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Business Briefing and Q&A with Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes

Taxes, infrastructure funding, and healthcare were just some of the key issues on the agenda for the Committee's Business Briefing with Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes.

Committee members were provided an exclusive economic briefing and update with Treasurer Symes on Thursday 21 November at McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery. The forum was facilitated by Paul Mercurio MP, the Member for Hastings.

The Treasurer's update compared the Victorian Budget to comparable states and expected economic growth to 2028-29, before detailing some of the major funding commitments to our region; namely, the $1.1 billion redevelopment of Peninsula University Hospital.

Questions from the Committee and members covered a broad range of issues, including:

  • Payroll tax - businesses in our region pay a payroll tax rate that is the same as Metropolitan Melbourne, despite many parts of the Mornington Peninsula Shire having little access to 'metropolitan-like' services and infrastructure.
  • Independent Schools Payroll tax - this has impacted three CFMP member schools and limited their staffing capacity
  • Infrastructure commitments - major projects committed to and delivered in Melbourne are important, , but investment in major infrastructure is still needed in the outer suburbs and activity centres like Frankston; and peri-regional areas like the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
  • Rosebud Hospital - The $4m delivered this year from the Victorian Government falls short of the major redevelopment required, but possibly opens the door to a public private partnership
  • Capital Gains Windfall Tax - exclusions could provide an incentive to rezone land for critical industrial land in Frankston City and residential uses in the Shire
  • Offshore Wind Industry and VRET - certainty around the Victorian Offshore Wind Industry is needed as our region prepares for expected construction of the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal in 2027 (pending an approved EES)
  • Social procurement for large government projects which have benefited this region, particularly the redevelopment of Peninsula University Hospital

The Committee would like to thank the Treasurer for being particularly generous with her time and questions from our members.

Thank you once again to Paul Mercurio MP for facilitating the discussion and to McClelland Gallery for hosting.