Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (12:23): My question is for Minister Blandthorn, who I believe is not here today, so to the Treasurer. My electorate has around 30 disability houses with around 7500 workers who are facing imminent reductions in pay and removal of protections. My question to the minister is: is she aware that the Health and Community Services Union repeatedly warned the government that ending the supported independent living subsidy would force providers to terminate the disability services enterprise agreement Victoria and that those warnings were ignored, resulting in a rumour that one of the transferred providers selected to take over state-run group homes is now applying to the Fair Work Commission to strip thousands of disability workers of wages, training, staff ratios and safety protections for participants?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:24): I appreciate your question and your interest in this matter. The minister obviously shares concerns in relation to some of the issues that you have raised and I am sure will be very happy to provide you with an update on where things are up to from the state perspective.

 Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (12:25): I thank the minister. The supplementary question is: will the minister admit that the Labor government has broken Daniel Andrews’s promise to Victorian families, participants, workers and the union that nothing would change the conditions, wages and stability of the transferred group homes and also explain why it is abandoning 580 group homes, 7500 disability workers and Victoria’s most vulnerable participants and families?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:25): I am sure the minister will be happy to have a conversation with you in terms of the response to your question and potentially in person. There is a lot happening in this space.