Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Ministers statements: economy

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:50): The member for Tarneit was right: we do miss you, Walshie. It is only day 2, and we already miss you down here.

If you visited any regional community in Victoria today, you would find more Victorians in jobs than ever before in our state’s history. There are also more women employed in Victoria than ever before across the state. More than 450,000 more Victorian women are in jobs than there were when there was a previous Liberal–National government in office.

Creating jobs, not cutting jobs, like we do and supporting jobs like we do on this side of the house is something that is so important to us. Others have an agenda that is all about cutting jobs. That agenda has already been announced, and that is the agenda of the Liberal Party. What we have is a focus on jobs. Let me share some examples of the stark difference between these two approaches. We in government – and we have just heard this from the Treasurer – have created more than 880,000 jobs in the last decade. That includes in the last year more jobs than any other state in the nation. In regional Victoria let us look at the contrast: different government, 10,000 jobs; our government, 150,000 jobs were created.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Kororoit, you are warned.

Luba Grigorovitch interjected.

The SPEAKER: No, I am not going to kick you out today, so stop trying.

Cindy McLeish: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier needs to be factual. For seven months in a row –

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. I cannot determine the facts or otherwise of an answer or a question.

Jacinta ALLAN: This demonstrates when you invest in regional economies and in regional communities you are investing in every corner of the state. When you do not invest, when you cut services, close train lines, close country hospitals and close schools you shut down jobs in those communities as well. We are investing in schools, in jobs and in roads right across the state.