Thursday, 18 April 2024

Responses

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (17:43): I can report there were 19 adjournment matters this evening that covered a variety of areas and portfolios. But before I deal with some of the matters that were raised in my portfolio of regional development, can I also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in making sure that this sitting has been as successful as it has been. It has been an incredible time, not just in the chamber but the opportunities with local community members have been amazing. It has been incredibly interesting to hear firsthand from people their experiences as well as meeting a variety of communities on our way up here and on our journeys back to our offices or our home bases. Again I thank everyone who has been involved in this. It does pay tribute to the need for this to occur when it does, and I think it provides those who have got metropolitan seats with a real opportunity to see what rural and regional life is all about, because there are only pluses attached to living in regional Victoria.

Turning to some matters that were directly referred to me, there is an issue with lighting around Lake Wendouree. It was a project that was undertaken by the Ballarat City Council, and yes, there was a contribution by the state government in respect to that. There is a technical issue that is affecting the lights. There are contractors onsite already fixing this issue, and I think it deals with around about 30 ‍lights. It is a fault, and the work that will be taken is under warranty so it will not be costing any additional moneys, Mr McCracken.

In terms of matters in relation to regional Victoria, of course the matters that Ms Bath particularly raised are matters that will become clearer as the budget is handed down early next month, but obviously I will continue to advocate for improvements in regional Victoria, day in and day out. It is a fantastic portfolio, and it is a fantastic area of government involvement with community. But I want to use this as an opportunity to set the record straight in that the number of new jobs created in regional Victoria has grown again, and Victoria’s regional unemployment rate remains the lowest – the lowest ‍– in the country at 3.5 per cent, reflecting the strength of this state’s economy. The ABS regional labour force data released recently shows another 7300 people in regional Victoria found jobs in that last month, the largest increase in the country. The number of people employed in Victorian regional communities now is 821,800, an all-time high, driven by a strong economy delivering benefits for Victorians across the state. More than 32,000 regional Victorians have found work over the past 12 ‍months. Regional employment in Victoria has grown by 163,000 jobs, or nearly 25 per cent, since November 2014 when the Labor government was elected, the strongest regional jobs growth in the nation. Unemployment remains low in many areas of Victoria according to the ABS. In Warrnambool and the south-west the jobless rate is 1.8 per cent, in Bendigo it is 2.2 per cent, in Geelong it is 3.2 per cent and in Shepparton it is just 1.4 per cent. The most recent ABS state accounts data shows Victoria’s economy has grown by a cumulative 9.1 per cent over the past two years, ahead of New South Wales, ahead of Queensland, ahead of Western Australia and ahead of Tasmania. So I will leave it at that.

The PRESIDENT: I reckon at this point the greatest way I can show appreciation to our fantastic Parliament team is to be really brief. We appreciate everything you have done. You are fantastic. And now I declare this regional sitting adjourned.

House adjourned 5:48 pm.