Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:55): (1992) My adjournment tonight is for the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, and it is based squarely on the great work of the Victorian Regional Chamber Alliance, chaired by Jodie Gillett of Commerce Ballarat. With the combined effort of local chambers across the state, their business health survey report is invaluable. It gives a voice to the regional businesses which sustain our towns and communities.

In a way, it feels wrong to be so positive about the report when the subject is so depressing. Just under 40 per cent of respondents said their performance in the last six months was the worst in history – not just poor and not just difficult, the worst in living memory. One business said bluntly:

We are planning to close and sell the land within 12 months and leave Victoria.

Another told the survey:

Some weeks a wage is taken, other weeks a wage simply can’t be taken

Another said:

We take home $100 each plus … rent …

Others spoke of:

Drawing on savings to make it through.

And that:

Having to deal with owing money and stress is at an all time high.

These are not isolated complaints. They are echoed across our state. The report makes clear it is no longer viable to do business in Victoria. For many, after decades of hard work and growth, this is the toughest environment they have ever seen. Why? Because under Labor the cost of doing business has become intolerable. Taxes have multiplied – land tax, payroll tax and the new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy. Even with the cost of compliance itself, one submission said:

The increase in taxes in all areas has just destroyed all profits.

The burden of red tape is crushing. ‘Compliance is overwhelming’, they said. Permits are delayed, insurance premiums are rising and WorkCover costs are soaring, even without claims. Energy prices have doubled, rents have risen with land tax and employing staff is now described as ‘too risky and expensive’.

This report should be a wake-up call to a Melbourne city-centric government that has forgotten the regions. Our communities do not want handouts, they want fair conditions to compete, to hire and to grow. Regional Victoria has everything going for it – ingenuity, resilience and resources – but unless the government restores confidence by cutting taxes, slashing red tape and trusting local enterprise, our best and brightest will continue to shut their doors and move away.

The action I seek, Minister, is for you to read the regional chamber’s business health survey report and to respond in detail to the points it makes. It is time to let the regions power ahead again, not hold them back.