The Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes MP handed down the State Budget on Tuesday 20 May and it is now available for public scrutiny — it is presented more like an illustrated, online brochure than a spreadsheet. It came after the government sent a flurry of announcement emails to the media (evidently scheduled one-per-minute over the Tuesday lunchtime period). There is a lot of documentation and information to absorb in the State Budget, so the Tarrangower Times scanned the pages to gather some key points.
Overview
The State Government’s 2025-26 Strategy and Outlook paper contains big-picture forecasts about the economy and shows a continued focus on recovering from the Covid years. The world context is factored into the forecasting as well, with a nod to Donald Trump’s tariff talk. The document says: ‘Victoria enters this period of global uncertainty from a position of strength. The economy demonstrated its resilience through the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent period of high inflation and elevated interest rates, with favourable labour market performance compared with many advanced economies over this period.’
A glance at the Summary of Initiatives provides an understanding of how the Victorian budget pie was sliced up by the government; announcements continue to be made about where the money will be spent. Items and amounts include $171 million for Victoria’s hospital infrastructure; $497 million to improve mental health services; $211 million for road maintenance activities; $320 million to complete the statewide rollout of Disability Inclusion in schools; $407 million to unlock land for housing, continue stamp duty concessions and support those experiencing or at risk of homelessness; $727 million for a community safety package to implement major reforms to Victoria’s bail laws and measures to keep Victorians safe.
Budgeting for regional Victoria
Under the heading ‘Supporting Rural and Regional Victoria’ the paper states: ‘The 2025-26 Budget builds on this Government’s continued investment in our regions with a further $1.5 billion invested.’ The budget includes investment in regional transport, including $52 million for the Gippsland, Seymour and Bendigo train lines, which the government says will result in additional capacity for Bendigo services. The budget invests $976 million in delivering a Better Roads Blitz (maintenance and repair); $117 million to improve regional education facilities and services; $216 million in regional healthcare, including $84 million to maintain regional and rural ambulance resourcing across Victoria; $12 million to complete Maryborough Hospital; $50 million for the regional stream of the new Victorian Investment Fund and $60 million towards regional natural and cultural activities.
Other regional programs mentioned in the Strategy paper include $10 million towards infrastructure for water, sewerage, roads and electricity, $400 000 to pilot new Regional Launching Pads for collaboration spaces, development of agricultural applications of RNA technology, and a new web portal focused on regional Victoria’s economic opportunities.
Organisations respond to budget funding
In the wake of the budget on Tuesday, various advocacy groups have been distributing their public responses to the State Budget. Landcare Victoria responded with cautious optimism, saying it welcomes the $17.3 million allocated by the government over two years for Landcare and Coastcare programs. However, the organisation is disappointed that its call for long-term, secure funding has not been met. “Landcare is delivering on its commitments and doing extraordinary work across the state, but government support is falling short of what’s needed to ensure stability and growth,” said Landcare Victoria CEO, Claire Hetzel.
The Australian Industry Group, a national employer organisation, said the budget was designed to please Victorian voters. It said: “The Victorian State Budget announced today is an early election budget delivered 18 months out from the State’s next ballot. But it provides little for business and offers few additional benefits to encourage and support Victorian businesses.”
The State Budget can be viewed online at: dtf.vic.gov.au/ state-budget.
This article appeared in Tarrangower Times, 30 May 2025.