Mr PALLAS (Treasurer) — I am always prepared to defer to the Deputy Premier, but I thank him for allowing me this great opportunity.

I rise to inform the house of the continued success of the Victorian economy in creating jobs for all Victorians. The latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics paint a picture of strength and stability. The unemployment rate sits at 5.7 per cent, reflecting the biggest fall in any state’s unemployment rate since November 2014 — that is, since the clowns who like to laugh at the chaos they inflicted on Victorians were turfed out of government.

It is also quite a drop from the vertigo‑inducing peak of 6.9 per cent that we saw under those opposite. Over 144 000 jobs have been created since this government was elected, with 111 000 of those jobs being full time. Per month we have created 16 times the number of full‑time jobs that those opposite managed in four years. We made a commitment to the Victorian people that we would create 100 000 full‑time jobs, and we kept the faith and we kept our promise. The member for Malvern prematurely said that this was a ‘clear broken promise’. The member for Malvern was proven comprehensively wrong. In fact his reputation was shattered — not for the first time.

But just because we are hitting our targets does not mean our work is done. This government’s singular focus is on creating jobs for Victorians and getting as many people as possible in our great state back to work. No‑one knows that better than the member for Broadmeadows, whose tireless work has seen 236 Back to Work scheme applicants — people who otherwise would not have got a job who are now well catered for by this government.

Questions and statements interrupted.