Wednesday, 30 July 2025

Ministers statements: economic policy

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:10): It was a great delight – a Turkish delight, you could say – to join the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs and the member for Kororoit last week to open Mondelēz International’s new world-class distribution centre in Truganina. It was most certainly impressive. It is the biggest distribution centre in the world for this company. It is twice the size of the MCG, and there were 17 levels of Cadbury’s chocolates and lollies stacked up – enough snakes to wrap around the world 1½ times a year. I know he is not here, but I am going to borrow a line from the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs. He said that we now know that the home of the Easter Bunny is officially in Truganina.

The sweetest part of this opening of the largest distribution centre in Mondelēz’s company around the globe was not the chocolate, it was the jobs – more than 200 secure jobs. Ninety per cent of these new jobs are going to people who live in the western suburbs – 200 families with new opportunities right in the heart of Melbourne’s west. That is what you get – a $130 million investment is what you get – when you have the economic settings right, and we have them right here in Victoria.

We are the state that is creating more jobs than any other state, building more homes and attracting new business investment. Our exports grew by a record $19.4 billion in the March quarter. We are working to lift the payroll tax free threshold, replace stamp duty on commercial property and cut business regulators. This is what you get – this investment and, importantly, these jobs – when you have the settings right.