Tuesday, 2 December 2025

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:43): My question is to Ms Symes in her role as Minister for Regional Development. You are a member of the Drought Response Taskforce. How many meetings have you attended in person?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:43): I thank Mr McCracken for his question. Of course the drought taskforce was established by the Premier to ensure that there was on-the-ground communication and involvement with those that are directly impacted. There have been several meetings, which also get reported up to SEMCC, which is the cabinet committee that deals with emergencies and obviously gets regular briefings on the drought conditions and our response. I have been represented at every meeting, but personally I have attended one.

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:43): On 21 November there was a taskforce meeting. The government’s media release quoted you as saying:

We know that drought is putting real pressure on small businesses that rely on local farms and producers to keep their doors open.

Minister, the taskforce members tell me that you did not attend – again. How can you claim in a media release that you advocate for small businesses and local farmers when you are literally not there to listen to them?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:44): Mr McCracken, this is an extraordinary question. When we talk about interaction with country communities, as the Minister for Regional Development and as a regional Victorian myself, it is part of what I do every day. When I first became agriculture minister, I walked straight into a drought at that time. To suggest that I have not had firsthand experience in dealing with people impacted by drought is offensive personally, but it also shows a lack of an appreciation of the efforts of the whole of government, including every ministerial office. The Minister for Mental Health has had extensive involvement in ensuring that mental health support goes out to those impacted by drought. My adviser attended meetings, and I had firsthand feedback in relation to those meetings. To suggest that that is the only avenue that you can get an appreciation of what is going on out there on the ground, you are literally saying that you do not know what is going on out there on the ground.