Making it easier to get free healthcare

At a glance

This Victorian Government always invests in our health system. It’s all about making it easier and cheaper to get the quality healthcare you need.

Since 2014, we have delivered new and upgraded hospitals. We’ve also hired more than 40,000 extra doctors, nurses, midwives and healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible healthcare, and strengthened nurse to patient ratios, so patients get the dedicated care they need.

And we’ve invested in women’s healthcare. We opened 15 women’s health clinics to ensure women get the healthcare they need for free with 5 more on the way.

The Victorian Government has made sure it remains easy for Victorians to access convenient care through the Virtual ED and Chemist Care Now, which lets patients receive care for common conditions without a visit to the GP. And continuing our state-funded Urgent Care Clinics will keep saving patients a trip to the ED.

And now we’re investing in a fast track for kids’ care so they can get the surgery or the specialist care they need faster.

Fast-tracking healthcare for kids

Waiting to see a specialist for a sick child causes huge anxiety for any parent.

And life is often put on hold while waiting for planned surgery.

That’s why this Budget invests $109 million to deliver 45,000 more specialist paediatric appointments and 4,000 additional planned surgeries for children.

It will mean children and young people get specialist care and treatment faster in a world-class public health system that families can rely on.

This Budget also commits $2.3 million to support the Secondary School Immunisation program, saving families time and money on a trip to the doctor.

We’re making this investment to keep Victorian children safe and save families money.

Opening and operating local hospitals

Every Victorian has a right to high-quality healthcare. That’s why we are providing $1.6 billion in funding to better support existing services, and for more doctors, more nurses, and more services across our hospitals to keep up with increasing demand. This funding supports the essential resources required to continue providing world-class care to Victorians.

This Budget also invests $284 million to open and operate hospitals – making it easier to get free public healthcare in your community – as well as supporting and expanding emergency departments.

This includes:

• $95 million for Werribee Mercy Hospital emergency department expansion.
• $45 million to open expanded acute care capacity at Angliss Hospital.
• $35 million to uplift Cranbourne Community Hospital.
• $34 million to uplift Craigieburn Community Hospital.
• $20 million to uplift University Hospital Geelong paediatric emergency department.
• $19 million to open Pakenham Community Hospital.
• $7.1 million to operate the new PET scanner at Goulburn Valley Health.
• $2.8 million for services at Mernda Community Hospital, building on the recent $25 million investment to open it.
• $2 million to support early transition work at the New Melton Hospital.

This Budget also provides $10 million to continue a pilot to improve ambulance transfer times in emergency departments during peak periods.

Urgent Care Clinics

When critical illness or injury strikes, the emergency department is exactly where you need to be. But some conditions don’t need to be treated in hospital.

Urgent Care Clinics deliver healthcare that’s urgent, but not life-threatening. They’re open late and on weekends, when it can be hard to get an appointment with a GP. And they’re completely free.

Victoria was the first to introduce this model that has now been adopted by the Commonwealth and rolled out Australia-wide.

Victoria’s 9 state-funded Urgent Care Clinics have treated around 261,000 patients to date. There are 38 clinics across our state – 29 of which are now operated by the Commonwealth Government.

This Budget invests $10 million to keep Victoria’s state-funded Urgent Care Clinics running, helping around 112,000 patients every year.

Together with Chemist Care Now, NURSE-ON-CALL and the Virtual ED, we’re making it cheaper and easier to get the healthcare you need.

Modernising our hospitals

Victoria has some of the best hospitals in the world.

To make sure they can continue to provide excellent care, we are investing $145 million for upgrades, including:

• $75 million for the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund, for projects ranging from operating theatre refurbishments to equipment upgrades.
• $35 million for new and upgraded medical equipment in operating theatres, emergency departments, surgical wards, intensive care units and neonatal and maternity services across our public hospitals.
• $20 million to continue upgrading and replacing engineering infrastructure at hospitals across Victoria.
• $15 million to upgrade equipment and renew, reconfigure and refurbish metropolitan health services’ infrastructure.

We’re investing to deliver better healthcare, including $192 million for critical services:

• $35 million to boost critical blood, organ and tissue services.
• $31 million for the Wathaurong Dreaming Project, for a purpose-built facility for Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative in North Geelong to deliver health and wellness services.
• $27 million to provide greater access to endoscopies, leading to faster diagnoses and better outcomes for patients.
• $21 million to provide care for more than 4,500 people living with chronic illnesses, helping clients navigate the health system though community health services.
• $11 million for additional dialysis beds at Cranbourne Community Hospital.

Strengthening our health workforce

Our nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals are the heartbeat of our hospitals and healthcare system.

We’ve strengthened nurse to patient ratios so Victorians get dedicated care when they’re sick.

This Government has grown the workforce of our hospitals by more than 50%, hiring 17,000 extra nurses. Our investments since 2014 have added more than 7,000 extra doctors and thousands more healthcare workers in our public hospitals.

We’re continuing to invest in the vital skills that save lives across the community. This Budget provides $76 million to strengthen our health workforce including:

• $26 million to support 250 nurse graduate positions.
• $25 million for a dedicated Psychiatry Training pathway.
• $11 million for a Psychology Registrar program.
• $8.7 million for a Junior Medical Officer Mental Health Rotations program.
• $4.4 million for the Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy Student program.
• $860,000 for cadetships and scholarships for Aboriginal students.

Making healthcare easier to access

We know supporting families with healthcare costs is one of the best ways to help with the cost of living – that’s why we’re making healthcare cheaper and easier for people to access.

Chemist Care Now means Victorians can get care for common conditions, without a visit to the GP.

Chemist Care Now is providing easy care for:

• Resupply of the pill and other hormonal contraception
• Shingles
• Urinary tract infections
• Psoriasis
• Impetigo
• Travel vaccinations.

850 chemists across the state are taking part, providing free appointments for healthcare advice.

We are progressively expanding the program to provide an even greater range of treatments. By the end of 2026-27, the program will cover treatment for 22 health conditions, including asthma, nausea, ear infections, wound management, and cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension.

And from July, women and girls will be able to save money, time and get access to the pill at one of the participating chemists without needing a script, saving money on appointment costs.

We’ve also created the Virtual Emergency Department, the first of its kind in Australia, allowing families to access emergency department nurses and doctors from their own homes.

And we’ve established a network of Urgent Care Clinics, making sure Victorians get the urgent care they need while taking pressure off busy emergency departments.

Making it easier to get ADHD diagnosis and prescriptions

Until now, getting a diagnosis for ADHD has often meant lengthy wait times and spending potentially thousands of dollars. But the Victorian Government has made it easier to get a diagnosis for ADHD through your GP.

This change reduces financial barriers to help Victorians get the answers and care they need.

We’ve also made it easier to renew ADHD prescriptions. Suddenly stopping ADHD medication presents real health risks. But from September, Victorians who have lost their prescriptions or run out of their ADHD medication can get an urgent resupply through the Virtual Emergency Department.

This free service makes it easier for Victorians with ADHD – or their parents – to get the medication they need, when they need it.

Easier and more affordable women’s healthcare

For too long, women’s health has been overlooked and under diagnosed. The Victorian Government is delivering a network of dedicated women’s health clinics and sexual and reproductive health hubs around the state.

These clinics deliver free, specialised care for everything from pelvic pain to managing the symptoms of menopause.

Currently 15 women’s health clinics are operational across Victoria, with 5 new clinics scheduled to open in the second half of 2026, including:

• Ararat, led by East Grampians Health Service.
• Bacchus Marsh, led by Western Health.
• Heidelberg, led by Austin Health and Mercy Health.
• Prahran, led by Bayside Health and based at The Alfred.
• Parkville (a dedicated kids and teens clinic), led by The Royal Children’s Hospital.

In November 2025, we released the findings of our landmark Inquiry into Women’s Pain. More than 13,000 women and girls shared their experiences, to demand women’s pain is taken seriously.

In response, we have already funded the roll out of the green whistle – a pain-relieving inhaler – for procedures to insert intrauterine devices (IUDs) at reproductive and sexual health hubs. This also included introducing a Women’s Pain Standard across the public health system, empowering women to understand the level of care they should expect when managing their pain.

This Budget invests a further $10 million in preventative sexual health support for Victorian women, providing funding for peer-led health and wellbeing services and women’s health organisations.

Getting the care you need at home

When you’re recovering from illness or injury, there’s no place like home.

That’s why this Budget invests $133 million to deliver hospital-level care in patients’ homes through home visits and virtual care.

We are investing $10 million to deliver dialysis services at home, making it easier for patients to get the care they need.

We are also investing $51 million to help paramedics and Triple Zero Victoria triage patients, connecting them to the right care as quickly as possible.

Looking out for older Victorians

The Victorian Government is the largest provider of aged care in the state, with 159 public aged care services. The majority of these are in rural and regional Victoria.

Our investments in public aged care mean older Victorians can receive dignified and affordable quality care without leaving their communities.

Every year, we invest more than $720 million in aged and home care services.

This Budget commits an additional $80 million to continue support for residential aged care facilities and services, ensuring patients with complex needs get the care they need where they live. This includes:

• $36 million to sustain public sector residential aged care services.
• $17 million to deliver hospital care at residential aged care facilities, allowing older Victorians to be cared for in their own home and reducing annual hospital presentations by almost 30,000.
• $15 million to support changes requiring nurses to administer medication in non government aged care, delivering higher-quality care.
• $7.5 million to upgrade Victoria’s public sector residential aged care facilities.
• $5.1 million to continue reducing delays in hospital discharge for older patients without decision-making capacity.

In collaboration with the Commonwealth, this Budget also invests in a Home and Community Care TAFE Centre of Excellence, making sure Victoria has the critical care workers we need as our population ages, as well as delivering $30 million to strengthen palliative care.

Reducing alcohol and drug harm

Last year, we released the Victorian Alcohol and Other Drugs Strategy 2025‑35, which sets a 10-year plan to reduce alcohol and drug-related harm across the state.

To support this, we are investing $104 million to reduce alcohol and drug harm, including:

• $52 million to continue a health-led response to the decriminalisation of public intoxication and deliver improved outcomes to vulnerable Victorians.
• $32 million on a range of initiatives to continue to mitigate the harms of alcohol and other drugs across Victoria.
• $10 million to upgrade Victoria’s mental health, alcohol and other drugs facilities.
• $9.6 million to continue the Victorian Pill Testing Service through both a strengthened fixed-site service and at festivals.

This investment includes $39 million for specific First Nations-led outreach, monitoring and evaluation and places of safety to support a health-led response to public intoxication, and a self-determined pharmacotherapy model.

Making sure everyone can afford and access mental health care

Nearly 1 in 2 Victorians will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime – and more than 1 in 5 are affected each year.

Through our Mental Health Locals, we’re delivering free mental health and wellbeing care without the need for a trip to the GP.

There are 22 Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals operating across our state right now. These facilities were a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

Since 2018, this Victorian Government has invested over $6 billion to grow and rebuild the mental health system from the ground up. We continue to build on this investment, supporting Victorians in the ways they need it most. Initiatives include:

• $30 million for new and existing mental health Hospital in the Home beds to enable more people to access home-based acute inpatient mental health care.
• $6.5 million for prevention of suicide initiatives.
• $5.4 million to continue the Youth Outreach and Recovery Service, Victoria’s dedicated statewide outreach service for young people with complex mental health challenges.
• $4.9 million to support Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals and Hubs so they can keep delivering free care for anyone who needs it.

This Budget also invests in workforce training and development for mental health care professionals to support mental health workforce sustainability.

Supports for Victorians with disabilities

This Budget delivers $2.5 billion for Victorians with disability.

Consistent with commitments under the National Agreement on Foundational Supports, Victoria has agreed to jointly fund Foundational Supports, with $2.4 billion over 5 years. This includes funding for Thriving Kids, which will give children the best start in life through quality supports early in their developmental journey. It will support children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs, their families and carers.

Other Foundational Supports are being developed in partnership with the Commonwealth and other state governments.

This Budget also invests:

• $42 million for advocacy, support and liaison services for Victorians with disability.
• $20 million to support people in home and aged care with disability outside of the NDIS.
• $19 million to make sure our specialist disability accommodation is safe, compliant and fit for purpose.
• $17 million to make sure wheelchair users can get a taxi when they need one.

This, along with disability supports investments in the schools sector, brings this Budget’s total investment to $4.7 billion for people with disability.