Portfolio — 28 August 2026

The dominant arc for Niddrie in this window is the Member for Niddrie, the Premier, acting on multiple fronts of institutional accountability — culminating in a formal parliamentary apology to victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools, a royal commission into construction industry misconduct, and a suite of legislative and administrative reforms spanning health, public safety, and transport infrastructure.

The most significant parliamentary act of the window was the Premier tabling and moving Assembly endorsement of the statement of apology to victims and survivors of historical child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s057]. In his address, the Premier acknowledged decades of sexual abuse by people entrusted with children's care in government schools and named institutional failures that left victims unprotected [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s058].

He named victim-survivors including Rod Owen, Grant Holland, Glen Fearnett, Tim Courtney and Rick Turner, and acknowledged advocates including journalist Russell Jackson, former Member Stuart Grimley, and organisations including the National Survivors Foundation and LOUD Fence Inc. The government committed to pursuing accountability for perpetrators, supporting victim-survivors through restorative engagement programs and improved access to school records, and strengthening child safety systems including the Department of Education's sexual harm response unit and dedicated child safety investigation teams [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s058].

Ministerial media releases confirm the apology drew on systemic failures documented in the Beaumaris Board of Inquiry and on experiences shared through the Forum for Truth and Recognition [TA-260729-vicmed-7e0bbc2e0559].

Construction industry accountability was the other major institutional front. In the Assembly, the Premier stated that conduct on construction sites was inappropriate and reiterated his decision to call a royal commission [TA-260811-vichns-559d5117f54a:s026]. Ministerial media releases detail the full scope: the Premier appointed the Honourable Chris Kourakis AC as Royal Commissioner, with a budget of up to $50 million and a 12-month reporting timeframe [TA-260820-vicmed-26cedb6041fd].

The Government also announced the establishment of an Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate and pursue findings from the Royal Commission, with enabling legislation carrying prosecution powers to be enacted in September [TA-260820-vicmed-26cedb6041fd].

On public safety, the Government announced recruitment of 150 additional Protective Services Officers and extended Operation Pulse to allow PSOs to patrol shopping strips and major shopping centres [TA-260813-vicmed-90754b734372]. A further 200 police reservists were recruited to staff station counters, freeing frontline officers for crime response, with deployments already under way in ten locations [TA-260816-vicmed-63f8451c2fd6].

The Workplace Protection Order scheme, introduced by legislation, empowers courts to ban or restrict workplace access for individuals who assault, abuse, intimidate or stalk retail, fast-food, hospitality or transport workers, with maximum penalties of two years imprisonment or a $50,000 fine [TA-260729-vicmed-26dde2ded748].

Transport milestones featured in both Assembly debate and ministerial media releases, with the Premier announcing the first 100 new G-class trams rolled out of the Essendon depot, featuring 150-passenger capacity, 65 per cent local manufacturing content in Dandenong, disability access, and environmental benefits for Melbourne's west [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s067].

Ministerial media releases confirm the G-class trams commenced passenger services on route 59 from Essendon Depot to Flinders Street Station — Melbourne's first new tram design in over a decade [TA-260730-vicmed-942ace33a82b]. The Government also announced $2 billion in savings on the Suburban Rail Loop project by reducing unnecessary scope additions, with an independent technical review targeting further savings and tunnel boring machine deployment confirmed on schedule [TA-260825-vicmed-00468841b2e6].

On health, the Ambulatory Care Centre at the Northern Hospital opened, completing the first stage of the $813 million redevelopment, with the next stage — a larger emergency department and new inpatient tower — on track for 2029 [TA-260802-vicmed-073690b86694]. Ambulance Victoria recruited 24 new graduate paramedics and four MICA paramedics, with more than 80 graduates and MICA paramedics recruited since July and 294 graduate paramedics in the past year [TA-260818-vicmed-b28ad6ee2cd6].

Looking ahead to the next election cycle, the Premier announced that a re-elected Carroll Labor Government will deliver free dental services across Victoria by opening ten public dental clinics [TA-260822-vicmed-850c1f108736].

On electoral reform, the Premier introduced legislation to abolish group voting tickets in upper house elections, replacing them with an above-the-line system requiring voters to number at least five groups in order of preference [TA-260729-vicmed-1d74776339c3]. Victorian students recorded the state's best-ever NAPLAN results, ranking first or second in 16 of 20 measures with significantly higher numeracy scores in years 5, 7 and 9 [TA-260805-vicmed-9a3c7c0d4f88].

Administrative appointments included Chris Barrett as Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and Fiona Adamson as Secretary of the Department of Transport and Planning [TA-260731-vicmed-614d18705993]. In the Assembly, the Premier also paid tribute to former Member John Dyson Harrowfield, who represented Mitcham from 1982 to 1992 and served as Minister for Small Business and Minister for Finance [TA-260811-vichns-559d5117f54a:s001], and advised the Assembly of changes to the ministry and parliamentary secretaries [TA-260811-vichns-559d5117f54a:s024].