TIM PALLAS (Werribee – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Economic Growth) (14:31):

It really gives me great pleasure to update the house on the state’s stellar jobs growth. More than 862,000 new jobs have been created since the Labor government was elected in 2014. We now have a record labour force of 3.78 million Victorians in work. Indeed Victoria has created more than 130,000 jobs over the last 12 months, more than any other state over this time. Unemployment remains at historic lows, more than two percentage points lower than when we came to office. For those playing at home, that is what we inherited from those opposite. So it is no wonder that Deloitte Access Economics projects Victoria to have the strongest economy over the next five years. It is good news for anybody who might be looking for a new job – anybody in close proximity who might be looking to retrain and upgrade their skills.

The news is just as good in regional Victoria, which has benefited from the government’s preferential payroll tax rate and a record $45 billion worth of investment over the past decade. More than 150,000 ‍new jobs have been created in regional Victoria alone since this government was elected, a 22.9 per cent jump, the highest growth of any state and a dramatic improvement compared to the anaemic four years of jobs growth that occurred under those opposite. While those opposite squabble about their jobs, we are focused on the jobs of Victorians, and in a very emphatic way we can demonstrate to Victoria that we are materially shifting the dial and creating jobs.