Tim Pallas MP
Tim Pallas MP, Treasurer of Victoria Key points: •
Infrastructure investment had underpinned Victoria’s success leading into the pandemic and will be central to its recovery.
•
The Victorian Government wants to reassure industry of its commitment to delivering projects using public-private partnerships.
•
The Victorian Government is pursuing opportunities to improve all parts of the procurement process, from project inception to delivery.
Tim Pallas MP (TP): Thanks very much, Adrian, for the opportunity to speak today. I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we are individually meeting and pay my respect to their elders past and present. I would like to thank Infrastructure Partnerships Australia for the invitation, and for your ongoing and continuing support of the pursuit of excellence in infrastructure. I would also, of course, like to thank Sir Rod for his kind introduction. He has been a solid supporter of all things infrastructure in this country, and probably does not get enough recognition for all the hard work he does. 2020 has not been the year that any of us wanted. We find ourselves in one of the most challenging times in the last century, from both a health and an economic perspective. As a government, we are doing everything we can to navigate our
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way out of the current circumstances towards COVID normal. As we head into that new normal, there are opportunities for economic reform and redesign that lie within this massive disruption. We know that the upswing will come at the end of this, and we are working hard to position ourselves well for that. Let’s talk about Victoria’s economy and what is ahead. Victoria ended 2020 in a suitably strong economic position, the envy of the nation on key fiscal metrics and the leading economy in the nation for eight consecutive quarters. Like all jurisdictions around the world, coronavirus has hit our economy hard. This once-in-a-century pandemic has ravaged countries right around the globe. Governments everywhere have been forced to make difficult decisions, as they weigh up choices that are literally life and death.
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