Who are the winners and losers in Victoria's 2024 state budget?
Families with school-aged children are among the biggest winners in this year's Victorian state budget.
But as the government grapples with rising debt, there are some cuts and delays to major projects.
Victorian state school students will receive some relief under the new School Saving Bonus. It's part of a $287 million package where every child at a government school will receive a one-off payment of $400 each in the form of a credit.
The money can go towards uniform expenses, camps, school excursions and sporting events. Families with multiple children can combine the payments to use. It's expected to roll out in term four, ahead of the 2025 school year.
Concession card holders at non-government schools will also be eligible for the one-off payment.
The government is also investing in eyesight tests for kids, tripling its Glasses for Kids program.
Winner: School infrastructureThis year's budget will see $1 billion invested to build 16 new schools which are expected to open in 2026.
They include:
Ballarto Road Primary SchoolCasey Central Primary SchoolClyde Creek North Primary SchoolClyde Creek North Secondary SchoolCobblebank Secondary SchoolHorseshoe Bend Primary SchoolLeneva (Frederic Street Road) Primary SchoolLockerbie Specialist SchoolMickleham South Primary SchoolPlumpton Primary SchoolPoint Cook South Specialist SchoolTarneit Plains Primary SchoolToolern Waters Primary SchoolWallan East Primary SchoolWarralily Park Primary SchoolWollert Andrews Road Primary SchoolThe funding will also go towards additional stages of construction at Mickleham Secondary College and Wollert Secondary School.
A further 25 schools across the state will undergo upgrades.
Loser: ChildcarePre-prep programs and new childcare centres have been delayed in some areas due to workforce shortages.
Winner: TeachersAlmost $140 million has been set aside in a bid to attract and retain more teachers in Victorian schools.
This includes $63 million which will go towards the mental health and wellbeing of school staff.
Money will also go towards additional training for teachers, including $21 million for 100 primary school teachers to undergo a 20-day intensive training to strengthen their maths knowledge and coaching skills and $16 million for specialist training to help teachers better manage students' behaviour.
More than $900 million will go towards upgrading the Austin Hospital's emergency department and delivering a new emergency department and additional beds at the Northern Hospital.
The Monash Medical Centre will receive nearly $500 million to expand, increasing its maternity care capabilities, while adding more operating suites and intensive care beds.
Loser: Community hospitalsPlans to build three community hospitals in Emerald Hill, Eltham and Torquay are now being reviewed and are likely to be scrapped.
The community hospitals were promised six years ago.
Community Health First welcomed an investment in healthcare but said the budget was a "missed opportunity".
"Community health services have had no increase in funding over many years, despite record population growth and cost-of-living pressures putting healthcare out of the reach of many Victorians," it said.
"Today's budget does nothing to address this challenge and improve access to community-based healthcare for Victorians."
Thirty-five mental health and wellbeing clinics — a recommendation of the royal commission — are being delayed.
The government planned to open 50, but so far only 15 have opened.
Winner: Family violence servicesThe budget allocates $211 million to be invested in the safety of women and children.
Money will go towards interventions to prevent family violence, help victim-survivors, and stop violence before it starts.
This includes a further investment in the government's Respectful Relationships program which has been rolled out at some schools.
For the government to reach its target of 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035, it's investing more in solar, hot water and battery storage — almost $50 million in total.
There will be $38 million going towards helping Victorians install electric heat pumps and solar hot water systems, while $6.1 million will be set aside to extend the interest-free loan program to install solar battery storage systems in homes.
The government will invest $3.4 in continuing the Energy Assistance Program to help vulnerable customers navigate the energy market.
The budget confirmed what most young Victorians already know: owning a home is becoming an increasingly challenging goal.
Budget analysis highlighted that in the mid-1990s, the average Victorian house price was roughly 3.5 times average household incomes.
But in the last few years, that ratio has doubled, recently peaking at seven times average incomes.
It means the average time taken for 25 to 34-year-olds to save for a deposit has risen from five years in the mid-90s to seven or eight years more recently.
In recognition of this, the budget has allocated a one off $700 million supplement to the government's Victorian Homebuyer Fund, where the government assists homebuyers by taking a stake in the purchase.
The program will then be replaced by a federal government scheme.
In response to the budget, the Property Council of Australia said it was "deeply concerned by the complete absence [of] any positive action to alleviate the immense fiscal burden on the industry".
"[The $700 million supplement] will not result in more homes being built and is in reality only tinkering around the edges of the real problem — a critical lack of new housing supply," Victorian executive director Cath Evans said.
One of the ways the government is trying to pull in more revenue with this budget is through an increase to the state's waste levy.
It currently sits at $129.27 per tonne for metropolitan industrial and municipal waste left at the tip. But from July next year, that'll increase to $169.79 per tonne.
The government says a "proportional" increase will also be applied at rural landfills, which attract lower levies than those in the city.
Loser: RatepayersThe state's fire services property levy is applied to all properties and helps fund the state's firefighting services.
From July, the government will begin collecting a higher levy from properties than it has in previous years.
The government says the median increase for the following property types is as follows:
Residential: $35 riseCommercial: $73 riseIndustrial: $35 risePrimary production: $150 risePublic benefit: $13 riseVacant: $143Loser: Major projectsThe $13 billion Melbourne Airport Rail Link project will be delayed by at least four years to 2033.
The Upfield Train line level crossing removal has also been delayed until at least 2030.
Loser: Casual workersCasual workers won't get paid for sick leave following the abolishment of a government COVID-era plan, with no further funding after the middle of the year.
The state is instead calling on the federal government to take over.
