Both here in Australia and around the world, inflation is hurting. Interest rates are higher and the cost of groceries, transport, household bills – and so much else – continues to go up.
It’s why this Budget is firmly focused on helping families.
From help with the cost of living, to continuing our investments in education, healthcare, road and rail – we’re investing in the things that matter to Victorian families.
That includes our $400 School Saving Bonus. Helping cover the cost of school expenses, including the extra things that make school fun – it gives families one less thing to worry about.
We’re investing to build schools and upgrade our classrooms – and supporting the learning that happens inside them. That includes expanding our free Glasses for Kids program and doing more to help our teachers.
We’re also delivering the biggest ongoing operational investment in our healthcare system, ever – giving hospitals certainty about their funding future.
And we’re switching on some of our biggest road and rail projects – while at the same time delivering the upgrades and improvements that local communities need.
This Budget delivers:
- A one-off $400 School Saving Bonus for every student enrolled at a government school and eligible families at non-government schools.
- $11 billion for our healthcare system, helping our hospitals care for their patients and continue to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
- $1.8 billion to build, maintain and upgrade schools across our state, and deliver on our promise to build 100 new schools by 2026.
- $1.7 billion to build and improve our hospitals and health facilities, including new emergency departments for the Northern and Austin Hospitals, and a new inpatient tower for the Monash Medical Centre.
- $996 million to switch on our Big Build transport projects, including the Metro Tunnel and the West Gate Tunnel.
- $700 million to extend the Victorian Homebuyer Fund, helping thousands more Victorians to purchase their own home.
- $555 million to build the workforces we need for the future, including support for skills and TAFEs.
- $374 million to protect children and support families, including early intervention to keep families together, and assistance for carers.
- $302 million to support fire and flood impacted communities – helping them recover and rebuild for the long term, including repairing the roads most damaged by flooding earlier this year.
- $273 million to support Aboriginal families and communities, alongside our nation-leading Truth and Treaty work.
- $211 million to help keep women and children safe and support victim survivors of family violence.
- $208 million to repair and improve our roads and intersections.
- $156 million to strengthen our state’s emergency response, including support for emergency service volunteers and firefighters, new fire trucks, and Life Saving Victoria.
- $139 million to back the work of our teachers, with more professional development, more mental health and wellbeing support, and improve workloads with more flexible working arrangements and additional recruitment.
- $129 million to continue the statewide rollout of our early education reforms, including universal Three-Year-Old Kinder and supporting families with Free Kinder.
- $41 million to deliver maternal, child and fertility healthcare to more families and bubs.
- $38 million to continue the success of Solar Victoria, with an extra 35,000 energy efficient hot water rebates. By switching to a heat pump or solar hot water system, the average household will save up to $400 on their electricity bills every year.
- $19 million to help kinders renovate and upgrade their facilities and learning spaces.
- $18 million to build and upgrade community sport infrastructure and create more opportunities for Victorians to get involved.
- $6.8 million to triple our free Glasses for Kids program.
- $6 million to continue our Get Active Kids vouchers – providing up to $200 to eligible families to help with the cost of their kids’ sport.
Every dollar of investment is targeted at helping families.
At the same time, we need to be realistic about the challenges ahead.
The world is changing – and business as usual will no longer cut it.
That requires the Government to be disciplined. To carefully balance our decisions.
This Budget strikes that balance – making sensible and disciplined decisions, while continuing to invest in the services Victorian families rely on.
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