Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (17:53): I rise today to make a contribution and speak on the Constitution Amendment (SEC) Bill 2023. This bill aims to amend the Constitution Act 1975 and is for other purposes. However, the primary purposes of this bill are to require that the state has a controlling interest in the SEC, to provide for the objects of the SEC and to constrain the power of the Parliament to make laws repealing, altering or varying the provisions of the Constitution Act 1975. As has been mentioned, the government failed to provide a briefing until today – today, the day we are about to debate the bill – which is appalling. Why are they ramming this bill through this place, cutting short the time allowed to enable members to make a contribution?
The cost of living is having a significant impact on people’s lives. Victorian families are facing another tough year, all because Labor does not have a plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. There has been a 25 per cent increase in power costs this last year. Prices are not going down, as has been suggested – down, down, down. Ask anyone who has had a recent power bill. Perhaps look at your own bill. We hear stories of where people choose to have their air conditioners on or put food on their table. My office is inundated with people needing assistance, whether it be for food relief or financial assistance, as they are not keeping up with paying their bills. I feel we are going backwards fast.
As Victorians struggled to pay record power bills the Allan government wasted nearly $400,000 on SEC-branded merchandise. There is no justification for this frivolous spending when the state has a skyrocketing record debt. It just shows how out of touch this government is when it comes to responsible spending rather than putting that money where it actually helps the people of this state.
Businesses are paying the price of Labor’s soaring energy prices, with thousands of businesses fleeing the state. Industry representatives have voiced concern over the impact of increasing energy prices as well as the state taxes and the impact the state taxes are having on the viability of starting or operating a business in Victoria. The main promise of the SEC is that the SEC will drive down power prices. This promise has already been exposed as false after its former CEO confirmed prices would in fact rise. Restricting Victorian households use of gas for cooking, heating and hot water will only drive up demand for electricity at a time when Labor has failed to shore up the state’s generation capacity.
We have also witnessed wild weather battering all parts of the state which left more than 500,000 homes and businesses without power, some of them for days with no power. We need reliable, affordable and dependable energy. Victorians are already enduring a cost-of-living crisis under this government and their refusal to support Victorians. The cost of energy bills, as I have mentioned, has soared by 25 per cent, even though the other side of the house campaigned on and continue to spruik that the SEC will drive down Victorians’ energy bills. The simple answer is that Labor are wrong and Victorians are paying the price. This side of the house supports a sensible, considered transition to renewables, but Labor’s plan is neither sensible nor considered. The fact is shutting down coal-fired power stations without a plan to keep the lights on is a recipe for disaster. Enshrining the State Electricity Commission into the constitution should be of major concern to all Victorians. This is not just another change of law – this is something that will effectively change things for years and years to come. Policies should not be included in our state constitution. To rush this through in this manner and not provide the detail only strengthens the concerns around this bill, and I oppose this bill before the house.