Tuesday, 18 November 2025

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): My question is to the Premier. Last week the Business Council of Australia ranked Victoria the worst state to do business for the second year in a row. Is this why Victoria has had the worst unemployment rate for 19 of the past 20 months?

Members interjecting.

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

Member for Evelyn withdrew from chamber.

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:23): It really is no surprise that a Sydney-based interest group representing big multinational companies that the member for Kew used to work for continues to not only talk down Victoria and the Victorian economy but also fundamentally misrepresent the hardworking businesses and the working people who work in those businesses and what they are delivering for the Victorian economy. If they were not talking Victoria down, they might pause and have a look at the fact that we are creating more jobs than any other state, that we have the lowest regional unemployment rate and that we are attracting more business investment as well.

Let us have a look too at what that means in real terms. I know the member for Kew might want to talk about data; well, let us talk about people. Let us talk about what an economy means for people. It was only last week that the Minister for Government Services and I were with SUBCO, who are delivering a fibre-optic cable to Victoria that will help drive the next generation of job opportunities in the digital tech sector. There was the opening too of Mondelēz’s brand new and biggest distribution centre in the world. If you love your Cadbury’s chocolates, get out to Truganina and check out the centre there.

Cindy McLeish: On a point of order on relevance, Speaker, if the Premier wants to speak about people, she should be speaking about those who are unemployed.

The SPEAKER: Member for Eildon, I ask you to not use points of order to make a statement to the house. There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: There were also the workers that I got to meet at Hanhwa when I visited their facility in Lara with the member for Lara, a very important part of the strong manufacturing industry that we have here in Victoria. In the retail sector, the opening of Mecca’s brand new store in the heart of Melbourne CBD is not only an investment in the confidence of Melbourne’s CBD but yet another investment in the retail sector as well. As a former retail worker, I will always be pleased to see further investments in the retail sector as well. There are also the investments that are being made in the gas industry, which is making critically important investments in the exploration works that are going on right now. Just today we had further announcements of those investments.

There are also those investments that government has made more directly, understanding that when government invests in productive infrastructure it is not only supporting jobs in that construction sector and in the supply chain – because for every for every 100 jobs you see on a construction site, there are 200 in the supply chain – but also delivering the productive infrastructure our city and state need for the future. If the Liberal Party had their way, there would be no Metro Tunnel, there would be no West Gate Tunnel and there would be no Suburban Rail Loop.

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (14:27): The business council also ranks Victoria as having the highest property taxes in Australia. Will the Premier reduce Victorians’ property taxes?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:27): I note the member for Kew has asked a question about revenue that is collected, and I point to my earlier answer. We have slashed the off-the-plan stamp duty concession – one example of where we are listening to the property industry – and we know that by doing that not only do we support them but we also get more homes built. I know those opposite are more interested in blocking the building of more homes. The member for Brighton is pretty proud of himself, marching down the main street of Brighton on Sunday – very, very proud of himself, I know. How does that sit with his new leader, who supposedly is about building homes? I think the member for Brighton has a very, very different view.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: I say this: when you make commitments like those opposite have, you end up with making a choice. And the choice for the member for Kew is: what frontline services will you be cutting?