Victorians vote in the state election on Saturday November 24. What’s at stake – and what’s been promised by Labor, the Coalition and the Greens? Hatch’s Fatima Halloum and Helena Abdou break down the pitches.
CRIME
Labor:
- Workplace manslaughter – new criminal offence in which employers can be fined almost $16 million for industrial deaths
- Allow better public access to all 108 of the state’s 24-hour police stations by having 2 officers for counter service at all times
Liberals:
- Mandatory minimum sentences for repeat violent criminals
- An overhaul of bail system presumption of remand for those charged with violent offences; the introduction of “one strike and you’re out” policy for anyone breaching bail; and reinstatement of the offence of breaching bail by juveniles
- The end of concurrent sentencing for violent offenders who breach parole and bail
- The introduction of a Public Sex Offenders Register so Victorians can check any known risks in their neighbourhood
- The introduction of a ‘Right to Know’ family violence disclosure scheme to empower people who may be at risk by assisting them to make informed decisions about their relationships
- The introduction of a Police In Schools program to help youth respect and engage with police
- A police shopfronts initiative to ensure a visible police presence at major shopping centres.
- Policies to properly support victims of crime: increasing access to compensation including accessing the superannuation funds of the worst criminal offenders; funding victims support groups and outreach organisations; and ensuring victims have their voices heard in criminal justice
- Boot camp for young offenders
Greens:
- $200 million to lower crime rates
- Fix the child protection system
- Commit $132 million in additional funds to Legal Aid
- Two new drug courts
- Oppose mandatory sentencing
- Work to address the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the prison system
HEALTH
Labor:
- 10 new community hospitals
- 1100 new nurses and midwives
- Regional care closer to home
- Backing paramedics
- Royal commission into mental health
- New Footscray public hospital
- Frankston hospital redevelopment
- Free dental care for all primary and secondary students
Liberals:
- Free flu vaccines for all Victorian children between the age of 6 months and 5 years
- $140 million to deliver community-based palliative care
- Mandatory drug and alcohol treatment for young people whose offending or risky behaviour is a result of sever substance abuse
Greens:
- Free ambulance cover for all Victorians
- Invest $270 million in mental health
- Increase funding to community health services ($500 million over the term)
- Funding for hospitals to keep up with Victoria’s population growth
- Fund healing places for the Aboriginal community to heal from the trauma of the Stolen Generation
- Increase funding to community dental health services
EDUCATION
Labor:
- Delivering more local schools
- Kinder for every 3 year-old
- New kinder build
- Rebuilding Victoria’s TAFEs
Liberal:
- ‘Back to basics’ approach to ensure kids can read, write and count
- The introduction of a phonics check in Year One to identify students struggling with literacy and numeracy for early intervention
- A policy to ban school children from using mobile phones during class times
- Abolition of the political Safe Schools program to be replaced with an actual anti-bullying program targeting all aspects of discrimination
- Free school books for high school students
Greens:
- 70 per cent of funding will go to TAFEs
- Free kindergarten
- Increasing public school funding
- Ensure schools are being funded properly especially for students with disabilities and learning needs
JOBS
Labor:
- Protecting Victorians at work
- Solar jobs in the Latrobe valley
- Bringing Bollywood to Victoria
- Protecting penalty rates
Liberals:
- $67 million to the Country Fire Authority for new equipment, fixing up stations and new fire trucks
- Jobs in the Latrobe Valley
Greens:
- Create jobs in public transport, renewable energy, infrastructure and public housing
- Expand the recycling industry to create more jobs
- More jobs in the healthcare system and schools
TRANSPORT
Labor:
- Removing 75 level crossings
- Suburban rail loop
- 11,000 more train station car parks
- North East link
- Airport rail
Liberals:
- East West Link and North East Link
- $4.1 billion to $5.3 billion infrastructure project to remove traffic lights and roundabouts at 55 of Melbourne and Geelong’s busiest and most dangerous intersections
- $633 million investment in new long-haul V/Locity carriages for country rail
Greens
- Ensure ‘turn up and go’ trains and trams across Melbourne so you won’t wait more than 10 minutes to get going where you want to go
- Make cycling safe by building a Metropolitan Bike Network as a single project over four years across Melbourne
FAIRNESS
Labor:
- Build new public housing
- Saving with solar homes
- More green spaces for community
- Delivering for boaters and fishers
Liberals:
- Allowing onshore conventional gas exploration and production to put downward pressure on gas prices
- Scrap the Victorian Renewable Energy Target to curb electricity costs
- An $80 million Brighter Futures fund to establish integrated children’s centres in Victoria’s most disadvantaged rural and regional areas
- Living relief packages to cut the cost of living
- Free car registration for red P plate drivers
Greens:
- Build 40,000 new public housing homes
- Stop the sale of public housing
- Power Victoria by 100 per cent clean renewable energy by 2030 and lower prices by creating a government-owned electricity retailer
- Protect Victoria’s forests and create the Great Forest National Park and stop logging in native forests