The Hon Daniel Andrews MP
Premier
The Hon Tim Pallas MP
Treasurer
Tuesday, 1 May 2018
Investing in the projects we need and the people to deliver them
The Andrews Labor Government is getting things done, investing in the projects our state needs and the people we need to deliver them.
The Victorian Budget 2018/19 reinforces the Labor Government’s strong financial management with an operating surplus of $1.4 billion in 2018-19, and average surpluses of $2.5 billion over the forward estimates.
This strong Budget position means we can keep getting things done. The Budget continues the Labor Government’s record investment in better infrastructure and quality services, while transforming skills and training so Victorians are first in line for the thousands of jobs being created in our state.
Across Victoria, skilled workers are in demand. To ensure that cost never stops people from getting the right skills, the Budget includes $172 million to make priority TAFE and pre-apprenticeship courses free to help fill skills gaps and get Victorians in to work.
These courses will focus on the skills we need to build infrastructure projects, respond to family violence, and care for older Victorians or people living with disability. More students will be able to access this training and get these good jobs, with $304 million to open new classes and over 30,000 new TAFE places.
More young people will be able to get a trade and go straight into a job with the new Head Start Apprenticeships and Traineeships giving students the option of doing an extra year of school to finish as a fully qualified apprentice or trainee.
An extra $44 million will update learning materials, introduce independent assessments and bring back trade papers to make sure all our apprentices are trained to the same high standards with recognised qualifications.
Careers education will also be redesigned in secondary schools to make sure our kids get better and earlier advice, so they can make the right choices for their future.
Every family, in every community, should have access to a good school close to home – so we’re continuing our record investment in building and upgrading schools, with $1.3 billion to plan and build 28 new schools and upgrade more than 130 schools around the state.
Right now, mental illness is hurting communities and leaving families heartbroken, so the Budget invests a record $705 million to give Victorians the treatment they need.
It includes more rehab beds, more mental health support workers, new and upgraded specialist facilities across the state, and the creation of six new emergency department crisis hubs.
To make sure every Victorian patient gets the care they deserve, the Budget invests a further $2.1 billion in better healthcare, and $1.2 billion to upgrade hospitals around the state and build Australia’s first dedicated Heart Hospital.
Our suburbs are growing rapidly and it means more drivers are getting stuck in traffic, so the Budget invests more than $4 billion to get Victorians out of their cars and home to their families sooner.
This includes $2.2 billion to upgrade and widen some of our worst suburban roads, $75 million to upgrade the Mordialloc Bypass into a freeway, and $712 million to continue Labor’s widening of the Monash Freeway from Chadstone to Pakenham.
The missing link in our network will finally be built under the Labor Government – with $110 million to fast-track the design and planning for the North East Link and start procurement within the first 100 days of the next term.
And because our regional roads are not up to scratch, $941 million will get on with the job of fixing Victoria’s regional road network, including establishing a dedicated country roads body, Regional Roads Victoria.
We’re continuing the biggest public transport overhaul in our state's history with $1.9 billion to keep re-building Victoria’s public transport network, provide more train and bus services, and more than 2,000 extra car parking spaces at some of our busiest suburban train stations.
Every corner of Victoria will keep sharing in our state’s success, with another cut to the regional payroll tax rate set to make it the lowest rate in Australia and create thousands more regional jobs.
This is a Labor Budget that delivers on the things that matter most to our state. This is a Budget that gets things done.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“This is a Labor Budget that delivers on the things that matter to Victorians: new skills, good jobs, more schools and better roads.”
“It’s an investment in the big projects that our state needs and the people we need to deliver them.”
Quotes attributable to Treasurer Tim Pallas
“For the past three years, we’ve been getting things done. This Budget continues our momentum.”
“We’ve delivered another strong surplus and a solid economic foundation to keep building every corner of our state.”
Media contact:Lisa Maksimovic 0421 597 669 |