Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (16:23): I rise to make a contribution to the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2026. The bill that we are debating today seeks to make over 40 different amendments across 13 different acts of Parliament and nine ministerial portfolios. The bill seeks to make a number of inconsequential amendments to various pieces of legislation to update outdated references. On this side of the house we support genuine reform. We support reducing red tape, improving efficiency and ensuring that regulation is fit for purpose in a modern economy. But reform must be meaningful. It must deliver real outcomes, not just administrative reshuffling dressed up as progress, because right now Victoria is not in a position where we can afford hollow reform. We are a state facing significant economic challenges. We are carrying record levels of debt, and we are seeing cost-of-living pressures biting hard into families, businesses and regional communities more than ever before. Yet the minister stands in this place and claims that this bill will deliver economic benefit but cannot clearly articulate what that benefit is. Victorians deserve more than vague assurances. They deserve clarity, transparency and confidence that legislation brought before this Parliament will actually make a difference. The government says this bill is about reform, about streamlining regulatory frameworks and improving efficiency, but where is the detail? Where is the measurable economic benefit? Where is the bill addressing the state’s record debt? The state, as I have said, is drowning in debt.
Where is the clear explanation of how this will reduce costs for businesses or ease pressures on households? Right now businesses are not crying out for flimsy reform, they are crying out for relief and support. If this is a reform bill aimed at delivering economic benefit then it should be laser focused on reducing the cost of doing business; it should be about cutting unnecessary regulation, not shifting it; it should be about simplifying compliance, not complicating it; and it should be about giving businesses certainty, not adding to uncertainty. If this bill is truly about reform, then it must do more than shift administrative arrangements. Businesses are dealing with rising energy costs, rising insurance costs, rising wage pressures and, critically, rising taxes and charges. Right now regional communities are carrying a heavy load. They are dealing with rising fuel costs and in some cases no fuel at all, they are dealing with workforce challenges and they are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis that is hitting harder than ever. They are dealing with increasing crime, housing shortages and escalating rental costs. As you can imagine, the current fuel uncertainty is hitting our farmers hard, and they are crying out for assistance. When farming slows down, the whole economy slows down. Fuel uncertainty has a ripple effect on transport, machinery operators, small businesses and the increased cost of fuel, impacting on cost of living at a time when households are already on their knees.
We hear that people should be taking public transport and saving on fuel. It is times like this that the lack of public transport services is highlighted in my region. We have been crying out for more bus services, as has the council and as has the community. The Labor government continually turn their back on regional communities, who cannot get to where they need to go. They cannot depend on public transport services under a Labor government. Do you know we have some towns with no or very limited bus services – no public transport services? There is no choice to reduce car travel if you do not have a car. The government does not understand regional communities.
Today we would have had the start of the Commonwealth Games in Shepparton. Shepparton was where the regional Commonwealth Games was born. I was on the taskforce in the early days, and you can imagine the excitement when it was announced that we would be having regional Commonwealth Games – something that, as I said, we played a very big role in. I was mayor at the time and I was in Ballarat at the announcement. I was not allowed down on the oval, which was interesting, where the announcement was happening, but that is another story. It was something that we were incredibly proud of. It had been years in the making. When we talk about the $600 million that has been lost, that does not consider what the local governments had actually invested in the regional Commonwealth Games prior to all of this. The cancellation of the games has been a heavy blow for my region and all of the regional communities that were to host the games. The games were not just a sporting event; they were a once-in-a-generation opportunity for regional communities to have a significant economic boost that injected hope into our local businesses and excitement into our region. Local businesses in the Shepparton district were preparing for an influx of visitors, with expectations of increased trade for our hospitality, retail and accommodation sectors. Hotels, cafes, restaurants and local transport providers had made significant investments anticipating the economic boost the games would bring. Cancelling the event has meant lost revenue, lost jobs and lost opportunities, and the loss of $600 million is just astounding on top of the recent $15 billion lost in rorts on Big Build sites.
Out on the ground, people are angry, and they are being continually hit with more or increased taxes. They are angry that their hard-earned taxes are going up in smoke on criminal activity. They are angry that the roads are crumbling and full of potholes. They do not feel safe in their homes. Police stations are closed or on reduced hours, and people are struggling to put food on the table or roofs over their heads. Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of Victoria’s economy. They create jobs, foster innovation and support regional communities. When they leave, we all feel the impact: fewer jobs, weaker regional economies and less investment in our state. Already we see businesses citing Victoria’s high costs and regulatory complexity as reasons to relocate to New South Wales, Queensland or South Australia. This trend cannot continue. It is this government that is responsible for making it so expensive and hard to do business in this state.
One part of the bill that I am very interested in also speaking to is around local government. The bill seeks to clarify that VCAT is to hear disputes regarding an election result in its original jurisdiction, preventing disputes and ensuring that the integrity of local government in Victoria is maintained.
It is hoped that this amendment will reduce delays to substantive consideration of the matter and reduce the uncertainty experienced by communities about their council representatives. The bill does call for a consistency in the enforcement of restrictions on the conduct of councillors. As you are aware, and as I have mentioned, I was in local government prior to being in this place. During that time I had four years as mayor. I will say it can be really challenging managing fellow councillors, and the councillor code of conduct often does not go far enough. We are seeing to this day that there are still councils having issues. When councillors engage in misconduct the consequences can be significant. Misconduct can take many forms, such as bullying, harassment, misuse of council resources, failing to declare conflicts of interest, breaching confidentiality or behaving in ways that bring the council into disrepute. The impact of this behaviour extends far beyond the individual councillor; it damages the reputation of the entire council and erodes public trust in local government institutions. Community confidence can take years to rebuild once it is lost.
Back in March 2023 Moira shire councillors were all sacked. There is no doubt that there were very serious issues that had to be dealt with and severe consequences, which I am not disputing. My concern is the length of time that the community were left without councillor representatives and that they will not have an election until 2028. This has had an enormous impact on the community, having no councillors on the ground to represent them. Whilst I acknowledge that Matt, the CEO, and the administrators are doing their best, having no councillors is a huge gap, and I know firsthand the important role that the mayor and councillors play in their communities. Local government is the level of government closest to the community. There is a reason why we have elected representatives voted in by the people, and I feel that that democratic right has been taken away from the people of Moira shire for too long. It will be almost six years without councillors by the time the next election comes around, which is far too long in my mind and for many of the constituents who are constantly reaching out to me with local government matters. We have to work out where things can be done better to avoid this from happening in any other electorate.
Currently the Local Government Act 2020 enables a councillor conduct panel to hear an application that alleges serious misconduct by a councillor. The definition of ‘serious misconduct’ includes disclosure of confidential information by a councillor. There is also an offence provision under the same act for disclosure of confidential information by councillors. These two enforcement mechanisms frame the prohibition of disclosure of confidential information differently, which leads to uncertainty and delays when allegations are made and thereby heard by the conduct panel.
Another objective is to make several minor updates and corrections to existing legislation. As such, the bill corrects the reference to incorrect substitutes of the Local Government Act under the definition of ‘election material’. Currently the definition itself refers to a subsection in which it describes the meaning of ‘election’ instead of ‘electoral matter’. Another one is around correcting the omission of provisions from the previous Local Government Act 1989 in the current act today due to an oversight.
As we know, whilst a current councillor cannot be a member of council staff and a person who was a councillor in the previous two years cannot be employed by the CEO as a member of council staff, a person who was a councillor in the previous two years is not currently prevented from being appointed by council to the CEO. I think it is really important that this information is made clear. I know in my time in local government some of the council staff were interested in looking at career opportunities which also encouraged councillors. But it has to be very clear what position they are entitled to, and I think it is very important that this is clear in this bill. In my final few seconds, I do think there needs to be a lot more work done when it comes to reforms.