Getting things done
For the past three years, we’ve been getting things done.
Dangerous and congested level crossings have been removed across Melbourne.
Roads are being upgraded and widened to get people home sooner.
New rail lines are being built to connect our suburbs and towns.
More doctors and nurses are treating more patients in better hospitals.
Dozens of new schools are giving kids the education they need to set them up for the future.
Thousands of new police officers are being recruited to keep people safe.
And we’re taking significant action to curb family violence.
These are the things we said we would do.
And we are getting them done.
The Victorian Budget 2018/19 continues this momentum.
This Budget will train the next generation of Victorians to keep building our state.
More than ever, the skills needed to build our state are learned at TAFE.
Skilled workers are in demand, and with good quality training, our kids will be first in line for these good jobs.
The cost of TAFE should never stop kids from getting a trade - that’s why we’re making 30 priority TAFE courses free.
And to help them get their skills sooner – we’ll let students start their apprenticeship at school, and graduate more ready for work after Year 12.
We’ll help get people out of traffic and home sooner, upgrading suburban roads across Melbourne, fixing regional roads, and building the North East Link – the missing link in our network.
Because all families need good schools close to home, we’ll build 12 new schools, and upgrade more than 130 existing schools.
To grow jobs in every corner of the state, the Budget will slash the payroll tax rate in regional Victoria to the lowest rate in Australia, to help businesses develop and employ more Victorians.
For regional based employers, this will mean a 50% reduction in payroll tax over the last two budgets.
And the Budget includes the biggest investment in mental health services in Victoria’s history, with more beds and specialist emergency departments to give every patient the treatment they need.
This is a Labor Budget that invests in the projects our state needs and the people we need to deliver them.
It is a Budget that continues the job of delivering our plan for the future today.
This Budget will deliver new skills, good jobs, more schools and better public transport and roads.
It’s a Budget that gets things done.
Tim Pallas
Treasurer of Victoria
