Thursday, 11 September 2025

Motions

Budget 2025–26

Debate resumed on motion of Steve Dimopoulos:

That this house takes note of the 2025–26 budget papers.

Jess WILSON (Kew) (16:04): It is a delight to rise again on the budget, which was handed down 114 days ago today. As I spoke last night on the motion, I spoke about the fact that since the budget was handed down 113 days ago this government has seen $26.4 million added each and every day to the net debt in this state. Each and every day since that budget was handed down on 20 May, $26.4 million of debt has been added to the pockets of Victorians in this state. And what does that mean? That means that each and every day Victorians have been paying $20.8 million in interest repayments. In my limited time remaining this afternoon on this motion, it is going to be difficult to sum up the 11 years – the 11 budgets – of financial mismanagement and incompetence by the Allan Labor government, which at the end of the day are costing Victorians the vital services that they need and deserve from their government.

The fact that each and every day we have seen $26.4 million added to net debt – meaning that Victorians are paying $20.8 million in interest on that debt each day and meaning that since the budget some $2.4 billion has been paid in interest repayments alone – highlights the fact that this government cannot manage money and Victorians are paying the price. What are the consequences of this debt, though? What does it mean for the Victorians who are trying to access vital government services? It means that Victoria has the highest taxes in the country – the highest property taxes in the country. Is there any wonder we are not building enough homes in this state when we have the highest property taxes? Under this government, at the same time they announced their so-called housing strategy, which they are failing to meet, what did they do – announce a raft of new taxes on the property sector. It simply does not make sense.

And what are our small businesses are going through under this government? Taxes hitting them left, right and centre – but mostly just from the left, under this government. We have got property taxes and land tax hitting our small businesses. We have got the fire services levy hitting our small businesses. We have got payroll tax increases. We have got WorkCover premiums rising, rising, rising. Why – because this government has mismanaged the budget, and we have seen time and time again blowouts on every project this governments costs. Every single project that this government touches blows out in time and in money – $50 billion worth of blowouts on major projects. Is it any wonder that Victorians are paying record taxes?

Despite the fact Victorians are paying record taxes, we are seeing service delivery fall: schools – $2.4 billion in cuts to schools and police cuts at a time we are seeing crime rates skyrocket and people afraid in their homes. We are seeing cuts to family violence protection. This is a government that does not have its priorities right, that has mismanaged the budget for a decade and that is failing to deliver for Victorians.

Vicki WARD (Eltham – Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Natural Disaster Recovery, Minister for Equality) (16:09): Like my colleagues, I am delighted to speak on this budget and the work that this budget creates. We have been able to deliver on our investments because we are a responsible government and a government that puts communities first. This is another state Labor government that delivers on fairness, that supports community and that recognises the challenges that are being experienced by many households.

Some of the highlights for me – as you could imagine, I want to talk about my own community and the great things that we are doing there. We have got a new scoreboard for Research Park, supporting the Research Junior Football Club and the Research Eltham Collegians Cricket Club. These are terrific clubs with a great history. When it comes to the RJFC, I should know – my parents are life members and I was once a boundary umpire. Having modern scoreboards will continue the great work that has been done over the last few years to support and strengthen Research clubs, such as works to the oval and particularly the pavilion extension and improvements that we have invested in along with Nillumbik Shire Council.

These beautiful clubrooms, including a great social area with some of the best views around, are very important to a small community like Research, a community I grew up in, which needs local gathering places – they need a bit of a hub – which is exactly what this pavilion delivers.

With your indulgence, I want to congratulate the under-12 girls from Research for their premiership win, and the under-15 boys. And I want to give a shout-out to Bailey for playing his 100th game during the grand final last weekend. Congratulations also to Research under-18 girls on their grand final game against Yarrambat. While they were not winners on the day, they have had a fantastic season, only losing one game – and of course, some grudging congratulations to Yarrambat. I am sure the member is very happy to see her team win. And heartfelt congratulations to my niece Lilly, who plays for Yarrambat and who was awarded best on ground.

I also want to recognise the fantastic season of the Lower Plenty Bears women’s senior team in taking out the grand final, with Research junior footy club being an important feeder team. Lower Plenty is stronger thanks to this involvement, and as somebody who was not allowed to play footy at Research because I was a girl, many years ago, the success of girls and women’s teams at this club is especially meaningful for me.

This budget also delivered funding for a master plan to redevelop the clubrooms at Diamond Creek Football Netball Club and the Diamond Creek Cricket Club. This is important funding which will help the clubs work with Nillumbik Shire Council, with myself, with their very passionate local councillor Peter Perkins and with federal member Rob Mitchell to understand the best way we can improve these facilities. I thank past president Shaun Fitzpatrick for his advocacy as well as Maria Jory, the club’s secretary, who does an absolute power of work. I look forward to working with the new president, Daniel Baird, as we progress on this project.

This weekend sees a lot of finals action, as I am sure it does in your own community, Acting Speaker Lambert, and I have got something for you on that. We are starting with the Diamond Creek under-19s, in the preliminary finals against Eltham, and I do wish both teams well. I want to offer my congratulations to the Creekers under-17 netball team, who had a solid grand final victory against Ivanhoe. Hopefully this victory bodes well for the weekend with Diamond Creek against Macleod on their grand final meet-up, and I may indeed have to have a bit of a wager with the member for Ivanhoe as Macleod is his favourite team. Best of luck to Creekers’ two netball teams contesting two grand final games on Friday night – go Creekers – and congratulations to Diamond Creek Junior Football Club’s under-13 team and under-11 team, both becoming premiers, and to the under-17s for becoming runners-up this season.

These investments in community sport are just two examples of the many investments this government has made in my local community. It includes the huge extension to the Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre, allowing for even more basketball to be played, including wheelchair basketball; the new netball and tennis courts at Eltham High, their redeveloped oval and new pavilion; the changeroom upgrades for Eltham Junior Football Club at Susan Street – and congratulations to Eltham’s under-16s on their grand final win. It includes the refurbishment, extension and new away rooms for Eltham football and netball clubs and Eltham Cricket Club. I wish the Eltham reserves the best of luck this weekend in their preliminary final game against West Preston Lakeside – go Panthers! I know that you will be supporting the opposition, Acting Speaker Lambert, but I reckon my team will be stronger. But I digress.

There is also the extension to the rooms at Lower Plenty and the about-to-begin refurbishment of the rooms at Montmorency Football Netball Club and Montmorency Cricket Club. This is not to mention our investment in cricket nets and an improved oval for these clubs. And of course, I now have the opportunity to congratulate Monty’s under-16 girls on their grand final win. Congratulations to their under-11 division 4 boys, under-11 division 1 boys and under-15 boys on their premiership, with an extra shout-out to the under-15s and their coaching team on their trifecta of grand final wins over the last three years. And of course, there are the new tennis courts we have supported at Eltham, Diamond Creek and Research; new lights at Wattle Glen Tennis Club, which I opened up only last week; and the new amazing playgrounds at Eltham North and Diamond Creek. The list goes on and I will run out of time, so I have more to talk about.

Diamond Creek Primary is a fantastic local school with a passionate and dedicated teaching staff, including principal Jacqui Abrahams, and it was great news in this year’s budget that funding will be delivered to replace ageing toilet facilities for students. In addition to the new decking that is going in and some recent maintenance works, we are continuing to invest in this school, building on so many projects in my community that have benefited local schools, whether it is the new competition-grade gym for Greenhills Primary, the new classrooms and gym for St Helena Secondary, as well as delivering on my election commitment from the first time I ran for Eltham in 2014 for new netball courts and soccer pitch at St Helena’s.

Whether it is the beautiful rebuild of Montmorency Secondary College and their new state-of-the-art three-court basketball stadium; the new science building that is currently underway at Eltham High School, which was funded in last year’s budget; the new oval and play areas at Sherbourne Primary; the additional classrooms provided to Lower Plenty, as well as inclusive playground grants; the rebuild of Montmorency South Primary; the recently completed new build at Montmorency Primary; the upgrades to toilets for children at Eltham North Primary and the funding recently announced for new staff toilets; the rebuild at Research Primary; the new science building for Diamond Valley College; or the new facilities for Diamond Creek East Primary – and I have not even mentioned the investments in our local kinders – there is a lot. I know I have forgotten some, but it is a long list to keep track of and I do have to keep an eye on the time because of course I want to talk about the significant investment that has occurred in my own portfolios that I represent.

We do know and we do accept that emergencies and natural disasters are continuing in frequency and in severity. We only have to look at last summer to see that truth. The State Control Centre was activated for a total of 203 days over summer, and 2248 warnings were issued to the Victorian community on the VicEmergency app. I would just like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of those communities who were affected by fire, as well as storms, over the last year. The people who form our emergency services are incredible, and we are very, very grateful to them. They all come together to help keep Victorians safe. Recently I was in the Grampians, and it was fantastic to see the hard work that has been underway to restore the beautiful landscape that you see in the Grampians and the infrastructure that supports the visitor experience. This absolutely will help to further strengthen that local economy.

We know we must ensure our emergency services have the resources they need to keep supporting the protection of life and property. It is why we have doubled annual funding in emergency services since coming to government and more than doubled the funding invested in emergency services compared to those opposite when they were last in government. It is why this budget continues to strengthen our investment in emergency services, because we know that we must make sure our emergency services have the resources they need to keep protecting life and property. In this year’s budget there is nearly $2 billion invested in our emergency services. This means more stations and more trucks on the road helping to support everybody in our emergency services to do what they need to do. The people in our emergency services matter, and this includes our nearly 4000 FRV firefighters, 5000 VICSES volunteers and 30,000 active CFA volunteers, with 4261 new volunteers applying for the CFA in the last 12 months. This is why we continue to invest in safe and modern facilities, so all of the people who are involved in emergency service responses have the resources they need to keep protecting the communities they serve, including our volunteers.

The member for Footscray knows better than most what a purpose-built unit means locally. It is why this year’s budget delivers more than $14.5 million for a new VICSES unit for Footscray. This unit is one of the busiest in Melbourne’s west, with over 500 call-outs a year. Whether for the 2022 Maribyrnong River flood or the 2018 West Footscray factory fire, Footscray VICSES volunteers have always stepped up to serve their community, and they absolutely have the support of their local member, who does so much to advocate for them. The 5000-square-metre site will be home to a brand new five motor bay unit, providing plenty of space for volunteers, improving response times and ensuring vehicles are ready as soon as they are needed. It will be chalk and cheese to the environment that they are currently in – one that is dusty, one that is cramped and one that really does not help them reach the full excellent potential that we know that they are capable of. Dedicated training areas, modern office spaces and wellbeing and communications rooms will give volunteers a space to build their skills and enable better coordination and operational planning for emergencies. This investment will provide volunteers with the tools, spaces and infrastructure they need to train effectively, respond quickly and recover safely, and it builds on our record of upgrading and constructing SES units across the state, from Knox to Fawkner to Rochester.

Through these investments, we are making sure VICSES is better prepared to respond to future emergencies, whether they are floods, storms or road crash rescues.

But we do not stop there. We are also investing in CFA stations. We are delivering a new satellite station in Wendouree, another one in Hampton Park and two emergency service hubs in Rochester and Heathcote, where CFA and SES will work together for their communities. These are strong and resilient communities. They have dealt with floods, storms and fires, and this is one way we are supporting them and the emergency services they rely on. I had the recent pleasure of meeting with CFA, SES and community members when visiting Rochester, and I want to thank them for their time and generosity and for how well they are working together as a community as they rebuild their community. The latest budget is also delivering additional funding to complete CFA stations in Hoddles Creek, Winnindoo and Yarram, Dartmoor, Leitchville, Kinglake West and Raywood. We know that volunteers cannot do this work without strong backing and support, and that is why this government’s investments are so important.

We know we have to keep Victorians safe in emergencies and our work continues in building up the capabilities of our emergency services. So we are looking after our volunteers and we are looking after everyone in our emergency services so that they have the appliances they need to keep communities safe. This builds on our investments through previous budgets, through grant programs such as the volunteer emergency services equipment program and base funding, and ensures our emergency services have a strong forward outlook of new appliances. I have been out across the state and seen firsthand these new vehicles as they come on line. I have been to Beaufort and seen their new heavy tanker; to Nar Nar Goon, where I have seen a new rescue vehicle there; and to Pakenham to officially hand over the keys to their new breathing apparatus support vehicle. I was recently with the member for Macedon to hand over their new medium tanker and rehabilitation unit for Woodend CFA. These are important investments for communities across Australia, and this is why this budget is delivering $110 million to kickstart a rolling replacement program for vital appliances that support FRV, VICSES and CFA. This budget is also delivering $6.8 million to build the capacity of and strengthen marine search and rescue with two new vessels and the training and operations they need to help protect people on Victoria’s waterways. And these vessels are fantastic. I recently explored the $2.2 million Queenscliff Rescue 203 vessel with the member for Bellarine and local volunteers.

We know that cybersecurity threats are a real risk to our emergency services response, and we are investing $17.5 million to strengthen cybersecurity to better protect Fire Rescue Victoria’s information management system from potential threats.

But building capability also means a lot of work in the background that people do not always see. So we have got $24.7 million to back Triple Zero Victoria so that they can increase their capacity and continue to meet demand. I recently joined the member for Glen Waverley at TZV’s Tally Ho State Emergency Communications Centre to thank those who had seen 30 years of service. This is an incredible workforce with an amazing skill set, helping thousands of Victorians weekly navigate what could be the worst day of a person’s life. They are calm; they are an amazing, supportive voice on the other end of the line when you call 000. They are critical to the role of our emergency responses, and I thank them for their work.

We are also grateful to our State Control Centre, and I acknowledge the vital role that the emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, and the State Control Centre play in protecting Victorian communities and the people who make that work happen. The SCC is staffed by an incredibly dedicated team who provide around-the-clock support for emergency incidents. It brings together a wide range of emergency service agencies alongside dedicated public service surge staff, and all work seamlessly as a team. A key function of the SCC is that it provides 24/7 coverage for situational monitoring and reporting, and public information and warnings.

Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (16:24): I am pleased to finally get to speak to the budget. The state budget highlights the reality and disadvantage that regional communities face due to this government’s financial mismanagement. It has simply become so hard for so many just to make ends meet, and this government has a lot to answer for. Victorian families are facing really tough times, all because Labor does not have a plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis or pay down the record debt that will make life harder for generations to come. Labor have put this state in exorbitant debt, forecast to reach $194 billion by 2028–29, and interest payments are expected to hit more than $26 million per day. Stretch that out, and that is $1.2 million per hour, which is simply astounding. Put this into perspective. In one day this could pay for 128 ambulances, two breast care centres and 2715 elective surgeries and fix many of our roads, or in one day we could pay the yearly salary of 315 nurses, 510 police recruits or 305 paramedics – and the list goes on.

A few hours of debt at $1.2 million an hour would fund the state government’s share of $5 million towards the development of the Shepparton sports and events centre. It is astounding that my community has been waiting for this for decades for this run-down stadium that was built back in 1972, yet not funded from the state government share. When you think about the astounding interest on the state’s debt and what we could be doing with that money, there are many other run-down sporting facilities across my electorate calling out for investment. It is appalling. Just to give you an example of what we are having to deal with at the Shepparton Sports Stadium: noncompliance with disability access standards, noncompliance with basketball major tournament requirements, noncompliance with major sporting codes such as netball and badminton, insufficient parking. This lack of investment means that we are missing out on major sporting events and has a significant loss of economic benefit to the region.

Shepparton is the fifth-largest regional city in the state with significant growth and acts as a major population service centre for the wider Goulburn Valley region, covering a population of approximately 250,000 people. We need investment into our region. GV Health is the only regional hospital in the state that does not have an integrated cancer centre with radiotherapy. Patients have to travel long distances, and families have to fund the costs of travel and accommodation to support their loved ones during the most challenging of times.

This government has lost complete control of its spending and complete control of its debt, and it is Victorians who are paying the price. The government just keeps adding more taxes and expecting families’ previous budgets to stretch further, putting households under extreme financial pressure. We are seeing billions in cost blowouts – money that should be spent on housing, hospitals, roads, schools and much-needed infrastructure in our communities. We are seeing citycentric spending, ignoring the needs of regional communities. Twenty-five per cent of Victorians live in regional and rural Victoria, yet only around 13 per cent of the budget is spent in the regions. Regional development funding has been cut by $51.1 million, and agricultural funding has been cut by $77.6 million. We are not getting funding for critical infrastructure and services.

I have been calling for a bus review for my electorate. You would think that this is a small ask, yet this has been denied for my community. Infrastructure Victoria put Shepparton first on their list of towns in need of a bus review. It has been 16 years since we have had a review, and during that time we have seen significant growth, including new housing developments which will have no connection to bus transport services. The Greater Shepparton City Council have it as a priority project. We have small surrounding towns with limited or no bus services. People need to access public transport, and bus services play a critical role in getting people to where they need to go. It is astounding that this government are turning their back on this much-needed service. It is having such a detrimental impact on my communities. The bus companies are also frustrated, because they can see the critical need and demand, and they deserve to have the opportunity to expand their businesses.

Then we look at the extraordinary waste of $600 million it cost to cancel the Commonwealth Games – $600 million of hardworking taxpayers money, just gone – which could have gone towards important community projects, many of which I have mentioned. This is public money getting thrown away due to the financial mismanagement of this government. The economic opportunity that would have been invested into the regions is also now lost. It was an embarrassing debacle, not only for our state but nationally and internationally. You do not have a significant announcement like the Commonwealth Games and then cancel and pay for another country to host it.

The short-stay tax is having a significant impact on regional tourism and visitation. Regional Victoria depends on tourism and major events, which make a significant financial contribution. Our state is being forced to pay the highest taxes in the nation, with less money to spend where we need it most. Victorians have been hit with more than 63 new or increased taxes, with the recent addition of the emergency services tax. The people of Victoria have had enough of the relentless ongoing taxes. We have seen the outcry on the emergency services tax, where we had a convoy of farmers on their tractors – some of my local farmers – and the CFA bringing their fire trucks to Spring Street. It is disgusting that hardworking farmers and our amazing CFA volunteers have to go to that level to have their voices heard, pleading for the government to listen to what they are doing to families and regional communities. This tax is ripping millions out of regional communities that are already struggling. Shepparton district landholders are expected to contribute over $4.7 million more under the new levy compared to the previous system, placing a heavier burden on local households and businesses. The local council has projected that approximately 50 per cent more revenue will now be collected from ratepayers.

My office has been inundated, with many people struggling to pay their bills and to put food on the table. My hope from this previous budget was that we could help those doing it tough, but that has not happened, and things just keep getting harder. Cost-of-living and financial stress have got to a level that is overwhelming, and the level of hardship continues to grow. How does this government expect people to manage with increased power bills, rental increases, increased grocery bills and increased taxes? What we are seeing are many people who have not struggled in the past struggling now.

I had a mother just this last week say to me that she is not able to pay her children’s sporting fees and in fact her budget is now in deficit. She is basically minus $17 a week when it comes to paying her bills and meeting her expenses. Another woman, a part-time single working mother who I met with recently, said that her rent had gone up and she could no longer meet the cost. She was distressed and clearly not able to find more affordable or available housing. We are seeing a growing number of working families joining for the first time the queues of hungry Victorians relying on food donations. Food relief agencies are stretched to the limits, constantly putting calls out for more support.

When it comes to housing, the budget has failed to address housing in regional Victoria. We are going backwards fast in my electorate when it comes to housing, and those reaching out for housing support have significantly increased in number. We are in a housing crisis. In my electorate we have over 2000 people on the waiting list for public housing, with half of those classified as priority applicants. We have one of the highest rates of homelessness across the state. It is a daily struggle for people trying to find housing. There is a significant shortage of rental properties. If you do find an available rental property, there are probably 50 other people in line, and then you have to be able to afford it. We have people living in cars, sleeping rough or couch surfing. This government is turning its back on housing in regional Victoria and, as I said, we are in a housing crisis.

Just recently I heard from Celia Adams, the CEO of Beyond Housing, Shepparton, at a homeless forum that was held with a number of local stakeholders during Homelessness Week. We discussed the significant housing and rental stress in the Shepparton electorate. Celia said it is distressful for her staff to inform clients that their only option today is to be provided a tent or blankets. It is hard to fathom that that is actually happening in our country. We have to do so much better. Housing has to be a priority, and everyone deserves to have a roof over their head and a place to call home.

Labor has introduced more than 30 new or increased property taxes. We are paying the highest property taxes in the nation, which is leading to higher property prices and higher rents and is driving critical investment in new supplies interstate. The unexpected land tax has had a significant impact and has been completely detrimental to the rental market. Property owners who have planned for their future are now finding themselves in a position where they must either pass on the cost to the tenant of the rental property or sell the property. This has had a significant impact on the rental market at a time when we have people finding it hard to find a home. We need more rental properties, not a declining number. We must focus on supply that includes regional Victoria. Victorians are struggling to pay Labor’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes on time. Many tax bills are now more than 12 months overdue. This should be no surprise when so many Victorians are under extreme financial pressure. The headlines of ‘Tax to the max’ are very accurate.

When it comes to crime – and it is good to have the Minister for Police at the table – our police are under-resourced and underfunded. I recently met with the superintendent of the Shepparton police station, and he said that the station does not have enough police on the ground and that 75 per cent of police time is taken up with family violence, not allowing the police to get to other crime matters. He has urgently called for a dedicated family violence response team, which would require six extra police and two extra sergeants. I have asked the Minister for Police, who is at the table, to assist my local police station, who deserve to have the resources and funding they need so that they can do their job and protect the community to the capacity that they need to. A total of 2346 family violence order breaches were recorded to the year ending December 2024, equating to one breach every nearly 3 hours, which represents one of the highest breach rates in Victoria. These figures speak for themselves. I urge the minister to address this critical matter by supporting my police and providing the resources that they need to serve the community and to keep our community safe.

We have had a 20 per cent increase in crime and an increase in the incidence of burglary, car theft and retail theft, and we know that crime is escalating across the state. People are feeling unsafe. They are feeling unsafe in their homes. Businesses are experiencing ongoing break-ins, with many perpetrators reoffending. Just today I had the owner of Talisman, a menswear store in Mooroopna, send me some footage of some burglars trying to break into his business, banging bikes against his window and trying to smash the door.

This is not the first time. He has had many attempts and many break-ins to his business. It is very frustrating when we see reoffending, and it just goes to show that there is so much more we need to be doing to really help support, because what will happen is businesses will close. They will get sick of being broken into; they will get sick of having to replace windows. Their insurances will go up.

There has been more than $50 million cut from the police budget, and youth crime prevention funding in Victoria has dropped substantially. In the 2024–25 financial year only $12.9 million was allocated to such programs, a dramatic 40 per cent reduction compared to the previous year. This decline has directly affected multiple organisations, including the Youth Junction. Without renewed or increased funding, the Youth Junction will be forced to shut down key programs, reducing critical support for at-risk youth. Blake Edwards, the CEO of Youth Junction, emphasised that their programs are highly effective: 87 per cent of participants do not reoffend, and they operate at a remarkably low cost of $11 per day. It is astounding that funding is being cut at a time when youth crime is at an all-time high. It is astounding when you see the recent rollout of $13 million on 45 machete bins, which will not address the rising crime at a time when police stations are in such desperate need of funding support, as I have mentioned. The community are confused at that cost when people across the chamber are calling out, and we would like to know the full costing breakdown of that. It is astounding.

I have just got a few more minutes, and I cannot go without discussing roads. When it comes to roads, where do we start? We still have significant roads that need repairs in my electorate. My office is inundated with complaints about the unsafe and appalling condition of our roads. Whilst the government spruiks that it is investing in our roads, it is clearly not going far enough. We still have many crumbling and unsafe roads filled with potholes. There is still a lot of catch-up and more investment needed in my region. Twenty-five per cent of the state’s trucks are registered in the Greater Shepparton region, and this enormous amount of transport movement needs safe and fit-for-purpose roads and infrastructure. We have local trucking companies having to pay thousands of dollars per week on repairs to their damaged vehicles caused by the appalling condition of the roads, and many drivers are experiencing damage to their cars. Victorians do not feel safe driving on our roads, and this government needs to prioritise roads and invest more money into roads and road safety.

Finally, moving into business in Victoria, in 2024 more than 129,000 businesses closed in Victoria, an average of 350 businesses a day. Victoria’s growth rate of new businesses was the lowest in the nation. Victoria has the reputation of being the most expensive state to do business. Surely this government has to acknowledge these alarming figures and see the damage being done to the state by losing so many businesses.

In my last minute I want to just acknowledge a couple of really hardworking people in our community that are particularly helping people that are doing it tough. Azem from People Supporting People and his amazing volunteers every single day help provide food and food relief for people, particularly people sleeping rough. He has a shower and a toilet behind his restaurant, and he is an incredible person who works tirelessly to help those that do not have anyone else in their lives to do that. On a Saturday morning often I get out the front of the barbecue at Kmart with Azem just to see the people coming to him, often homeless people getting their sausage, and also seeing the connection that he has with those people. Often it is those connections that can make the biggest difference – trying to get conversations in regard to getting them back on Centrelink, getting them back on Medicare, getting their birth certificates. These types of people are just quiet achievers that do incredible work and that make a significant difference, and the Labor government could learn a lot from people like Azem. Victoria is doing it really tough and regional Victorians are doing it really tough, and this government are letting Victorians down.

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Community Safety, Minister for Victims, Minister for Racing) (16:39): We are focused on what matters most, and the Ivanhoe electorate is always at the top of my list. I am very pleased to update the house in the budget reply and the take-note motion on some of the elements that have been welcomed in the Ivanhoe electorate – some local projects. In particular the James Reserve change room upgrades out there in Heidelberg Heights, quarter of a million dollars – that is a really fantastic project. The James Reserve, particularly with the round ball game, gets a lot of use, but of course the change room facilities are, well, antiquated, quaint – certainly not fit for purpose. I want to acknowledge some of the work of the former member for Lara the Honourable John Erin around the female-friendly change rooms program that was started by our government. That has seen upgrades to so many sporting facilities and made them more accessible for young girls and for women.

The work that we will do at the James Reserve with the change room upgrades and that quarter of a million dollars is going to make those facilities far more accessible for our sporting people out there at James Reserve. I am really pleased with that project, and I want to thank the clubs out there and also Banyule City Council for the work they have done in pitching that request to me. We have been able to secure funding for it.

The Ivanhoe Park Croquet Club – a quarter of a million dollars. The Ivanhoe Park Croquet Club has over 100 years of amazing history at Ivanhoe Park. I know it well because Ivanhoe running group is just over the back. That quarter of a million dollars for Ivanhoe Park Croquet Club will go a long way. They have got some great facilities there, but they have some pretty big plans for what the next hundred years will look like. I am looking forward to getting back down there with some additional funding from Banyule City Council, which is really going to transform Ivanhoe Park. We have already got the lighting in that we contributed to Ivanhoe Park for the football clubs and the cricket club. We have upgraded the change rooms and the clubrooms there in some joint work between Banyule council and our government. We have made other investments now at the Ivanhoe Park Croquet Club, so that precinct is coming together. Banyule council also have plans to do some netball courts up there, which is going to be really significant, and it is just a really great activation and recreational space.

A further one that is really important – I want to thank my good friend the member for Dandenong, the Honourable Gab Williams, for the work she has been able to lead around safer, more accessible stations and at Ivanhoe train station. There has been a lot of advocacy from a vision-impaired constituent of mine, Lilly Cascun, who gets the train regularly from Ivanhoe station. Of course without tactile tiles and surfaces – indicators – it was very challenging for vision-impaired people at Ivanhoe station. I also acknowledge some of the work from Mr McGowan in the upper house, who worked with me to make sure we could continue to advocate to get that work done. We are out there with the Minister for Transport Infrastructure to make sure that commitment to delivering those tactile surface indicators at Ivanhoe station gets done. What I was particularly pleased with in the budget was that there is additional funding so we can add Heidelberg station to that work. That is really significant, because Heidelberg station of course is right there at the heart of the Austin Hospital and also the Mercy Hospital for Women and Warringal Private Hospital. So to make sure we have got the tactile ground surface indicators at Heidelberg station, where we have a lot of people using the health service facilities off the back of the station, is really critical. We have seen the benefit of this work through Lilly’s advocacy both as a school student and then as a university student, and we are about to deliver that at Ivanhoe. But to do that at Heidelberg as part of this budget is really significant, and I am looking forward to that work.

The other ones I do want to just make a little bit of a mention of are a couple of other significant local projects that continue to be funded in this budget. There is a $275 million project to expand the emergency department at the Austin Hospital. Last year’s budget had $23 million allocated, but in this year’s budget there is $64.2 million allocated to continue that work. $275 million will be rolled through progressively as that work continues. Of course with the Austin Hospital emergency department, we are really looking to massively increase its capacity to treat more patients. The Austin Hospital of course: it was the Bracks Labor government that built two hospitals on one site, the new Austin Hospital and also the new Mercy Hospital for Women – two great hospitals on one site, built by previous Labor governments. This further investment to expand the emergency department at the Austin is really significant for those of us in the north-east. I know that with the investments that are happening at Warringal Private Hospital across the road and the work we have been able to do at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre there is just a really significant medical precinct there in Heidelberg, and this significant investment at the emergency department is very welcome.

Also in the budget was the release of a further $10.8 million for Heidelberg Primary School. It is a $14.07 million project at Heidelberg Primary. There was a small amount of money in 2024–25, but we have got $10.8 million released in this year’s budget.

Go past Heidelberg Primary School, and there are cranes everywhere. There are a lot of chess pieces to move around, some temporary classrooms and the like. I appreciate the forbearance of parents, staff and students at Heidelberg Primary. But really we have rolled our way through many of the primary schools in the Ivanhoe electorate, with significant upgrades and transformations, and Heidelberg has been very patient. It has some challenges there with some historical buildings as well. But right there in the heart of Heidelberg there are over 600 students, and to provide some $14.7 million for new classrooms and a school hall and other infrastructure is really significant. The $10.8 million released in this year’s budget continues to allow that project to proceed.

Streeton Primary School upgrade – it is on the border of my electorate and the honourable member for Bundoora’s. $498,000 was allocated to Streeton Primary School in this budget, mostly for some other classroom upgrades and works and renewal works that are needed there at Streeton Primary School. We are really pleased about that; they do a great job. Minister Brooks and I were there just recently because they also had some outdoor learning centre funding grants that we were able to open off the back of those grants from the North East Community Fund, and they have been able to build some new outdoor learning spaces for the students at Streeton Primary School. This nearly half-a-million-dollar upgrade in this budget will go a long way to continuing to invest in Streeton Primary. For those of us with long memories, it was known as Yallambie Primary School. It has a significant portion of students who have got commitments with family at Simpson Barracks, which is across the road. It provides great services to so many students in the community but also to many defence force families. I am really pleased that we have been able to fund a contribution there in this year’s budget.

The other one that is worth noting is Melbourne Polytechnic in Heidelberg – the West Heidelberg TAFE campus, if you like. There was $6.45 million released in this year’s budget, but that is part of what is actually a $24.9 million project. It is being matched of course by the federal government, so it is actually a $50 million project for a significant upgrade at the West Heidelberg TAFE campus of Melbourne Polytechnic. That is around housing and construction that will be happening on the Bell Street–Waterdale Road corner of the TAFE campus. It is effectively a $50 million project, half funded by the Labor government and half by the Albanese federal Labor government, and there was a further release of funding for that project as the construction will kick off over the back end of this year into next – very significant. It all just builds on the TAFE programs and investment in free TAFE programs that our government offers. I do remember when my electorate office was down there in the mall, the previous Liberal government sought to put parking fees on the car parks there at the TAFE campus. These are students coming from across Melbourne, often coming off worksites themselves to continue their studies at TAFE camps in West Heidelberg. I know that the previous Liberal government sought to put parking fees in at the TAFE campus, and we managed to fight that off. And not only that, but my colleague in Bundoora obviously got the Greensborough TAFE campus reopened. And in the West Heidelberg TAFE campus we are now seeing a big $50 million investment from the state and federal Labor governments that will go a long way to not only securing its future as a TAFE campus but making sure that we are particularly prioritising construction workers, particularly with our commitments around more housing for Victorians.

On the broader statewide announcements in the budget, when you have six train stations in your electorate, depending on how you look at it, it can be handy come community engagement time at different points of the year, but free statewide public transport for seniors on weekends and free public transport for those under 18 goes a long way with the six train stations across my electorate, from Macleod right down there to Darebin station. We will be certainly promoting that work. It is very much welcomed by people in my electorate. They are big commuters across the Hurstbridge line, particularly through my electorate, and it is a great way to get around. We have got a great public transport system. We have already removed the boom gates at Rosanna and Lower Plenty Road and built a new station. We are about to go out there for further public consultation on the removal of the boom gates at Macleod. That is another commitment that we made at the last election. That project will get underway later this year. It is a very significant project that will also allow us to link up some of the active transport pathways between Rosanna and Macleod and remove that other boom gate. That will be two gone in my electorate, leaving only one remaining, at Ivanhoe. We are delivering on what we promised to do. We have removed the one at Rosanna. We have committed to removing Macleod. The design works will be out later this year, and that is another exciting project that will be resourced in future budgets. The early works package is something we will be able to talk more about later this year.

The $100 power saving bonus vouchers for concession card holders have already got big demand from people, particularly across West Heidelberg and other parts of my electorate, who are keen to access the power saving bonus vouchers. I continue to encourage them to visit my electorate office, where they can be supported to make sure they get the right paperwork in to make sure they can access the $100 power saving bonus vouchers.

I also want to take the opportunity to flip back to a couple of broader projects that we are working on in my portfolio of responsibilities with both police and also with racing. Can I just say we are into the spring, and we had the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday. My colleague at the table was representing the government in his neck of the woods at the Stow Memsie Stakes at Caulfield just a couple of weeks ago – a great day – and the Deputy Premier was flying the flag at Moonee Valley for the Moir just last week. I will resume some of my racing duties on course at headquarters on Saturday. I am looking forward to that. Can I just say, again, we had the Spring into Racing event for Friends of Racing. Many of our colleagues from across the house were there. When you have got a sport and an industry that employs 9000 people in regional Victoria and nearly 40,000, effectively, full-time jobs across the three codes in our state and that generates $4.7 billion in economic activity, it is a very significant sport and industry that generates a lot of tourism, fills a lot of beds and a lot of accommodation and uses a lot of services across Victoria. We need to continue to support our racing clubs. A lot of them are made up of volunteers. When you branch out of Melbourne, they are volunteers that run these clubs and put on massive events. I do not know how they do it, but they do it so effectively and well.

The Major Racing Events Fund has $15 million over three years. Of course our $72 million Victorian Racing Industry Fund is about improving animal welfare and is about improving our training and racing facilities, and that works really successfully to help boost up the infrastructure and the safety but also many of the events that we are able to hold and put on at racetracks around the state. But also community facilities are used for lots of other activities through the year, so investing in those facilities means investing in local communities.

I also want to point out again that we have the largest police service in the country, and we were able to put some further investments of some $4.5 billion into the budget again this year – an increase in the police budget. I point people to page 158 of budget paper 3, which makes it clear – very clear – in table 2.19 that the police budget has increased from $4.49 billion to $4.5 billion, for those who need to be reminded of the continued investment into the police budget, particularly when those opposite, when they were last in government, cut the police budget by $100 million and funded no additional police.

With my colleague at the table, we also did a little work around the $13 million for our machete amnesty and machete ban, which is rolling out very successfully across the state, where we have seen hundreds of these weapons returned to these bins by Victorians who are complying with the law, and those who do not want to comply face two years in prison and $47,000 fines. We saw a record number of edged weapons seized in Victoria last year, 14,800, and we have seen in this year already 10,800. We will break that record again as a demonstration of the laws and the investments that we are making to keep people safe.

Again, I just want to thank the people of the Ivanhoe electorate. We have had some great wins in the budget this year. We continue to build and invest in our community, and I look forward to working with them.

Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (16:54): I am pleased that I have actually got up this year to talk on the budget.

Members interjecting.

Wayne FARNHAM: Yes, we got here eventually. There is obviously a lot of commentary around the budget. It was that long ago that it got delivered, and now I am speaking on it. But obviously in my community the biggest problem we have is the underfunding – or no funding and no delivery – of the West Gippsland hospital, which was a line item in the budget. The fact of the matter is that there is no uplift in the budget for the construction of that hospital. But before I actually beat the government up on that, which I will, I just want to say that thankfully I have actually had a meeting with the Treasurer today – just today – about my electorate and what needs to happen in my electorate. I will take the opportunity to thank the Treasurer for her time that she gave me today.

It was great to get the opportunity to talk to the Treasurer to give her a clear understanding of why this hospital is so important and why my community are so upset about no uplift in funding for the West Gippsland Hospital. That funding was committed by this government prior to the 2022 election – about a month before the election – in the backyard of someone’s house in Warragul. There was no media. They did not even have a candidate at the time when they announced the hospital, and then they did not even re-endorse him for the supplementary election, so they had a lot of faith in that candidate. But they announced the hospital as a $610 million to $675 million commitment. They have decided to give it a range now because they have that many budget blowouts they actually cannot pin down a price, so they go for a range and that is fine. But the fact of the matter is it was promised to be started in 2023 – we are now 2025. Yes, I understand, well and truly more than anyone in this chamber, the works that are required to get a project of that size off the ground. I totally accept that. But I would have thought by 2024 we would have had at least the early works started on that project, but they have not started.

As I expressed to the Treasurer today, if you start the early works and if you release the $50 million that is required for the early works – to bring up the sewer, to bring over the water and to bring up the fire service and those types of things – that will give my community at least some hope that this hospital will be delivered. It is not like Melton that has only just started, which was promised in 2018. It is not like the community hospitals that were delayed and delayed and delayed. This hospital, without a doubt, is of the highest need in Victoria. The problem we have now is that the West Gippsland Hospital is in such a state that it is costing millions just to keep it operational. Every time they have to do works there, they have to close theatres, and when they close theatres they are putting people’s lives at risk – it is really that simple. If people cannot get operated on in a theatre because of a hospital that is in disrepair, then that is putting lives at risk. Everyone in this chamber and everyone in Victoria deserves quality health care on their front door – it is that simple.

I get so frustrated when I sit in this chamber and I hear it. It might be the Minister for Health. She will turn around and she will talk about Footscray, she will talk about Frankston and she will talk about every hospital that has been delivered for that side of the chamber, yet Narracan is getting five-eighths of stuff-all. What annoys me about the Minister for Health is she will not answer a question on when the hospital is going to start. She has shifted that responsibility sideways now to the Minister for Health Infrastructure. She will not answer a question on it, but jeez, I tell you what, when it is going to start she will be the first one there with a shovel. At least take some responsibility and answer the questions that have been asked about the hospital.

But I have moved on from that now, and I know the Minister for Health Infrastructure will sit down with me very soon and talk to me about the West Gippsland Hospital. We were meant to have a meeting this week. That meeting has been deferred. I will give the minister the benefit of the doubt; I assume it was for very good reason. But this hospital cannot wait any longer. The government needs to get its act together, get the plans done, get the hospital priced and get it on the agenda to start construction as soon as possible. There is no more need for delay on this hospital. It is in the budget, but they need to uplift the budget, and that is what I talked to the Treasurer about today.

In conversation with the Treasurer today, I also managed to bring up many other points about my community and where the government has failed in funding for that community and how there has been no funding and no reflection of those needs in the current budget. So I am hoping that my conversation with the Treasurer has not fallen on deaf ears and that the Treasurer in the other place will get back to me very soon on the concerns that I have raised today. Obviously I will continue my contribution when I am allowed to speak again in the near or distant future.

The SPEAKER: Order! The time set down for consideration of items on the government business program has arrived, and I am required to interrupt business.

Motion agreed to.