Thursday, 3 April 2025

State Electricity Commission

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:34): (892) My question is also to the Treasurer. I refer to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee’s financial and performance outcomes 2023–24 report, tabled today, and refer to finding 79, which says:

The SEC does not have public measures or targets to provide transparency or accountability for its progress towards its objectives …

And recommendation 28 calls on the SEC to ‘develop and publicly report on appropriate measures’. I ask, Treasurer: will the Department of Treasury and Finance and you as Treasurer insist that, in line with recommendations 28 and 29, relevant output objective indicators and performance measures for the SEC be included in the 2025–26 state budget?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:35): Mr Davis, at the outset I acknowledge your interest in the matter and agree with you in relation to transparency measures. There are a number of ways for departments and their entities to ensure that information is in the public record, whether it is through their annual reports or other public reporting regularly on websites and the like. In relation to the specific recommendation of PAEC – as you have indicated, it has been tabled today – I will have a close look at that and have a discussion with my department as well as the relevant minister.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:36): I further refer the Treasurer to finding 100, which states:

The information reported for each Treasurer’s Advance in the Annual Financial Report and annual Appropriations Act is limited.

I therefore ask whether the Treasurer will commit to full and transparent disclosure and for the reasons for each and every Treasurer’s advance to be published in the annual state budget and the mid-year budget update.

The PRESIDENT: I am struggling with whether that was around one particular department, the SEC. I feel like it would have been okay the other way if you had asked the supplementary first and the substantive second. I will let the Treasurer answer as she sees fit.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:37): I am already on the public record for a commitment to ensuring that I am looking at the best ways to improve transparency, oversight and reporting in relation to Treasurer’s advances.