Thursday, 4 June 2026

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:32): (1347) My question is for the Treasurer. Treasurer, on 2 June last year Minister D’Ambrosio wrote to you, seeking to impose licence conditions on the distributed network service providers to ensure emergency backstop requirements for new and replacement solar systems. And I ask: Treasurer, did you commission any modelling as to the impact on households before supporting the change in writing on 25 June?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:33): Mr Davis, again, you are very good at attempting to ask questions in the portfolio interests that you have to the Treasurer, or indeed when I was regional minister I got any question that might be in regional Victoria due to your interest in your portfolios. I commend your dedication to your shadow portfolios; there is never any dispute about that. But the question you are asking in relation to power prices and the like is much better directed to the minister for energy, and I would be happy –

David Davis interjected.

Jaclyn SYMES: Again, Mr Davis, when ministers write to me, yes, I receive advice regularly from DTF. But the power price question that you ask is a matter for the minister for energy.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, the minister has responsibility under the act. She is consulted, and she supported the change. My question is very simple: did she commission modelling before she supported the change in writing? She can answer the question. It is a very simple question – yes or no?

The PRESIDENT: As I said before, every member in here has very much the right to ask any minister any question they please, but the minister has the right to say that that particular question should be directed to a different portfolio.

David Davis: President, further to the point of order, you have sort of made some attempt to smooth that down for the minister. It is a direct decision that she has not answered.

The PRESIDENT: No.

David Davis: You have. Let us be quite clear what you are doing. You have tried to sort of tamp it down. No, she has actually got a responsibility to answer the question. It is a simple question. She signed a letter. Do you want to see her signature on the letter? And then she says she cannot answer a question about it. Have a look at the letter. Sorry. On a point of order, she should answer the question.

The PRESIDENT: There was no need to approach the bench. Mr Davis, I think the Treasurer is going to assist the chamber in a second. As far as smoothing over, I just use the smoothness in the precedents from other rulings from other –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: I believe I am as smooth as other presiding officers from all sorts of different political sides. Maybe we have all been a bit smooth, but I think the Treasurer is prepared to help. Are you prepared to help or have you answered? The Treasurer is prepared to help on the substantive.

Jaclyn SYMES: I am trying to avoid repeating my original answer, but perhaps I will just say it in a different manner. It is generally the responsibility of the relevant minister to do modelling in relation to a ministerial order.

David Davis interjected.

Jaclyn SYMES: Well, the answer would not be ‘none’, would it? The answer would be ‘Is it the responsibility of the Treasurer in relation to this matter?’ I have explained to you this is a ministerial responsibility of the minister for energy. In relation to the existence or otherwise of any modelling, it would generally be the responsibility of the relevant minister, which confirms and backs up my answer to you. Of course I receive advice from DTF, but in relation to modelling of impact, the way you phrased your question, it would be a matter for the relevant minister.

David Davis: But you did not commission any, so the answer is no.

Jaclyn Symes: Because I wouldn’t.

David Davis: Well, still the answer is no, isn’t it, actually? You wouldn’t, but ‘Did you on that occasion?’ is the question.

Sonja Terpstra: On a point of order, President, Mr Davis is speaking across the chamber, and he should direct his comments through the Chair.

The PRESIDENT: I uphold the point of order, but also it did become a bit of a friendly interchange. It was free flowing. It was sort of like the society we would like to live in without the rules of the standing orders.

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:38): Further, President, I ask the Treasurer: did Treasury advise you as to whether feed-in tariffs were further affected by the changes you endorsed?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:39): My answer to your supplementary is the same as my answer to your substantive. Treasury is not a shadow department of every department that exists, so they do not replicate every role that exists in other departments. Other departments can do modelling and can do research. They are experts in their field, and they might provide information for DTF to then examine, verify and perhaps on occasion seek further advice or commission their own work. But generally, the departments have the experts that present information to DTF. DTF then would provide me advice in relation to making decisions about signing off on such things.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, I do not think the Treasurer’s answer touched the words ‘feed-in tariff’, which was the subject of the question. I just want to be quite clear here: did Treasury advise you as to whether feed-in tariffs were further affected? Again, it is a yes or no answer: they did or they did not.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, it is not compulsory for a minister to say a certain word, I would have thought.