In farcical scenes at Parliament’s Public Accounts and Estimates hearings this afternoon, Minister for Suburban Development Shaun Leane was unable to answer the most basic question – how much is the budget for the Suburban Development portfolio.
This year, the Andrews Labor Government has deliberately merged the reporting of the Local Government and Suburban Development budgets together, meaning Victorians were not given transparent breakdowns of any potential cuts to both portfolios.
In questioning from Liberal MP Bridget Vallence, Departmental Secretary Simon Phemister, notorious for his role in the hotel quarantine fiasco, was uncharacteristically willing to answer a question, before a 7 minute barrage of interjections from Minister Leane, and Labor PAEC Chair Lizzie Blandthorn to avoid the question from being answered.
Blandthorn really had to ramp up Labor’s PAEC protection racket for this genuinely clueless Minister.
The question was later taken on notice, with the Minister still confused about his portfolio.
Earlier this year a former Andrews Government Minister explained that the Suburban Development portfolio was a "meaningless" portfolio "made up just to make it look like we're interested in the suburbs".
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Planning and Local Government, Tim Smith:
“Judging by today’s cringeworthy performance by Shaun Leane, the suggestion by a previous Labor Minister that Suburban Development is a “meaningless portfolio,” is absolutely true.
“For Shaun Leane not to know the most basic question regarding his portfolio shows he’s either hiding cuts to his portfolio, he’s incompetent or both.”