria in the future.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Richardson) —Order! The honourable member’s time has expired.

Mr MAXFIELD (Narracan) — The Bracksgovernment’s budget is one that reflects the balancebetween economic responsibility and the needs of thecommunity. I note with interest members of theNational Party leaving the chamber and ignoring thedebate on the budget and the issues.

Mr Lupton interjected.

Mr MAXFIELD — I will not be diverted by thecomments from some departing members whoobviously do not want to hear about a budget that looksafter rural and regional Victoria. This budget deliversfor rural and regional Victoria. Certainly, it is a budgeton which I am very proud to speak. As I go through myelectorate I see where this budget has delivered inspades. For example, the Ellinbank Dairy ResearchCentre took delivery of $12.5 million to rebuild itsresearch facility. The excellent Minister for Agriculturehas put a huge amount of effort and resources into thisproject. He deserves to be congratulated for showingfaith in the centre, which has already shown worldleadership in a range of areas. It will now be enhancedand expanded by a fantastic development.

During my speech I will go through a range of otherissues, but I want to get on to a point where, sadly, therehave been some negatives in our community. Forexample, the National Party has targeted the LatrobeValley in some sort of vicious and hateful way.Personally, I cannot understand why.

Several weeks ago the honourable member forShepparton stood up in the house and made some sadcomments about the Latrobe Valley, which showed hisignorance and indicated the view of our regions held bythe National Party.

He said that in the mid-1990s he visited the LatrobeValley. During his speech he suggested that SEC stoodfor ‘slow, easy and comfortable’! He claimed thatworkers in the Latrobe Valley were looking for an easylife and suggested that they wanted to do as little workas possible. The house has just been debating thevilification legislation, yet sadly the National Partywants to vilify the workers in the Latrobe Valley whohave delivered power to this state for many years.When we switch on our lights we enjoy the benefits ofthe power generated in the Latrobe Valley — but whatdoes the National Party say about that, through thehonourable member for Shepparton — —

Mr Maughan — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, I wonder what this has to do with theappropriation bill. The honourable member is spendinga lot of time referring to comments made by the



honourable member for Shepparton on an electricitybill. What he is talking about is irrelevant to the debate,and I suggest you bring him back to the debate beforethe Chair.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Richardson) —Order! The budget debate is wide ranging, andtraditionally a great deal of freedom has always beenextended to honourable members.

Mr MAXFIELD — If honourable memberslistened to my speech they would know that I amgetting to the rescue package in the valley. But thehonourable member for Shepparton said that workers inthe Latrobe Valley tried to do as little work as possibleand attempted to cut productivity. Those comments area tragic indictment of the views held by the NationalParty.

The workers of the Latrobe Valley have suffered undereconomic rationalism, including seeing their jobsslashed. Did the Kennett government look after thevalley and show support for the people who lived there?No, it just attacked the workers who delivered power tothis state.

I want to know whether the Leader of the NationalParty supports the views expressed by the honourablemember for Shepparton. More importantly, I want toknow whether one of the upper house members forGippsland Province, the Honourable Peter Hall, whosupposedly represents the valley, also supports thecomments made by the honourable member forShepparton. I call on him to tell the Latrobe Valleywhether he supports those disgraceful comments. I willwait with interest to hear their responses to theappalling attack on workers in the Latrobe Valley.

Under the guise of protecting the people of Yarram theLeader of the National Party has made a song anddance about the closure of the Won Wron Prison. Thisis a major issue in the area, and it needs to be handledcarefully to ensure the people down there are lookedafter. Sadly the Leader of the National Party hasdecided to play politics with this issue.

On hearing about the closure of the prison, the chiefexecutive officer of the Shire of Wellington contactedBill Bolitho, the Labor Party candidate for Gippsland,and said, ‘Can you give us some assistance?’. BillBolitho organised for a delegation to meet the Ministerfor Police and Emergency Services, and obviouslyknowing that it was important to have a local memberinvolved, he also invited the Leader of the NationalParty to attend that meeting.

The Leader of the National Party tried to pretend he hadarranged it all, when in fact he was just invited to comealong. Unfortunately he was not putting his communityfirst; he was putting the desperate chase for votes first,playing politics on an important community issue.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Richardson) —Order! The honourable gentleman is now crossing theline. He is engaging in direct attacks upon anothermember of this institution. I caution him to return to thematter before the house, which is the appropriation bill.While he can range widely, there ought to be at leastsome reference to money!

Mr MAXFIELD — I acknowledge your advice,Acting Speaker! The budget makes me proud to be amember of the Bracks government. In going throughmy electorate I realise that education is a high priorityin the budget. Providing more than $10 million throughthe education precinct in the Latrobe Valley is anexample of the Bracks government’s budgetcommitment to educating youth in the City of Latrobe.

The young people of Latrobe have suffered fromneglect in the past. The Bracks government’scommitment to the education precinct and the fundingannouncement made by the Minister for PostCompulsory Education, Training and Employment willcertainly hold our region in good stead. Additionalfunding of $1.6 million has been allocated to WarragulSecondary College as part of an ongoing refurbishmentprogram. I recently visited that school, which looks likea complete bomb site as major renovations are beingundertaken. The additional $1.6 million will see itdevelop into a wonderful secondary college thateveryone in the Warragul area can be proud of.

Moe is a town with tremendous heart and spirit. TheMoe police have worked under the most extremeconditions imaginable. The previous Labor governmentpromised the people of Moe a new police station, butsadly the Kennett government reneged on that promise,so for the duration of the seven dark Kennett years wehad no police station.

The funding provided for the new police station in Moemeans that will soon see construction commence. Moewill have a police station that will provide for the needsof our police now and into the future. The police do awonderful job in Moe; it is certainly a force we can beproud of. We need to give local police officers a policestation that will stand them in good stead.

In Trafalgar the Baw Baw Technology Centre is goingfrom strength to strength. The move towardsestablishing a community bank to replace the



Commonwealth Bank branch that was pulled out of thetown is certainly good news. It is a disgrace that theCommonwealth Bank has removed itself, but the townis moving towards a community bank, as is theNewborough township, which is next to Moe. SadlyNewborough has also lost some of its banking facilities,so it is going down the track of setting up a communitybank.

While we are on the topic of community banks, I pointout that the Neerim South Community Bank is openand performing according to expectations, if notexceeding them. A community bank is also beingestablished in the township of Drouin. Although it isnot in my electorate at present, given the draftboundaries I look forward to representing the town inthe future. The local people have jumped all thehurdles, so the construction of the bank building in thetownship should start very soon.

We are seeing a revitalisation of banking services rightacross the area. As a local member I am proud to haveassisted in some small way to ensuring that we have abanking service. The big banks abandoned us, but weknow our community banks will not. Who would voteto close down their banks? That is why I am excitedabout the community banks, which will be wonderfulfor our area.

Mount Baw Baw is a ski resort that we inherited fromthe Kennett government in bad shape. Governmentfunding has been invested in the mountain in the pastfew months, and the lifts have been upgraded and theirsafety improved. There has been a range of problemson the mountain, which have resulted in a lot ofturmoil. However, the Bracks government is committednot to sweeping these problems under the carpet but tofacing them head on and dealing with them.

I look forward to the successful future of Mount BawBaw. I will be up there next weekend for the opening ofthe season, although I doubt that there will be anysnow. I also look forward to meeting members of thelocal community and examining the plans for thedevelopment of the great mountain and great resorts wehave there.

Below Mount Baw Baw the plans are progressing wellfor the refurbishment of the Toorongo Falls area, whichhas fallen into neglect over a long time. Thegovernment is looking at proposals with its workinggroup to open up the Tarago Reservoir for recreationaluses, which will see a tremendous focus on tourismthrough the region. Improvements are also being madeat Walhalla, with new caravan parks being installed.Already through the community jobs program the

unemployed have built a replica of the originalWalhalla railway station, which I had great pleasure inopening the other day and which will be a great bonusto the Walhalla community. The budget has taken intoaccount the focus on tourism in the area and the Bracksgovernment is committed to growing not only myelectorate of Narracan but the whole state.

The Minister for Agriculture is part of the ministerialtask force that is looking at a rescue package for theLatrobe Valley. Soon honourable members will behearing the results of its report, which looks at thewonderful revitalisation to be achieved with the supportof the Bracks government. It will be in stark contrast tothe neglect of the seven dark Kennett years.

Moving through my electorate to Noojee, by combiningthree different government programs and with localgovernment support the streetscape and surrounds ofthe Noojee township are being revitalised at a cost ofmore than $180 000. Situated at the foothills of MountBaw Baw, Noojee is a fantastic and beautiful town, andmore and more tourists and people from the communityin general will come to enjoy the wonderfulenvironment there.

Unemployed people are doing a lot of the work. It isnot part of the work-for-the-dole scheme but real jobsthrough real work programs, and includes training sothat when people finish their project they have acertificate saying what experience they have gained.They can say to a future employer, ‘This is the work Ihave carried out. This is what I have done’. I amexcited about the work that has been carried out inNoojee and about the community jobs program. Thosetypes of programs are now happening in other parts ofmy electorate and the Bracks government should becongratulated on them. Not only are they giving workto unemployed people, they are also giving training,hope and a future.

The government inherited some bad planning decisionsfrom the previous Kennett government in the form ofBoralla Farms at Labertouche. I value the Labertouchearea and I am working with the community on theBoralla Farms issues and the potential threat to thedairy industry. The government is looking at the code.The protection of our farming regions is something thatI can describe only as very important.

To finish my comments on the budget and how it hasaffected my area, a disappointing note for me as thelocal member has been the Yallourn Energy powerstation. Yallourn Energy has treated its workers in amanner that can only be described as sad anddisgraceful. As somebody who has represented workers



over many years it is sad for me to see a company thatis not really interested in negotiating genuinely with itsworkers. It is not interested in working through theissues in a way that can deliver a proper outcome.

I contrast that with Hazelwood Power, which operatesthe neighbouring power station and which has recentlymanaged to reach agreement with its workers. Thatagreement provided security for the workers, areasonable pay increase and efficient operation of thepower station. It means the operators can give theworkers reliable work and at the same time deliver agood outcome to the power station owners.

I strongly urge Yallourn Energy to look at what hashappened at Hazelwood and to follow that path with itsown workers in working through its industrial relationsproblems. The community cannot afford the mineworkers losing their jobs. It cannot afford to have200 people made redundant. I plead with and imploreYallourn Energy to care for its workers and to negotiateproperly with them towards a decent outcome that willdeliver security for the power station and mine workerswhile at the same time delivering a good outcome forthe company. It is possible to achieve that, and Istrongly urge the company to sit down and negotiategenuinely with its workers rather than engaging in theappalling and heavy-handed tactics it has used up tonow.

I finish my comments on the budget by saying that it isa wonderful budget. I am thrilled with the work that hasbeen achieved in my electorate over the past 12 months.There are difficulties but with goodwill they can beworked through.

Mr ROWE (Cranbourne) — I suppose one canunderstand the theme from the film Deliverance.Florian Andrighetto must have been terrible as a mate!

I rise to speak on what people call a Bracks governmentbudget, but it is a Brumby budget, and like the wild,elusive horses known as brumbies this budget iscertainly wild and elusive because it is the ‘not now’budget. There is no direction in it for Victoria orMelbourne. The budget has let down rural Victoria andsouth-eastern and eastern metropolitan fringe. Thatthere is absolutely no commitment of funds to thisrapidly growing area of Melbourne shows that theBracks government and the wild Brumby have totallyneglected those people of Melbourne.

This high-taxing, high-spending government’s ownbudget papers show there is going to be a cash deficit.The government is going to spend more money thisyear than comes in from its revenue sources.

Mr Wilson — Old habits die hard!

Mr ROWE — Certainly old habits die hard. Itreminds me of the 1986 and 1988 big-spending budgetsof previous Labor governments that delivered nothingand created nothing but lost everything for Victoria.

One wonders how that has come about, because if onelooks at the budget on a percentage basis and comparesit to the federal budget one sees that the surplusesinherited by the Bracks Labor government as apercentage of gross state product are far in excess of thesurpluses created as a percentage of gross nationalproduct under the federal government. On a percentagebasis the Victorian government had a lot more moneyto spend, but where has it gone? It certainly did not goon creating employment in outer south-easternMelbourne or on completing roads or major projects. Ithas gone on recurrent expenditure — that is, payingwages and paying back favours to the teachers union,the Transport Workers Union, the Construction,Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and all those othersectional interest groups that supported the ALP whilein opposition and funded its election campaign.

When we look at the budget papers we find that thisyear the Labor government has had windfalls in stampduty, land tax and payroll tax. One would think thatwhen a government has windfall gains and recordsurpluses it would return at least the excess of what itreceived over what the predictions were. But not thisgovernment, despite its claiming to have given taxrelief to businesses and the wider Victorian community.It certainly did not do that. Its so-called tax package isin fact less than the windfall gain it received on land taxthis year.

Let us look at the tax relief it has provided. The land taxamendments were trumpeted as being a great benefitfor the small investor in Victoria, but the governmentforgot to tell the people of Victoria that the newvaluations are yet to come into effect. Over the pastfour years since the previous valuations, because of theefforts of the Kennett government while running thefinances of the state, people have come back to Victoriato purchase properties and establish businesses, whichhas forced up land and house prices. So, what is the netresult of the land tax changes? More land tax! Theamount of land tax has increased to more than thegovernment collected last year. The government willalso receive more stamp duty than it collected last year.

Let us look at payroll tax. The government hastrumpeted the payroll tax changes, but all the land taxand payroll tax changes will occur in the future. Theywill not be a net cost to budget at all. In fact, there will



be a net increase in payroll tax, land tax and stamp dutytax. On top of that, the government will receive theincreased revenue coming in from the GST which goesdirectly to the states. This government has a bag full ofmoney, but it is wasting it and it has put Victoria into acash-deficit position some 20 months after takinggovernment.

We need only look at the Auditor-General’s Report onMinisterial Portfolios tabled today to see a $600 millionunfunded liability in the Workcover system. Thisgovernment said the Workcover scheme would be fullyfunded. It reintroduced common law and brought thelawyers back into the system, but who is getting thebenefit? Not the injured workers; certainly not those inmy electorate — one woman had to wait seven monthsfor a benefit to be paid on the death of herhusband — —

Mr Maclellan — Slater and Gordon.

Mr ROWE — Slater and Gordon and the Laborlawyers are pocketing the money.

We will not see any dramatic increase in capitalspending this year, because all the government’s capitalspending is put down for future years. We will not evensee it next year: the government will not create evenone job in Victoria out of capital expenditure next year.It all represents future spending. The government hassuccessfully put Victoria back on the road to debt. It hasput Victorian and Victorians — every man, woman andchild — back in the red.

I turn to my electorate, which is fairly representative ofouter Melbourne. It is one of the areas, like Knox,Casey, Dandenong and Whittlesea, that has beenneglected by the Labor government. I refer to roadsfunding for the Cranbourne electorate. I have beenrunning a black spot program — —


Mr ROWE — It is certainly part of a marginal seatcampaign. I always work in a marginal seat — if youwork hard the people appreciate it. I thank thehonourable member for his interjection. You need to bein your electorate to understand your electorate. I amafraid the Labor Party has lost that notion after just20 months in office.

In the Cranbourne electorate I have been running ablack spot funding program by utilising one of theavenues provided by the minister responsible for roads,and I thank for him that. It has certainly given me anopportunity to communicate with my constituents andto be able to put projects up for funding. However, not

one of the 13 projects has been funded. Not one! Oneshould not be surprised at that. One need look only atthe Cranbourne–Frankston Road, which the formerKennett government put into the forward estimates ofVicroads for funding two years ago!

Mr Maclellan — I remember a former Minister forTransport, Jim Kennan, receiving a deputation aboutthat.

Mr ROWE — That was 15 or more years ago. TheCranbourne–Frankston Road through Langwarrin hasnot had one red cent committed to it. Conroy andcompany and the honourable member for FrankstonEast are running around making all sorts of noises andblaming Vicroads, but it has been the no. 1 priority ofthe City of Frankston for three years. It is the ministerfor roads who has failed to allocate the funds. Freedomof information documents show that although Vicroadshas it as its no. 1 priority for funding in the Frankstonarea not one red cent has been allocated.

One can imagine that when a federal election campaigncomes along the minister will all of a sudden come upwith a magic pot of money so that Mark Conroy, theLabor candidate for the federal seat of Dunkley, will beable to race out and announce it. However, it is theLabor Party and its political tricks — the Conroy tricks,the Viney tricks — that have stopped this road frombeing funded until now.

Thompson Road is a road for which the formergovernment announced a three-stage strategy. The firststage was funded but stages 2 and 3 still requirefunding — and not one red cent has been allocated.

I turn to the Berwick–Clyde Road. Plenty of money hasbeen spent in the electorate of the Minister for Gaming,but the most dangerous section — the section theformer government declared a government main roadso that the state government would take responsibilityfor it and fund it — is narrow, has B-doubles andsemitrailers carrying produce from farms and farmmachinery travelling on it. It also has mothers andchildren travelling on it to the Clyde Primary School.Again, not one red cent has been allocated.

I turn to the Cranbourne–Narre Warren Road. Theintersection of Greaves Road with Pound Road andCentre Road has not had one red cent committed to it,not even for the overpass or underpass — whatever thegovernment decides to do — at the Narre Warrenrailway crossing.

I turn now to transport. During the election campaignthe Labor Party promised it would extend the electrifiedrail line to Cranbourne. When formerly in government



the Labor Party wanted to use federal funds to putSprinter trains on this line. However, through the goodwork and dedication to an area that he oncerepresented, the honourable member for Pakenham,who in the Kennett government was a senior minister inthe Department of Infrastructure, along with AlanBrown, a former Minister for Public Transport,negotiated with the then federal Labor government toelectrify the line. It was cheaper to electrify the linethan to run Sprinter trains.

What the Bracks government is now proposing is amickey mouse extension. When I worked with theformer Minister for Transport, Robin Cooper, we knewthat the cost of extending the line to the Cranbournecomplex would be $28 million. To maintain the trainseparation and train timetable the line from Cranbourneto Dandenong had to be duplicated, which meantbuilding a new line from the intersection south ofDandenong into the Dandenong railway station.

The Bracks government has announced that it islooking into a project — all the planning for aduplicated line was done by the former Kennettgovernment — but it is looking into a mickey mousesolution that will not provide the promised publictransport system. In addition, there has been noallocation within that project for grade separations atthe Cameron Street intersection or at theSouth Gippsland Highway.

Turning to schools, no money has been allocated forstage 2 of the Tooradin Primary School, which hascomprised portable classrooms for 30 years. The formergovernment committed the money for stage 1. Whathappened to stage 2? No money has been allocated forstage 2! Following last year’s budget I had to embarrassthe minister by raising the funding issue in the media,and miraculously the money was found.

In an announcement to be made in the next threeweeks, Rangebank Primary School will possiblyreceive some planning money. The former governmentwas going to replace the portable classrooms at theschool. There is no announcement on the upgrade of thebadly needed Cranbourne Secondary College Victoriancertificate of education facility, and the government hasreannounced the building of classrooms at CourtneyGardens and Langwarrin Park schools.

There is also no money for Carrum Downs SecondaryCollege. In referring to that college, I wonder about thehonourable members for Frankston East and Carrumand their gratuitous intervention by sticking their nosesinto the project. The former government commenced topurchase all the land, and only one title remains to be

purchased. It is currently up for compulsory acquisitionand the government is negotiating a price, whichobviously is a sensitive issue. What do the honourablemembers for Frankston East and Carrum do but standon the damn block of land and say, ‘We definitely wantthis land; we will get it and open a school within12 months’, which will be miraculous, as the school isnot even planned.

They have driven up the price and not taken intoaccount the fact that an 84-year-old widow lives on theproperty. Her distressed family rang me to say that thegovernment was pressuring her, and that the remains ofher husband are buried in the front yard of the property.Obviously, the stories about the honourable member forFrankston East moving to Carrum and the honourablemember for Carrum moving to Chelsea Province aretrue. One would hope that they try to do something intheir own electorates rather than mucking up the earlycompletion of a school in my electorate.

I turn now to parks and the environment. The Kennettgovernment announced two years ago that it wouldfund the $20 million Australian garden project at theRoyal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne. This very goodproject will create hundreds of ongoing jobs in tourismas well as complementary occupations withinCranbourne, but not one red cent has been allocated toit in this budget. I have spoken to the people at thebotanic gardens, and they are hopeful they might get ahandout for some planning money. However, theformer Minister for Planning and Local Governmentwould be able to tell us that the planning has alreadybeen done. The former government was to fund theconstruction over five years, but not one red cent hasbeen allocated to the Royal Botanic Gardens inCranbourne this year.

Mr Maclellan interjected.

Mr ROWE — Of course, the government will wantto bring private money into it instead of recognisingthat it should be funding a great project for Australia,Victoria and the people of Cranbourne.

This government has made an art form of openingcompleted Kennett government health projects. TheCranbourne Integrated Care Centre was an initiative ofa former Minister for Health, the Honourable MarieTehan, and the current Leader of the Opposition,Dr Denis Napthine. The completed building wasopened in August 1999 by the then Premier, JeffKennett. However, this government has only now gotaround to opening the operating theatres, 20 monthslater.



That is a demonstration of the Brumby budget, whichhas been handed down by this wild-horse, elusive,hard-to-find, hard-to-catch and hard-to-get-to-deliverTreasurer. The budget has ignored outer eastern andsouth-eastern Melbourne. In particular it has ignoredthe electorates of Cranbourne, Berwick and Pakenham,which are growing at the fastest rate of anymunicipalities in the state. Where has the money gone?Nobody knows. Nobody could find the money underCain and Kirner, and nobody will be able to find themoney now, as has been demonstrated by some of thegoings on in the Department of Human Services infeeding money out to projects that do not exist. Thisgovernment needs to recognise south-easternMelbourne.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member’s time has expired.

Mr TREZISE (Geelong) — I have been listening tothe honourable member for Cranbourne, who comesfrom the former ‘gunna do’ government, which wasgunna do this and gunna do that. It was going to rebuildthe Geelong road, but it never got around to it.

Mr Rowe interjected.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member for Cranbourne has had hischance.

Mr TREZISE — That is why they are on that sideof the house and we are on this side. The formergovernment was going to do it but never got around toit.

It is with pleasure that I support the Appropriation(2001/2002) Bill. In doing so I take this opportunity tocongratulate the Treasurer, the Honourable JohnBrumby, on handing down his first Bracks governmentbudget, which is a progressive document. This budgetcontinues to fulfil the Bracks government’scommitment to grow the whole of the state. It alsocontinues to build and place emphasis on regional andrural Victoria. It is not a Melbourne-centric budget; itdoes not stop at the West Gate Bridge to the west.

The budget promises growth and progress across theentire Victorian community, including Geelong and thebroader south-west of Victoria. No longer are regionalareas like Geelong being treated like the toenails ofVictoria. No longer do regional or rural Victorians haveto travel to Melbourne to see progress in their state.Their communities are benefiting from the refocusingof priorities under the Bracks government. Regionaland rural schools are being upgraded and teachers arebeing recruited rather than sacked. Regional and rural

hospitals are being upgraded and nurses are beingrecruited, not sacked. Police stations are being opened,not closed, and of course, police officers are beingrecruited, not sacked.

The key to growing regional centres and rural towns isjobs. As the honourable member for Ripon understands,jobs are essential to growing communities. Unless theyhave jobs, rural centres will slowly die. Hence the focusof the Bracks government on job creation. Thegovernment fully understands the value of jobs,especially in country areas. It is a credit to thisgovernment that more than 50 per cent of the jobscreated in Australia over the past 12 months have beencreated in Victoria — and it is significant that one inthree of these new jobs has been created in regionalVictoria. Jobs are crucial to the survival of country andregional centres such as those in my electorate ofGeelong. The Bracks government is delivering on jobs.

Prior to coming into this house I was employed as theshipping manager at the port of Geelong.


Mr TREZISE — The port of Geelong wasdevastated to lose my employment! I know that the portwill be significantly boosted by the standardisation ofthe freight rail system. The end of different rail gaugesafter more than 100 years will be a great boost forregional Victoria, especially for cities like Geelong,which are so dependent on efficient transport services.Geelong is well positioned as an extensive transporthub, and the standardisation of the rail gauge willstimulate regional markets by providing efficient andeffective transport routes.

The 2001–02 budget offers more in transport than justthe standardisation of the rail system. The Bracksgovernment recognises the importance of ensuring thatregional centres like Geelong are linked to Melbourneand interstate centres. The current upgrade of theMelbourne–Geelong road is just one fine example. Inpartnership with the federal government the Bracksgovernment has provided the $270 million needed toupgrade this vital transport link — something which, asI said before, the Kennett government was going to dobut never got around to. In the end it was the Bracksgovernment that had to initiate the upgrade of that road.

At the completion of this project Geelong will nolonger be relying on an outmoded and dangerous roadlink to Melbourne. A three and four-lane dual carriagefreeway will ensure that Geelong’s road transportlinkages serve it well into the 21st century. As amember of the parliamentary Road Safety Committee



and as someone who has seen first hand instances ofcarnage on the Geelong road, I must say that improvingthe safety aspects of the road cannot be measured indollar terms. The Geelong road upgrade is a great boonfor my electorate of Geelong.

The fast rail link between Geelong and Melbourne goeshand in glove with the Melbourne road upgrade. Thegovernment has committed more than $550 million tofast rail projects across regional centres such asGeelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley. Thelink to Geelong will result in a highly reliable45-minute trip to Melbourne, shaving around15 minutes off the current service. As a person whocommuted to Melbourne daily for nearly 10 years, I canassure the house than my former fellow commuters willsee this as a major step forward in their commutinglives. It should also be noted that more than 2 millionpassenger trips are taken on the Geelong–Melbournerail line annually.

Combined with the Melbourne road upgrade, the fastrail link to Melbourne will make Geelong a moreattractive place to live for people who now work andlive in Melbourne. In travelling time the Melbournecentral business district will be just as close to Geelongas many of the outer metropolitan suburbs. The fast raillink and the Melbourne road upgrade will provide asignificant and ongoing economic boost to Geelongthrough increased business and population growth.

As a father of two primary school children education isimportant to me, as it is to all parents across Victoria.As council president of my local school, Geelong Southprimary, which is a great little school, I have seen firsthand the cruel effects of the Kennett government’seducation policy.

Mr Helper — The black hand!

Mr TREZISE — As the honourable member forRipon says, it was the black hand of the Kennettgovernment, which was an absolute disgrace! Stateschools in Geelong are significant winners in thisbudget. Around $13 million will be pumped intoGeelong’s state schools to upgrade facilities such aslibraries, science laboratories and informationtechnology facilities. In my electorate alone Herne HillPrimary School, which became run down under theKennett government, will receive $1.4 million for atotal refurbishment. Fyans Park Primary School willreceive more than $800 000 for similar works.

James Harrison Secondary College, which is a greatschool, will receive $2.5 million for a complete rebuild.That is typical of the Bracks government’s commitment

to state school education. In October 1999, just afterbeing elected, I visited the college at the invitation of itsprincipal, Diane Joseph. As I have noted on a numberof occasions in this house, what I saw was an absolutedisgrace and blight on education in Geelong. What wasonce a proud technical school had been run into theground through a lack of maintenance funding. With itsboarded-up windows, holes in the walls, broken clocksand holes in the floors, the place was a shemozzle.

The previous government’s obvious plan was to closethe school by stealth. Because of the lack of fundingparents would not be prepared to send their children tothe school, and because of the resulting lack of numbersthe school would be closed down. That was the Kennettgovernment’s secret plan for James Harrison SecondaryCollege.

The allocation of $2.5 million is the dawning of a newera for the college. The once proud technical collegewill again serve the students of East Geelong,Whittington and Breakwater by providing qualityeducation with an emphasis on vocational educationand training subjects. The school’s strategic links withthe Gordon Institute of TAFE, which shares the schoolsite, provide a focus on technical-type subjects fromyear 7 through to post-compulsory education.

The Gordon Institute of TAFE is benefitingsignificantly from the Brumby budget. The institute,which has been an icon of post-compulsory educationin the Geelong region for many decades, will receive$15.6 million for an extensive upgrade. The fundingwill ensure that the institute’s older buildings, whichfront onto Latrobe Terrace, will receive a majoroverhaul. The institute’s information technologynetwork will also be upgraded, ensuring that theinstitute’s resources centre has the most modernfacilities. As I said from the outset, the Brumby budgetdelivers on education in my electorate.

For the people of Geelong, health is also a winner inthis budget. As honourable members are aware, healthwas one of the policy pillars of the Bracks governmentwhen it came to power. The 2001–02 budget deliverson health right across Victoria, including Geelong. Thepeople of Geelong have received their fair share of therecord $1.6 billion that this government has pumpedinto the public health sector.

I am pleased to record that the Grace McKellar Centrewill receive $19 million to kick-start its major overhaul.Under the previous government the centre, which is anicon in the city of Geelong, was allowed to become rundown. The plan was to privatise this great Geelonginstitution, but history has shown that the election of the



Bracks government saved the Grace McKellar Centre.As I said, it has now received the green light for itsupgrade. Its assured future as a provider of quality agedcare services in the region will be most welcome bypeople in my electorate. I look forward to working withBarwon Health in fulfilling the project over the next sixyears.

The Brumby budget was warmly welcomed by theGeelong community. A measure of its acceptance wasseen in the results of a poll conducted by the GeelongAdvertiser two days after the budget was handed down.Of the 40 people who replied to the poll, 38 supportedthe budget.

In closing, I turn to the report in the Geelong Advertiserof 18 May, headed ‘State budget 2001: our readersreact’. It quotes the comments of a few of the readerswho took the time to register their thoughts with thenewspaper. Mr Paul Turner of East Geelong said:

I think the budget was quite reasonable. It’s creating jobs,putting money into the schools, the roads and the hospital,which is really a major issue in Geelong …

Miss Elizabeth MacPherson of Bell Post Hill said:

I just think the Bracks government has done a great job,particularly after Kennett destroyed everything in Geelong.They are starting to put it back.

Ian Williams of Hamlyn Heights said:

In health and infrastructure, I strongly believe this budget is agood one for Geelong. The overall capital expenditure in thebudget is very good and Geelong is bound to benefit in anumber of areas.

This budget has delivered for all Victorians. It hasdelivered to regional and rural Victorians, and it hasdelivered to Geelong.

Mr WELLS (Wantirna) — I will start by recappingthe early period of my parliamentary career when I firstentered the house in 1992. At that time the new Kennettgovernment was faced with the results of financialmismanagement by the Cain and Kirner governments,which had had a number of advisers including the nowPremier and the now Minister for Health. The onefigure that always sticks in my mind is the $33 billionof public sector debt that the former Kennettgovernment was faced with. Victoria was spendingmore on interest repayments than on education andhealth services. You would think that was scarcelypossible; but that was the result of the intellect and themismanagement of the Cain and Kirner governments.

To take that point one step further, let us go back to1982 when John Cain first won government. Public

sector debt in that year was $11 billion. Think about it:the state took 140 years to rack up $11 billion in debt,then just 10 years of Labor government to triple thedebt from $11 billion to $33 billion. What a disgrace!

As a young member of Parliament — younger, atleast — I joined the team that had to do anextraordinary amount of hard work making toughdecisions to clean up the mess created by theirresponsible actions of the Cain and Kirner era.

It is sad to find in the Australian Financial Review aneditorial headed ‘Bracks budget disappointing’. I willquote a few small parts from that editorial:


For the non-accountants in the chamber at the momentlet me explain that it is important to make sure yourcash flow is steady, because if you rely on assetrevaluation for a cash flow for current expenditure inthe forthcoming financial year you will come unstuckvery quickly. You will then have to go back toborrowing on your credit card for currentexpenditure — or, in government terms, for payingpolice wages, nurses’ wages and teachers’ wages. Aword of caution, therefore: if you do not keep your cashflow higher than your actual expenditure flow you willgo into cash deficit very quickly, and to make up anyshortfall you will have to borrow.

As the Australian Financial Review predicts on thefigures issued by the Treasurer, there will be a$300 million cash deficit by 2002–03. Victoria is goingto relive the Cain and Kirner days because the Bracksgovernment cannot manage its finances.

I now move to the budget as it affects my shadowportfolio, the area of police. It was pleasing to note thatthe Minister for Police and Emergency Servicesdeclares in the budget papers that Victoria Policeremains on schedule to meet its commitment to providean additional 800 operational police by June 2003. Thatmatches the election promise with which the LaborParty went to the last election. The opposition will bevery keen to see if the government can achieve it.

Once again, however, the figures are not stacking up.The minister is very keen to fudge the figures. Thepolice annual report of 30 June 1999, the last officialfigures given to the Parliament, shows that the state had9360 effective full-time police officers in Victoria. Asof 31 January 2001, we had 9402. I stress that those arenot opposition figures but figures from the police



annual report and from the police force itself. Deductthe 9360 from the 9402 and you find that the netincrease for the period from 1 July 1999 to 31 January2001 was 42. That makes the budget claim look verylikely to be misleading, because the claim is that thegovernment is on track to achieve an increase of 800 byJune 2003.

Last week the Minister for Police and EmergencyServices again reiterated that the government was ontrack to reach its target. The Liberal Party is checkinghis figures, because he now says there has been anincrease of 422. The opposition will research his claimsand hope he is not including in his figures recruits intraining. The figure of 9360 in the annual report for1999 does not include recruits in training. TheVictorian community was promised 800 police on thebeat doing operational work, not including police beingtrained at the academy or being instructed on the beat.The election promise is for fully sworn police inaccordance, and the minister should stick to that. Theopposition sincerely hopes he is not backing down onthat point.

The minister does not mention anything in the budgetpapers about the police force rate of attrition. Surely apromise of 800 additional police will take account ofattrition rates. Last year 450 police officers quit theforce and another number retired, making a total of550 officers leaving the force. They are leaving indroves. I believe there is a slow-down in departures atthe moment, but only because police want to see whatis happening with the Police Association log of claims.Those who are on the edge of deciding whether to leavethe force await the outcome of the log of claims withinterest.

The opposition has made clear its position on the PoliceAssociation’s log of claims. Firstly, the police deserve adecent pay rise, which most people in the communitywould agree with. Secondly, police should have decentpromotional opportunities. In other words, youngpolicemen or policewomen coming up through theranks should not be blocked in one position for eight ornine years before they can apply for another bunk up.Thirdly, they deserve better resourcing, a propositionthat would have bipartisan support. It still does notmake sense to me that after going to a crime scenepolice have to write out notes, take them back to thestation, transfer the details to another book and take thatto the senior sergeant, who signs it off and faxes it inbefore the information goes onto a computer. The endresult of all this is that experienced police fromBendigo, Ballarat or Bairnsdale — those with 20 yearsand 30 years experience — need to be kept in the forcefor as long as possible!

I was amused by a point made by the Premier on 3BAin Ballarat. I refer to page 107 of budget paper 2, whichstates that a total police and recruit strength of 10 300will be achieved by June 2003. Yet on 5 April thePremier said on 3BA that he would increase policenumbers to 11 300 in his first term, which in effect is anincrease of 2000 members. The Premier and theMinister for Police and Emergency Services haveobviously mixed up their figures. I am sure it was aninnocent mistake, but it has not been corrected. ThePremier said on 3BA there would be a total police forceof 11 300, but the opposition will be happy if it gets to10 300.

The minister’s statement that the government wouldbuild four new prisons was welcomed by theopposition. The government said it would build a600-bed maximum security remand centre, a 300-bedmedium security prison and two new minimum securityprisons — a 120-bed facility and a 100-bed facility —in rural Victoria. A 26-specialist bed unit was to bebuilt at Ararat prison. Opposition members welcomedthe announcement, because it added up to 1146 newbeds. However, when we looked at the budget paperswe found that the overall permanent capacity willincrease by only 716 beds, which means 300-plus bedswould have to be shut for the budget figures to be right.

On the one hand the government is promising1146 new beds, while on the other hand it is promisinga net increase of only 716. That means, as stated in thebudget papers, that the Bendigo prison will be shut andWon Wron will be closed — and the futures ofBeechworth and Langi Kal Kal prisons, given theredevelopment of the prison system, are currently beingconsidered. ‘Currently being considered’ means theywill be shut. The government has no choice: they willhave to be shut if the net increase in beds is only716 beds.

What can be done about the loss of valuable jobs atBendigo, Yarram, Beechworth and Langi Kal Kal? Iknow a commitment has been made that there will beno job losses in Bendigo, but if you shut down theprison you will need to build a new one in the area tosecure those jobs. If the minister shuts down WonWron and Langi Kal Kal, I hope he takes intoconsideration the fact that a couple of new prisons willneed to be built in those areas to protect the jobs. Thegovernment also needs to consider the culture of thosecountry towns. They are accepting of prisons, so it iseasier to build new prisons in those areas.

The prison population figures do not stack up. I suggestthe minister review the figures before he shuts downthose four country prisons. At the moment the prisons



are running at 115 per cent occupancy. If one looks atworld standards — and I am sure Victorian standardswould be the same — prison occupancies should berunning at 85 per cent to 90 per cent. Putting that aside,a 115 per cent occupancy rate equates to there being450 prisoners too many in the prison system. Add tothat the 200 who are locked up in police cells and thereare 650 prisoners too many in the system. A netincrease of 716 over the life of the 10-year master planshows that the figures do not stack up. It means we willhave crowded prisons for the next 10 years. I suspectthat when the opposition gets into government it mayhave to open up some of the prisons that have been shutdown.

I refer to an article about the minister in the BendigoAdvertiser — and I am glad to see him walking into thechamber. He made a commitment to the people ofBendigo that the prison should remain open. However,something went wrong. Perhaps he was poorly advised,because he went back and said that that would not bethe case. My view is that if the prison in the centre oftown were to be shut down, so be it. The site could beused for better purposes, such as building a new school.It is important that the minister give a guarantee thatthose jobs in Bendigo will be protected. The prisondoes not have to stay at its present site in Bendigo. It isthe protection of those jobs that is important.

In the minutes that remain I will talk about the Scoresbyfreeway, which will run straight through the Wantirnaelectorate. The government has made more backflipsover the Scoresby freeway than anyone could possiblyhave imagined. At the last election Labor campaignedon not building it, arguing that a planned $786 millionfreeway link should be scrapped. Dr Paul Mees fromthe Public Transport Users Association was excitedwhen it decided to scrap the freeway. Suddenly Laborrealised that it was not undertaking any new projectsand that all it was doing was finishing off the Kennettgovernment’s major projects. The Minister forTransport said that Stud Road would be upgradedinstead. I do not know how Stud Road could beupgraded, because there are houses on both sides of it.The government would have to start buying real estate!

We then found out that the government was so opposedto the freeway that it put $2 million into a Scoresbytransport corridor study. There has been so much publicconsultation and so many studies on this road that I amnot sure what $2 million could have been used for.Fortunately, the Prime Minister announced a fundingboost of $220 million to get the freeway project started.What has the government done? Suddenly, there hasbeen a three-way backtrack.

I will quote from an article in the Herald Sun on a radiointerview given by the Treasurer, Mr Brumby:

Asked on radio about the project, Mr Brumby said Victoriadid not have the capacity to pay for it, even with the federalgovernment’s $220 million contribution.

The government has been moaning and groaning for atleast six months about the need for the federalgovernment to come to the party on the Scoresbyfreeway. The Prime Minister has declared it a RONI —a road of national importance — which means fundingwill be provided on a fifty-fifty basis. Funding of$220 million has been set in concrete by the federalgovernment. We are now waiting for the Minister forTransport to come up with his money so work cancommence on building from the Eastern Freeway to theMonash Freeway. That is what we want done in thefirst instance.


Mr WELLS — I am pleased with the minister’scontribution. We can at least make a start by putting ittowards a cab fare!

We are now in limbo. The people of Wantirna andAston need to know what the Minister for Transport isdoing about the Scoresby freeway. The Liberal Partybelieves that, based on available figures, the link fromthe Eastern Freeway to the Monash Freeway can bebuilt for around $440 million. The federal governmenthas put up $220 million, and if the Minister forTransport comes up with the other $220 million a startcan be made on linking the freeways. We do not wantthe link built halfway to the Burwood Highway andhave all the traffic dumped there. That would not makesense.

We await the minister’s announcement withanticipation. There will be a clear difference betweenLiberal and Labor at the Aston by-election. TheLiberals will make a commitment to build the Scoresbyfreeway, Labor will not. That is an important differencefor people to take into account in deciding how theywill vote in the by-election.

Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East) — I welcome theopportunity to speak on the Appropriation 2001/2002Bill. In speaking on the second budget of the Bracksgovernment, it is appropriate to reflect on the handingdown of its first budget only 12 months ago. Thebuilding blocks for this and future budgets of theBracks government were provided in our first budget.This second budget delivers for today and builds fortomorrow. The Bracks government is injectingdesperately needed funds back into the key areas that



people are interested in — education, health andinfrastructure.

The legacy of the former government will linger long inthe memory of many country Victorians. Theyremember the 176 country schools that were closed; the12 country hospitals that were forced to close; and thecountry rail lines that the former government cruellyclosed.

Compare that legacy to the legacy of this and the lastbudget. Since coming to government the Bracksgovernment has injected over $600 million intoeducation, and more than 2000 teachers are now backin our schools. This budget alone puts $1 billion backinto our health system, which is sorely needed. Thegovernment is also building for the future. The$500 million in capital works for our health system inthis budget alone is a significant investment.

Most importantly, I also refer to the money in thisbudget for the re-opening of four closed country raillines, on top of all the initiatives in the first budget ofthe Bracks government. The re-opening of our countryrail lines, which were closed by the former government,symbolises — —


Ms ALLAN — It is a great decision, and it is greatto see the minister who has done such a lot of that workin the house. What better symbol can there be forcountry Victorians than a government that cares for andbelieves in its people? Ours is the government that isre-opening their vital transport links. I believe that is themost important decision the government has made overthe past 18 months, and it will serve those country areaswell long into the future. Compare this government tothe former government and its former Premier, whopreferred to call country Victorians ‘the toenails of thestate’. That is their legacy to country Victoria.

It is interesting to note the budget replies made lastweek by the shadow Treasurer and the Leader of theNational Party, which contain many similarities. Theyare clearly two people who have not jumped off the JeffKennett bandwagon, even though it was long agohalted by country Victorians and even though thewheels have well and truly fallen off.

The two budget replies given by the shadow Treasurerin 2000 and 2001 have focused on the Kennettgovernment legacy. I remind the shadow Treasurer thatthat legacy continues to haunt Liberal and NationalParty members throughout country Victoria. Indeedyou could almost call the shadow Treasurer’s last two

budget speeches the ‘Asher apparitions’, given thecontinual references to the ghosts of the Kennett era.

I refer to the comments by the Leader of the NationalParty that this budget does not have the vision thatcountry Victoria is looking for. I find that incrediblyhypocritical. I believe this is the budget the NationalParty wanted to hand down when it was in government,but National Party members did not have the guts tostand up to the former Premier when he was closingschools, hospitals and train lines in their electorates.They were beaten into submission by the formerPremier and forced to take whatever he handed out tocountry Victoria. They did not stand up for theirelectorates, so for the Leader of the National Party tocriticise the budget for not having a vision for countryVictoria is incredibly hypocritical. As I said, this is thebudget he would have dearly loved to hand down if hehad had the opportunity. Given the National Party’sdwindling numbers in this house, I do not believe hewill have that opportunity.

In some ways this is a typical National Party budgetbecause it provides for great and historic initiatives inthe area of rail. It also builds bridges. The honourablemember for Murray Valley must be happy with thebridges that are being built with money from thisbudget. I will quote specifically from the Weekly Times,which is often held up as a paper that is in tune withwhat country Victorians are saying. They welcome thisbudget. The editorial of 16 May states:

The 2001 Victorian budget marks a reversal of fortunes forrural and regional Victorians, who have suffered from yearsof neglect.

Years of neglect! The honourable member forBenambra is nodding in agreement. The editorial goeson to say:

… the government has set the groundwork for reviving whathas been for too long regarded as Melbourne’s back paddock.

That sums up the feelings of many country Victorians.When you hear National Party members continue withtheir criticisms it continues to highlight their irrelevancethroughout country Victoria.

A recent poll in the Bendigo Advertiser based on thefederal electorate of Bendigo was published on 6 April.It had the National Party vote at 1.8 per cent — I repeat,1.8 per cent! That does not bode well for the future ofthe National Party throughout country Victoria.

I turn to the area of infrastructure in particular andremind the house of the former government’s legacy inthis area. It spent $2.1 billion on major projects inmetropolitan Melbourne and only $17 million in



country Victoria. Again, this illustrates anothershameful legacy of that government.

I am pleased to say that I am part of the governmentthat has turned this spending ratio on its head. Ithighlights the expenditure on fast rail links betweenBendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Gippsland and Melbourne.This is a key initiative for the government and it iswelcomed by country Victorians.

Mr Delahunty interjected.

Ms ALLAN — I’m a lot younger than you, Hughie!It is interesting that — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member for Wimmera is out of hisplace and being disorderly.

Ms ALLAN — It is interesting to note comments bythe Leader of the National Party, who is trying to pull abit of a stunt by calling on the Minister for Transport toexplain to the people of Bendigo, when Parliament sitsin Bendigo on 16 August, the details of the fast railproject between Bendigo and Melbourne. The Ministerfor Transport does not need to do this because thepeople of Bendigo already know the details of theproject. They know who promised the fast rail linkfeasibility study during the 1999 state electioncampaign: they know it was the Labor Party thatpromised to do this study. They know it was the BracksLabor government that last September saw the Premierand the Minister for Transport announce that fast trainlinks between Bendigo and Melbourne were going fullsteam ahead.

People in Bendigo already know that this project isunder way. They know the details and that planningwork is being undertaken at the moment. Indeed, theMinister for Transport has made two visits to Bendigoin the past few months alone when he talked to thepeople about this project. He has done the same in theelectorate of the honourable member for Ballarat Westand has talked at first hand with the community, as Ihave done, about this important project.

However, the Liberal Party seems to be a bit confusedon the fast train links. There seems to be somecontradictions on their side about where their policy ison fast train links. The shadow Treasurer constantlycarps on about budget blow-outs and the amounts thisgovernment is spending. Then the shadow Minister forTransport turns around and says, ‘Oh, there’s notenough! We need to spend more money on fast trainlinks’. Where does the Liberal Party stand on the issueof fast train links in country Victoria? Quite clearly itshows that its members are not interested in it. Fast

trains do not matter much if you are travelling betweenBrighton and Spring Street. You do not need a fast trainif you are only travelling there, but I can tell you thatthey matter greatly to the people of my electorate inBendigo East and throughout central Victoria.

Another important transport infrastructure project in myelectorate is the Calder Highway. This budget allocates$13 million as part of a three-year allocation of$25 million. However, it is interesting to follow thehonourable member for Wantirna’s comments on theScoresby freeway. We have been duped and dudded bythe federal Liberal–National government on the Calderfreeway. There have been constant delays in theallocation of funding.

Mr Plowman interjected.

Ms ALLAN — They have to be dragged kickingand screaming. I will repeat that for the honourablemember for Benambra in case he did not catch it.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member for Benambra will have histurn.

Ms ALLAN — It is interesting to note that thehonourable member for Benambra is not within cooeeof the Calder Highway and it would be interesting tonote if he has ever travelled down it!

The John Howard government had to be draggedkicking and screaming to provide money for this vitaltransport link between Melbourne and Bendigo. Itpasses through the honourable member for Gisborne’selectorate. These delays have blown out the time lineson this project, and unnecessarily so. The stategovernment is committed to a completion date of 2006for the Calder freeway between Bendigo andMelbourne. However, the federal government will notcome to the table on this. It will not pinpoint acompletion date, and people in Bendigo and centralVictoria continue travelling down a second-ratehighway completely unnecessarily and continue to bedudded by the federal government.

I turn briefly to three important and specific projects forBendigo. The first of these is the new air ambulanceservice. This budget provides funding for the service tobe located in Bendigo. It is a service provided tocountry Victoria and one that will help save lives.Critically ill patients can now be transported toMelbourne in around 30 minutes — a vastimprovement on the 100-minute trip that has to betaken by road. The honourable member for Ripon willbe pleased to know that this is an election commitmentthat has been delivered by this government



A second major project in the electorate of BendigoEast is the radiotherapy unit at the Bendigo Hospital,which is a greatly needed facility and one for whichincreased funding has been provided in this budget.

The third major project is an exciting new initiative inmy electorate which comes with an allocation of$10.7 million for programs and works at the Epsom siteof the Department of Natural Resources andEnvironment. The funding is for research and scienceand will help make Epsom and Bendigo a hub in thisarea of country Victoria.

I conclude on another major announcement that thehonourable member for Wantirna touched on in hisbudget reply speech — that is, the closure of theBendigo Prison. This has been called for from a numberof quarters for a number of years. The prison is locatedslap bang in the centre of town. It is a 140-year-oldprison that is quite outdated and certainly does notcome up to the standards of modern-day prisons. As Isaid, a number of people within the Bendigocommunity have been calling for the prison’s closure.The opportunities for this site have also beenhighlighted, in particular by an editorial in the BendigoAdvertiser of 20 March this year, which says:

A vacant jail does, however, raise countless possibilities forthe use of the vacant complex.

There are many opportunities for the use of thecomplex, and this has been welcomed. The City ofGreater Bendigo wanted the prison to be closed. Thecouncil did not feel it was an appropriate facility in thatarea. It has undertaken a master plan of the entireRosalind Park precinct and has called for the Bendigoprison to be closed over time — so that was certainly inthe council’s future planning. The feedback from theprison workers is that they are welcoming thisannouncement, particularly considering that not one jobwill be lost — all jobs and prisoners will be transferredto a modern and expanded facility at Loddon.

This closure provides a unique opportunity for mycommunity to look at proposals for redevelopment ofthe site. However, it is interesting to note that anhonourable member for North Western Province inanother place, the Honourable Ron Best, has beendesperately trying to lift his measly 1.8 per cent of thevote in Bendigo and whip up a campaign around thelocation of the new prison there. It is interesting whenyou consider that Liberal Party and National Partymembers have now announced — I think the ministercan confirm this — 18 different locations in countryVictoria for the new prison, promising everycommunity from the border to the sea that they willhave a prison in their electorate. The honourable

member for North Western Province has joined thiswild-goose chase.

In 1994, when the former government was looking atlocating a private prison in country Victoria, which waseventually located at Sale, it dragged 56 country townsinto the net — into the sham — led by the formerMinister for Corrections, who was also the DeputyPremier and Leader of the National Party. It forced56 country communities to go through planningamendments, as the City of Greater Bendigo did. Thatcity went through an extensive rezoning of land atHuntly against the wishes of local residents, only to bethwarted by a government that had no intention of everlocating the prison in Bendigo. This government willnot do that, and that is why the minister has made clearstatements around the closure of the Bendigo prison.We will not unnecessarily waste the council’s time noralarm community residents.

The minister has received a letter from a constituentwho is supporting the prison not being located in hisarea, and he asks the question, ‘Would Mr Best like theidea if the prison were in his street?’. I think we allknow the answer to that — you bet there is no way hewould like the idea of a prison in his street!

This budget continues the good work of thegovernment on the task of rebuilding country Victoriaafter the seven-year legacy of the former government. Itis a legacy that will not be quickly forgotten. Therebuilding will take a long time to complete, and this isthe budget that rebuilds for the future.

Ms McCALL (Frankston) — I was tempted to startmy speech with a joke, just to try to change the natureof the debate, because we were all getting a bitover-serious, overzealous and excited. I suggested ajoke to a couple of my colleagues, but I was warned itmight be a bit politically incorrect, so I will begin witha couple of quotes instead.

Let me ask first: what are budgets all about? They areabout taxes — the raising of them and the spending ofthem. Benjamin Franklin said in a letter to Jean BaptisteLe Roy in 1789:

But in this world nothing can be said to be certain exceptdeath and taxes.

What is the role of government? The role ofgovernment is to raise taxes, and on the question oftaxation, I have a definition here that states:

Taxation is a form of theft permitting the government tobludge on your earnings. The amount and the forms oftaxation reflect the sociopolitical prejudices of the party inpower.



On the other side of that equation is something calledtax cuts, and a quote related to tax cuts is as follows:

Tax cuts.

An impossibility. Apparent tax cuts conceal the fact that thegovernment is in fact always going to end up with more ofyour money.

That is what this budget is all about. It is all about hightaxes that enable the government to be a high-spendinggovernment. I relate this specifically to the seat ofFrankston, and to the issues that are important to thecommunity of Frankston. These are the things that Ibring to this Parliament, as they are part of myexperience as the member for Frankston for the pastfive years.

The first one has to be transport. The issue of transporton the Mornington Peninsula has been enunciated bythe honourable members for Mornington andCranbourne. It is an issue I have raised in the chambermany times. It is a standing joke on the MorningtonPeninsula that if you want to get your child a job youbuy them a car because transport has, was, and alwayswill be a major issue because of the shape of theMornington Peninsula and the difficulty of the roadinfrastructure. The previous government endeavouredto meet some of those necessities by increasing theprivate bus lines, by moving towards the widening ofthe Moorooduc Highway in my electorate and bymoving to encourage plans for the Scoresby freewayand revisit the issue of the Mornington Peninsulafreeway.

It is therefore very disappointing that neither the secondstage of the widening of the Moorooduc Highway, normore particularly the installation of a set of traffic lightsat the corner of Robinsons Road and the highway, willtake place. The latter intersection has become notoriousamong the community of Frankston as a black spotbecause it serves an elderly people’s home, an agedcare facility, two senior schools and one primaryschool. It has been a total miracle to me that nobodyfrom any of those institutions has yet been killed, butwe have had a couple of serious injuries.

I go from there to the Mornington Peninsula freeway. Iknow it has been talked about for the past 15 years andwill probably be talked about for the next 15, but themost important thing is to keep talking about it, becausethe more we do the more likelihood there is that it willstay on the agenda and move closer to the top.

However, the project the opposition puts at the top —the former government was keen to move on this, and Iam happy to say the federal government has agreed to

put money into it — is the Scoresby freeway. As mycolleagues from Wantirna, Mornington and Cranbournehave said, it is an integral part of a road network thatwill link Ringwood to Frankston. Frankston and thenorthern boundaries of the electorate of Frankston willbe very well served by the opening of the freeway.

Recently I went down to look at the Frankston end,where there is already part of the slip road and aconstruction around Rutherford Road. I urge the currentgovernment to think beyond the mere $2 million it hasallocated in this budget so that at least we can startwork and the people of the Mornington Peninsula willnot feel their freeway has been scotched or backtracked.

There is cause for concern, as was evidenced in theHerald Sun on 17 May:

Treasurer John Brumby appears to have become lukewarmabout the billion dollar Scoresby Freeway.

Even worse, the mayor of Frankston, who seemed to beso quick to criticise the federal government for itsinvestment of $220 million, suddenly went quiet whenthe state government was prepared to give a paltry$2 million.

From transport I move to the issues of safety. I am verypleased that the police minister is in the chamber. I amnot going to take the opportunity to take a cheap shot athim — I’m sure I can use another opportunity to dothat — but I will talk about the issues of safety, policenumbers, the lockups, the Magistrates Court, and so on.Those issues are very important to the community ofFrankston.

I begin by commending the police at the Frankstonpolice station. They get awfully bad press. They arecontinually criticised, and they were for the 18 monthsof the Labor campaign of the member for FrankstonEast. They were vilified in a number of ways for theirbehaviour or for their non-response to calls. TheFrankston police do a remarkable job in very difficultcircumstances. They would argue there have beenmanagement issues, and there have clearly beenunderstaffing issues, but the community of Frankstonwould recognise that it is much more satisfactory tohave experienced police working on the streets than it isto rely too heavily on rookies. Although I acknowledgethe Labor government’s statements that it will increasethe number of police on the pavement by 800 — and Iam still intrigued to know how it will get to thatfigure — the community is just as concerned to retainthe experienced police it already has. That is one of themost important needs.



One of the biggest problems in the police force isnatural attrition. I endorse the comments of thehonourable member for Wantirna that the police needto be reasonably paid and reasonably supported. Theyare a most important sector of the community who atthe moment are obliged to perform duties that areprobably not within their ambit — that is, as prisonwardens in the lockups at police stations. I know thepolice find this an onerous task, particularly at theFrankston police station, where the lockup has beenfilled to capacity for a number of months.

It is a very difficult situation. I am constantly lobbiedby members of the community who have loved ones inthe lockup. Whatever the community’s view onwhether the people are guilty or not, the fact is thataccess to their families is difficult and limited.Sometimes the police have to deal with exceptionallydifficult drug-related cases because they have nowhereelse to send these people. The rhetoric is terrific but inpractice we have to deal very rapidly with the issue ofthe overcrowded lockups, particularly in Frankston.

The Magistrates Court does an excellent job; I havespent some time there and intend to spend further timethere. I commend the registrar at the FrankstonMagistrates Court, Ian Sigg, and the staff who havebeen instrumental in setting up a pilot program for adiversion program for young people and first offenders.It is an exceptionally good move given thecommunity’s recognition and concern that sometimesfirst offenders need to be given a second chance. Thatdoes not mean that the community would turn aroundand say, ‘We think that what you did was wrong andwe will let you get away with it’, but it is a recognitionthat all of us are entitled to make a mistake in this life. Icommend the government and urge it to keepsupporting the diversion programs for as long as it can.They are well received by the community and by theMagistrates Court as an alternative to imprisonment.

However, I am disappointed with the government’sbudget figures for victims of crime. This chamber iswell aware of the interest I take in issues of domesticviolence, child abuse and sexual abuse and their causes.I am concerned that there has been a severe cut infunding for victims of crime. I know that mycommunity legal centre and legal aid people have beenconcerned and disappointed about that.

Ms Duncan interjected.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member for Gisborne!

Ms McCALL — I turn now to the issue of healthand community services. A couple of groups inFrankston are very dependent on funding fromgovernment and have looked to this government andcertainly to the previous government for support. Oneof them is Anglicare. Its Strengthening Familiespolicies and pilot programs have been remarkablysuccessful on the Mornington Peninsula. It also has aprogram for dealing with difficult children, as well asone I particularly like for dealing with difficult parents.The programs have been extremely successful and wellreceived, particularly within the primary schoolcommunity, where staff are stretched to capacitydealing with social difficulties and problems that havenot come anywhere within the realms of a primaryschool in years gone by.

It is recognised that these programs play a fundamentalrole in the communities of Frankston and theMornington Peninsula. I urge the government to lookcarefully at the continued funding of Anglicare, giventhe good job it does.

I have some real concerns about the commitment of theMinister for Community Services to preschools. Theshadow Minister for Community Services has raisedthis issue a number of times, and I am disappointed thatthere was not a greater recognition in the budget of thephenomenal work done by our preschools. I would liketo suggest that always giving the money to parents ofpreschool children does not solve the problems as muchas supporting and sustaining the excellent staff andteachers who work in the preschools. There arewonderful preschools, both state and privately owned,in my electorate. They do a phenomenal job for thecommunity and I would like to see them moreadequately resourced through a budget process.

For five years I have been a fan of the famousFrankston Hospital. I have defended it and willcontinue to do so. The hospital serves one of the largestgrowing communities in the state. There is no questionthat there are considerable strains on its capacity,whether through ambulance deliveries to the accidentand emergency department or the provision of agedcare, given the lack of aged care facilities on thepeninsula. It is not totally the fault of either thecommonwealth or the state governments. It isrecognised that the aged community on the peninsula isshort on resources and facilities, and this has put aphenomenal strain on the Frankston Hospital.

There has been a policy decision that so far as possibleour public hospitals do not take on the role of providingaged care facilities. There has been a move to try todiscourage patients from going into aged care beds in



hospitals and blocking the system from access by moreurgent cases. The budget gives the Frankston Hospital afurther $9 million. That is good, although it is notexceptional. Over five years the hospital got$30 million. I hope that trend will continue because thehospital serves a very grateful community. It worksunder difficult circumstances and does an excellent job.I would like to think that the money that is currentlybeing frittered away on an ambulance royalcommission would be better served helping publichospital communities in a more appropriate way.

When it comes to drugs and rehabilitation theFrankston electorate is probably no different from anyother. A percentage of the community are addicted todrugs. There is no question that difficulties areexperienced around the Frankston railway stationbecause it is the end of the railway line and people tendto congregate there. It is easy for them to come alongand do a deal in the street. I have been there a numberof times and watched these deals go down.

I have pushed for five years and I intend to push formany more years as the member for Frankston for moredetoxification and rehabilitation services. I do notsupport safe injecting rooms but I urge the governmentto look within its budget coffers to find more money forthe areas of detoxification and rehabilitation.

They are the areas of most concern. We have to takeseriously the problem of drugs and get people off themand keep them off them. It is all very well saying, ‘Getthem off the street and into a safe injecting room’, andit is all very well to pump as much money intoeducation and the school system as possible — Isupport that. In fact, I urge the government to put asmuch money as it can into education programs to assiststudents from as early as primary school and tocontinue the great work done by the Kennettgovernment through the Turning the Tide program.

I also encourage the government to continue to supportthe Freeza program, which providesdrug-and-alcohol-free entertainment. On theMornington Peninsula we are looking at projectsrelating to safe partying so young people can rave on —that is the term used, but I am now almost too old toappreciate it — and enjoy themselves while theirparents know they are safe. I urge the government tocontinue to support those initiatives commenced underthe Kennett government. They were good initiativesthat were visionary and forward looking.

In the time remaining to me I would like to make someobservations about the loss of the slogan, Victoria —On the Move. I have said it before in this chamber and I

will say it again: one of the great things about thatslogan was that it was positive. It meant we were active,enthusiastic, prepared to take risks, visionary and ableto look to the future. We now have a government thatsays, ‘We will do some things in the future, but not yet.We will consider doing a number of other things, butnot yet’. The Liberal Party when in government wasvisionary, and I refuse to apologise to either thecommunity or to this chamber for what it did. It lookedto the future — at major projects, long-terminvestments and at jobs.

The previous government would not allow such thingsas the drain of 3300 jobs from Victoria, many of whichhave gone to South Australia and Queensland. We needa government that recognises that having a visionmeans creating a positive environment for everyone. Iam disappointed with this budget, but I am sure that —as has been written many times on children’s schoolreports — if they try harder they may do better.

Mr LONEY (Geelong North) — It is with greatpleasure that I make a contribution to the budget debate.I support the budget and congratulate the Treasurer onthis, his first budget. I say without any hesitation at allthat this budget is the most magnificent first budgetbrought down by a Treasurer in this place since theprevious Treasurer delivered his first budget!

The contribution we just heard from the honourablemember for Frankston was interesting for a couple ofreasons. Firstly, it appears she is yet another Liberalwho cannot say sorry. Secondly, near the end of hercontribution she talked about jobs performance underthe former government. I take up that point, because inthe area in Geelong where I come from, the BarwonSouth Western Region, the record on jobs shows thatduring the seven years of the Kennett government notone new full-time job was created in the area.

An Honourable Member — How many?

Mr LONEY — There was not one. In fact, therewas a net loss of full-time jobs over those seven years.If the honourable member for Frankston East cares tocheck the current figures she will see that that trend hasbeen remarkably reversed and that the Barwon SouthWestern Region is now enjoying the biggest jobsgrowth of any part of Victoria, and the unemploymentrate is now below the state average.


Mr LONEY — It is good to hear the shadowminister applauding that achievement of the Bracksgovernment. It is wonderful that he is applauding the



fact that today we have jobs in Geelong, whereas underhis government we did not.

This budget is very much about rebuilding Victoria, andit certainly needed rebuilding! When looking at thebudget papers it is instructive to consider where wehave come from to this point. For seven years I sat inthis house, as did the honourable member for Meltonand the Minister for Police and Emergency Serviceswho are both in the chamber now, during which timewe saw many things being brought in through budgets.In the area of education we saw hundreds of schoolsclosed and thousands of teachers sacked. We saw, forexample, in my area a huge increase in the number ofstudents who were not staying at school and completingtheir education, and retention rates fell remarkably. Inthe area of health, we saw the closure of hospitals,thousands of nurses going out of the system, thecutback in programs and the bizarre experiments withambulances. All those sorts of things went on duringthose seven years.

In the area of transport, we saw the closure of rail linesand the privatisation of Melbourne’s bus fleet. Later —and I must get this right; it was not the privatisation ofthe trams and trains — we saw, if I remember thecorrect term, the periodic franchising of trains andtrams. In the area of energy, we saw the totaldestruction of the former State Electricity Commission.It was broken up in such a way that we are now not ableto guarantee the delivery of electricity to the citizens ofVictoria on the days when they need it.

Mr Plowman — You know that is not true.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member for Benambra will get his turn.

Mr LONEY — I will take up the interjection fromthe honourable member for Benambra. He knows verywell that under the former government the VictorianPower Exchange produced a document that mapped outthe future and said that if Victoria continued down thispath it would have power shortages in the summers ofthe years to come. That is precisely what we are having.The warning was there and is publicly documented.

Mr Plowman interjected.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member for Benambra is beingdisorderly.

Mr LONEY — It is attributed to the types ofchanges made by the former government and thedestruction caused to the energy industry by itsdisaggregation. Even more destructive was the way in

which it was done so that the greatest attack was madeon country Victorians. Members of the oppositioncome in to this place today and say they are proud ofthat fact. It is amazing stuff of which to be proud, Ishould have thought!

Mr Plowman — We have cheaper power.

Mr LONEY — We are still to see that one. This isthe great gleaming light, the light in the sky. It is theUFO of the Liberal Party that it keeps chasing down thestreet. Somewhere out there as a result of the LiberalParty’s electricity experiment a dim light exists that iscalled cheaper power prices. Its members say, ‘One daywe will get there’, but like those UFOs in the sky, theyare light years away. The opposition must carry thatone.

The opposition, when in government, decided that it didnot want to govern because governing was too hard. Itdecided to behave like a liquidator and went in to cut,slash and sell. Governing was too hard so it decided notto govern but get rid of everything — put it out so thatsomeone else would make the decisions. The people ofVictoria got to a situation where at the 1999 stateelection they said, ‘Enough!’. It was a simplemessage — enough and goodbye. It was a bit like TheWeakest Link: the people of Victoria decided who wasthe weakest link and said goodbye. Since then, what hasoccurred in the past two budgets, and this budget buildson it significantly, is the restoration of the infrastructurethat is needed so that Victoria can again properlyoperate as a community.

In the seven years the former Kennett government wasin power the Victorian community was attacked. Theinfrastructure required by communities was attackedaggressively and non-stop at every opportunity. Therewere few icons going up outside Melbourne — and theformer Kennett government was very much agovernment of icons. It was convinced that so long asyou had an icon somewhere there was no need forpeople to eat, go to school or visit a hospital. So long aspeople had an icon they would be satisfied and happy.The whole approach of the former Kennett governmentwas the provision of icons. It was not about acommunity, building a society or putting in place theinfrastructure people rely on in their day-to-day lives tofulfil them in some way and be better able to participatemore fully in the community. Nowhere was this moreapparent than in rural Victoria, which was left for dead.

Mr Mulder — Rubbish.

Mr LONEY — The honourable member forPolwarth is part of the toenail brigade.



Mr Mulder — I live in rural Victoria — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!The honourable member for Polwarth is out of his seat.

Mr LONEY — I turn to a paper that the honourablemember for Polwarth is probably not familiar with —the Weekly Times! The edition of 16 May issued afterthe budget carries on the front page the heading‘Freight rail boost at the heart of $700 million regionalbudget’. An article written by Peter Hunt states:

Massive investments in freight rail, education, science andinnovation, are the hallmarks of what Victorian TreasurerJohn Brumby has labelled his ‘Big Picture Budget’.

More than $100 million has been committed to rural andregional schools, $50 million to Agriculture Victoria’sresearch institutes and $96 million to upgrading the state’sdilapidated freight rail system.

Who allowed it to become dilapidated, one might ask?It goes on:

These projects are part of a $700 million budget package forregional Victoria, announced in yesterday’s state budget.

Inside the Weekly Times on page 4 you find statementslike ‘Rail gets a $160 million injection’. It goes on andon with various articles about the effect of the budgeton regional Victoria. In relation to rail it says on page 4:

The state government is steaming ahead with almost$160 million in freight and passenger rail investments inregional and rural Victoria.

Even at Swan Marsh!

Mr Mulder — Pirron Yallock railway station!

Mr LONEY — Sorry, Pirron Yallock. It goes on:

Mr Batchelor said the government’s investment was not justabout standardising the complex network of broad gaugelines.

The upgrade will also free up the movement of rail freightfrom the other states, where Victoria’s broad-gauge lines havebeen incompatible with standard gauge rail lines in NewSouth Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Davies) — Order!Before honourable members become too excited, thetime has come to halt proceedings for the dinner break.The Chair will resume at 8 o’clock whereupon thehonourable member for Geelong North will have thecall.

Sitting suspended 6.30 p.m. until 8.02 p.m.

Mr LONEY — Prior to the suspension of the sittingI was explaining to the house how the previousgovernment had ripped the guts out of the social fabric

of this state. I want to continue some of those remarks. Ihad been making the point that nowhere was this worsethan in rural Victoria. In the current budget we areseeing the turnaround in fortunes of country Victoria. Iwould like to refer to one of the great rural newspapers,the Weekly Times. On 16 May this year, in an editorialheaded ‘A budget that delivers to the state’s forgottenresidents’ the Weekly Times had this to say:

The 2001 Victorian budget marks a reversal of fortunes forrural and regional Victorians who have suffered years ofneglect.

Seven long dark years of neglect!.

A Government Member — Especially aroundLara.

Mr LONEY — Fortunately the local member wasable to do something for the people around Lara. TheWeekly Times goes on to say:

Treasurer John Brumby has delivered on electoral promises torevive regional health, education, science, rail passenger andfreight services.

…

The Brumby budget is also set to help small rural andregional hospitals turn the corner after struggling to cope withthe impact of case mix and rising salary costs.

The budget has already poured $160 million into freight andpassenger rail after years of line closures and asset sales.

…

… the government has set the groundwork for reviving whathas been for too long regarded as Melbourne’s back paddock.

That was the case. But if one looks at this budget andwhat it delivers, and if one takes a single region ofVictoria, such as the Barwon–Western District region,part of which I am fortunate enough to represent, onecan see the massive injection of funds intoinfrastructure. The $19 million for the aged carefacilities at the Grace McKellar Centre is long overdue.The centre was totally neglected by the Kennettgovernment. In fact, it was worse than neglected,because members on the other side wanted to sell thehospital beds at the centre — they put them on theauction block. This government has not only said thatthose beds will stay in public hands but has committeditself to refurbishing that facility.

Honourable members can see in the budget anexpansion of some $12 million to $13 million at theBarwon prison in my area, which will create a largenumber of jobs. There is more than $15 million for theGordon TAFE facility and even more money to ensurethat Geelong Road is above flood level — another$15 million. Numerous schools in my electorate have



received funding for capital works and programs,particularly for innovative programs. I am delightedabout that because the schools of Geelong’s northernsuburbs are fantastic state schools and deserve thesupport they are getting from this government.

I could speak about this budget, its effect on mycommunity and the positive nature of it for hours.However, I am noted in this place for brevity. Victoriahas turned the corner with this and the last budget. Thisstate is now motoring along very well. Services arebeing delivered to the community. The ripping apart ofthe social fabric that even Lloyd Williams talked aboutlast week, that even he recognised on his road toDamascus conversion, is over.

I conclude the way I started. I congratulate theTreasurer on the budget he has brought down, and Icongratulate the government for delivering on thepromises it made to Victoria.

Mr LUPTON (Knox) — It just goes to show whatthe government benches are like after honourablemembers have had a couple of wines, or somethingelse. I have never heard so much rubbish in my life. Ido not like to talk about the past but I feel I mustbecause of the contributions made by a couple ofmembers opposite. Statements have been made aboutwhat the Kennett government did. The honourablemember for Geelong North spent the first 10 minutes ofhis diatribe talking about the past and how the Kennettgovernment had done this and had done that. However,he really got up my nose when he talked about how theKennett government had destroyed the State ElectricityCommission (SEC).

The honourable member for Narracan made amagnificent contribution earlier in the day! It was wideranging: he talked about everything one could think ofwith no basis of truth or fact in the whole thing. Hetalked about how the SEC in the Latrobe Valley hadbeen decimated and how it was all the fault of theKennett government.

Let me tell you a couple of facts, Madam DeputySpeaker. On 1 September 1989 the Cain–Kirnergovernment decided it would downsize for the purposeof privatisation — —

Mr Trezise interjected.

Mr LUPTON — That is right. I did say I did notwant to talk about the past, but the rubbish that youpeople have been throwing up has got to be answered.

In 1989 Cain and Kirner decided that they woulddownsize the former State Electricity Commission, the

Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works(MMBW) and the Gas and Fuel Corporation. Becauseof my involvement with the SEC from 1989 untilDecember 1991, I am aware that the SEC experienced acut in staff numbers from some 24 000 people to14 000. Twelve months later, when the Kennettgovernment won office, the number was down to about8000 — that is not bad for a government who claims itdid not turn around and rip the guts out of countryVictoria. Similar trends occurred with the Gas and FuelCorporation and the MMBW. I say to the government:don’t come into this house — unfortunately thehonourable member for Morwell is not here at themoment — and talk about the Kennett governmentripping out the guts of country Victoria!

I can remember sitting in an office in the SEC when theunions came in to discuss with us the possibility of theSEC superannuation fund purchasing a supermarket inTraralgon. That was to be used to help workers whohad been displaced by the Cain–Kirner governments. Inlooking at it as an investment opportunity the unionswere saying that we should purchase the supermarketso that we could make a long-term investment becauseof what the Labor Party had done. I am getting sick andtired of hearing people who have no idea of what wenton — such as the honourable members for Narracanand Geelong North — saying that the Kennettgovernment cut the staff numbers.

It was not the Kennett government. I was thereadministering the superannuation fund; I was there andoversaw the getting rid of the 10 000 people from theSEC on the direction of Cain and Kirner over a periodof two years.


Mr LUPTON — If the honourable member forNarracan wants to keep on interjecting I am happy totake him on because I have more facts than he will everlearn in 100 years! It was an absolute disgrace.


Mr LUPTON — While you keep on interjecting,just go back to who sold off half of Loy Yang — was itCain and Kirner or was it Kennett? It was Cain andKirner.


Mr LUPTON — Add to that the MMBW and theGas and Fuel Corporation. They mucked up the wholelot because of the way they tried to run the state. Bearin mind the fact — —




Mr LUPTON — When the Kennett governmentcame to office there was something like a$32 000 million — —


The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! Thehonourable member for Narracan!

Mr LUPTON — Madam Deputy Speaker, I wouldtruly love to take him on — he just invites me torespond. All it shows is that you do not have to have along neck to be a goose.

When the Kennett government came to office there wassomething like a $32 000 million debt. I repeat:$32 000 million!


Mr LUPTON — In the case of the federalgovernment, there was an $80 000 million debt whenHoward came to office. You people cannot handlemoney!

Let me get on to the current budget. In the Brumbybudget — this man is the Treasurer! — he said that thisis the budget that is right for the times, and that thisbudget delivers today and builds for tomorrow.Unfortunately, we are getting back to the Cain–Kirnerdays where we are delivering today and will have topay off tomorrow.

The honourable member for Geelong North made greatplay of quoting articles from the Weekly Times, whichis a well respected newspaper, about how good thebudget was. Let me quote from the AustralianFinancial Review, which probably has a bit morecredence than the Weekly Times. In the editorial of16 May — —


The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! Thehonourable member for Narracan!

Mr LUPTON — You’re going to learn! But itcannot get into a thick head.

The editorial of 16 May headed ‘Bracks budgetdisappointing’ states:

The Victorian general government sector is about to bepushed back into cash deficit, and that deficit is projected torise to almost $300 million in 2002–03.

The principal reason for the deterioration of the cash budget isthe growth of recurrent spending. The primacy given tospending can be particularly seen in the treatment ofsuperannuation liabilities. The government says all of itsunfunded superannuation liabilities — estimated to be$12.4 billion at the end of June 2001 — will be funded by2035.

By 2035! Half the people in this joint will not be here!By then you might have the books balanced. It statesfurther:

Cash deficits and growing unfunded superannuation areexpected to increase the Victorian general governmentsector’s net financial liabilities by almost $1 billion to$15 billion by 2005.

Now listen to this bit:

All of this is hardly ruinous, but it does reflect a disappointinglack of fiscal discipline from this new Labor government.

Further in the same editorial it states:

New resource companies with operations in Queensland andWestern Australia are now less likely to locate their headoffices in Melbourne.

Yet honourable members have heard the Treasurer inthis place, week after week, saying that the governmentis doing a magnificent job and is bringing newindustries to the state.

I turn to another article in the Australian FinancialReview of 16 May headed ‘Numbers are not lookinggood for the Premier’. Alan Mitchell comments:

Victorian Labor, it seems, is settling uneasily into thefinancial discipline of government. The Bracks governmenthas budgeted to go from a cash surplus of $1.2 billion in2000–01 to a deficit of $22 million in 2001–02.

The government is budgeting for a deficit. That is notgood economic management. Yet here we are with thisgovernment — under this Brumby, the Treasurer —turning around and going for a deficit! The article goeson to say:

More than half the turnaround is the result of a $700 millionincrease in recurrent spending, although capital spending is upby $460 million. Higher recurrent spending is the maindriving force behind the projected increase in the cash deficitin 2002–03.

I find this very disappointing. We have heard all thetalk from government members side saying that this is awonderful budget, yet here they are planning for adeficit in this current year. We are already expectinggrowth to be less than the national average.Unemployment will increase, of course, and things willgo from bad to worse.



One of the problems that will really touch us is thesituation in relation to Workcover. In theAuditor-General’s Report on Ministerial Portfolios hesaid that Labor has fallen short on its management ofWorkcover with an extraordinary $600 millionblow-out in a mere six months.

Six hundred million dollars in a mere six months! Yetthe Labor government, the government that fell intooffice because of three Independent Labor people — —

Mr Viney interjected.

Mr LUPTON — The honourable member forFrankston East interjects out of his place to say that theIndependents were elected. The Labor government is inplace only because of the Independent Labor members,yet the government still mucked up Workcover. Theformer Kennett government was moving towards asurplus, but instead the Labor government has produceda $600 million blow-out in six months.

I refer again to the Auditor-General’s report — —

Mr Viney interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! Thehonourable member for Frankston East!

Mr LUPTON — The Auditor-General further saidthat the most significant development impacting on theblow-out was the Bracks government’s enactment inMay 2000 of the Accident Compensation (CommonLaw and Benefits) Act 2000. This is a loss 10 timesgreater than in any financial year under the previousgovernment.

Yet the Minister for Workcover stood in this house andsaid the department was in the red. There it is: theAuditor-General has found that what the minister saidis totally incorrect.


Mr LUPTON — Labor government members, whoknow they are in government because of theIndependent Labor members, skite about how muchthey have got.

Turning to education funding for the Knox electorate,Heany Park Primary School will get $561 000 andLysterfield Primary School will receive $161 000 tomodernise facilities.

Mr Robinson — That is good!

Mr LUPTON — The honourable member forMitcham interjects, but what he has to remember is that

I have raised in this house two or three times the factthat those two schools were built to take 450 kids andboth now have over 670 kids — and next year it will beworse — yet there has been no response to the report Irequested. The report tabled by the government wasflawed and incorrect, and the government is nowrevisiting it. In the period from 1998 to the present Ihave not been able to get the facts on whether we needa new primary school in the Rowville area.

Fairhills High School gets $35 682 and Ferntree GullyCollege gets $21 777. That is as far as educationfunding goes in Knox. Fairhills High School has had anenormous problem with safety. The parents cannot getin and out of the school with their children, and theschool is on a busy road, but they will not see anyfunding to relieve that matter.

The former Kennett government was planning to buildthe Knox hospital. It was promised and was to be builtall in one stage. Then the Labor government came intooffice and canned it straightaway, just as it scrapped theScoresby freeway. That was in 1999, so it all turnsaround. The Labor government scrapped the hospitaland is now planning to put money into the AnglissHospital and the Maroondah Hospital, according toCr Scates, the mayor of Knox. He has been quoted inthe Knox Leader of 22 May as saying:

The state government promise to Ferntree Gully’s AnglissHospital would not be enough to solve its long-termproblems …

If honourable members look at what is happening at theAngliss Hospital, they will see that waiting lists aregrowing.

On the matter of transport, what roads have beenpromised for the Knox electorate? Zilch! The busservice from Rowville to Glen Waverley andRingwood is to be improved, but no funding isavailable.

Mr Pandazopoulos interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! Will theminister please lower his voice!

Mr LUPTON — That would be appreciated,Madam Deputy Speaker. Road projects commencedunder the previous government and not finished off bythis government include the duplication of WellingtonRoad between Stud Road and Taylors Lane, KellettsRoad between Stud Road and Taylors Lane, and a thirdlane between Scoresby Road and Ferntree Gully Roadon Burwood Highway, which was meant to offer threelanes of traffic all the way from Stud Road near Knox



City to Upper Ferntree Gully. It is with regret, however,that I find there is no money in the budget to providethose facilities, which would ease traffic in the Knoxelectorate and improve travel from the electorate toFerny Creek, Gembrook and other places.

Getting back to the Scoresby freeway, the freeway landis there, the environmental impact studies have beendone, and everything is ready. Some media releases onthe matter are extremely interesting.

Mr Holding interjected.

Mr LUPTON — The honourable member forSpringvale, who interjects, would not even know whereStud Road was. On 8 August 2000, the then actingMinister for Transport in another place, the HonourableJustin Madden, was reported in a media release fromthe Ministry of Transport as saying:

… construction of the long-awaited project could begin asearly as 2002.

…

In the first stage, $65 million is being sought from thecommonwealth government to begin work on the section(stage 1) between Ringwood and the Burwood Highway in2002–03. Matching funding would then be required from theVictorian government.

It is only about three weeks ago that the Prime Ministerannounced the allocation of $220 million to theScoresby freeway project, to be available from 1 July,yet the acting Minister for Transport said $65 millionwas being sought from the commonwealth government‘to begin work on the section’ — his words, not mine.

And how much money is allocated by this governmentin its budget to the Scoresby freeway project?Two million dollars!

The acting transport minister also said in his pressrelease:

We’re seeking a commitment from the federal government toback this initiative so that design work can proceed withoutdelay.

The feds have done it, so where is the money from thestate government?

I quote again from a press release of 28 November2000, this time the words of the Minister for Transport:

Victoria stands ready to fund its share of this vital piece oftransport infrastructure and the commonwealth needs tocommit its fair share.

I emphasise again that the federal government hasgiven $220 million, effective on 1 July this year.

I refer to another media release dated 9 February fromthe minister, which states in part:

Planning for the freeway has been completed. Anenvironmental effects statement (EES) has been finalised andexamined by an independent inquiry panel whichrecommended the construction of the Scoresby freeway andassociated public transport improvements.

The project is ready to proceed.

The federal government has given $220 million; whereis the state government’s money? A media releasedated 16 May, again from the Minister for Transport,states:

An important breakthrough for the Victorian government andthe people living in the Scoresby corridor …

That is in relation to the government’s promise. Itcontinues:

The Victorian government welcomes the initial offer from thecommonwealth and congratulates the Prime Minister ondeclaring the Scoresby freeway a road of national importance.

…

Yesterday’s state budget also included $2 million for a studyto investigate all public transport options in the Scoresbycorridor.

The government cannot have it every way. It is havingtwo bob each way and yet nothing is coming out of it.The people of Knox and the surrounding areas all theway down to Frankston expect something.

I turn to look at the enormous amount of funding in thebudget — and I am talking about increases in taxes. Irefer to budget paper 2. At page 219, it states:

Revenue from conveyancing duties in 2000–01 is estimatedto be some $220 million higher than the budget forecast …

increased revenue from stamp duty on marketable securitiesof $62 million, reflecting buoyant share market activity …

an increase in mortgage duty of $22 million …

an increase in financial institutions duty of $18 million.

Under the heading ‘Taxes on property’ it states:

Taxes on property include land tax and the metropolitanimprovement levy … $27 million higher than the budgetestimate.

Payroll tax is expected to be up by $86 million, taxes oninsurance are expected to be $11 million higher, taxeson motor vehicles are expected to be $17 millionhigher, revenue from fines is expected to be up$96 million, and public authority income up$24 million. Total grants received are expected to be$74 million higher.



Budget paper 2 tells us what the government is earningbut it does not say how the government will expend itin the Knox electorate. The money that has beenallocated is minuscule. The federal government hasgiven a guaranteed $220 million for the Scoresbyfreeway effective from 1 July but where is the stategovernment’s money to match it? It has been bleatingand moaning for so long yet has put in only afour-paragraph submission on the Scoresby freeway.Now it has upped it a little more but where is themoney for the freeway, which will benefit both peopleliving in Knox and those living in the area all the waydown to Frankston?

Mr PANDAZOPOULOS (Minister for MajorProjects and Tourism) — I am pleased to speak on thesecond Bracks budget. I will refer to my electorate andto my portfolio areas, but it is a bit hard to do too muchin the short time available.

It was interesting to listen to the honourable memberfor Knox, because cabinet met out at Knox recently. Inoted all the goods things the council said thegovernment is doing. One can see from all the roadsigns, including those on black spot funding, whatLabor is doing in electorates it does not hold. Councilswill say they want the government to do more, and itwill tell them it wants them to do more.


The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! If thehonourable members for Springvale and Mordiallocwant to yell at each other they can take themselvessomewhere else.

Mr PANDAZOPOULOS — The government isdelivering a lot more in the basic areas where thecommunity expects its tax money to go.

Mr Holding interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! Thehonourable member for Springvale will ceaseinterjecting!

Mr PANDAZOPOULOS — Those areas areeducation, hospitals, law and order andinfrastructure — and that is exactly what the budgetdoes. My electorate is the fastest growing in the stateand the largest, as shown by the redistribution map.There is a huge pent-up demand for new schools and inallocating an extra $18.9 million the budget deliversmore for schools in the south-east, particularly in theCity of Casey.

Last year the government allocated resources to areasthat were promised during the election campaign.Funding has been allocated to stage 1 of a newsecondary school in the southern part of Berwick. Thehonourable member for Berwick has said that thegovernment made a commitment to open it in 2002 butthat it will not open until 2003. He has not been downthere to see the school under construction and probablydoes not read the local papers now that he does so muchwork on conspiracy theories. The budget delivers onstage 2 of the new secondary college in the southernpart of Berwick, which will open in 2002. Later thisyear it will employ a principal and take enrolments fornext year.

All that was confirmed at a large public meeting, whichthe honourable member did not attend. Not only was anew secondary school announced for the southern partof Berwick last year, but a new primary school andsecondary school, which the community wanted to be acombined primary-secondary school, will also befunded. The government agreed to it being a uniquemodel. In the past such schools have been the result offorced amalgamations by the former government ofneighbouring primary and secondary schools. Thisschool has been designed for a greenfield site and is asmart design. It is a smart way of doing things whenland is reserved for a primary school adjacent to landreserved for a secondary school.

The government announced stage 1 funding for theschool last year and stage 2 funding has beenannounced in the budget. That primary-secondaryschool will also open next year. It was overlooked for along time by the previous government. Young kidswere required to travel 7 kilometres as the crow flies toget to the nearest secondary school. It is an area withmany one-car families and poor public transport. Thegovernment is delivering schools closer to wherepeople live in the growth corridor, as well as upgradingexisting schools.

The budget also delivered on stage 2 of the finalupgrade of Hampton Park Secondary College. Last yearthere was money for stage 1, and there is money in thisbudget to complete that project as well. That is anexample of another school that was bursting at theseams and had been forgotten by the previousgovernment. There is much catching up to do and manyschools in the growth area are bursting at the seams, sothe government is pouring money in to open newschools and fix up existing schools to reduce thatpressure.

The government is also putting money into areas otherthan capital infrastructure, such as the Middle Years



program, which in the City of Casey is about $750 000.Last year the government put resources into the primaryto grade 2 years, the very early formative years inliteracy and numeracy. It is also reducing average classsizes, but a lot of work still has to be done. Manyschools are overcrowded and it will not be possible todo that completely in all of them, but there is a need tokeep focusing on it. More resources have beenprovided, with an 2200 extra teachers last year and thisyear. The government has put a lot of effort into thatand is continuing it. However, this year more effort isgoing into the Middle Years program, those early yearsof secondary school where young people needassistance.

The government has also put $2.1 million intotechnologically enhanced classrooms in the sameregion. In the past schools had a formula — the ratioobjective being one computer to five kids — but theyhad to come up with $3 for every $1 provided by thegovernment. Schools in lower socioeconomic areassuch as Hampton Park, Doveton and areas ofDandenong in my electorate rely on the educationmaintenance allowance. How could they raise moneyfrom parents on low incomes, whether they wereworking or not, to buy computers to meet that ratio?That formula was changed in the budget and thegovernment will make sure it is not about who can raisemore money locally. Irrespective of their ability to raiseresources, all communities have student learning needs,particularly in information technology for youngpeople.

The budget commits $1.9 million for planning theredevelopment of the Chisholm TAFE Dandenongcampus on Stud Road. That TAFE institute is burstingat the seams and needs a new capital works upgrade tomeet the demands on it. At the moment the area to beredeveloped is the site of the old Dandenong technicalschool, which was closed in the early 1990s. Thefacilities are obviously in need of upgrade to ensure thatthe students have the best facilities.

The key part of the budget is the $2.13 billioninvestment in infrastructure, the largest in any singleyear. The previous government focused on civicprojects, which are important — they are also targetedin the budget — but it overlooked spending on roads,schools, hospitals, law courts, police stations andtechnical and further education colleges. That is wherethis money will be reinvested so that the best facilitiesare made available to the community. That also helps inreducing ongoing recurrent costs. You can do your jobmuch more efficiently in better designed and litbuildings using new electronic technology. The wayworkplaces are organised can affect costs.

Part of that funding will also go into transport. It isgood to see that in the budget a further $800 000 hasbeen allocated to improve bus services in HamptonPark, Narre Warren, Berwick and Lyndhurst — allfast-growing suburbs in the City of Casey that havebeen overlooked in the past. This extra funding willensure that bus services run into residential estates toencourage people to use public transport rather thandiscouraging them from doing so because it is too far towalk to the bus from their homes.

The budget also provides for a large reinvestment inbuses. Dandenong is the heart of the bus industry, andcompanies such as Volgren will no doubt have theopportunity to be big winners as a result of this newinvestment. It means jobs for the Dandenong regionand good, modern, energy-efficient, disability-friendlytransport for the community. The budget also putsanother $54 million into the Hallam–Narre Warrenbypass, which continues to progress well and onschedule. That will be a huge bonus for the localcommunity and beyond into Gippsland.

I heard the honourable member for Knox talk about theimportance of the Scoresby freeway. The governmentagrees that it is important, but the honourable member,like the Prime Minister, is trying to dud the community.It is not possible to build a $1 billion-plus freeway as aroad of national importance (RONI) — which meansfifty-fifty funding — if you are given only$220 million. The sums do not add up, and the localcommunities and councils also know it. The chair of thelocal government group on Scoresby transport,Cr Kevin Walsh from the City of Greater Dandenong,also understands that the federal government is trying todud the eastern and south-eastern suburbs. Enoughmoney is available to extend the Scoresby freeway tothe Burwood Highway and dump the traffic on thedoorstep of Aston, with nowhere to go but throughresidential streets.

You would think that the Prime Minister would besmart enough to realise that if he did that he would becaught out. How does the Victorian government pay forthe rest of it? It would be irresponsible for thegovernment — when it is supposed to be a fifty-fiftyarrangement — to say it would do the rest. We cannotafford to do the rest when we have so much extra workto do across Victoria, particularly in building new roadsin municipalities such as the City of GreaterDandenong and the City of Casey.

The federal government should stop ripping off thepeople in the eastern and south-eastern suburbs andmake sure the Scoresby freeway is funded on afifty-fifty basis. If the government accepts a 22 per



cent-funded project, all other RONI projects aroundVictoria, such as the Pakenham bypass, might get not afifty-fifty contribution from the federal government buta 22 per cent contribution. The federal government doesa fantastic job of shifting costs onto stategovernments — and it did so again in the recent federalbudget.

I now refer to my portfolio areas, where so many greatthings are happening. In tourism, an extra $4 millionhas been allocated to international marketing. Themarketing budget is currently $8.2 million, so anincrease of $4 million is phenomenal. The industry israpt because it knows not only that Melbourne will bepromoted but that regional Victoria will be promoted aswell. The government believes regional Victoria iscapable of flying the flag for Victoria internationallymuch more than it has in recent years. People knowabout Melbourne, but they can forget that this is acompact state. It is easy to get to the fantastic locationsacross Victoria, and visitors need to know there is moreto the state than Melbourne.

The international tourism market is now more naturebased. Tourists know cities — they like Melbourne as aromantic, cultural and event-focused city — but themarket is also moving to offer experiences that areperceived as natural. That means ensuring that visitorshave a city experience and a regional experience. Thegovernment will use the $4 million to work out plansfor those regions that can raise money from the privatesector and from local tourism agencies, so the extrafunding will result in tourists spending more dollars. Ifwe can double that, it would be a great effort forVictoria.

The Victorian government has long complained to thefederal government that it is not doing enough to showVictorian product. The commonwealth said, ‘You areputting in only $8 million. If you put in more we willconsider doing the same, and we might be able to joinup together to spend the dollars on marketing’. We putin the extra, but the commonwealth did not.

In real terms commonwealth funding has fallen by$2 million. The federal government is telling Victoriato wave the flag for Australia, yet while we areincreasing funding it is not. However, we will workwith the tourism regions and the airline andaccommodation industries to see which regions we willput those dollars into so we can get the best value forthem while promoting more regional product.

The federal government has increased the departure taxby $8 to $38, which will raise of the order of$64 million. Has any of it gone into tourism marketing?

No, absolutely not. You would think that thecommonwealth would put a little of that increase —$2 of the $8 would have raised $16 million — intoworking with us on overseas markets. Victoria has onequarter of Australia’s population. If we put in$4 million, the federal government could put in$16 million for the rest of Australia.

Mr Spry interjected.

Mr PANDAZOPOULOS — The honourablemember for Bellarine, who represents a great touristarea, asks why I am not talking about the state. I amtalking about the state. If the federal government put inmore money and we worked with them on marketing,we would get a better result for the state.

The government is also delivering on an electioncommitment to provide $2 million for the upgrade ofthe Bonegilla migrant settlement centre. We areworking with the Albury-Wodonga communities,including those involved in Albury-Wodonga parks andAlbury-Wodonga investment, so that the greatopportunity for Bonegilla to be a museum andeducational and interpretative centre is not lost butrealised. Bonegilla is a celebration of our multiculturalpast. More than one million Australians are descendantsof people who came through the centre.

As some of those former residents become nostalgicand their children and grandchildren begin to want toknow where their parents and grandparents came to,imagine the marketing opportunities and the capacity tocreate a tourism experience that is also an educationexperience! The government has committed itself tothat vision, and together with the local communities it isworking towards achieving that. The government saidduring the election campaign that it would deliver, andit will do what it said it would. The government iscelebrating multiculturalism, but we are being smart increating another tourism product for north-easternVictoria that will no doubt be very popular.

Funding of $5.4 million has been provided to identifypotential sites for and operators of new facilities to treatand store the hazardous waste that is unavoidablyproduced by Victorian industry. The previousgovernment had a crash-through approach, trying toforce decisions onto local communities and dumpingwaste in landfill. The government made an electioncommitment that no more prescribed and toxic wastewill be dumped in landfill such as at Lyndhurst, whichhas a mixture of commercial, household and prescribedwaste.



The government has committed the budget dollars toenable it to work with industry and communities tocome up with better solutions. It wants to make surethat the focus is on industry looking at its wastetreatment processes, including the increased use ofrecycling and the recovery of hazardous wasteproducts. Companies make choices about the materialsthey use and how much waste they produce.Households are good at recycling and reducing theirwaste, and the hazardous waste industry needs to do thesame. The government has put in place a process byestablishing the hazardous waste siting advisorycommittee, which consists of representatives ofindustry, conservation groups, local government,academics and the community, all of whom agree onthe need to work together to meet that challenge.

We all have to lift our game if we are to achievesustainable and long-term economic outcomes for ourcommunity. We all use products that end up in thehazardous waste stream, so let’s not be hypocriticalabout it. We will always have it; the issue is what we dowith it. We either do it the old way, by dumping it inlandfill, or we find new ways of doing things by puttingpressure on industry, developing new technologies andworking with local government and local communitiesto produce good results.

The committee is working well, and in July expressionsof interest will be sought for the establishment of soilrecycling facilities. Forty-one per cent of hazardouswaste is in soils that can be recycled. The work is alsobeing carried out in consultation with the EnvironmentProtection Authority and planning authorities.

The government has also made a funding commitmentof $2 million for the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.The government is committed to redeveloping theshowgrounds, but some estimates put the cost as highas $150 million. In the interests of the community thegovernment must assess what is a reasonable amount tospend on a good economic outcome so that the future ofthe showgrounds is sustainable. The $2 million will gotowards some essential work. The government willwork to ensure that it has something that is morerealistic and appropriate to fund. If the government didnot have to put $160 million into Federation Square, allof the $150 million worth of work at the showgroundscould have been done. We can thank the previousgovernment for denying us that opportunity!

This is a great budget that delivers on the basics. Itdelivers on rebuilding community infrastructure and onrestoring people’s confidence that the governmentlistens to what they want, including the services theywant. The budget is also about continuing to build the

economy, so it is exactly what the government is onabout — social development and good economic,sustainable development.

Mr KOTSIRAS (Bulleen) — It is a pleasure tospeak on the appropriation bill. It was good to hear theMinister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairstalk about the Bonegilla museum. It is unfortunate thathe has failed to save the Hellenic Museum, whichclosed because he was unable to come to an agreementwith the Greek government, despite the fact that thePremier travelled all the way to Greece to try to get anexhibition for Melbourne.

Mr Pandazopoulos interjected.

Mr KOTSIRAS — You have failed.

This is Labor’s second budget. It contains no surprises,because it is from the same mould as those produced bythe Cain–Kirner governments. Today we found out thatthe Auditor-General has uncovered mismanagement inthe Workcover system, with $600 million having beenlost in just six months. Under this governmentWorkcover has had bigger deficits and increasedpremiums. I challenge the government to rule out anyfurther premium increases as a result of the blow-out.

All that does is reinforce in people’s minds the fact thatthe Labor government believes in high taxes, highspending, lower economic growth, lower employmentgrowth, reduced investment, increased borrowings,increased deficits, increased unfunded superannuationliabilities, no major projects and nothing for ordinaryVictorians. In the short term this budget deliversnothing but increased recurrent expenditure.

It is interesting to read an article that appeared in theAustralian Financial Review of 16 May under theheading ‘Bracks Budget disappointing’. The articlestates:


…

Cash deficits and growing unfunded superannuation areexpected to increase the Victorian general governmentsector’s net financial liabilities by almost $1 billion to$15 billion by 2005.

…

… it does reflect a disappointing lack of fiscal discipline fromthis new Labor government.

Another article by Alan Mitchell on the same daystates:



Victorian Labor, it seems, is settling uneasily into thefinancial discipline of government. The Bracks governmenthas budgeted to go from a cash surplus of $1.2 billion in2000–01 to a deficit of $22 million in 2001–02. On presentpolicies, the general government cash deficit is projected toincrease to $300 million in 2002–03.

More than half the turnaround is the result of a $700 millionincrease in recurrent spending.

…

This government … is dipping into its fiscal inheritance.

This is a bad budget. There is not one new project andthere are no major tax cuts, despite the fact thatVictorian businesses are moving interstate or closing.The Bracks government is not doing enough to winnew industry investment to this state. Instead we arelosing industries to other states. The government hasincreased Workcover premiums and reduced itsopposition to extreme union behaviour. Its failure tomake large and consistent cuts in payroll tax is hurtingindustry.

The companies that have closed operations or movedinterstate include Virgin Airlines, BHP, Kraft Foods,Nestles, Heinz, IBM — and the list goes on. In just sixmonths a total of 12 662 jobs have been lost. In twoyears, members of the government have shown they aremore interested in themselves and in enjoying theextras that come with being in government than in thewellbeing of Victoria.

Education has suffered as well. This has been the worstbudget for education for 10 years yet we all agree that itshould be our no. 1 priority. There are no year 7national targets for reading, no additional money forprofessional development and fewer students receivingthe education maintenance allowance. The retentionrates for senior year regional students have gone down.This government is underspending in capital works, andclass sizes have gone up. It seems that it is all talk andno action.

My electorate of Bulleen misses out once again. It hasreceived no new major funding despite the fact that Ihave raised a number of issues with ministers anddepartments about the need to upgrade Thompsons andTemplestowe roads. I have spoken to Vicroads aboutBulleen Road. I was advised that I needed to go throughthe minister’s office. Last year I did so in writing buthave received no reply. So far the process has takenalmost six months.

If you look at the budget papers you will find that mostof the major cities receive a mention, with the exceptionof the City of Manningham. The cities of GreaterDandenong, Boroondara, Knox, Monash, Whitehorse,

Casey, Glen Eira, Mornington and Kingston are allmentioned, but no mention is made of the City ofManningham. This shows that the government does notconsider that Manningham is a major city. That is aninsult to the city’s residents, because they are treated assecond-class citizens. The rhetoric and slogan of‘Growing the whole state’ is simply misleading. Thisslogan should really be about growing the areas that theBracks government wants to win again at the next stateelection.


Mr KOTSIRAS — No, it is a press release. Not asingle mention was made of the City of Manningham.

I turn now to the area of multicultural affairs.Unfortunately the minister has left the chamber.According to a press release dated Tuesday 15 May:

Government departments would continue to address the needsof people from different cultural and linguistic backgroundsunder new initiatives announced in today’s state budget.

Unfortunately there has been no major initiative —absolutely none. The budget papers for 2000–01 putaside $0.8 million for advice, $0.1 million forconsultation, $2.4 million for excess and $1.6 millionfor grants. This totals $4.1 million for the year.

The budget papers show that advice has gone up to$2.1 million and consultation and grants to$1.8 million. These amounts total $3.9 million. Thedifference between funding for 2000–01 and 2001–02is $1 million. The government has taken away$1 million from the area of multicultural affairs. Thisshows that from a total budget of $23.5 billion thegovernment is spending only $3.9 million. This isapproximately 0.02 per cent of the total budget.

It is interesting to note how much it costs thisgovernment to provide its bureaucrats with a brief. In2000–01 500 briefs were written at a cost of$2.9 million. This worked out to be $5800 per brief. In2001–02, 420 briefs were written at a cost of$2.1 million or $5000 per brief. That is an enormousamount of money for briefs, let me tell you!

In 2001 money was put aside for funding to enable theresources for the development of web pages for ethnicorganisations. It was $10 000 for 2000–01, $10 000 for2002–03 and $10 000 for 2003–04. Unfortunately, inthis year’s budget there is no money for that type offunding.

Despite these cuts, the government has been able tolook after itself. On page 270 of this year’s budget



papers under the heading ‘Ministerial andparliamentary support’ it says:

Additional funding has been provided to support ministers tomore effectively carry out their duties, and to assistgovernment in the development of economically, socially andenvironmentally responsible policies.

That is costing $3.8 million in 2001–02, $3.8 million in2002–03 and so on. However, the government has notprovided any extra money for language services,Multicultural Arts Victoria or ethnic advertising toensure that all Victorians are aware of the initiativesand policies of the government. There has been noincrease in community grants and no additional fundsfor anti-racism campaigns and no mention of the officeof business skills migration.

Under this government, multicultural affairs hasdropped from the agenda. The government is happy tospend $35 000 on research on the Racial and ReligiousTolerance Bill but is not prepared to put more moneyinto services that are required by ethnic groups.

As I said, those in the government are more than happyto look after themselves. They have provided$3.8 million for more staff to advise the ministers onwhat they should do.

Another feature of interest is that last year’s budgetshowed that the Independents received $1 million in2000–01 and $0.7 million in 2001–02. That comes to$333 000 for each Independent member of theParliament for the first year and $233 000 for each ofthem in following years.

It is also interesting to see that the Independent memberfor Mildura said why he is supporting the ALP. In apress release dated 17 October 1999 he states:

With the support of the Independents, it will be accountableand democratically reflective.

…

My decision has been made on the basis that I have twodifficult choices. I believe Labor will listen and act upon ourneeds …

I would like to know how they have spent the$333 000. They talk about being open and accountableand yet they are not prepared to come into this houseand tell us where they have spent the money.

As I have said, this budget does not deliver. It isdisappointing and represents a lost chance. Victorianswill pay for it in the future.

Mrs MADDIGAN (Essendon) — I have pleasure insupporting the bill. I congratulate the Treasurer on an

excellent budget, which is forward looking and buildsjobs in Victoria now and into the future. Havinglistened to speeches on the budget for a large part of theday there has been a clear example of people hearingonly what they want to hear. In fact, an observer ofthese speeches today might well wonder if we all live inthe same state.

The views expressed on the state of the government’seconomy and what is happening in relation to jobs inVictoria has been disparate, but there are some factsthat support the case that Victoria is in a very healthyeconomic position. They are all written in budgetpaper 2, if honourable members care to read them.

I was a little surprised that in his address the honourablemember for Bulleen spoke about declining jobs inVictoria. I am not sure where he got that from, becauseon page 39 of budget paper 2 in figures provided byTreasury — not by the media machine of the LaborParty or the government — it says:

Labor market conditions were much stronger in Victoria thanin the rest of Australia over the past year. Some 68 500 newjobs were created in Victoria, which was well over half of allnew jobs created in Australia during this period. Of the newjobs in Victoria, more than one in three were created in ruraland regional Victoria.

That is more jobs than were created in the whole sevenyears of the Kennett government — and if Treasurysays it, it must be true — yet the honourable memberfor Bulleen would have us believe the jobs situation inVictoria is not good. So, I direct him with enthusiasm topage 39.

Other members on the opposition side have spokenabout what they see as the poor economic situation forVictoria, and I direct them to the bottom of page 41,where it states:

State final demand … grew by 0.9 per cent in Victoria during2000, compared with a 0.1 per cent decline in the rest ofAustralia. Consumer spending growth was softer in Victoriathan nationally over the past year although this followed anumber of years of growth well above the national rate. Whilehousing activity fell sharply following the introduction of theGST —

and we all know which government was responsible forthat —

it held up much better in Victoria than in other parts ofAustralia. Victorian business investment stabilised at recordlevels in the first half of 2000–01. Victorian merchandiseexports grew strongly in the first half of 2000–01, helping tooffset weaker domestic sales.

Labour market conditions were also much better in Victoriathan in the rest of Australia. Employment increased by 3.1 percent in Victoria over the past year compared with only 0.7 per



cent in the rest of Australia. Similarly, Victoria’s seasonallyadjusted unemployment rate of 6.2 per cent in March wasbelow the national rate of 6.5 per cent. Victoria’s populationgrowth also exceeded the national average supported by acontinued influx of people from other states and territories.

The economic position in Victoria is excellent, and withthe budget that has been put forward by the Treasurerhonourable members can look forward to that growthcontinuing. It is a very sensible budget, relying stronglyon growth in infrastructure. That growth has two strongbenefits; firstly, it provides jobs in the short term inbuilding that infrastructure; and secondly, it also createsjob opportunities in the long term.

Policies in budgets of all governments should addresswhat to me is the most important issue in our countryand state — that is, providing jobs for people who wantto work. It is a sad state or country that does not see thatas its major priority. I am pleased to say that the budgetdoes that, because the effects of being unemployed onpeople who want to work are quite massive. Not onlydoes it personally affect their self-esteem andhappiness, but it frequently leads to serious socialproblems that cost the economy a great deal of money.The sorts of programs the Treasurer has outlined in thisbudget are essential to ensure that job opportunities inVictoria are maximised.

In the budget papers the Treasurer outlines what wewill be doing as a government. Firstly, we will beinvesting heavily in social and economic infrastructure.Of course we will be building infrastructure that all ofVictoria can benefit from, such as the railway lines tothe country, and not programs such as City Link, whichprovide tolls for one section of the community. Theresidents of Essendon and the surrounding areas stillbelieve it is unfair that the Tullamarine Freeway shouldhave a toll on it because it has been there for 20 years.Under the previous government’s road policies asection of the community had to pay for using one roadwhile the rest of Victoria paid centrally for all thoseroads. It is unfair and unjust.

Mr Jasper interjected.

Mrs MADDIGAN — People from the country werestrongly affected by the tolls. I know people fromBendigo in particular — perhaps it is one of the reasonsLabor won both seats in Bendigo so well — wereoutraged by having to pay a toll every time they cameto the city to go to the doctor or for some other type ofappointment.

Secondly, the Treasurer identifies the building of acreative and innovative society, and some of theinitiatives in biotechnology are important in that regard.

These are areas where there will be job and exportopportunities in the future. I also strongly endorse theestablishment of the Victorian Endowment for Science,Knowledge and Innovation. The government is lucky tohave someone of the stature of Barry Jones involved inthat. In partnership with private industry Victoria canlook forward to getting great opportunities.

Thirdly, there is improving environmentalsustainability. The Minister for Environment andConservation is in the house. The work she is doing inrelation to salinity, marine parks and otherenvironmental issues is appreciated by all Victorians. Icongratulate her on her budget initiatives.

Fourthly, the Treasurer identified enhancing Victoria’sbusiness environment through the Better BusinessTaxes package. Even the Liberal Party had to admit thishas good parts to it. It has been widely endorsed by thecommunity, and is seen as a breakthrough in attackingproblems with business taxes. It is the first time anygovernment has been game to stand up and put forwarda package that will be of great benefit, particularly tosmall business, which is the biggest employer of peoplein Victoria.

The fifth element identified by the Treasurer was newprograms to strengthen the Victorian communitythrough multi-year strategies in the key areas of health,education and community building. Of course thereneeds to be a lot of community building after the yearsof the Kennett government, many of whose policieswere divisive — they further divided the wealthy andthe less affluent. The policies the government is nowbringing into Victoria in relation to large spending onhealth, education and other community programs are tobe endorsed.

I particularly congratulate the Minister for Education onher capacity in developing great employment strategies.Strathmore Secondary College in my electorate is oneof the schools benefiting strongly from the VictorianSpace Science Education Centre, and $6.4 million isbeing put into that project. This is a great triumph forone of the young teachers at the college, MichaelPakakis, who heads the science school there. It was hisidea. He came forward with a proposal last year. Thatproposal was sent to the minister, who asked herdepartment to investigate it. From that has come thismassive proposal, which will benefit not onlyStrathmore Secondary College but all of Victoria’sstudents and teachers. It will be an education centre forteachers to learn about teaching space education, aswell as for students to experience space educationtechnologies.



It is interesting that the federal opposition leader hasidentified space technology as a huge growth area forthe future, and one that the future federal Laborgovernment will be investing in heavily. Obviouslyhaving this centre already developed should giveVictoria a great edge.

Strathmore Secondary College will also benefit bygetting stage 3 of its technology-enhanced classroomsas the last stage of its master plan. It will receive morethan $1 million for that completion. Essendon KeilorCollege, another first-class secondary college in myelectorate, will be given more than $600 000 tomodernise its technology facilities, which places itmore than halfway through its technology plan.

Both the secondary colleges in my electorate —Strathmore Secondary College and Essendon KeilorCollege — are centres of excellence in education, asindeed are the excellent primary schools. The middleschools funding will support not only these twoexcellent colleges but also one of the few schools inVictoria that goes only to grade 8, Moonee PondsCentral School.

A number of other budget items are of benefit to mycommunity. I was surprised when the honourablemember for Bulleen informed the house that there wasno money in the budget for community legal services.That would come as a surprise to the Attorney-General,because he is under the impression that there is$4 million extra a year for such services. The state hasbeen forced to put this money into the budget because itis another area where the commonwealth governmenthas not met its responsibilities. I know that communitylegal services across the state, including the well-runEssendon Community Legal Centre, will be keen toshare in the increased funding.

I have an interest in funding for other projects,including the provision of $1.6 million for library andcommunity networks. The Treasurer has shown acommitment to improving information networks, andthis funding for libraries will be widely welcomed byVictorians.

Overall my community is very satisfied with the sortsof policies that the Bracks government has introducedsince it was elected in 1999. Some of the more recentinitiatives that have been welcomed include Rescodeand the introduction of the single dwellings bill.Essendon, as a middle suburb with little spare land, wasseverely affected by the lack of clear guidelines andprescriptions in the Good Design Guide. During theKennett government era, Essendon residents werecontinually having to mount major campaigns to try to

save the character of their neighbourhoods, and as aresult many people in Essendon are now instant townplanning experts. Following an extensive consultationprocess that enabled large numbers of Victorians toparticipate, the introduction of Rescode will bring abouta much better planning system. It has already beengreeted with much enthusiasm by community andplanning groups in my electorate.

The Racing (Racing Victoria Ltd) Bill, which wasrecently passed, has been strongly endorsed by thepremier racing club in Victoria, the Moonee ValleyRacing Club. The club wrote to me saying howdelighted it was with the bill and the minister’ssecond-reading speech. According to the club the newbody will bring an independent and fresh approach toracing and will therefore have its support. I understandthat that view is shared by not only city racing clubs butcountry clubs as well.

As a result of work done by the Minister forEnvironment and Conservation, Moonee Ponds Creek,which was almost totally neglected throughout theyears of the Kennett government, is at last gettingattention. The government has already committed alarge amount of money to a litter program along thecreek, and I look forward to further work being done torestore Moonee Ponds Creek from the concrete drain ithas been allowed to become. If you look at the creekyou can see that over the past 10 years or so littlemoney was spent on its upkeep. I am glad to say that ischanging.

The other issue over which the people of Essendon willforever hold a grudge against the Kennett governmentis the closure of Essendon hospital. The previousgovernment closed the hospital with no consultationand no concern for the efforts of Essendon residentsover the years in donating money to the hospital, oftenwhen they had little money to spare for themselves. Iam pleased to say that although the contracts werealmost completed by the time it was elected, the Laborgovernment has been able to negotiate with thedevelopers, and I thank them very much for theircooperation in returning some public health services tothe site.

Mark Santini and Mark Casey, the main partners in thedevelopment at Essendon hospital, have allowed thegovernment to use 800 square metres of space in thebuilding rent free for three years, which will enable it tomove back some badly needed community healthservices that were lost to the people of Essendon whenthe Kennett government closed the hospital. Mycommunity is proportionally an older one, and that isexpected to be so until at least 2021. The closure of day



services at Essendon, including rehabilitation, podiatry,physiotherapy, occupational therapy and diabetessupport, disadvantaged older and frail residents. Theprevious Premier’s response — that they could go toother hospitals like Epping — perhaps more thananything else showed his total lack of understanding ofthe western and northern suburbs. Even though theplanning has just started, residents are keen to see thoseservices return.

The other problem in Essendon that I lay at the feet ofthe commonwealth government is the lack of aged carebeds. I know how hard the Minister for Aged Care hasworked to try to get the federal government to fulfil itsresponsibilities, especially when the state budget hasprovided more money for aged care support.

Overall this is an excellent budget that has beenreceived well by the people of Victoria because itprovides for growth not only in the short term but alsoin the longer term.

Mr JASPER (Murray Valley) — It is with pleasurethat I join the debate on the appropriation bill. It is hardto know where to begin, given that honourablemembers have only 20 minutes in which to presenttheir views on the budget.

As I have said many times during debates in this place,I have a clear idea of what I seek to do in representingthe people of the Murray Valley electorate, which isbased around the great city of Wangaratta and has as itsnorthern boundary the Murray River. Country peoplehave always faced special difficulties. I get annoyedwhen I hear honourable members talking about what isor is not happening in country Victoria. Many of thosecomments are made by city-based members ofParliament who have not travelled into country Victoriaor experienced what is going on in the north-east or inother parts of the state — and I will return to that issuelater.

A member of Parliament who represented the LiberalParty in the 1980s always talked about how theParliament was performing when he spoke on theappropriation bill. He believed the Parliament shouldperform better. Over the years I have seen changesmade to the sitting hours. When I first enteredParliament, on Tuesdays the sitting commenced at4.00 p.m., on Wednesdays it started at 2.00 p.m. and onThursdays it started at 11.00 a.m. Some people wouldcall them family-friendly hours, and I suppose theywere, and some honourable members, particularly someLabor Party ministers, have called for a return to thosefamily-friendly hours.

We used to sit during the day for three days, and werarely had a Friday sitting. If there was to be anextension of the sitting, it took place the next week. Irecall the former Leader of the National Party, PeterRoss-Edwards, saying on many occasions after we hadfound out the dates of the autumn or spring sessionsthat we should write off the week following the lastscheduled sitting week because we would need toreturn to the house to complete the sessions.

It certainly suited the country members of Parliamentbetter to sit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays atthose times. City members have no idea of what theposition is like for country members of Parliament inwith having to travel long distances. For instance,yesterday — —


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mrs Peulich) —Order!

Mr JASPER — They can keep talking, MadamActing Speaker, because I will keep raising my voiceabove theirs. Hansard will certainly hear it.Government members may hear some of the commentsmade in the 1980s, which they would not knowabout — —


Mr JASPER — They may learn something. Thehonourable member for Pakenham, who has been inthis Parliament longer than I have, would recall andrelate to some of the comments I am making.

Yesterday I rose at 5.30 in the morning and left home at6.30 a.m. to drive to Parliament to be here by 9.30 for aNational Party meeting. We then had a sitting of theParliament that went through to 4.30 a.m.! We then hadto be back here at 9.00 a.m. to start the sitting at9.30 a.m. We do not have family-friendly hours.

On many occasions during the previous Parliament weheard the honourable member for Altona, the currentMinister for Finance, saying that we needed to havefamily-friendly hours. She suggested that the houseshould complete its sittings by 6.00 p.m. or 7.00 p.m.Country members are quite happy to have the sittingsextend into the evenings because we are in Melbournefor three days each sitting week. I live 3 to 4 hoursaway, and the honourable member for Wimmera livesmuch further away than that. On Thursday eveningswhen we finish the sitting at, say, 6.00 p.m., I usuallywait until 7.00 p.m. for the traffic in metropolitanMelbourne to die down before driving for 3 hours to gethome, so I usually ring my wife to tell her I will be



home between 10.00 p.m. and 11.00 p.m. Sometimes itis suggested that the sitting be extended until a bit lateron Thursday evenings, and we sometimes sit until10.00 p.m.


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mrs Peulich) —Order! The level of audible conversation in thechamber is a little too high. Even the Chair cannot hearthe debate. The honourable member for Pakenham!

Mr JASPER — What does the member for MurrayValley do about that situation? Should he stay inMelbourne overnight and drive home the next day? Ofcourse not, because he has appointments in hiselectorate on Friday, so he leaves at 10.00 p.m. or11.00 p.m. to drive home. That is the sort of situationwe have had.

I congratulate the government on the way it handled thelegislative program last week, which I believe is goodso far as the sitting of the Parliament is concerned —that is, it stated at the beginning of the sitting week thatsix bills, or whatever number it may be, would bedebated.

Mr Ryan interjected.

Mr JASPER — I acknowledge the comments madeby the Leader of the National Party that that methodwas introduced by the previous government. However,the mistake that has been made in the past is that if sixbills had to be debated by 4.00 p.m. on Thursday andthe debates of only two of them had been completed bythen, the other four were not debated. Many honourablemembers would simply say, ‘They are going to theLegislative Council, let it debate them. It will returnthem to the Legislative Assembly if it hasamendments’. Often there was no debate on certainbills in this house. I have seen less debate taking placein recent years than I have ever seen before. In yearsgone by this Parliament certainly debated legislation.

The sitting times of the house are set down by theLeader of the House in conjunction with the manager ofopposition business and the National Party Whip,whom I know has had discussions on this matter. Whenbills are introduced into the house on Tuesdays, theydecide which bills should be debated further and whichhonourable members will be able to speak on them.Last week was one of the most successful weeks ofdebate in this Parliament for many years. We have seenthat change, but last night everything was blown apart.

Mr Richardson — No, it was good!

Mr JASPER — The honourable member for ForestHill is another member who, like me, enteredParliament in 1976. He also has a long memory.

I think we should continue with the way the programwas handled last week; it was a step forward inallowing an appropriate amount of time for debate.Legislation that comes into Parliament should be ableto be debated.

In recent years, probably over the past 10 years, wehave seen honourable members referring to variousclauses when speaking in the debate on thesecond-reading of a bill. The second-reading debate ofa bill should be on the principles of the legislation andnot on the various clauses. Because we often do nothave time for bills to go through the committee stage,honourable members tend to speak on clauses duringsecond-reading debates, so committee-style debatesoften take place during the second-reading stage. As aresult, honourable members tend to speak for longer,particularly the lead speakers for the Liberal Party andeven those for the National Party.

The Standing Orders Committee, of which I have beena member for many years, has had its ups and downs.Former Speaker Coghill worked very well in makingsure the Standing Orders Committee met on manyoccasions. Even back in the 1980s, before the time offormer Speaker Coghill, when the Honourable RobertFordham was the Leader of House and the Labor Partywas in government, the Standing Orders Committeemet regularly. The committee reviewed the standingorders and made many changes to them, and reportswere prepared for Parliament. Many of thoserecommendations have never been implemented.Former Speaker Coghill made sure that the committeemet on many occasions, but I must say he did nothandle it well.

I was a member of the Standing Orders Committeefrom 1996 to 1999 and it never met once during thatParliament, which was a disgrace. I am not sure why itdid not meet. I raised the issue with the Speaker butnever received what I thought was an appropriateresponse. I applaud the current Speaker because theStanding Orders Committee is meeting and seeking toaddress the issues that we as members of Parliamentmust address, including the sitting times of theParliament and what we should be doing. I am notsuggesting that changes should not be implemented, noram I suggesting that the changed sitting times, wherethe Assembly now sits earlier in the day, have not beenan advantage. However, honourable members saw theresults of that yesterday, when after a very long sitting



we returned at 9.30 a.m. today. That should not happen.Parliament should sit for a reasonable number of hours.

I believe Parliament should sit in the evenings, as hasalways been the case since I have been a member.Sitting until 10, 11 or 12 o’clock causes no realdifficulties because all honourable members handlesuch hours even when the Parliament is not sittingwhen attending functions in their electorates. Thoseissues should be examined.

All honourable members should remember whatcountry members have to do. Country members have asecond-home allowance, which has been the subject ofsome criticism by former Labor Premiers. The issuewas not addressed through the 1990s and I do not thinkwill be addressed now. Peter Ross-Edwards, a formerLeader of the National Party, strongly supported ahome in Melbourne for country members to enabletheir wives and families to be in Melbourne onoccasions.

City members can return to their homes at night or theirfamilies can come to this place, but put that to a countrymember! My wife says that she has brought up our twochildren, and she is right, because I have been away somuch. City members are also away, but a countrymember suffers more. I am of the view that many citymembers of Parliament do not understand whathappens so far as country members are concerned.When the Parliament finishes at 6 p.m. on Thursdaycity members can attend functions in their electorates,but try doing that as a country member!

I return to the second-home allowance. Countrymembers who are members of committees and whoattend committee meetings outside sitting times do notreceive an allowance because they receive asecond-home allowance. There is no comparisonbetween a second-home allowance and an attendancefee for a committee meeting. Given there is noallowance country members are not encouraged tocome to Melbourne of a Monday or stay through until aFriday, unless they are keen on the committee — —


Mr JASPER — Do you agree or disagree? I do notcare what side of the house a member is on, if I do notagree with what is said I will respond accordingly.Clearly the issue of an allowance for attending acommittee needs to be addressed. I strongly supportcountry members setting up a home in Melbourneshould they wish to do so in order to have their familieswith them on occasions, or to rest overnight — if they

can get enough sleep — for the next day. City membersdo not understand those issues.

I have listened with interest to speakers, particularlythose on the government benches, and I say again that Iam sick to death of hearing city members and somecountry members saying that nothing has happened incountry Victoria for the past seven years. Don’t tell methat! Honourable members should come to myelectorate of Murray Valley. The Minister for State andRegional Development understands. North-easternVictoria is not going backwards. The redistributiontook nothing out of Murray Valley; it shifted a smallpiece.


Mr JASPER — I am talking about the north-easternpart of Victoria. Don’t say it is going backwards.Country Victoria wants more; we all want more. Thereare difficulties for people living in country areas. Iheard the honourable member for Essendon talkingabout City Link and the difficulties faced by herconstituents in paying tolls. So far as I am concernedthere was one way only to build City Link — that is, bya private enterprise company hooking those roadstogether. How do you pay for it? Not by a levy onpetrol, for goodness’ sake! All people in country areaswould be paying for city roads, and they have anabsolute need for fuel that people living in Melbournedo not. I support a toll that is paid by the people whouse it.

I become angry when I hear those sorts of things. Thehonourable member for Bendigo East still wearsrose-coloured glasses. I said in a previous debate in thisplace, ‘Come to north-eastern Victoria and you will seewhat is going on’. Some $8 million is currently beingspent on schools, and the 35 schools across myelectorate of Murray Valley will all benefit. Althoughsome of the projects were approved prior to the changeof government, I give credit to the government forcarrying those projects forward and ensuring that themoney is there.

Difficulties have occurred in Wangaratta, where anindustry has recently closed, of which the minister isaware. I strongly support the action taken by him andhis department in meeting with people and trying toassist them. Wangaratta is not going backwards, it isgoing forward, as is the rest of the electorate, becauseof its industry, primary production, water, tourism,great lifestyle and great climate. Those are the pluses. Iattend meetings where people say, ‘We haven’t got thisand we haven’t got that’, to which I reply, ‘I know allthe negatives, let me hear the positives. There must be



something good going on’. What we must do is expandthose positives.

There is no doubt that I was not the former Premier’swhite-haired boy. He and I disagreed on many things,not the least being trains in country Victoria. I applaudthe fact that trains are returning to country Victoria. Iwould like to see more money committed to trains innorth-eastern Victoria, and I have spoken to theminister about helping the north-east by bringing thebroad rail gauge back to the standard gauge.

Members say that we are going forward and that theprevious government did not do anything. What theyhave not said is that in 1992 the debt was over$32 billion and the coalition government had to changethat. It had to ensure that there was a major turnaroundin the state so far as the economy was concernedbecause in 1992 we were broke. I applaud the actions ofthe former coalition government in turning the financesof the state around. We hear the Treasurer saying thatthe debt is down to $5 billion and that the governmentwill reduce it by half over the next few years to$2.5 billion. I applaud that, but the Treasurer shouldacknowledge what the debt was and what it is now, andthat the government is now sitting in a very goodposition with a pot of gold. It has the state in a strongfinancial position to go forward.

I listened to the comments of the honourable memberfor Geelong North over the intercom, and he wasmaking derogatory comments about country Victoria.We will go forward into the future. I heard the Ministerfor Major Projects and Tourism talking about what isgoing on in country Victoria and promising that thegovernment would support the country. For goodness’sake, he can start by helping the winery walkabout nextweekend.

Another great function taking place this weekend is theRutherglen Country Fair. I am pleased that the Ministerfor Sport and Recreation has accepted my challenge tocome to Rutherglen and meet me on the celebrity grapetread. It will be a great weekend. Thousands of peoplewill come to north-eastern Victoria to taste the greatwines that come from our region and to participate inthe country fair.

I mention the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz. Ten yearsago a small group of people started the jazz festival andnow Wangaratta is the jazz capital of Australia and wellknown throughout the world.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mrs Peulich) —Order! The level of audible conversation in thechamber is too high.

Mr JASPER — The Minister for Major Projectsand Tourism has said that the festival of jazz is ahallmark event. I asked him what money thegovernment was putting in and was told it just goes onpublicity. However, we would like to get fundingsupport. If the minister is so keen on what is happeningin country Victoria, he should have a look at the majorevents and ensure they are funded. We do not want a lotof money, but the government should ensure thatfunding support is provided.

An opposition member interjected.

Mr JASPER — The bridges are another huge issue,but unfortunately I cannot cover that in the timeavailable. I said at the outset that I wanted to cover ahuge range of issues and I have covered one of theissues I think is important — that is, the operation ofthe Parliament itself. Members should never forget thatcountry members are in a special position compared tothose in metropolitan Melbourne, and we want to seethat we get the quality of assistance that is beingprovided to members in metropolitan Melbourne. Weare going forward, but never forget that the strength ofthe state of Victoria emanates from agriculture andother support provided by those living in country areas.Melbourne is a great city, but without country Victoriait would not be what it is today, and nor would the state.The budget needs to address these sorts of things intothe future.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mrs Peulich) —Order! Before I call the honourable member forSpringvale, I advise all honourable members that thelevel of audible conversation in the chamber is muchtoo high. I ask members to lower their voices. It is quitedifficult to follow the member who is on his feet.

Mr HOLDING (Springvale) — It is a greatpleasure to make a contribution this evening to thedebate on the Appropriation (2001/2002) Bill. Like theprevious Bracks budget this budget delivers a lot for myconstituents in Springvale and the people of Victoria.As a member of this government I have much to beproud of in this budget.

I listened carefully to the contribution made by thehonourable member for Murray Valley, and I certainlyrecognise the unique role played by members fromrural and regional constituencies in representing theirpeople in this Parliament, but I hope members fromrural and regional areas also maintain an interest,involvement and engagement in the unique problemsfacing people in metropolitan areas.



In her contribution the honourable member forEssendon mentioned the problems that were addressedby the Minister for Planning through Rescode. In myelectorate of Springvale we face an awesome illicitdrug problem — used syringes and drug paraphernaliaas well as the chaotic street drug problem on the mainroad in Springvale. I hope that as honourable membersfrom metropolitan areas reach out and engage withmembers from rural and regional areas the dialoguegoes both ways and members from rural and regionalareas are able to appreciate and maintain an interest andengagement in the unique problems faced by manymetropolitan areas.

This budget has a great deal of good news forSpringvale. I mentioned this morning in a member’sstatement the massive capital investment in theSpringvale Primary School — the $1.6 million upgradeannounced in this budget. This is an opportunity for theSpringvale Primary School community to realise itsvision and to have its master plan implemented. Themaster plan will improve safety at the school andenable the school site to be consolidated into onephysical location. It will enable better curriculums to bedelivered and better sporting and recreational facilitiesto be provided. At the same time it will protect theheritage features of the school in a way that enhancesthe urban environment in the Springvale area. It isterrific news for the Springvale Primary School that thatcapital investment has finally come through.

In the past the Bracks Labor government has approvedinjections of capital for neighbourhood houses. It hasintroduced the best-value legislation to improve theaccountability of local government and do away withthe divisive and retrograde measures in the compulsorycompetitive tendering regime. We have seen aninjection of funds to provide more affordablekindergartens for young families. That is certainlyappreciated in the Springvale area.

We are now seeing the implementation of the SmartBus scheme on route 888 down Springvale Roadbetween Nunawading and Chelsea. That is great news.It means public transport is being provided to peopleoutside the normal bus hours. It means a better range ofservices and more accessible and relevant publictransport.

We have seen lower classroom sizes in our primaryschools. That is very important in focusing on earlyyears of education. The government is ensuring thatpeople get a good start in life and that their educationalopportunities are optimised by focusing on the criticalearly years, prep to year 2. It is doing that by meetingits election commitments in relation to classroom sizes.

We have seen increased black spot funding. This isextremely important. The state government hasannounced through the Minister for Transport$240 million for the special statewide black spotprogram. This is the most significant investment inblack spot funding by any state government inAustralian history. It is a genuine attempt to reduce ourroad toll. It demonstrates a willingness by thegovernment to put its money where its mouth is and tomake sure that local communities have the resourcesneeded to tackle the critical problems caused by blackspots.

The government will make sure that a significantamount of the money goes to rural and regional areas,where road infrastructure is such an important issue. Atthe same time, in keeping with so many of its policies,the Bracks Labor government provides for communityinput. It asks local councils, communities, organisationsand individuals to nominate black spots for the programso that the widest possible body of experience is drawnon to make this program a success.

The Bracks government is involving the Victorianpeople in many other areas of public administration byasking them what they think. These things are oftenderided by opposition members. They call itgovernment by committee or by task force. They arequick to criticise the range of committees andconsultation processes that are in place. They see it asan excuse for not making decisions when in fact it is arecognition that by providing opportunities for peopleto participate in the decision-making process we makethem stakeholders in the outcome. It is a criticallyimportant hallmark of all of the things that the BracksLabor government has been doing.

Ours is a government with a progressive social agenda,and I want to say something here that comes up againand again in my role as the member for Springvale.People approach elected members about differentpieces of legislation, and three pieces of legislation thathave come before the Parliament come to mind inparticular. The first is the legislation in relation tosupervised injecting facilities, which was passed in thelower house but which I was sad to see was defeated inthe upper house. The second is the Statute LawAmendment (Relationships) Bill, which provided legalrecognition of gay and lesbian relationships. Thirdly,and as recently as last night, this chamber debated theracial and religious tolerance legislation. Those threesignificant pieces of legislation are evidence of theprogressive social agenda set by the Bracks Laborgovernment.



Often in my electorate people approach me and say,‘The majority of people in your electorate disagree withthis piece of legislation’. It is a commonly held viewthat as an elected member you must slavishly follow themajority opinion in your electorate, particularly whenthe majority of submissions, letters, emails, orcorrespondence you receive in your office mightdisagree with proposed legislation, and they seek thatyou vote against it. It is important to put on the recordthat I see the role of a local member not as a delegate ofan electorate — you are not required to simply slavishlyfollow whatever your assessment of majority opinionis — but rather as a representative. If you are arepresentative of your electorate then you owe it yourbest judgment on what the best response is to thevarious pieces of legislation that come before thechamber.

Some residents have approached me in good faith andsaid that I must do what the majority of electors in theseat of Springvale — or Lyndhurst, or whatever itmight be called in the future — seek that I do.However, I say to them that as members of Parliamentwe have to make sure that rather than slavishlyfollowing majority opinions we instead provide the bestjudgment that we can for our constituents.

I am proud to be part of a government which has aprogressive social agenda and which is willing to tackledifficult issues that often are not popular in electorates.Elected members are willing to use their best judgmentto decide what is the best social agenda for thecommunity to best place it to meet the challenges wewill all face going into the 21st century.

I will focus the remainder of my remarks on somethingI also canvassed in my speech in the appropriationdebate last year — that is, the important issue of theCommonwealth Grants Commission’s (CGC) report onfunding relativities between the different states andterritories. This is a critical issue that all Victoriansneed to get across. The government has a critical role toplay in educating Victorians about existing anomaliesand discrepancies in the current CGC formula andmaking sure they understand that we, as Victorians, areripped off by the formula. We must be active andvigilant in making sure that the formula is addressedand reconfigured to provide a fairer distribution ofcommonwealth funds to the states and territories. I useas my resource chapter 7 of budget paper 2.

Mr Perton interjected.

Mr HOLDING — For the benefit of the honourablemember for Doncaster, it is at page 127. Under theheading ‘An unfair and growing burden’, it states:

The CGC’s assessment of the relative needs andrevenue-raising capacities of each state and territory has amajor impact on state finances as the commonwealthgovernment typically accepts the CGC’s recommendations onrelativities, which are issued annually in February.

Therefore the relativities that are presented to theVictorian people each February via the CGC areproviding a disproportionate level of funding to statesother than Victoria, New South Wales and WesternAustralia — and the discrepancies are growing year byyear. Budget paper 2 goes on:

In its 2001 update of relativities, the CGC reduced Victoria’srelativities for forgone financial assistance grantssubstantially.

It goes on to say:

It shows an effective subsidy from Victoria, New SouthWales and Western Australia to the other states and territoriesof about $2.2 billion in 2001–02 …

That is $2.2 billion on the CGC’s figures.

Let us take instead the test of GST revenue that isreturned to the state where it is raised. If we allocateVictoria’s share of GST revenue raised versus GSTrevenue returned to it, the state is getting 83 cents inevery $1 Victorians are contributing. This means that ifwe use this as the basis for calculating it, the subsidyfrom Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australiato the other states and territories rather than being$2.2 billion actually becomes $2.7 billion.

It has to be asked whether the states and territories thatare being subsidised by Victoria, New South Wales andWestern Australia are as deserving as would originallyhave been believed. None of us would disagree withfunding a territory such as the Northern Territory,which is a diverse, decentralised territory that hasunique service delivery and tax revenue raisingopportunities at its disposal. No-one would disagreewith states that are relatively revenue and service richproviding a subsidy to the other states to make sure theycan enjoy the same services. No-one would disagreewith providing a subsidy to a state such as Tasmania,the economy of which is perhaps not as developed asthe economies of other states or does not have the sameopportunities available to it as the economies of otherstates.

However, should we be subsidising Queensland?Queensland has a negative debt position and has thelowest state-based taxes of any state or territory inAustralia. Why should the people of Victoria fund whatis effectively a low-tax strategy being pursued by thepeople of Queensland to entice business in other eastcoast and southern states to shift to that state?



Why should we subsidise the Australian CapitalTerritory, which has the second-lowest net debt of anyjurisdiction and the highest level of per capitadisposable income? According to the budget documentsits per capita disposable income is $29 000. Victoria isthe next highest with $22 000, but the people ofVictoria are expected to subsidise the people of theACT. That is unfair.

The budget documents go on to reveal that the subsidiesfrom Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australiaare large and growing. I am pleased to note thatinformation in the budget documents shows that,finally, the major subsidising states, if we want to callthem that — Victoria and New South Wales, andpossibly now also Western Australia — have shown awillingness to tackle the issue in a sophisticated andcoordinated way. We saw it arising out of the historicAlbury-Wodonga meeting held between the Victorianand New South Wales governments on 26 March 2001,and the commissioning of:

… a major review to investigate the current system ofcommonwealth grants distribution and to proposealternatives …

Those words are from chapter 7, page 132 of BudgetStatement 2001–02, or budget paper 2.

It is significant that Victoria has finally shown that thegovernment can address such problems in a coordinatedway involving other states to ensure that Victorianpeople are not continually ripped off by theCommonwealth Grants Commission formula, which isbiased and disproportionately impacts on Victorianpeople. That results in Victorians subsidisinglow-taxing and low-debt states such as Queensland, andterritories such as the ACT, which has a higherdisposable per capita incomes than the people ofVictoria to the tune of $29 000 per capita compared to$22 000.

The budget implements the government’s response tothe business tax review. I am pleased to see thatVictoria will have a lower business tax regime, makingits businesses more competitive. Business taxes andcharges will come down, and that is all good news forVictorian businesses.

Overall, it is a tremendous budget for the people ofSpringvale. It addresses the problems that Victoriafaces going into the 21st century. It invests ininfrastructure and in critical services such as health andeducation. It looks to the future, but in a financiallyresponsible way. There are still great challenges, and Iurge the government to continue its forthright policy of

tackling the chronic problems posed by the unfair andbiased Commonwealth Grants Commission formula.

Mr SPRY (Bellarine) — The budget debate is, onceagain, an opportunity for honourable members toreview the government’s aims and objectives, and itsperformance, particularly over the past 12 months.

It is not a pretty picture. It is clear to me, for example,that the Bracks Labor government is already showingsigns of beginning to unravel. The budget has given thegovernment a big opportunity to demonstrate itsleadership and its future intentions for all Victorians.However, there is basically nothing in the budgetpapers to give Victorians much inspiration, especiallycountry Victorians and the people of the Bellarineelectorate.

By doing nothing, a government can fool most of thepeople some of the time; but towards the end of itssecond year of office the Bracks Labor government inaction is already beginning to wear very thin indeed.Instead of living up to its pre-election rhetoric on thesocial reform policy accompanied by fiscalresponsibility, it is characterised by vacillation,potential fiscal irresponsibility and the return, sadly, tothe Cain and Kirner years of government.

The government has absolutely no idea about clear,directional policy. It does not tell it the way we wouldlike to hear it. It provides Victorians with no vision forthe future and seems to have no idea of what makes aneconomy take. It has no idea that the private sector isthe wealth generator. Probably the reason it does notunderstand that is that most honourable members on thegovernment side of the house have never been involvedin the private sector.

The government seems to think that to solve theunemployment problem it has only to put on morepublic servants. It has no idea that the public sector ispaid for ultimately by the private sector. It is as simpleas that. Sure, modern society cannot function without afocused public sector, the sector responsible forfacilitating and sometimes providing essential servicessuch as health care, education, law and order and publictransport. However, if those services becometop-heavy, they will cripple the economy as they did inthe Cain and Kirner years of government, those sadyears of total fiscal neglect.

There are signs in the budget that the government isalready starting to spiral downwards. Recurrent costsfuelled by union demands have that ominous lookabout them already. The huge current account surplusof $1.2 billion delivered to the government by the

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former conservative government, boosted by net overalltax revenue increases, provided the Labor governmentwhen it came into office in 1999 with the bestopportunity ever for creating a competitive future forVictoria and driving the state into a brilliant new era.Instead, however, that huge surplus has already beensquandered by the Labor government.

The electorate has not forgotten that in 1992 the formerCain and Kirner governments, which were Laborgovernments, left to the incoming coalition governmenta legacy of a $2 billion current account deficit. Is it anywonder that in those early years of the coalitiongovernment spending had to be cut significantly? Yethonourable members on the other side of the housecomplain about the cuts introduced by the formerKennett government. It had absolutely no option but tointroduce those cuts. Victorians have not forgotten thepain that caused, and they do not want to go throughthat again.

Mr Trezise interjected.

Mr SPRY — In response to the interjection fromthe honourable member for Geelong, I am not the onlyone who is saying this. Well-respected commentatorssuch as those who write for the Australian FinancialReview have criticised the budget for its growth inrecurrent spending, as indeed did the Auditor-Generalin his November 2000 report on the finances ofVictoria.

Apart from its inherent paralysis, which I cannotunderstand — the only way to explain it is to say itshows a lack of understanding of how to properlymanage an economy — there are signs that thegovernment is losing confidence. Its inability to launchmajor new projects is worrying. It cannot even dealwith the projects the former government left it, and that,too, is worrying. The Bracks Labor government has hadplenty of money in its Growing Victoria reserve to fundvital infrastructure projects, but if its handling of its railinfrastructure initiative exemplifies its capacity to putideas into action, the government must be judged afailure.

The people of Geelong were buoyed by the promise offaster and more comfortable rail services tometropolitan Melbourne, and so were the people ofBallarat, Bendigo, and Traralgon. Almost two yearslater we are still waiting. Constituents are askingwhether this government is capable of delivering. Theanswer is apparently not.

I refer to the $80 million question. That was the figureLabor quoted in its pre-election policy, which was

signed off by Access Economics, to cover its fast railprojects. That suddenly and miraculously turned into a$1000-million nightmare. How did it grow from$80 million to $1000 million? Does the governmenthave any idea of budgeting and forecasting? Again,apparently not. In the meantime the much-vauntedprivate component of Labor’s public-privatepartnership seems further away than ever.

Debate interrupted pursuant to sessional orders.

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The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!Under sessional orders the time for the adjournment ofthe house has arrived.

Farm dams

Mr McARTHUR (Monbulk) — I ask the Ministerfor Environment and Conservation to at long last liveup to and deliver on something she has promised todo — that is, release the final report of the Blackmorecommittee on the farm dams review. The ministerpromised she would release the report on 8 June, whichis this Friday. I call on the minister to live up to herpromise and make the report public. She has been inreceipt of the report since early April, and sheannounced in a press release dated 11 April that:

… she would now take time to consider the report and wouldrelease the report and a government response by 8 June 2001.

The problem is that the minister took her response tothe report to cabinet. Cabinet was not satisfied with theminister’s proposals and sent her packing. Cabinetmembers told the minister they were not prepared totick off the proposals until she had done some morework on them. Unfortunately for the minister this wasquickly leaked, and is a further embarrassment for anaccident-prone, bumbling minister.

The problem for the minister is that there is no way shecan deliver on her promise to release her response by8 June because cabinet does not meet again this weekand will not meet next Monday, so it will be 18 Junebefore it meets again. The first part of the minister’spromise has not been met. However, she can stilldeliver on her promise to release the report on 8 June,and I call on her to do so. There is no reason for her towithhold it. She knows what she has to do, even thoughshe has failed to do enough to satisfy her cabinetcolleagues.

The report is critical to farmers and people in ruralcommunities across Victoria, who have a keen interest

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in it. It does not matter whether they are horticulturistsin the Dandenongs, members of the south-easterngrowers network in Cranbourne, dryland farmers in thenorth-east who wish to include irrigation in theiroperations or viticulturists in the Grampians orPyrenees. They are all desperately interested in theresults of the review and the recommendations in thereport.

The minister’s failure to release the report is holding upsignificant agricultural investment across the state. Tensof millions of dollars of agricultural investment is onhold because this minister has not yet come in with asolution to a problem that she said she would addressby the start of this year. She delayed the draft report bytwo months last year, and she has delayed the release ofthe final report by two months again this year. She hasfailed to meet her own promise, and she has failed tosatisfy her cabinet colleagues. It is about time shedelivered.

Housing: Thomson estate

Mr TREZISE (Geelong) — I refer the Minister forHousing to an issue relating to the redevelopment of theThomson housing estate in East Geelong. For theinformation of the house, the Thomson housing estateis currently undergoing a major redevelopment, whichincludes the construction of about 70 new public-sectorhomes, 50-plus private sector homes, and an upgrade of5 already established homes on the estate. I ask theminister to advise the house of the status of theThomson redevelopment.

Last year I was pleased to accept an invitation from theminister to chair the community steering committee thatis overseeing this magnificent project. The committee ismade up of local residents, the principals of the TateStreet and St Margaret’s primary schools — withwhom I enjoy working and who have a major role toplay in the community of Thomson — representativesfrom the City of Greater Geelong and officers from theOffice of Housing. Administration officers from theOffice of Housing have assisted me over the past12 months and have played an important role in helpingout people who need relocating.

The committee ensures that all residents are kept fullyinformed of the progress of the development. That roleis important when one considers that the homes beingreplaced are around 50 years old. In many instancesfamilies moved into the houses soon after they werebuilt. They have raised their children in the houses, sothey have lived there for their entire married lives.Many residents are elderly and widowed, so theredevelopment can be a source of anxiety or concern.

Thus it is vital that all residents are kept fully informedof the development, and any issues must be dealt witheffectively and efficiently to reduce the anxiety of theelderly residents in particular.

Improving the quality of housing on the estate hasbenefits for the entire Geelong community, as thehonourable member for Bellarine will certainly tell thehouse.


Mr TREZISE — The estate redevelopment will befinished; the honourable member should not worryabout that.

Murtoa College

Mr DELAHUNTY (Wimmera) — I refer theMinister for Education to the situation at MurtoaCollege, which has concerns about, firstly, budgetallocations for capital works; secondly, theoccupational health and safety of students and staff; andthirdly, physical resource management system (PRMS)allocations.

The history of the two campuses is as follows. The firstMurtoa Primary School was established in 1873. TheMurtoa Higher Elementary School, which opened in1922, became a high school in 1956 and a secondarycollege in 1990. In October 2000 the primary campusof the college celebrated 125 years of providingeducation with a fantastic weekend. During 1999 aproposal to bring the two schools together to form onecampus created a lot of debate across the Wimmeracommunity.

The school communities were given leads that if theybecame a one-campus school they would receivecapital funding. The budget was a great disappointmentto the Murtoa community.

Last month I wrote to the minister regarding this matterand requested a deputation. The urgency of the need forcapital was highlighted late last week. Structuralengineers were requested to check both campuses. Theprimary school’s classrooms, sick bay, first aid rooms,recovery rooms and toilets all have gaping cracks,plaster falling away and walls totally separated. Boltsare holding the place together. The senior campus alsohas failed brickwork and termite problems. I am notsure who to blame for that; the problems are not onlybecause of the age of the buildings but because of thecurrent dry conditions.

Last Thursday the structural engineer declared thebuildings unsafe. The college council president, Fay

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Cousin, said that the welfare of the students and staff isthe major concern. The staff and students have beenmoved into cramped classroom conditions andinadequate facilities. Department of Education,Employment and Training staff have moved quickly toplace a mod 5 classroom at Murtoa school on Monday.The school and the government now have to spend alarge amount of money to address the safety concerns.The community of Murtoa wants a move onto onecampus and the college is worried about whether thePRMS allocation will be sufficient to address themaintenance concerns.

The action I request from the minister is that she reviewthe current situation at Murtoa College; provide fundsto address the occupational health and safety concernsand give a commitment to total project funding tofacilitate a combining of the two campuses as soon aspossible. Fay Cousin and her college council lookforward to a response on these concerns.

I finish by wishing the minister a happy birthday fortomorrow.

High Street, Preston: clearway

Mr LEIGHTON (Preston) — I raise for theattention of the Minister for Transport the clearway inHigh Street, Preston. Tonight I am calling for thescrapping of the clearway. I request that the ministerrefer my request to Vicroads, which is the bodyresponsible for making the decision.

Darebin has the sixth-highest number of road injuriesfor all road users, and over the period 1994 to 1998 hadthe fourth-highest number of pedestrian injuries whenroad casualties are compared in the 31 metropolitanmunicipalities in Victoria. In fact, Darebin has thesecond-highest number of pedestrian fatalities for thefive-year period, only one fatality behind the City ofMelbourne — and 30 per cent of all pedestriancasualties occur in High Street. The section of HighStreet in question is some 7.2 kilometres long and isconsidered by Vicroads as among the worst 10 per centof black spot lengths.

While the road is primarily managed by the City ofDarebin, as I said earlier, Vicroads is the bodyresponsible for deciding whether the clearway shouldbe scrapped. As local member I have worked with thecouncil to take a number of measures, such as installingilluminated signs that impose a 40-kilometre-an-hourspeed restriction on High Street during the day. That isone positive measure in slowing down the traffic, but Ibelieve the next step would be to scrap the clearwayaltogether.

I am particularly concerned about the evening peakhour traffic, when there are no parked cars. There aretwo lanes of traffic and cars come through considerablyfaster than 60 kilometres an hour at the same time asthe shops are operating. One of the concerns is thatyoung kids could easily rush out onto the road afterbeing picked up by their parents from school.

As well as being primarily a safety traffic measure, Ibelieve there would be a commercial advantage to thelocal traders in extending the time they could operate ifpeople were able to park on High Street. It would be awin-win situation for the municipality, for road safetyand for local traders. I know the council is doing a lot ofanalytical work at the moment. I ask the Minister forTransport to consider my request.

Mornington Peninsula freeway: extension

Mr DIXON (Dromana) — I raise a matter for theMinister for Transport regarding the extension to theMornington Peninsula freeway through Rosebud,Tootgarook and Rye. I am not asking for a lot, just anearly commencement to the planning for the freeway. Itneeds to be extended west, or inland, from the towns Ihave just mentioned. The Mornington Peninsula has avastly increased population and is becoming more of anall-year-round tourist destination, being popular onweekends and during the busy summer months, fromCup Day through to Easter.

The amount of traffic is affecting the amenity of thelocal area, especially the strip shopping centres, wherepeople like to dine outdoors. On some days up to35 000 cars a day move along Point Nepean Road, andthe fumes from the traffic are overwhelming. There arealso safety concerns for pedestrians who want to crossthe road to the beach, and concerns about cars using therat-runs down the back streets causing trafficcongestion and pedestrian safety problems.

There are a couple of options for extending thefreeway. One is to extend it as a full freeway, and theother is to extend it as a two-lane arterial road throughthose three townships. About 90 per cent of the land isalready reserved so it is not a huge undertaking in termsof the buying up of the land. Only a small amount ofland needs to be bought for the freeway extension. Partof the reserve goes through the Tootgarook wetlands, soan environment effects statement would be animportant part of the early planning.

There is a great deal of push in the community for theextension to the freeway, and it would be to the benefitof the local tourism industry as more golf courses comeon line. The Professional Golf Association tournament

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will be held in Rye in two years and the infrastructure isneeded for the tourism industry. The extension needs tobe looked at not only for the amenity of the local areabut for the future of the economy of the area. I ask theminister to start that early planning now.

Disability services: Warragul

Mr MAXFIELD (Narracan) — I raise an issue withthe Minister for Community Services. Disabilityservices in Warragul are something that I have had aclose involvement with since I have been the localmember. Indeed, I had a strong interest in the issueprior to being the local member. A member of myfamily has been utilising the services in the past and, asa result, it is an issue that is close to my heart.

Warragul has had a strong reputation for looking afterthose with disabilities, and the Mawarra organisationhas some fantastic day programs that not only givegreat support for those who have, in some cases,suffered quite severe disabilities but also have providedservices that attracted families to our region and to ourtown. Families move into the area to access the town’sservices and now the parents in those families aregetting older. The result is a increased need for homesand housing for people suffering disabilities. Lookingacross the state, I see the need for such services isobviously great. I want to pay tribute to the Bracksgovernment for its commitment to increasing fundingin this area. It is something that I am proud to be a partof and involved with.

In Warragul, preparations have been under way forsome time for a new home of this type. It should havebeen well under way by now, but unfortunately inactionby the previous government slowed the process down.However, the Bracks government is getting on with thejob. Even though there has been difficulty in accessingappropriate land, I pay tribute to our local Shire of BawBaw, which has seen fit to amend planning regulationsand make available land that it owns.

Mr MAXFIELD — The results are that, after along wait, the community is now seeing the fruits of itshard work and lobbying with the previous governmentand, following subsequent lobbying of the Bracksgovernment, a home for elderly people with disabilitiesis now in the process of being contracted out andpreparations are being made to build on land that hasbeen purchased.

I ask the minister to ensure that things are proceedingwell and perhaps also give some advice and assistancein regard to how the house will operate. I hope thatshortly we will have a great facility in Warragul of

which we can all be tremendously proud. I lookforward to Warragul having another tremendous facilitywhere the Bracks government looks after those in needin our community.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member’s time has expired.

Dorset Road, Ferntree Gully: extension

Mr LUPTON (Knox) — I direct to the attention ofthe Minister for Transport a request made by the KnoxCity Council, apparently to all local members ofParliament. It relates to the Dorset Road extensionproject, which has been going on for a number of years.The City of Knox has been acquiring land for thepurpose of the road reservation. Much to my surprise Ihave received a letter from the Knox City Councilindicating that it is now called the Dorset Roadextension project, which covers the duplication ofWellington Road, Taylors Lane to Napoleon Road; thereclassification to main road of NapoleonRoad, Wellington Road to Kelletts Road; theduplication of — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member for Polwarth is out of his placeand is disorderly.

Mr LUPTON — The project covers the duplicationof Napoleon Road, Wellington Road to east of DorsetRoad; the construction of the Dorset Road extension, tobe duplicated, Burwood Highway to Napoleon Road;the upgrade of Dorset Road, Boronia Road to BurwoodHighway, involving five-lane treatment and signals,Frances Crescent to Commercial Road; and last but notleast the construction of a link to Lysterfield Road,Napoleon Road to Lysterfield Road.

The cost of the first five items will total $54 million.The minister should be aware that the local membershave endeavoured to find out what the priority has beenon the construction of these roads, to no avail. I noticenow that this becomes the Dorset Road extensionproject, but it is evident that there is a real problem asfar as traffic is concerned in the area of the City ofKnox in the Dorset Road area. It is important and Isupport the City of Knox in its request from Vicroadsand the minister to try to find out what is going on withthe Dorset Road extension project. Along with otherlocal members in the house, I must admit that I wasrather surprised to find that it had become a projectincluding six items. However, there is no doubt that thisproject is important and I would have hoped that theCity of Knox would have itemised it and set a priorityfor the items.

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I urge the minister to investigate the matter so that wecan come up with some future works program that willcope with traffic volume in the area.

Children: Vietnamese foster care

Mr MILDENHALL (Footscray) — I raise a matterfor the attention of the Minister for CommunityServices and request that she assist the Children’sWelfare Association of Victoria in the recruitment ofpeople of Vietnamese background for positions asfoster caregivers. Mr Acting Speaker, you are probablyaware that in your area the challenge of recruiting fostercaregivers is a never-ending task. It is a program thatrequires constant effort and investment from both thepublic dollar and a lot of volunteer and communityeffort in order to not only deliver services but also tosustain and rejuvenate the level of commitment to thefoster care system. It is not only a challenge to ensurethat those services are maintained, but it is also adifficult task.

It has proved extremely difficult to recruit people ofVietnamese background into the system. Despiteconsiderable effort, the people running the threeregional foster care programs in the westernmetropolitan region report that they have been unableto recruit any caregivers from Vietnamese backgroundinto the system. That is despite the fact that more than24 000 residents of the western suburbs were born inVietnam, so when the entire populations of all thefamilies are taken into account the figure is probablythree to four times that number.

The Children’s Welfare Association of Victoria hasbeen most generously granted $38 000 from theBrambles Industries Charitable Fund to set out on thatrecruiting task. It estimates that the total cost of theproject to recruit these folks will be around the $55 000mark, leaving a shortfall of around $15 000. It is infinding that figure to help out these good-minded folksthat I am looking for the assistance of the minister.

The partners in the project will include the AustralianVietnamese Women’s Welfare Association, with theformidable Mrs Cam Nguyen — a prominent localidentity working in a well-organised service —involved in the steering committee, plus the officersfrom the western metropolitan region of theDepartment of Human Services. This project isambitious but there is an extreme need for it in the area.

Residential tenancies: review

Mr SPRY (Bellarine) — I raise with the Ministerfor Housing on behalf of the constituents of

St Leonards an anomaly in the Residential TenanciesAct. This apparent anomaly is a loophole that tenantscan drive a truck through. One tenant in my electorateseems to be exploiting the situation ruthlessly, and inthe process is driving his landlords to distraction. Theproblem concerns section 263(2) in part 6 of the act inrelation to termination by the landlord for no specifiedreason.

As soon as a tenant occupies a residence they canimmediately initiate a claim for repairs, excessive noiseor any other specified reason if they suspect that theirlandlord may be about to give notice to terminate undersection 263. If the landlord then seeks to exercise aright to terminate the tenancy a tribunal, or in myconstituent’s case a judge of the Supreme Court onappeal, is obliged to find in favour of the tenant. Thissituation can basically go on ad infinitum. If the tenantis cunning enough they can virtually take over theproperty and make the property owner’s life an absolutemisery.

I ask the minister whether she will ensure that thissituation is specifically addressed in the current reviewof the Residential Tenancies Act and advise what, ifany, action she can provide for my constituent’s reliefin the meantime.

Aged care: fall prevention

Mr VINEY (Frankston East) — I raise for theattention of the Minister for Aged Care the preventionof falls by older persons. What action can the ministerand the government take to assist older members of thecommunity, particularly in my electorate of FrankstonEast, which has an ageing population, but alsogenerally in the whole Frankston–MorningtonPeninsula region? We know the Victorian population isageing, but the Frankston–Mornington Peninsula regionin particular has a growing ageing population.

People over the age of 65 who live in their own homesare likely to experience a fall: one in three is likely toexperience a fall each year; 10 per cent will havemultiple falls; and more alarmingly, more than 30 percent will sustain injuries requiring medical attention.These percentages become even higher when weinclude people living in aged care facilities or staying inhospitals.

I am aware that the government has been taking someaction in this area, and I was pleased to be involved lastyear in the launch of a CD for aged care professionalsat the Mount Eliza Aged Care and RehabilitationService. The aim was to help those professionals ensuretheir patients minimise the potential for falls.

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The Mount Eliza service and Peninsula Health aredoing a great job in aged care. I differ with thehonourable member for Frankston on this issue. In hermember’s statement yesterday she made some veryunfortunate attacks on Peninsula Health because shehad been left off a community consultative committee.Apparently in her address she did a lot of whingeing,moaning and whining about being left off thecommittee, but she fails to understand that such acommittee is about having community representatives,not parliamentary representatives. Parliamentaryrepresentatives have plenty of access to information andare able to advise the hospital on issues. The idea of acommunity consultative committee is that it is actuallymade up of members of the community. Of course thisis something new to members on the other side.

Housing: Moorabbin refuge

Mrs PEULICH (Bentleigh) — I raise with theMinister for Housing her failure to meet with concernedresidents regarding the development proposed by herdepartment for a youth refuge on the corner ofWickham Road and Nepean Highway, Moorabbin, aswell as the proposed development of the formerEastmoor Primary School site. We have had publicmeetings — the minister has not turned up; we havehad information days — the minister has not turned up;I have tabled petitions; I have requested her to receive adelegation — she has refused. She has to stop dodgingher responsibilities; these people deserve to be treatedwith respect. I call on the Minister for Housing to agreeto receive delegations immediately. D-day is coming.She has to face the people!

Sandringham and District Memorial Hospital

Mr THOMPSON (Sandringham) — I ask theMinister for Health whether he can advise Dr JimMcDonald, a local medical practitioner in myelectorate, whether all the locally raised funds fromSouthern Health have been returned to theSandringham and District Memorial Hospital as a resultof the restructure — —

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member’s time has expired.

Mr McArthur — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, I direct your attention to the administrationand management of the adjournment debate and referyou to Rulings from the Chair 1920–2000. In particular,I refer you to chapter 4(j) on page 12, which sets out theprocedures for an adjournment debate. Members arerequested to set out the complaint or issue, indicate the

minister or department involved, give a brief résumé ofthe facts and finally suggest the action that is sought.

It is in relation to the final point that I seek yourassistance and advice. As all honourable members areaware, this house sat until 4.13 this morning as part ofyesterday’s sitting. It was forced to do so because indiscussions the Premier refused to have an adjournmentat a reasonable time, despite his pledge to introducefamily-friendly hours. Because divisions werescheduled he kept all honourable members here until4.13 a.m., including all of his ministers. Tonight heknows there are no divisions scheduled between dinnerand the end of the debate so he can send his ministersoff for their beauty sleep and treat with contempt allother honourable members who will raise issues in vainbecause there will be no minister here to give aresponse to the actions sought.

I seek your assistance in encouraging the Premier andthe Leader of the House to suggest that their ministerstreat this Parliament with respect and take theadjournment debate seriously. They should earn theirstipend, attend to their duties and attend theadjournment debate.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!There have been numerous previous rulings that saythere is no compulsion for ministers to attend theadjournment debate.

Responses

Ms DELAHUNTY (Minister for Education) — Thehonourable member for Wimmera referred to issuesaffecting the merged P–12 college. Those issues havebeen raised not only by the honourable member butalso by the school council president, Ms Fay Cousin.The issues are quite serious and go to the provision ofquality education learning spaces — —

Honourable Members — Happy birthday toyou — —

Ms DELAHUNTY — Not yet. You are a wee bitpremature!

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!Honourable members will cease singing ‘Happybirthday’!

Ms DELAHUNTY — The boys choir is verycharming. I thank them very much.

This issue concerns the merged Murtoa College, whichwas formed by the former Murtoa Primary School, ofwhich I have many nostalgic memories, and the

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secondary college, which I know the honourablemember for Wimmera attended briefly. The matter wasabout the adequate provision of learning spaces and thehealth and safety of students, which has also beenraised by Ms Cousin. The honourable member askedhow quickly the government can deal with structuralproblems in a couple of areas of the school.

The moment the government was alerted to theproblems I instructed the regional office to carry out astructural audit, which was done on 29 May, todetermine the further needs of the school under themaintenance program. Buildings on both sites havebeen assessed and are under regular review. Further tothat, on 31 May regional officers attended the schooland met with the principal and the school councilpresident. By mutual agreement a double relocatable —a mod 5 — was located on the primary site on Mondaythis week. It was also agreed to undertake a furtherassessment of the secondary science block on 5 June,which I am informed by the department has occurred.

The student and staff safety matters are of the utmostimportance. The region, in consultation with thecollege, will implement a site safety plan, which Ibelieve was completed on 5 June following advice fromNoel Arnold and Associates. The planned capital worksto merge both campuses on the secondary site is a highpriority for the region, and it has been resubmitted forfunding in the 2002–03 budget. There was a problemwith the school unfortunately missing the deadline forsubmitting its full planning project plans to the region.However, it will go into the pool and compete for theresources, as will all schools. This is an issue that thedepartment will follow up to ensure that the safety ofthe students is attended to.

I thank the honourable member for Wimmera for hiswarm best wishes on this anniversary.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The Minister for Community Services, addressing theissues raised by the honourable members for Monbulk,Geelong, Preston, Dromana, Narracan, Knox,Footscray, Bellarine, Frankston East and Bentleigh. Ithink the honourable member for Sandringham missesout because he had only 7 seconds.

Ms CAMPBELL (Minister for CommunityServices) — I first address the matter raised by thehonourable member for Narracan, who spoke about theneed in Warragul for support for families who needlong-term accommodation for their loved ones.

I had the pleasure of visiting Warragul with thehonourable member for Narracan before he was elected

to this place, and he spoke firmly of the need for asupported accommodation site in Warragul. I ampleased to inform the honourable member that in theGippsland region three community-based supportedaccommodation services will be built bynon-government agencies. In particular NormanbyStreet in Warragul will have a new facility for fivecitizens who have been identified as being in need oflong-term accommodation. Many of them are currentlyin interim respite services. The department hasallocated of the order of $200 000 in recurrent fundingfor the home in Warragul, and I am pleased to informthe honourable member that the E. W. TippingFoundation has been approved to provide services forthat site.

The honourable member for Footscray raised an issuethat all of us would be concerned about, which is theneed for an improved uptake of foster carers in theVictorian community, particularly foster carers fromculturally or linguistically diverse communities. I sharehis concern about the need for Vietnamese fostercaregivers. I am conscious that in the westernmetropolitan region there is a large Vietnamesepopulation — about 4.4 per cent of the totalpopulation — with 13.63 per cent of the population ofthe honourable member’s own area of Maribyrnonghaving been born in Vietnam. That does not include thechildren of those people. I share his concern about theneed for three regional foster care programs to recruitVietnamese caregivers. I am happy to allocate $15 000to this action research project for the recruitment ofVietnamese foster caregivers.

I stress that this is on the clear understanding that therewill be outcomes from the action research project thatprovide a greater awareness of the home-based systemin those communities. I am looking forward to a largenumber of Vietnamese foster carers being recruited as aresult of this project and therefore to an increasedquality of placements for children and young people intheir own community. Finally, I want to see a reportsetting out the protocols that should be adopted as partof the project.

The honourable member for Monbulk raised a matterwith the Minister for Environment and Conservation,and I will pass on his request to have the Blackmorereport released.

The honourable member for Geelong raised a matterfor the attention of the Minister for Housing concerningthe redevelopment of the Thomson estate and also theadvice on the status of progress of that proposal.

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A matter was also directed to the attention of theMinister for Housing by the honourable member forBellarine relating to the Residential Tenancies Act, inparticular issues raised by one of his constituents inSt Leonards.

Mr Spry — On a point of order, Mr ActingSpeaker, the Minister for Housing was given advancenotice of my raising this matter. I again raise the matterof the obligation of ministers to attend the adjournmentdebate.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member for Bellarine well knows thereis no compulsion for ministers to attend theadjournment debate.

Ms CAMPBELL — I will raise the matter relatingto the Residential Tenancies Act with the minister.

The honourable member for Frankston East asked forthe Minister for Aged Care and her department toundertake work to minimise the incidence of fallsamong members of the ageing population. We wouldall share his concern about that, and I will pass on thatimportant matter to the minister.

The honourable member for Bentleigh raised an issuerelating to the minister meeting with some of herconstituents.

Mrs Peulich — On a point of order, not so manyminutes ago when I was the Acting Chair, the Ministerfor Housing was in the chamber. It seems that thePremier has told her to get into her slippers and ‘jamiesand have an early night while my residents are sleeplessfrom not being able to have their concerns addressed.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member for Bentleigh should take herseat. She knows there is no compulsion for ministers toattend the adjournment debate.

Ms CAMPBELL — Nor should she wink at theActing Chair.


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member for Mordialloc will refrainfrom interjecting.


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member for Mordialloc is now makingreflections on the Chair, and I caution him.


The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The honourable member for Mordialloc will ceasemaking reflections on the Chair.

Ms CAMPBELL — The honourable member forPreston raised a matter for the attention of the Ministerfor Transport on the need to scrap a clearway in HighStreet, Preston, given the very high rate of accidents inDarebin, and I will pass on the matter to the minister.

The honourable member for Dromana raised a matterfor the attention of the Minister for Transportconcerning the early commencement of the extensionof the local freeway, whether it be in the form of afreeway extension or arterial road. I will pass on thatmatter to the minister.

The honourable member for Knox raised a matter forthe attention of the Minister for Transport relating to thetraffic needs in the Knox area. The minister would bequite familiar with that matter given our recent visit toKnox, and I am sure he will be able to give that matterhis immediate attention.

The honourable member for Sandringham should havea chat to the Minister for Health about Dr JimMcDonald.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Savage) — Order!The house stands adjourned until next day.

House adjourned 10.43 p.m.


Documents

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD)...Wednesday, 6 June 2001 ASSEMBLY 1675 Wednesday, 6 June 2001 The SPEAKER (Hon. Alex Andrianopoulos) took the chair at 9.36 a.m. and read the prayer