MR PALLAS (Werribee—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Trade) (14:27):

It gives me great pleasure to update the house on the Andrews Labor government’s efforts to grow the Victorian economy and the outstanding success that is our economic track record. Over the year to March, Victoria’s state final demand grew by 6 per cent. That is faster than any other state. Unemployment has hit a record low of 3.2 per cent, the lowest in the nation. Since September 2020, the low point of the economic cycle, we have added 350 000 new jobs, easily the most of any state, while employment as a share of population is the highest ever on record. Business confidence is up; consumer confidence is the highest in the nation.

And how did we do this, I hear you ask? By growing the state’s economic pie through smart, targeted investments in growth industries, building vital infrastructure that creates jobs now and into the long term and by supporting Victorians to get the skills that they need for the jobs that they want through programs like free TAFE. While the Leader of the Opposition seemed more focused on growing the bank balance of his former chief of staff, this government is growing economic opportunity for all Victorians. We have invested in and supported new and emerging industries, from rock lobster farming off the Victorian coast to our booming tech industries, so you can chow down on your favourite crustaceans while using the latest tech to delete your emails. Unlike others whose approach to improving economic fortunes is confined to their mates, we are doing it for all Victorians. The economic modus operandi of those opposite is rotten to the claw. Only a Labor government has and will continue to deliver jobs and— (Time expired)