Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (10:51): I rise today in support of Mr Limbrick’s important motion calling on the Public Accounts Estimates Committee (PAEC) to reopen its inquiry into the Victorian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I would particularly like to endorse this motion as a newly appointed member of this committee, which I believe does have a crucial role in our democracy. Accountability is vital to public administration, particularly through a financial lens, given the monumental burden that governments place on individuals through taxation. Taxes are far too high right across Australia, but Victoria is the highest taxing state in the country, so nowhere else do the public accounts and expenditure so desperately require oversight and scrutiny. It is our responsibility as the legislature to hold the executive to account and to ensure that the money of hardworking individuals, families and businesses is spent wisely by this government—as much a pipedream as that might be.

Last year, the period which the inquiry was scrutinising, the Parliamentary Budget Office noted that the Victorian government had set aside $24.5 billion over two years for its COVID-19 response. It is obvious that following the tabling of that report in February this figure will be astronomically larger after another year of debilitating lockdowns. PAEC should review how taxpayers money has been spent this past year as well as all administrative responses and the general handling of the pandemic. Victorians deserve to know the facts about what went on behind the iron curtain of secrecy in regard to the enforcement of public health directions, border controls and the litany of extraordinary powers exercised by the government this past year, which we have discovered this week it wants to expand. That is just unbelievable. Even proper cabinet process was suspended in favour of a gang of eight. It is no wonder Mr Jennings resigned on the strength of that grab for power. Further, it is imperative that we investigate the mental health and economic aspects of and impacts on Victorians from another year of lockdowns. One year was excruciating enough, but the impact of many more long months of Victorians being locked inside their homes was unfathomable at the time of tabling of the last COVID PAEC report.

PAEC is an ideal forum to examine these matters, particularly by scrutinising the government’s consideration and modelling of these concerns, or lack thereof. It is also necessary that we reopen the inquiry because, understandably, last year’s inquiry focused on the hotel quarantine disaster, with the loss of 800 lives directly attributed, which caused last year’s lockdowns while the rest of the country was relatively free. This time we must examine the economic and mental health analyses that were used by the government to consider a return to such cruel restrictions when even during the large wave New South Wales never suffered rules that were equally widespread and harsh. The reopening of this inquiry should also importantly focus on the impact of the government’s decisions on rural communities.

As I noted in the chamber a few weeks ago, many areas in my electorate had next to no COVID cases throughout the entirety of the pandemic, including this year. Hindmarsh shire and Buloke shire have never had a single case of COVID throughout the entire pandemic. Queenscliffe borough and West Wimmera have had one case; Yarriambiack, Southern Grampians and Central Goldfields, just two; Northern Grampians, Loddon and Hepburn shires, five. The list goes on, and not only in my electorate of Western Victoria but right across the regions. Clearly these areas have not suffered incredible economic damage and curtailments of their freedoms due to a virus. They have suffered totally due to the actions of this government, and this government needs to be held accountable for that. Small businesses in tiny rural hamlets have not had to shut their doors due to being overwhelmed with a contagion infecting their customers. They have had to close their doors because of the pen strokes of the bureaucrats in Melbourne, not because of any virus that infiltrated their premises. Government, not COVID-19, is ultimately responsible for the disaster inflicted on rural communities and many other areas in metropolitan Melbourne.

These actions and the decision-making process that led to them in 2021 ought to be properly scrutinised. The reopening of this inquiry would be a good step for doing just that. I implore the chamber to support this motion so that Victorians can have increased transparency over the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will undoubtedly be remembered for many years to come—and we will be paying the price for what has happened for decades to come. This state needs clarity over what occurred over the past 18 months. We need to fully understand how the government responded to this crisis and its evident failures so we can both learn from it and hold those responsible accountable for their appalling decisions.

Melburnians deserve to know why they became residents of the most locked down city of the world. Country Victorians deserve to know why they were included in crushing lockdowns and restrictions despite often not being anywhere in close proximity to coronavirus cases. Border communities need to know why they have been divided by a line on the map and so disadvantaged by bureaucrats in Melbourne. Business owners deserve to know why they have suffered from hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income, often closing their doors forever. Families deserve to know why the government allowed their relatives or children to fall victim to mental health issues. Workers deserve to know why this government denied them income, cost them their jobs and left them without support. When schoolchildren grow up, they deserve to know why the Labor government denied them years of critical education during their development. Victorians deserve to know what decisions were made that caused our state to go from one of the best places in the world to one of economic destitution and net negative immigration.

I take issue with Ms Shing’s suggestion that daily orchestrated press conferences, government social media propaganda and press releases are sufficient to properly scrutinise this government.

Ms Crozier: Total arrogance!

Mrs McARTHUR: It is unbelievable arrogance, as Ms Crozier suggests. This government has managed the pandemic from a North Face jacket, no less. It is totally disingenuous to say that that is all we require to allow the public to understand the reasons behind the extraordinary restrictions, rules and regulations and mandates that this government has imposed on Victorians and that actually disadvantage many other people throughout Australia who cannot come to be with their families so often, and especially at times of need.

At no time in the daily rollout of orchestrated press conferences with faux commanders and so-called medical experts did we hear from financial experts, education experts, mental health experts, domestic violence experts—

Members interjecting.

Mrs McARTHUR: No, we did not. And as for briefings from the Department of Health, they went for half an hour and barely happened. That was a farce as well. What has the government got to hide? What possible issues can the government want to hide? If they do not want PAEC to openly look at what they have done in a transparent process in this state, then that is appalling in itself. They should be actually encouraging—if they have got nothing to hide—open and transparent scrutiny and accountability.

We all need answers, and reopening the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee inquiry specifically in this area, as Mr Limbrick has suggested, is just one of the many necessary processes to help achieve this. And I welcome the support from Ms Patten and Dr Ratnam and actually subscribe to Dr Ratnam’s view that we ought to have PAEC and the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee independently chaired as well.