Wednesday, 28 May 2025

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:15): Unlike those opposite, the Allan Labor government is focused on what matters most to the people of Victoria, and that means investing in our world-class health system so that Victorians can get the care that they need where and when they need it. This year alone we are investing over $31 billion into our health system, and this year’s budget delivers $11.1 billion in additional funding, of which $9.5 billion will be invested in our hospitals. This is the biggest investment ever in the delivery of frontline care here in Victoria. This includes $634 million to open nine new or expanded hospitals in Frankston, in Footscray, in Maryborough, in Cranbourne, in Phillip Island, in Craigieburn, in Swan Hill, in Albury–Wodonga and of course in Geelong.

This budget is also about reducing the cost-of-living pressure on Victorians and ensuring that our communities are keeping healthy with services that are fast, free and accessible. This includes more emergency care through the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department. It includes more accessible care through our expanded pharmacy program and ongoing access to free urgent care through our network of urgent care clinics.

Those on the other side would just take $4.6 billion out of the budget, as outlined by the member for Brighton last year, and Victorians need to be asking themselves: where will these cuts come from? I can tell you where they will come from: from cutting, closing and privatising health, because that is what Liberals do. They have done it before, and they will do it again. They have gone to war with our nurses. They went to war with our ambos. They disrespect our healthcare workers.