Tuesday, 18 November 2025

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): My question is to the Premier. Today Victorians will pay $21 million in interest on Labor government debt. How much will Victorians be paying per day in interest next year?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:13): Again I am pleased to have the opportunity provided by the Leader of the Opposition to talk about the government’s fiscal strategy – our fiscal strategy and economic plan that is working. The member for Evelyn provided me with the opportunity by reminding me to take the house through the fiscal strategy. The first step was about creating jobs, and we have done that, creating more jobs than any other state. The reason why this is of central importance to the question from the Leader of the Opposition is because when you are creating jobs you are growing the economy, you are bringing productive returns back to the budget and –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, this was a very, very simple question, and again the Premier is being evasive in not answering the question, on relevance.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: As I was saying about jobs, the reason why we have step 1 as a program in our fiscal strategy to create jobs is because it represents an economy that is growing, and our economy is growing. We are creating more jobs. We are also attracting more business investment than any other state. We also have achieved the second step of our fiscal strategy by returning to an operating cash surplus. And this year we have achieved step 3 as well. As I said earlier, to be the only jurisdiction, the only government on the eastern seaboard, federal or state, to have that operating surplus in the forthcoming year is significant because, again, it represents a growing economy. It also represents what we can do with that investment, because Labor governments invest.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, I will not go through every particular Speakers ruling, but there are numerous Speakers rulings that do require responders to restrict their answer from being broad. What is the point of question time if –

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order, member for Brighton?

James Newbury: If the Premier refuses to deal with the substance of the question, what is the point of relevance?

The SPEAKER: I cannot direct the Premier how to answer the question. If the answer is not the answer that those who asked the question want, there is not much I can do about that. But I can call the Premier to relevance, and she was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: Again, there is a five-step fiscal strategy that is working, and I have gone through the first three of those steps: creating jobs, returning to an operating cash surplus and returning to a surplus. As I have said before, we are the only jurisdiction on the eastern seaboard to be doing so. But we are also, to directly answer the question that was put by the Leader of the Opposition, on track to meet steps 4 and 5 of our fiscal strategy – our fiscal strategy that has that net debt as a share of the economy stabilising in the coming years.

But what sits alongside this strategy is how you deliver for the Victorian community, because you cannot just be all about cuts, like those opposite are. You just cannot be all about cuts, because not only does that shrink your economy, it shrinks opportunities. It shrinks opportunities for working people and families, who need a government that is focused on growing jobs, on growing business investment and on growing the economy, because every time you support a job you are supporting a family – a family who needs the certainty of that pay packet coming home at the end of every week. That is what remains a firm focus of my government’s agenda in focusing on jobs.

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (17:17): Just for the Premier’s knowledge, it is $23 million each and every day next year. Will the Premier rule out further tax increases to meet the Labor government’s growing interest obligations?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Laverton can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Laverton withdrew from chamber.

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:18): The question from the Leader of the Opposition comes off the back of the work we have done as a government to cut or reduce taxes more than 60 times. Those opposite like to talk about tax and revenue.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is required to be factual.

The SPEAKER: It is an assumption that everyone in this house on their feet is factual.

Jacinta ALLAN: I will be delighted to be factual for the benefit of the member for Brighton, who is currently failing in his audition to be the Shadow Treasurer. We have cut payroll tax. We have cut payroll tax for regional businesses to be the lowest in the country. We have over the last two budgets reduced the payroll tax thresholds for small business, so they are paying less as well.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, again, Speaker, the Premier is required to be factual. Under the 10 years of this government, the tax take has doubled.

The SPEAKER: I ask the member for Evelyn not to raise points of order in an incorrect fashion. It is not appropriate to make a statement to the house.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course as part of our plan to build more homes – those opposite block homes, we build more homes – we have slashed off-the-plan stamp duty concessions as well. They are just three examples, for the benefit of the member for Brighton, of how not only do we have a plan for the economy, we have a plan that backs investments for Victorians as well.