Everything you need to know about the Victorian state budget for 2019

The Victorian state budget for 2019 promises a blitz on Victoria’s rail network and local roads and a cash splash on early childhood education. Here’s everything you need to know.

Treasurer Tim Pallas has handed down the Victorian state budget for 2019, vowing to deliver a blitz on Victoria’s rail network and local roads, and investing in early childhood education.

And the cash splash locked in a string of election promises.

It includes funding for the North East Link, upgrades to the Sunbury line, a new Footscray Hospital and 1600 new prison beds.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the key spends.

SNAPSHOT: VICTORIAN STATE BUDGET 2019

ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE

— $15.8 billion to fully-funded the North East Link

— An extra 25 level crossing removals costing $6.6 billion

— $608 million to fix local roads

— $45.4 million to improve bike and footpaths

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

— $2.1 billion to upgrade the Sunbury line

— $1.3 billion to upgrade and duplicate the Hurtsbridge and Cranbourne lines

— Suburban Rail Loop planning and early works, costing $300 million

— Tram upgrades and improvements, costing $163 million

REGIONAL VICTORIA

— $615 million on public transport for regional areas

— 18 new VLocity trains to replace old regional trains, costing $304 million

— 4500 new regional jobs

— Continued rebuild of regional roads with a $425 million investment

— $100 million to separate regional and metropolitan services on the Geelong and Ballarat lines under the Western Rail Plan

— $59.5 million investment delivering a new rehab centre at Bendigo Hospital

EDUCATION

— 5 hours of free kinder for all three-year-olds by 2022, costing $882 million

— $28.5 million to add childhood courses to the free TAFE list

— Free tampons and pads for all girls in government schools, costing $20.7 million

— $316 million in new kinder facilities

— Record $1.8 billion school build, including 17 new schools and 109 more upgrades

— Free breakfast club extended to an extra 500 schools, costing $58 million

HEALTH

— New 504-bed Footscray Hospital, to cost $1.5 billion, to be built by 2025

— Expansion of the Royal Children’s Hospital, costing $31 million

— 120-bed aged care facility at Wantirna Health.

— $322 million for free dental care in Victorian government schools, rolling out this year

— $17.1 million for a mental health Royal Commission

— Frankston Hospital’s $592 million redevelopment not yet funded

— Extra 28 mental health beds across the state

ECONOMY & JOBS

— $1 billion surplus in 2019-20

— Economic growth forecast to slow to 2.75 per cent in 2019-20 and then remain at that level

— Wages to rise from 3 per cent in 2019-20 to 3.5 per cent in 2022-23

— $150 million for the Victorian Jobs and Investment Fund

— 115,000 jobs from major infrastructure projects

COST OF LIVING

— 1000 new public housing homes, costing $209 million

— $1.3 billion to install solar panels, hot water or batteries at 770,000 homes in 10 years

TAX, FEES & FINES

— $104.4 billion tax haul over four years

— $260 million regional payroll tax cut — slashing the rate to a quarter of metro rate

— New or increased taxes on gold, luxury petrol and diesel cars, foreign property buyers

— $1.9 billion in speed camera fines over four years, including $410 million in 2019-20

SPORT & TOURISM

— Improvements to community sporting facilities and tourism to a total of $593.2 million

— $101 million to make Victoria the basketball capital of Victoria, by developing the State Basketball Centre and Melbourne Arena, and establishing 7 high performance hubs

— $47.5 million to cut boat ramp parking fees and boost boat safety

LAW & ORDER

— $1.8 billion to expand prisons, with 1600 new beds

— $93.2 million to keep at-risk people out of the justice systems, including young people

— $45.5 million to reduce youth offending though diversion and intervention programs

— Review of private security industry to weed out criminals

SAFETY

— $103 million for those sleeping rough, provided through the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement

— $185.5 million for preventing family violence

— $23.9 million to prioritise women and children escaping family violence