Tuesday, 3 February 2026

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (18:05): (1194) My question is also to the Treasurer. A number of agencies, including Alpine Resorts Victoria, V/Line and Greater Western Water, have been provided with letters of comfort or support by the government to ensure that despite the financial challenges they face, they remain a going concern. I therefore ask: how many government agencies, statutory authorities or other state government entities have been provided with letters of comfort or support in the 2024–25 financial year?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (18:05): Again, Mr Davis, you are asking for information that crosses over with my time before being Treasurer.

David Davis: The annual reports were done in your time.

Jaclyn SYMES: You literally asked how many times in that period. Again – I will get to answering your question – asking questions of a minister for a duration that preceded their commission is I think not a great practice in this chamber. I have been rather generous in my commitment to you to provide you some information, because obviously you could submit it via a QON in any event.

Mr Davis, I think I do take issue with the way you have characterised this issue and the way you, I believe, are wanting to put this up for debate tomorrow. I am sure that you remember from your time as a minister that letters of comfort are a very common tool used by governments of every persuasion. I could probably give you some from your time, which well preceded my time. But they assist entities with their cash flow, which can vary from year to year. The alternative – and I am actually interested in the opposition’s position – would be to put additional funds into every agency just in case. That would be at the expense of the taxpayer, and we would not have those funds available for some of the priorities.

So in fact it concerns me that your presentation of letters of comfort is somehow negative; it is actually financially responsible to do so. I am looking forward to and am pre-empting your motion tomorrow. But I have heard that you have changed your motion for tomorrow at the eleventh hour, which we are about to hear about: less than 24 hours before general business I am advised that we are debating a motion on letters of comfort tomorrow. So we will have plenty of opportunity to explore this issue in greater detail because, as I said, this is a responsible management tool and I make no apologies for a government that does it. I am pretty sure that when you were a minister in the previous coalition government the practice was adopted then as well.

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (18:08): Treasurer, these commitments involve millions of dollars. Do you have oversight of these letters of comfort in 2025–26 or 2024–25 provided by the relevant departments to agencies, authorities or entities, or are they provided willy-nilly – that is, without coordination through DTF or your office? Do you tick them off?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (18:09): Yes, Mr Davis, I sign them. Your question was: are they provided willy-nilly? No, they are not. There is a process that involves DTF analysis and advice of course. And do I sign them off? Yes. So to suggest that this practice is willy-nilly or inappropriate, I –

Members interjecting.

Jaclyn SYMES: Letters of comfort that come from the Treasurer are approved and signed by the Treasurer.