Wednesday, 14 May 2025

Ministers statements: Victorian economy

Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Minister for Finance) (14:09): I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to once again update the house on how Victoria continues to be the best place to live, to work and to invest. Victoria is the ideas and skills capital of this great nation, and we have good reason to be confident about our economic future. Do not listen to the naysayers on the other side who constantly try to talk down our economy and the hardworking Victorians who are making it move. Every month I am visiting innovative businesses who are doing some incredible work, taking a risk, backing themselves in and just growing and expanding this economy and growing their businesses. These businesses are the ones that are powering our economy.

Last month I was lucky enough to visit Atmo Biosciences with my good friend and parliamentary secretary the member for Box Hill. This company is epic. It has created a capsule the size of a vitamin pill that can gather data supporting more targeted investments for gastrointestinal issues, thanks to support from this government. I was really pleased recently to join my good friend the member for Ripon when we visited Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyard, who we are supporting to get Victorian wines on international shelves as a result of our wine export program.

I was also lucky enough to visit CSL. I was delighted to see firsthand the brand new facility they are building in terms of their flu vaccine business, CSL Seqirus, which is Australian owned and one of the world’s largest flu vaccine companies. The Tullamarine facility is absolutely fantastic and will be fully operational next year. It is going to employ hundreds of Victorians making these life-saving products. CSL is a fantastic success story here for Victoria, with cutting-edge, 21st-century innovation, part of the new economy and creating high-value jobs right here in Victoria.

Our economic strategy is working. As shown in the CommSec’s latest State of the States report, we are second in the nation. I know some of the members opposite are worried about a few of their mates who have recently started looking for new jobs – (Time expired)