Victorian state budget 2021: Five-minute guide

A new levy, mental health, sport, transport, education and more. This is what the state budget means for you and your family.

THE ECONOMY

– $342bn in spending expected over the next four years

– $90bn committed to state infrastructure projects either commencing or underway

– Net debt to be $102.1bn in 2021/22 – 20.3% of the state’s economy – to rise to 156.3bn by 2024/25

– Economic activity to hit $503.6bn in 2021/22, $17.1bn more – the equivalent of $2560 for every Victorian – than forecast

– $49m in stamp duty savings of up to 100 per cent on new apartments and homes within the City of Melbourne

JOBS AND RECOVERY

– Unemployment rate to fall 5.75% in 2021/22 before dropping further to 5.25% two years after

– $431m to support businesses and creating new jobs, including $250m in wage subsidies to help at least 10,000 jobseekers

MENTAL HEALTH

– A new levy on businesses with more than $10m in wages nationally will fund a record $3.8bn spend on mental health

– $954m for community-based care, establishing 22 reformed mental health and wellbeing services to replace current services

– $350m for 82 extra forensic mental health beds at Thomas Embling hospital

– $264m to provide 20 early intervention ‘front door of care’ new local services, with the first six sites to open in Benalla, Brimbank, Frankston, Greater Geelong, Latrobe Valley and Whittlesea in 2022

– $196m towards a new and dedicated support service for infants, children and families across Victoria.

– $173m for better support for people who have attempted or at risk of suicide at 13 hospitals

The budget includes a $3.8bn spend on mental health.

EDUCATION

– $1.6b to build 13 new Melbourne schools and upgrade 52 others

– $380m for TAFE and training providers, including campus upgrades and new equipment

– $277m for mental health and wellbeing programs for students, including therapy dogs and mental health aid training

– $185m for a new Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership

– $167m for continued roll out of free three-year-old kindergarten

13 new schools will be built.

TRANSPORT

– $3.2bn for public transport services and infrastructure, including $986m for 25 new trains to be built in Ballarat, $613m to improve reliability of V/Line train services and $368m to get the new fleet of Next Generation Trams onto tracks

– $386m for a new Road Safety Strategy to deliver new safety technologies and infrastructure upgrades.

– $265m to plan, upgrade and maintain suburban, rural and regional roads across the state

A V/Line train travelling through North Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

SMALL BUSINESS/TAX

– Payroll tax-free threshold to be lifted to $700,000 a year ahead of schedule, helping 44,000 businesses

– A lower payroll tax rate of 1.2125 per cent for regional employers will also come into effect a year ahead of schedule

HEALTH

– $1.3bn to continue the state’s pandemic public health response

– $759m to tackle the state’s ambulance crisis with more paramedics, triage care and support staff for Ambulance Victoria

– $556m to build and expand 10 community hospitals at Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Phillip Island, Sunbury, Torquay, Mernda, Eltham, Point Cook and the inner-south of Melbourne

– $70m for public IVF services from next year for 4000 Victorian families

– $50m to establish onsite local production of MRNA vaccines

Ambulances at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

WOMEN AND CHILDREN

– $354m to support family violence victim survivors and address the overall issue, including $97m to improve information sharing, $78m to expand the network of specialist family violence courts, $49m for more 24/7 crisis services, and $44m to support children and young people impacted by violence and sexual assault

SPORT

– $25m to foster the next generation of Olympians

– $101m to deliver world-class facilities for Matildas, future home for Football Victoria and Rugby Centre of Excellence

Sam Kerr of the Matildas at AAMI Park. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

AGRICULTURE

– $12m to promote Victorian produce and make its origins easier to trace

– $12m to tackle roadside weeds and pests

CITY REVITALISATION

– $107m to drive Melbourne’s CBD recovery including a previously announced $7.4m voucher scheme

TOURISM

– $288m for Victoria’s creative industry, including $121m to attract international productions

– $43m to attract global business events

– $6m to improve access and security at the Shrine of Remembrance

Melbourne is slowly recovering from lockdowns. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

ENVIRONMENT

– $250m to protect environment and improve health of waterways and Port Phillip Bay

– $46m for Australia’s first zero emissions vehicle subsidy program

– $20m to make Victoria a leader in low-emissions agriculture and combat drought

– $8.4m water infrastructure to optimise efficiency

BUSHFIRES

– $788m to reduce the impact of bushfires on Victorian communities

– $104m to help bushfire ravaged communities recuperate and move forward

– $384m for more skilled firefighters and high-tech gear

Originally published as Victorian state budget 2021: Five-minute guide