REACTION TO THE 2023/24 VICTORIAN BUDGET:
POLITICAL GROUPS
* Before COVID, we had the kind of debt that you just tackle to construct, to take a position, to develop an financial system for the longer term, however with the pandemic emergency, we borrowed to maintain Victorians protected – Treasurer Tim Pallas
* This is a price range that’s imply, it’s nasty, it visits ache on each Victorian – Opposition Leader John Pesutto
* Victoria’s areas are being left behind by Labor at a time after they can least afford it – Victorian Nationals Leader Peter Walsh
“Everyday Victorians who are already struggling will be worse off because of this budget – Victorian Greens treasury spokesperson Sam Hibbins
UNIONS
* Every year every budget builds in forward estimates and there’s no reason this time to cut so heavily in this manufactured time frame except to fiddle the forwards in a cynical political exercise – Victorian CPSU secretary Karen Batt
* The Andrews government today has walked away from its responsibility to ensure every child in public schools in Victoria has a qualified teacher in their classroom through the lack of investment – Australian Education Union Victorian president Meredith Peace
INDUSTRY GROUPS/PEAK BODIES
* The government says this is the plan to pay off the “COVID bank card debt” but they’re doing that by using medium to large businesses and property owners as an ATM over the next 10 years – Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra
* Business has been used as a cash cow – Victorian head of the Australian Industry Group Tim Piper
* Many landlords will be unable to afford this additional cost – Certified Practising Accountant Australia’s Elinor Kasapidis
* These new and increased taxes are likely to manifest in job losses and increased prices for customers – Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra
* We are pleased to see mostly that the health budget has been protected – Victorian Healthcare Association’s Leigh Clarke
* A 10-year plan to repay the debt from Victoria’s pandemic response is central to this budget, however, the same consideration and long-term thinking is not applied to our state’s housing crisis – Community Housing Industry Association Victoria acting chief executive Jason Perdriau
* Victoria is already the highest taxing state in the country and the new COVID debt levy announced today means it will be even harder to invest in the state – Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott
* We are pleased to see this budget delivers some desperately needed support for rough sleepers – Homeless Persons chief executive Deborah Di Natale
RATINGS AGENCIES
* Despite the intrinsic strength of the Victorian and broader Australian economies relative to global peers, we do not expect Victoria’s debt burden to stabilise before the end of fiscal 2028, maintaining negative pressure on the state’s rating – Moody’s Investors Service analyst John Manning
* Victoria’s fiscal outlook is bettering after a number of years of pandemic disruption, offering some headroom on the AA score – S&P Global Ratings analyst Anthony Walker
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
