Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (14:09): (2406) My question for the Minister for Small and Family Business concerns businesses in my region. Minister, why is this government failing to properly resource the Victorian Small Business Commission, leaving small businesses and landlords waiting months for dispute resolution? Currently, retail lease disputes must first be referred to the commission before they can proceed to VCAT. When the government expanded the commission’s responsibilities in 2017, concerns were raised that wait times would increase without adequate ongoing funding. Today the commission’s own website advises of response times of up to 20 weeks. So what is this government’s solution – a measly one-off $400,000 funding boost, presumably to fund temporary dispute resolution officer positions lasting just six to 12 months. Minister, these inadequate funding arrangements are leaving landlords out of pocket and driving small businesses in my area and their tenants out of business.