Friday, 14 November 2025

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:40): I rise to update the house on Labor’s record investment in our healthcare system here in Victoria. Victorians know that when it comes to their health, they can only trust Labor governments to deliver. That is because year on year we have grown our investment in our health system – year on year we have grown the workforce in our health system. This year alone we have invested an additional $11.1 billion into our healthcare system. That funding is delivering a massive expansion of the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, which is now funded to treat up to a thousand patients every single day. We have continued funding for urgent care clinics, which of course were started here in Victoria, and for our hugely popular community pharmacy program. We are making it easier for families everywhere to get the care they need at the chemist. We are opening and operationalising new and expanded hospitals right around the state – hospitals in Cranbourne, Phillip Island, Sunbury, Mernda, Footscray, Frankston, Maryborough and more. And we are providing support for more nurses, more midwives, more paramedics and more healthcare professionals at all stages of their career, because that is what Labor governments do. Now, there are those who have other ideas about what they might do with $11.1 billion. Let me tell you there are those on the other side who have a plan to rip $11.1 billion out of our public services. Those on the other side need to come clean with the Victorian community: how many thousands of nurses, midwives, paramedics and doctors will they cut? Is it 30,000? Is it 40,000? Is it 50,000? The people of Victoria can see through those on the other side.