Tim Pallas - Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Economic Growth and Member for Werribee - has advised me that that he is resigning from Cabinet. He will also step down as the Member for Werribee.
Tim and I first met in 1999, when I was the fresh-faced, newly-elected member for Bendigo East, and he was working in one of the toughest gigs there is - Chief of Staff to the Premier.
Over the next 25 years, we would work together as MPs, Cabinet colleagues, collaborators and builders. Most importantly, as mates.
Bonded by our shared passion for building infrastructure, karaoke - and our steadfast belief that Labor Governments change lives.
For more than 40 years, Tim has put those values to action, as a union organiser, union leader, advisor, MP, Minister and Treasurer.
In 2014, he helped lead Labor to an election win - sharing an ambitious agenda for the future of our state. That included our promise to remove 50 dangerous and congested level crossings, a promise Tim and I worked on together to deliver in government.
As Minister for Industrial Relations, he drove nation-leading reform: criminalising wage theft, cracking down on unscrupulous labour hire and introducing portable long service leave.
As Minister for Economic Growth, he's helped build an innovative, inclusive and future-facing economy. Thanks to Tim, Victoria is the only place in the world where both Moderna and BioNTech - global leaders in mRNA - operate.
And as Treasurer, Tim has overseen an economy that's growing faster than any other in relative terms. Business investment has grown to the highest share of economic activity on record in our state - and jobs growth is at a record high.
But as Tim has always said, a truly strong economy is one that works for working people - not the other way around.
Over the past decade, Tim's efforts have helped transform our state. Not only are those level crossings gone for good, next year the Metro Tunnel will open - so will the West Gate Tunnel. We've built schools and hospitals, we've reformed TAFE and early education.
Perhaps Tim's most important achievement: his steady guidance through the pandemic. The word "unprecedented" is thrown around a lot. But Tim stared down a challenge unlike any we've ever seen before.
He made sure that our economy was protected, businesses survived and Victorians remained in work. That our state not only weathered the storm but came through the other side.
Today, hundreds of thousands more Victorians are in a job. To me, that is the mark of a strong Labor Government, and a strong Labor Treasurer.
Because Tim understands, far more than a dry economic metric - good steady jobs mean security and stability. The foundation to start a family and build a life.
Tim has served our state in many capacities. But I know his most precious role was representing the people of Werribee. Over the past 18 years, he has been a staunch voice for our western suburbs and the people who call them home.
In his first speech as a newly elected Member, Tim spoke about his parents, and the ethos with which they raised their children: "give more than you get".
By every measure, Tim has done exactly that.
I wish him, Karen, Jack and Grace all the best for the next chapter in their lives - including plenty of Werribee Tiger wins, and even more karaoke.
