Thursday, 13 November 2025

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:04): (1118) My question is to the Minister for Regional Development. Minister, the independent Parliamentary Budget Office has found that despite regional Victorians making up 25 per cent of Victoria’s population, only 12 per cent of the infrastructure spend goes to regional communities. Will the government guarantee an increase on this percentage next budget to address the backlog of needs in the regions?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:04): I thank Ms Bath for her question. At the outset, considering you have posed the question as to whether the government in the next budget would increase an amount which you have claimed to be 12 per cent to higher, I am pretty sure I can absolutely guarantee that, because the 12 per cent figure this year is not an accurate figure; it is cherrypicked analysis that does not include projects that we are delivering in regional Victoria. Ms Bath, I am sure you are aware that we are delivering social housing, regional worker accommodation, upgrades to community centres. The Tiny Towns Fund is not included in this analysis. We have allocated more than $47 billion while in government for regional Victoria. That is around $4.3 billion a year on average. It is not only the investment in living in regional and rural Victoria; we are also supporting thousands and thousands of jobs by the investment. So our Big Housing Build – I am sure Minister Shing would be more than happy to take you through all of those projects – is not included in the analysis from the PBO. We are building homes in Horsham, Wodonga, Colac, Shepparton, Ararat. I was in Wangaratta earlier in the year with the minister in relation to investment in that community. So Ms Bath, I am more than happy to talk to you about the investment in regional Victoria. I have had a look at the report. It is not a comprehensive report. As I said, it is cherrypicking and not a full picture of the investment in regional Victoria. It does not include a lot of the schools that we have been investing in.

A member interjected.

Jaclyn SYMES: No. In fact I will take up that interjection. I am not ignoring the PBO, because I have just explained to you that I have read that report and it contains some relevant information, but it is not a conclusive analysis of the investment that is going into regional Victoria. I think I have provided you with some examples that have been omitted from the report to make that very clear to you.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:06): I thank the minister for her response. Minister, on a per capita basis, infrastructure spending per person is 57 per cent less in the regions than in Melbourne. Why?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:06): Ms Bath, that is incorrect.