Victorian Budget 2022-23: Key Portfolio Measures

3 May 2022

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Department of Premier and Cabinet, and Treasury and Finance

The Government continues to expand its digital services offering, including funding to improve Service Victoria’s operations and digitising key regulatory processes. Expenditure in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and Treasury and Finance in 2022-23 includes:

  • $63.2 million for Service Victoria to continue its operations and increase access to additional digital government services.
  • $20 million in funding to attract business investment in Victorian manufacturing, in line with the Government’s International Investment Strategy.
  • $11.3 million in support for public sector diversity, capability, and integrity.
  • $10 million for the Business Acceleration fund (the renamed Regulatory Incentive Fund) to support projects that modernise and streamline regulatory processes across the State’s regulators and local councils.

Department of Transport

The Government continues to invest in a wide range of road and rail upgrades, specifically in Victoria’s regions, with funding allocated for new trains and upgrades to the existing rolling stock and network. Expenditure in the Department of Transport in 2022-23 includes:

  • $238 million over the forward estimates for new VLocity trains to service the Shepperton and Warrnambool lines.
  • $244.6 million over the forward estimates for regional rail stability for maintenance of rail corridors and supporting upgrades of V/Line’s administrative systems.
  • $216.3 million over the forward estimates to deliver the Road Safety Action Plan, including funding to reform heavy vehicle licensing and the continuation of the School Crossing Supervisor Program.
  • $215.4 million to address the impacts of COVID-19 on the State’s public transport network to offset declining fares, additional cleaning and compliance measures.
  • $222.9 million for a range of road pavement works across Victoria.
  • $206.8 million for Stage 1 of the Mickleham Road upgrade between Somerton Road and Dellamore Boulevard.
  • $200 million over the next two financial years to upgrade aging radio systems in metropolitan trains.
  • $191.5 million for additional services and operational costs as part of the Big Build.

Department of Health

A feature of the 2022-23 Budget for the Department of Health includes continued funding to expand residential aged care, increase mental health and wellbeing services and frameworks, and grow local medical public health services. Budget measures of note include:

  • $942.8 million to support service delivery in Victorian hospitals, including more emergency department staff; additional highly specialised therapies; and support for the expansion of the newborn screening program, the medicinal cannabis compassionate access scheme and robot-assisted surgery.
  • $564.8 million in 2022-23 and $621.6 million in 2023-24 will be provided to increase surgical activity, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 25 per cent. This will include funding for 40,000 extra surgeries in the next year, building up to a total of 240,000 surgeries annually by 2024.
  • $244 million to continue support for patients recovering from COVID-19 and provide further assistance for the health system to continue addressing Victoria’s COVID-19 caseload by establishing and expanding Urgent Care Centres and expanding GP Respiratory Clinics (among other initiatives).
  • $175.5 million for the Government’s scaled down COVID-19 public health response, transitioning from crisis response to a public health stewardship role to minimise harm and support those most at risk.
  • $172.6 million for the provision of healthcare in the home through the use of home-base and virtual care models.
  • $72.3 million to continue the operation of local public health units, including the design and delivery of Aboriginal-specific initiatives.
  • $65.3 million to deliver Victoria’s mental health reform agenda in line with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy, including boosting workforce supply and capability through increasing graduate health practitioner positions, providing postgraduate scholarships, and funding psychiatric rotations for junior medical officers.
  • $33.4 million provided to Ambulance Victoria to recruit new paramedics and enhance fleet management, workforce capability and support.
  • $29.9 million to improve public sector residential aged care services to provide high-quality care to persons living in residential aged care facilities.
  • $29.3 million to operationalise 82 new beds in Victoria’s mental health system and improve access for those experiencing mental illness.
  • $15.7 million to support the implementation of new mental health and wellbeing legislation.

Department of Education and Training

The Government is continuing to increase the availability and quality of primary, secondary, and tertiary education through the construction of 13 new schools, contributing to the Government’s commitment to open 100 new schools across the state by 2026, and also providing additional funding to increase numeracy and literacy standards and increasing the provision of mental health and wellbeing resources in schools. Expenditure in the Department of Education and Training in 2022-23 include:

  • $527.1 million over the forward estimates for the construction of 13 new schools.
  • $325.4 million over the forward estimates for capital upgrades to thirty-six special schools across the state.
  • $69.5 million to hire up to 1,900 new teachers in all government schools.
  • $39.5 million to strengthen the capacity of the TAFE system, to fund additional available TAFE places, and to enhance collaboration across the TAFE network and facilities across the state.
  • $30.1 million to ensure government and non-government schools meet their student enrolment growth targets in 2022.
  • $27.1 million to provide targeted literacy and numeracy support to improve literacy standards and teaching practices for students in need.
  • $25.2 million to upgrade software tools with improved capabilities for staff, students and school administrators in both primary and secondary schools.
  • $21.9 million to continue attracting more teachers to the profession; to support teacher development by expanding the supply of casual relief teachers; and to increase teaching resources in regional and rural areas.
  • $9 million to enhance capacity for health and wellbeing services in schools through additional school nurse resources and increased allied health services, including psychologists, pathologists and social workers.
  • $9 million to expand mental health and wellbeing support services, including continuing the ‘LOOKOUT’ program to support vulnerable children and young people in out-of-home care, and to continue the work of the Headspace initiative.

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

The Government continues to provide funding to protect the environment and reduce the risks of future bushfires, while also supporting households to reduce energy costs. Expenditure in the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in 2022-23 includes:

  • $250 million to provide a one-off $250 Power Saving Bonus for all Victorian households that use the Victorian Energy Compare website. This program will operate for 12 months between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.
  • $30 million to implement the Sustainable Water Strategy for the Central and Gippsland region, in partnership with Traditional Owners. This includes support for place-based Integrated Water Management projects.
  • $26.3 million to provide rebates to eligible households that install solar panels and battery storage systems to their homes.
  • $21.4 million to continue expanding risk-based integrated land and fuel management programs. In addition, funding will be provided for preparedness activities ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.
  • $15 million for the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to continue its work in protecting Victoria’s environment from pollution and waste.
  • $9.2 million to upgrade eucalyptus seed collection and storage facilities and increase seed viability testing. This includes funding to develop new procedures for forest coupe regeneration, including timber harvesting procedures.

Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions

The Government continues to provide support to workers, organisations and SMEs impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and encourages economic growth through the delivery of critical infrastructural projects in rural and regional Victoria. Expenditure in the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions in 2022-23 includes:

  • $222.6 million to enable the coordination and hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
  • $132.8 million for the design and implementation of the two-year pilot of the Sick Pay Guarantee for casual and contract workers in eligible occupations.
  • $88 million to extend grants programs to deliver new and upgraded community sport and recreation infrastructural facilities.
  • $50 million to extend the Growing Suburbs Fund to deliver critical infrastructural projects in Melbourne and throughout regional Victoria. These include health and wellbeing hubs, community centres and early education and learning centres.
  • $35.4 million to support the State’s cultural and creative organisations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • $32.6 million to support the events sector in recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic through the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust.
  • $31.5 million in support for small and medium businesses that were impacted by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 during the summer of 2021-22.
  • $29 million to support economic growth and development in rural and regional Victoria through the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund.

Department of Justice and Community Services

The Government continues to support Victoria’s emergency services and COVID-19 response, and to improve the state’s justice system. Expenditure in the Department of Justice and Community Services in 2022-23 includes:

  • $120.3 million for the continued operation of 17 COVID-19 hotel quarantine sites. This also includes funding for the new Centre for National Resilience facility in Mickleham, a purpose-built facility and quarantine program that can be scaled up and down, depending on public health requirements.
  • $108.4 million in support for the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority to increase call-taking and dispatch capacity, wellbeing support and additional support and surge capability.
  • $90.1 million in 2022-23, with $300.5 million over the forward estimates, for youth justice programs including the opening of the Cherry Creek Youth Justice Facility, behavior support specialists and workforce initiatives.
  • $40 million to increase policing capacity to meet current and future demand, including the recruitment of additional police and protective service officers.
  • $39.5 million for maintenance of the Western Plains Correctional Centre.
  • $39 million to equip and train frontline police officers and protective service officers with conducted energy devices, which includes body-worn cameras.
  • $23.4 million to support the Government’s response to the recommendations from the Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence, and the introduction of new measures of Melbourne’s casino operator.

Departments of Families, Fairness and Housing 

The Government continues to invest in services to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, families and carers, and provide funding for intervention programs to prevent family violence. Expenditure in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing in 2022-23 includes:

  • $77.9 million to enhance the capacity and availability of care options for children and young people.
  • $42.2 million over the forward estimates to improve and expand current refuge and crisis accommodation, including construction and operation of two new refuges, the purchase of six new Crisis Accommodation Program (CAP) properties and support for private refuge agencies to upgrade facilities.
  • $35.9 million over the forward estimates to improve Victoria’s interface with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
  • $25.3 million provided to settle civil claims for historical institutional child abuse suffered by victims while in the State’s care.
  • $19.5 million for services to support victim survivors of family violence including funding for crisis care management and therapeutic support, and the state-wide 24/7 crisis service.
  • $18.6 million in 2022-23 with $45.2 million over the forward estimates to assist community service organisations that deliver social services on behalf of the State Government.
  • $17 million to enable the delivery of specialty intervention programs for perpetrators to change behaviour and prevent family violence.

For more information about the Budget, Victorian government, or to enquire about our public affairs and government relations services, please contact our Melbourne office on +61 3 9660 1400 or [email protected] or our senior staff below.

CONTACT:

Richard King – Managing Partner – Public Affairs
+61 407 766 633
[email protected]

 

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