Wednesday, 18 March 2026

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:18): (1272) My question is to the Treasurer. In 2025 the High Court’s Valuer-General Victoria v WSTI St Kilda Road case ruled that for land tax purposes improvements matter only if they add value at the valuation date; otherwise they are ignored. Yet in LSIO-affected Silverleaves, Phillip Island, the State Revenue Office issued a 2026 land tax notice disregarding the High Court’s decision. Why did your government permit 500 land tax notices to be issued which are at complete odds with the law? Did you know and just turn a blind eye?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:18): Ms Bath, I will have to seek some advice on this specific matter from the SRO because, as you would appreciate, the SRO are responsible, not me, for issuing notifications. Your question took issue with valuations. I guess in your question it was not clear to me whether you were referring to SRO processes or valuation processes. If it is valuation processes, then that is not the SRO.

Melina Bath: It is the law – a High Court decision; law.

Jaclyn SYMES: As I said, I can get some advice from the SRO, but your question was a little unclear to me about whether you were seeking information about valuations or seeking information about SRO assessments, because they are two different matters.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:19): Minister, in Silverleaves many property owners did not know to object, while others in identical positions had their 2026 land tax notice reduced once the correct test was applied. For example, owners who objected had their inflated valuations slashed from $775,000 to $175,000 and $340,000 down to $85,000, while residents with the same planning constraints were left unchanged. This is the law, Minister, that the High Court has issued that covers Victoria. Will you now instruct the SRO and the valuer-general to immediately fix all wrongful assessments and repay overcharged Victorians, rather than forcing families to battle your government one by one? These costs are driving people out of their homes.

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:20): Ms Bath, that supplementary would have been much more useful in your substantive because it answered the interjections I was making on you that you were unable to respond to in relation to your matter. The question that you asked is particularly in relation to valuations. The valuations are not done by the SRO, but people do have the right to raise objections to valuations. Individuals are encouraged to do that if they consider that there is an issue. I get briefed by the SRO – as recently as last sitting week – in relation to how many errors are made in relation to valuations, and it is very, very small.

Georgie Crozier: You’re setting the parameters.

Jaclyn SYMES: I am actually answering the question, Ms Crozier. In explaining how the processes work – and there are two separate processes – I cannot instruct the valuer-general to do anything. It is not in my portfolio, Ms Bath. In relation to individual tax matters –

Melina Bath: On a point of order, President, this is the law that has been delivered from the High Court. Minister, you have operation in this space. I ask you: will you now make sure that these landholders are not being overcharged by an arm and a leg on unfair valuations?

The PRESIDENT: That is not a point order. It is close to something else. The Treasurer has been relevant.

Jaclyn SYMES: On a point of order, President, because I am unable to finish answering the question: for Ms Bath’s information, the matter of valuations is a matter for the Minister for Planning. She is directing her question to a Treasurer. I am happy to provide a one-pager on land tax and valuations for the member.