Wednesday, 13 May 2026

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:44): I want to update the house on some of the budget deliveries in this year’s budget, which is only a week old. We have delivered real cost-of-living savings while making life for Victorians easier, safer and more affordable. We have delivered an operating surplus of more than $700 million, the only state on the eastern seaboard to do so. Our strong budget position is why we can directly tackle the cost-of-living impacts facing Victorian families.

There is free public transport for two months and half-price fares for the rest of the year, and the 20-per-cent-off rego rebate is putting money back into the pockets of Victorians. We are investing $92 million to improve train services – running services on the Shepparton line and increasing capacity on the Wyndham Vale line – and there is $100 million in the budget for increased bus services right across the state. Fifty-eight per cent of spending in this budget is going to health and education, as has just been pointed out by the Minister for Health – expanded maternity services at Mercy Hospital, a PET scanner for Shepparton and numerous other investments right across the state. We are also upgrading many schools, including Belmont Primary, Maribyrnong Secondary and Yarrawonga P–‍12, just to name a few. We are providing $1.8 million to continue rural financial counselling, supporting farmers, and $8.5 million for community food security organisations, because of course no family should go hungry. The budget also provides $150 million to support our volunteer firefighters, including trucks and upgraded CFA stations at Mirboo North and Charlton, in particular. And one of the most personally rewarding is the almost $4 million to deliver a new pool for Rochester – and I know there are other supporters in the room. I am delighted to help Victorians who are under pressure. The budget and the reply prove that only Labor governments deliver disciplined economic management while investing in productive infrastructure and the essential services that Victorians rely on.