Wednesday, 3 December 2025

 Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (10:49): I could not wait to stand here in this place, because I am going to talk about the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee’s report on the 2025–26 budget estimates, which I had the privilege of tabling in Parliament not too long ago. I know this is everyone’s favourite report, that they read page by page, of the recommendations and the findings and love talking about here in this place. But it is a pleasure to talk about it from the point of view of chair of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee and, as I always like to do and will do at the end of the speech, I will give a range of thankyous, because a tremendous amount of work goes into preparing this committee report before it gets tabled here in Parliament.

This is the fourth estimates report that I have tabled in Parliament, and the third that I have presided over as chair. As we all know, May is our favourite month because the government gets to hand down the state budget. In May this year the 2025–26 state budget was handed down, which made good on our government’s plan to return to surplus by reaching stage 3 of the plan, which was to deliver an operating surplus. So that was really good to see. It did so whilst also delivering the funding and the support that Victorians really do rightly deserve and expect. I know that my electorate in Laverton will greatly benefit from many of the budget initiatives this year, including the $37 million upgrade for Bemin Secondary College. Every time I read that, I think ‘Oh, my God, that is so much money – $37 million.’ That is Truganina’s first high school and Truganina’s only high school. Bemin Secondary College was a huge achievement for this government, and landing $37 million for the stage ‍2 upgrade is just extraordinary. I also had a couple of smaller projects, like the $70,000 that was delivered for the Western Suburbs Soccer Club in Sunshine West. Such a great suburb that one. I also cannot forget the $2 billion we are putting towards the Sunshine superhub. I absolutely love that project, and that is all part of these major achievements as part of the Labor government.

But the estimates hearings provide a really important role and opportunity in government scrutiny. It is a chance for ministers and their departments to sit down with the committee and answer questions relating to their portfolios, government finance and performance that are reflected in the budget papers. I do want to thank all of the ministers and department staff who participated in these hearings, respectfully and informatively. I think it goes without saying – a tremendous amount of work goes in to preparing for the hearing of ministers and department staff that appear before the committee, and I thank them for that work. It is this kind of work that forms the basis of any estimates report, and this year was no different.

The report makes a total of 79 findings and 42 recommendations, with a real focus on strengthening the transparency of government reporting, ensuring reforms and investments are properly evaluated, enhancing the quality and accessibility of data and developing stronger performance measures to further assess the level at which government programs are achieving their intended outcomes. I do want to acknowledge my fellow committee members, including the members for Point Cook, Yan Yean, Clarinda and Mildura here in this place, as well as Messrs Galea, Puglielli and Welch in the other place. Everyone did a tremendous job, and it was a big effort by the whole of the committee to get through those hearings. I would be entirely remiss if I did not acknowledge my outgoing deputy chair Mr McGowan. To say that name here in this place takes me back to those, I think, three years of our budget estimates that I presided over with Mr McGowan from the other place. If those of us on the committee do not miss Mr McGowan’s presence in PAEC hearings, I know, Mr McGowan, that my staff back in my office will certainly miss you.

Of course I do want to acknowledge the committee secretariat, especially Igor Dosen, who stepped up this year as the executive officer for the committee. He has done a great job, as has the whole of the secretariat team. I do want to say a big thankyou to them for the effort that they put into preparing this report. Hours and hours and hours of writing and reflection and looking at transcripts and synthesising themes in what make up a really great report, a professional report that is then tabled before this house, is done by that team and I do have to thank them on behalf of the committee. I do want to wish the committee secretariat, as well as my fellow committee members, a very merry Christmas and a very safe and happy new year. I look forward to again chairing budget estimates next year.