Thursday, 30 July 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (14:01): (1389) My question is to the outgoing Treasurer. Treasurer, on Tuesday the new Premier –

The PRESIDENT: We call people by their correct titles, so if you could start again, that would be great.

Bev McARTHUR: My question is to the continuing Treasurer. Treasurer, on Tuesday –

The PRESIDENT: Just start again and just say Treasurer and we can all get on with our lives.

Bev McARTHUR: My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, on Tuesday the new Premier referenced his first pay cheque and said:

That’s why I understand why Victorians are concerned about government spending.

Concerned about government spending – Treasurer, that is a direct reflection on your performance. Has the new Premier raised any concerns with you about your management of government spending?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (14:02): Mrs McArthur, it is a great opportunity to talk about the Victorian budget and the state of the economy, which is effectively the root of the question that you have asked here. As I demonstrated in May this year, we are returning the state budget to surplus for the first time in seven years. Having a fiscal strategy, we are delivering on what we have said we would do. Just this week S&P have released their rating of the Victorian budget. They have confirmed that it is stable. We have improved in our budget performance measurements, and this is exactly what responsible financial management delivers. This is what happens when you follow a plan, your promise to the Victorian people and what you have said you would do in relation to the credit rating agencies. Mrs McArthur, I come into this place time and again delivering ministers statements that I do not think you ever listen to, because they demonstrate that the Victorian economy is –

Bev McArthur: On a point of order, President, I asked a very simple question. Treasurer, it was about your performance in the management of government spending. That is what I am asking about, because the Premier is clearly concerned about government spending. Victorians are concerned about government spending. Has he –

The PRESIDENT: I think you are debating the point of order, Mrs McArthur. The Treasurer to continue.

Jaclyn SYMES: Mrs McArthur, the Premier and I are certainly aligned on ensuring that the finances of the state are managed in a responsible way. It is what I have just demonstrated to you in relation to the ratings agencies and the fact that our budget is in surplus, unlike the rest of the eastern seaboard.

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (14:04): The opposition’s final question to this Treasurer is this. The new Premier also said:

Every dollar my government spends will be treated with respect.

Over the last 12 years $15 billion has been fleeced by the criminal underworld and bikies via the CFMEU. Isn’t it a fact, as the Premier has acknowledged, that under your watch as Treasurer taxpayer dollars have not been treated with respect?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (14:05): No.