I have got the privilege of having the graveyard shift today and a few people coming in to listen to my exciting contribution.
John Pesutto: Hear, hear.
Annabelle CLEELAND: Thank you, member for Hawthorn, for jumping in earlier as well. I also rise to speak on the Wage Theft Amendment Bill 2025. As we have heard throughout the day, it is a bill that we do not oppose. I am going to try and sift through some of my notes so I am not repeating too much today, Acting Speaker, because I can see that you are starting to get exhausted from your time in the chair. As we know, this legislation is changing the existing Wage Theft Act 2020 in several ways, and this has come about because it is necessary to match the Commonwealth’s new wage theft laws that started on 1 January this year. Skipping through some of the details, I am going to get to the point, because this does actually keep us focused. I will get to the point because it does have an impact on my electorate of Euroa. These changes mean that Victoria’s wage theft offences are now redundant, and removing them will prevent confusion for both workers and businesses.
I want to take the chance quickly to reflect on the member for Werribee’s earlier review of some of what is in the legislation regarding the Wilson review, and while it was a very colourful contribution, he really failed to talk about the number of recommendations that are here, and this is what we are really disappointed in on our side of the house. As we know, the Wilson review came about following the Premier’s comments about wanting to stamp out the rotten culture from the CFMEU. We heard the bombshell reports that expose the criminal activity, the violence and the misogyny on Victorian Big Build sites. So you would imagine that those recommendations are all in here, wouldn’t you? Surprise, surprise: it is a bit light on detail.
The review was set up after the shocking allegations, and we have heard about that – intimidation, coercion, anti-competitive behaviour and a lot of other unlawful activity – and this impacts every single Victorian. Every single Victorian is paying rates and tax and is contributing. It was supposed to be a blueprint for cleaning up the industry, and it handed down eight recommendations – wonderful. Today’s legislation implements just two of those, so this is not reform; this is a distraction. Victorians are still waiting for the rest of the review to be acted on, and that delay is absolutely no accident. We have heard that throughout, and the member for Polwarth had a great contribution regarding what that delay tactic means. Rapid is not rapid in this government; we know that.
From the outset, the Liberals and Nationals have been really, really firm that we just felt the Wilson review did not go far enough. It failed to investigate corruption on state government sites, and we feel that only a royal commission can get to the truth and show Victorians exactly how their money is being spent – and this matters. The Premier, trying to be tough on the issue, was the former minister for the Big Build, the minister who oversaw the massive cost blowouts and the minister who failed to take responsibility for preventing violence, corruption and misogyny on these sites. The government have known about the rotten culture with the CFMEU for years, but it is only because the media exposed it that they are taking any action at all. Even this morning the Age was reporting that the CFMEU hand-picked a man who has now been arrested for an underworld execution, for a lucrative health and safety role on the Big Build sites. I would go as far as saying this is enabling this sort of behaviour to happen. I just think it defies belief that the way we are learning about this is through the media. How is this acceptable? The Premier and her ministers appear to be completely incapable of stamping out the allegations of corruption, of lawlessness, on these Big Build sites, and only a proper inquiry, a proper royal commission, will uncover the full extent of this true rotten culture.
Every Victorian is paying the price for this rotten culture, and I thank people joining this debate and listening to my contribution, because we do have genuine concerns about the financial management of this government. Why does it matter? Every single community is impacted when this government cannot manage money – $1.2 million in interest every single hour, for those that are asleep on the back bench. It is $1.2 million every single hour – boy oh boy, could that buy some things in the Euroa electorate. We are paying the price for this government’s financial mismanagement. Instead of tackling the CFMEU head on, the Allan Labor government want to protect their own jobs, their own political donations and their own allegedly corrupt mates. But Victorians deserve more than these half-measures. They deserve a government prepared to clean up the industry, restore integrity to public projects and put the public interest ahead of union mates and backroom deals.
This is having a regional impact. While debt piles up and Melbourne-based infrastructure projects go from problem to problem, blowout to blowout, regional areas continue to be ignored. I have so many examples of this. Housing initiatives like the Benalla West project – blowouts, delays. Kilmore is unable to secure a public secondary school – one of the largest communities in regional Victoria, without a public secondary school. I thought we were the Education State – only if it is in Labor seats. New childcare facilities in Seymour have been pushed back nearly 10 years after they were initially announced – and that is if they are delivered at all. What is concerning is the health of regional Victorians is now being impacted as well. Vulnerable patients in towns like Benalla, a huge town with nearly 14,000 people – we have no dialysis unit. These are lives that are being impacted by the Allan Labor government’s financial mismanagement, and we are absolutely paying the price with our health. We have got some people paying for their patient transport for their health, and they are not even being reimbursed – hundreds and hundreds of dollars. This is the personal toll of a government that cannot manage money. The bill, as you have heard throughout the day, does not go far enough.
We have concerns with the bill; you have heard them today. I am skipping through. I have got 44 seconds to bring it home. Wage theft is still a concern.
Martin Cameron: Bring it home.
Annabelle CLEELAND: I am going to; you just buckle up. The government cannot manage money, and regional Victorians are paying the price. But I just want to talk about one of the concerns, which is the amount of businesses that are going under because of the weight of the taxes and the financial pressure on this government. We depend on them for jobs – we absolutely need them to survive. Regional Victorians deserve more than these half-baked measures. They need transparency and a government with integrity. We on this side of the house will keep fighting until our workers are protected, our businesses are thriving and every major project is delivered with integrity and accountability, on time and in budget.
The SPEAKER: The time set down for consideration of items on the government business program has arrived, and I am required to interrupt business.
Motion agreed to.
Read second time.