Daniel Andrews and Matthew Guy have their final say

Daniel Andrews and Matthew Guy have their final say on why you should vote for them and the key promises that could sway your decision.

Daniel Andrews and Matthew Guy have their final say on why you should vote for them and the key promises that could sway your decision.

Daniel Andrews

Our government has used every single day with purpose.

We’ve built the road, rail, schools and hospitals that Victorians deserve.

Our TAFEs, once padlocked shut, are now open, and filled with Victorians studying for free.

We’ve delivered Three-Year-Old Kinder, rolled out to regional communities first. And from next year we’ll make kinder completely free – saving families thousands of dollars.

But we know there’s more to do.

This election will be decided by a handful of votes in a handful of communities.

It means the decision you make today has the potential to determine our state’s future for the next four years.

Daniel Andrews and wife Catherine with kinder kids. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The choice is clear:

Do we want to continue our Big Build – removing more level crossings, upgrading every regional rail line, delivering the Suburban Rail Loop including Airport Rail?

Or are we going to cut, close and cancel these projects – and with them, thousands of Victorians will lose their jobs?

Are we going to support our hardworking nurses and paramedics, and provide the best health care for Victorian families?

Or do we want to turn back the clock to those who went to war with our paramedics, and cut money from our hospitals?

Do we want our kids to have great schools, and our TAFEs to be open and free?

Or are we going to return to rundown classrooms and closed campuses?

Andrews at a solar electrical company in Knoxfield. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Do we want to bring back the SEC, powering our state, not for profit – but for people?

Or do we want those who privatised our energy in the first place – selling it off to multinationals, and leaving Victorian families to pay the price?

Do we grow our economy and restore our state’s surplus by building big and creating jobs?

Or do we do it by cutting what matters to Victorian families?

Victorians have a clear choice at this election.

They can choose cuts and closures and privatisation.

Or a fairer, more equal future for Victoria – with a record of delivery.

Because Labor is doing what matters.

Matthew Guy

Today, the only way to get rid of Daniel Andrews and give Victoria the fresh start it needs is to vote for your local Liberal and Nationals candidate.

A vote for anybody else risks Mr Andrews’ re-election and a second decade of Mr Andrews and his record debt, continuing health and cost of living crisis, and more corruption and cover-ups.

Over the course of the election campaign we have outlined our Real Solutions Plan for Victoria’s future – we’ll rein in Mr Andrews’ spiralling debt, fix the health crisis, reward hardworking families, help small business and restore integrity and accountability to government.

Matthew Guy touting money for tourism in Ballarat. Picture: Wayne Taylor

And, we’ll do it all without raising taxes by shelving the Cheltenham to Box Hill rail line and redirecting every available cent into health – which is our number one priority.

While we have a strong suite of policies to help you and your family get ahead – such as our $2 all day, every day public transport fares, $250 electricity Bill Buster initiative and cutting stamp duty to help first home buyers – we also understand how important fiscal responsibility is.

By keeping our election promises modest and measured, in some instances time limited, it means we have been able to begin the task of reining in Mr Andrews’ spiralling debt.

The Liberals key pledge of $2 public transport fares. Picture: David Crosling

This means that in our official Budget Impact Statement, prepared by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office, we have been able to show that we will cut Mr Andrews’ debt across the forward estimates period by $10.4 billion. We will also comeback to surplus a year earlier, and have a much bigger surplus in 2025-26.

This will mean savings of $775 million in interest payments over four years, and more savings ongoing due to lower debt levels.

We are safe, we are sensible, we are mainstream and we are ready to govern.

Don’t wake up Sunday with a Daniel Andrews hangover.

Vote Liberal.

Liberal promises

FAMILIES

$2 CAP ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES AND HALF PRICE V/LINE. – $1.4BN

All adult fares on Melbourne’s public transport network and services within regional towns would be capped at $2 per day. V/line fares across the state would be reduce by 50 per cent.

Strike-through the supply charge on energy bills – $505.6m

For the first six months of 2023, a Matthew Guy government would pay the supply charge usually billed to households. It is estimated this would take about $235 off energy bills and could be extended for the entire year.

HEALTH

Shelve the Suburban Rail Loop and spend available money on the health system.

By not proceeding with the first stage of the SRL, the Coalition believes it can spend $10bn on new hospitals, upgrades and on targeted support to cut the elective surgery waitlist. This includes upgrading the Alfred for $2.4bn

Women like Melissa Hickson will benefit from more affordable IVF and egg freezing. Picture: Ian Currie

Provide more affordable IVF and egg freezing – $186.5m

Rebates of up to $2000 for initial IVF procedure and a further $2000 rebate for procedure following. $500 for pre-IVF fertility testing. Women with medical conditions to access $7000 in support to offset the cost of freezing eggs.

Dedicate extra resources to fixing triple-0 – $131.2m

An additional investment into ESTA on top of the $333m committed by the Andrews Government.

EDUCATION

BUILD NEW SCHOOLS IN MELBOURNE’S WEST – $190M

Includes new primary schools in Williams Landing, Tarneit and Weir Views, a secondary school in Wyndham Vale and a P-12 school in Point Cook South

Healthy school lunches – $300m

Free school lunches for students estimated to save parents up to $5000 a year per student. Meal options to be assessed by nutrition experts.

Better reads plan – $179m

New initiatives to boost reading skills including the introduction of phonics, which teaches children the relationship between sounds and letters.

Guy announced $300m for free healthy school lunches. Picture: Ashley Argoon

TRANSPORT

DELIVER STAGE 2 OF THE BARWON HEADS ROAD UPGRADE – $125M

Duplicating Barwon Heads Road along Armstrong Creek’s eastern boundary from between Reserve Road in the north and Lower Duneed Road in the south.

Extend the Frankston and Cranbourne railway line – $1.9bn

Melbourne’s metropolitan railway network would be extended out to Clyde and Baxter, providing more regular services for growth areas.

Road upgrades for the west – $1.5bn

Major investment into upgrading local roads across Wyndham, Wyndham and Brimbank. Including $700m to upgrade the Western Highway.

Tram extensions – $272.1m

Route 75 would be extended out to Knox, feasibility for further additions out to Ferntree Gully and Bayswater. Route 3 extended down Waverley Rd and Route 48 to Doncaster.

TAX

Cut seven Labor taxes – $745m

Lift exemption on payroll tax from $700,000 to $1.6m, affecting about 13,300 businesses. Discounts between $1.6 and $2m. Scrap levy on commercial passenger vehicles, electric vehicle charge and reverse increase on individual and company building registration.

Lift stamp duty threshold – $306.3m

First home buyers would not have to pay stamp duties on homes under $1m.

REGIONAL

At least 25 per cent of all Victorian projects to be built in regional Victoria

The Liberal government promised at least a quarter of all new capital investment by the state will be allocated to regional Victoria across their first term.

Build a new hospital in Mildura – $750m

A new hospital will be built in the heart of Mildura, with an immediate injection of $250 million in the first budget towards getting the project underway.

Households will be encouraged to install solar and batteries with rebates up to $4400. Picture: Jason Edwards

ENVIRONMENT

Establish a Victorian hydrogen strategy – $1bn

Aimed to support the research, development and adoption of clean hydrogen technologies.

solar roof policy – $2.6bn

Victorian households will be encouraged to install solar and batteries with rebates of up to $4,400 for owner occupiers. Household swill be able to access both a rebate of up to $1,400 for solar panels and $3,000 for a home battery.

Prepare Victorian soil to adapt to changing environments – $100m

Establish a new regional Victorian collaborative research centre, VicSoil, to bring primary producers and researchers together to better manage critical environmental assets

Labor promises

FAMILIES

POWER SAVING BONUS – $400M

Labor’s second round of power saving bonus. Victorian households will be able to save $250 from March next year if they use the Energy Compare website to check for better deals.

100 NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD BATTERIES – $42M

The batteries will be installed across Victoria, tripling the number of homes with access to a neighbourhood battery and providing extra storage capacity.

HEALTH

REDEVELOP, EXPAND AND RENAME THE MAROONDAH HOSPITAL AT RINGWOOD – $1.05BN

The new Queen Elizabeth II Hospital will include a new emergency department, operating theatres, day procedure facilities and specialist care spaces.

UPGRADE AT THE AUSTIN HOSPITAL IN HEIDELBERG AND THE NORTHERN HOSPITAL IN EPPING – $1BN

Includes an expanded emergency department at the Austin, and a new emergency department and extra beds at the Northern.

DELIVER A BIGGER AND BETTER MONASH MEDICAL CENTRE – $560M

Includes a new operating theatre complex, intensive care unit and birthing suites.

New schools in the west and money for upgrades others are part of the ALP education plan. Picture: Josie Hayden

EDUCATION

UPGRADE SCHOOLS AND BUILD MORE KINDERS ON-SITE – $1.6BN

Includes $850m to fund works at more than 89 primary and secondary schools. $25m in planning funding to deliver 25 schools across Victoria.

BETTER DISABILITY SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AND KIDS – $207M

Includes $25m to build aqua-therapy pools at specialist schools and $11.3m to deliver scholarships to attract more speech pathologists and occupational therapists to regional areas.

REMOVE PREVIOUS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FREE TAFE COURSES – $170M

The once-in-a-lifetime limit on enrolling in a Free TAFE course will be scrapped for people with higher-level qualifications who want to return to their particular field of study.

Cheaper daily fares and more services are on the cards for the regional rail network. Picture: David Crosling

TRANSPORT

DELIVER CHEAPER PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES, BUILD MORE VLOCITY TRAINS AND EXTRA WEEKEND SERVICES ON REGIONAL RAIL NETWORK – $1BN

The cost of a daily ticket on the regional network will be capped at $9.20 for a full fare. Almost 200 extra weekend services will be added on major train lines in regional Victoria.

DELIVER BETTER TRAIN SERVICES TO THE WESTERN SUBURBS – $650M

Includes extra stabling and upgraded stations to deliver nine-car VLocity trains for the Melton line.

UPGRADE INTERSECTIONS IN BACCHUS MARSH, CRANBOURNE AND POINT COOK – $174M

Point Cook Road will be upgraded and a new intersection at Central Ave will be built. A roundabout in Bacchus Marsh will be replaced with traffic lights that are timed and connected to the nearby level crossing. An intersection in Cranbourne will be redeveloped.

UPGRADE THE WATSON STREET AND HUME FREEWAY INTERCHANGE IN WALLAN – $130M

The funding will go towards a full diamond interchange on the Hume Freeway and upgrade on Watson Street.

REGIONAL

BUILD A NEW HOSPITAL IN WEST GIPPSLAND – $675M

A new state-of-the-art hospital and public aged care facility in Drouin East.

A BIGGER AND BETTER ART GALLERY FOR BENDIGO – $21M

A grant provided to the City of Greater Bendigo towards the redevelopment of the Bendigo Art Gallery.

TAX

No new taxes

ENVIRONMENT

BRING BACK THE STATE ELECTRICITY COMMISSION – NO COST

Labor plans to reinstate the former government-owned commission and enshrine it in Victoria’s Constitution. The agency would invest in renewable generation with the aim of assisting in bringing down energy costs.

INVESTMENT IN RENEWABLE POWER – $1BN

The initial investment will deliver 4.5 gigawatts of renewable power, helping the state reach 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035 and net zero by 2045.

CLEAN AIR FOR THE WESTERN SUBURBS – $20M

Includes $15m to modernise trucks that travel through the western suburbs. Subsidies of up to $20,000 will be available to encourage truck operators to replace older vehicles to newer models that limit engine emissions. $5m in grants available for local councils to seal more roads.