Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Rotting from the top

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind you—

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the report headline says it all. What's inside this independent report is a catalogue of corruption and criminality.

Government members interjecting—

I'm surprised those opposite are interjecting. Rotting from the top tells the story of the CFMEU corruption and rorts.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Gippsland, sit down. You wouldn't listen to me, so I'm asking you to sit while I explain something to you, and you can have the call again. I told you about props at the beginning of it. That's the second time you chose to ignore me. So you can have another shot without the props.

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. If Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan had an ounce of decency, she would take some responsibility for the failures of her government and resign immediately. Ms Allan was the minister at the epicentre of the Big Build projects, where an independent anticorruption investigation uncovered $15 billion worth of rip-offs and rorts.

Ms Chesters interjecting—

The member for Bendigo, who spoke in support of John Setka, is speaking up now. Do you still support John Setka, the rorts, the rip-offs and the corruption in the CFMEU? Member for Bendigo, do you still support him? Oh, there's silence now!

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please direct your comments to the chair.

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, Deputy Speaker, if they're interjecting—

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can ask me about that. You cannot direct your comments to them.

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If they're interjecting, I think I've got every right to respond. Why does this matter? Because this is a $5,000 per household corruption tax on every Victorian household and $15 billion worth of taxpayers' money wasted. What would $15 billion buy you? Think of the new hospitals. Think of the improvements to schools. Think about the improvements to our roads. Think about taxpayers' money being paid to union thugs and organised crime mates instead of being paid to recruit more police, more nurses and more teachers. I'm pleased to see that the Liberal leader in Victoria and the Nationals leader, Danny O'Brien, are offering a fresh start and real solutions. We need to end the rorts, the waste and the corruption to get Victoria heading in the right direction.