Does the 2018 Victorian budget deliver on social policy?
A VCOSS guide to what’s been funded, what missed out and where the budget will take Victoria.
Budgets aren’t really about money, they’re a statement about what a government values. They clearly lay out in numbers, graphs and tables what its authors deem worthy of investment and support.
Few have expressed this better than Victoria’s current Treasurer, Tim Pallas.
“[Budgets] show us where a government’s heart lies. They are, in essence, a test of not so much a government’s priorities as its fundamental decency,” he said in 2017.
So what does the 2018 Victorian budget say about the Andrews Labor Government’s approach to social policy?
Select a policy area below to begin reading our analysis.
These analyses will be progressively updated over the coming days as new information becomes available.
Stronger schools, more training and better jobs…
Our CEO @EmmaKingVic told the #springst media pack there’s a lot to like in the 2018 #VicBudget. pic.twitter.com/iqIvO0O44J
— VCOSS (@VCOSS) May 1, 2018
VCOSS will be looking for more announcements over the coming months to make housing more affordable.
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This budget contains relatively modest increases to funding to prevent family violence and address gender inequity.
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Welcome funding and support to improve service delivery, prevent child abuse and neglect, and better people in out-of-home-care.
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Some significant investments, however the future of psychosocial rehabilitation services remain uncertain.
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Improvements to diversion and rehabilitation for young people, however this budget pours money into building new prisons.
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The budget boasts a range of initiatives that support Aboriginal self-determination and the pathway to a Treaty.
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