Employment
The SPEAKER: Order! I remind members once again that this is not a house of conversation. It is a house of debate.
Jess WILSON: My question is to the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs. Yesterday the government claimed that Victoria’s economy is thriving. Why then has Victoria’s unemployment rate been above the national average for 19 consecutive months?
Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Minister for Finance) (14:22): I am pleased to take a question from the newly minted Shadow Treasurer because this gives us an opportunity to talk about the way in which the economy is operating under the Labor government. I am really pleased that Victoria’s unemployment rate has fallen and remains low, by historical comparisons, at 4.4 per cent. That is important to note – 4.4 per cent in 2025. Compare and contrast that to November 2014, when under the former Liberal government the unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent. The reality is that under this government we have got the settings right, because when you talk about employment it is about the three Ps. It is about population growth, and we are leading the nation when it comes to population growth. It is about participation, and the participation rate here in Victoria is at an almost historic high, in the high 60s – 67, 68 per cent. And it is about productivity. That is why it is so important that we start to embrace new technologies like AI and like digitals, because that will provide the way in which we can lift material living standards.
In addition to that, in the time that we have been in office we have created more than 896,000 jobs – since we were elected – a 31 per cent increase and the highest absolute percentage increase of any state. The other point to make is that from 1 July this year – I am so proud of this – every small business with a payroll of less than $1 million is paying no payroll tax, for the first time ever. So we have got the settings right. The settings are right. The economy is growing. If she looks at the budget forecast or looks at the budget papers, the Shadow Treasurer will see that Victoria’s economy is expected to increase from $600 billion to $700 billion across the forward estimates. The economy is expanding because we have the settings right, and material standards are lifting as a result. I will compare and contrast our record on job creation in this state, on any measure, to the lazy effort of those opposite when they were last in government.
Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:25): Yesterday the government admitted that only 2.3 in every 10 jobs created were in the market sector. Will the minister admit that this government’s 60 new or increased taxes, introduced to pay for this government’s record debt, are costing private sector jobs?
Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Minister for Finance) (14:25): I do not accept the analysis that was published yesterday. It was selective, it was sloppy and it was out of date. The reality is that over the last year Victoria has created 77,900 jobs, the highest employment growth in the nation, with non-market-sector job growth broadly in line with New South Wales. The reality is that we have created that level of growth because we have got the policy settings right. I know that the Shadow Treasurer has only just arrived, but I do note her predecessor committed the coalition to a debt cap. The question for the Shadow Treasurer is: do you stand by that policy? If the answer is yes, what is the debt cap? What is the number? The issue here is that when you start talking about a debt cap, like those opposite have postulated in the past, it comes down to the fact that you have to either increase taxes or cut services. What is it going to be? Are you going to cut services?
The SPEAKER: Minister, I ask you not to use the phrase ‘you’; it is a reflection on the Chair.
Jess Wilson: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, yesterday a government spokesperson confirmed 2.3 jobs in every 10 jobs. I ask the minister to come back to the question.
The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant to the question.
Danny PEARSON: Using ABS data over the year to March 2025, Victoria – (Time expired)