Scott Watson

This policy would increase funding and extend the investigative powers of Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), which investigates public-sector corruption and police misconduct. (Source) This policy would provide additional funding beyond the September 2026 reforms now allow IBAC to investigate serious misconduct beyond criminal offences and trace public money through private contractors and subcontractors. (Source) IBAC investigates serious corruption, including the misuse of public money, (Source) so giving it more funding is intended to help save public funds over time.

This policy would reduce the number of staff in Victoria’s government departments and agencies, focusing on back-office roles, through a 10-year hiring freeze and natural attrition. (Source) It claims savings of about $2.2 billion a year on average, compared with about $1.25 billion a year estimated by the Silver Review, an independent review of Victoria’s public service, which the government has partly committed to acting on. (Source)

This policy would require gambling businesses to pay more tax on revenue from online betting, poker machines and casino games in Victoria. These activities are taxed separately, so implementing the policy would involve changes to several tax rates. (Source) Current gambling tax revenue is forecast at $2.9 billion in 2026–27. (Source) This policy would also end the arrangement that directs half of Victoria’s wagering and betting tax revenue to the racing industry, keeping that money in the state budget instead. (Source)

This policy would reduce the scope of Suburban Rail Loop (SRL), while continuing to build the underground rail line between Cheltenham and Box Hill. (Source) Underground connections to existing stations at Box Hill and Glen Waverley would be replaced by surface transfers, alongside cuts to pedestrian bridges, a second entrance at Clayton and some parking and precinct works. (Source) This policy is targeting $2 billion in total savings: approximately $1 billion from these changes and a further $1 billion to be identified through an independent technical review.

This policy would build 80,000 new public and community homes in Victoria over ten years, (Source) with interim milestones to track progress, (Source) through steady direct investment in public housing and grants to community housing organisations. It aims to lift social housing from 3% of Victoria’s housing stock, the lowest share of any state or territory, (Source) to the national average of 4.5%. (Source) Social housing includes both public housing (run by government) and community housing (run by not-for-profits). (Source) (Source)

This policy would gradually phase out upfront stamp duty on homes and replace it with a yearly land tax on all residential properties, based on the value of the land. Under this policy, land tax would likely also apply to the home people live in, which is currently exempt. (Source) Infrastructure Victoria recommends making this change using a long-term approach “to avoid disruptions to government revenue and the housing market”. (Source) Victoria is already switching commercial and industrial properties from stamp duty to a land tax over ten years. (Source)

This policy would cap yearly rent increases at the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The cap would apply to the property rather than the tenancy, so landlords could not evict a tenant to reset the rent at a higher level. (Source) The ACT is the only Australian jurisdiction with a similar policy, where landlords need the tenant’s written agreement or tribunal approval for rent increases that exceed Canberra’s rental inflation rate by more than 10%. (Source)

This policy would raise the foreign purchaser additional duty above its current rate of 8%. (Source) Foreign buyers would pay this duty on top of normal land transfer duty, on the share of a residential property they buy. (Source) A federal ban stops most foreign buyers from purchasing established homes until 30 June 2029, (Source) so the higher duty would mainly apply to new homes.

This policy would involve the state government taking steps to keep one or more of Victoria’s coal-fired power stations generating electricity beyond their planned closure dates, such as through financial support, agreements with operators or changes to regulations. Yallourn is scheduled to close in mid-2028 and Loy Yang A in June 2035, so extending their operating lives would mean changing those plans and arrangements with their operators. (Source)(Source)

This policy would use public funding to help incentivise households replace gas appliances for heating, hot water and cooking, with efficient electric alternatives. Support could take the form of rebates, discounts, zero-interest loans or installation assistance, including for rooftop solar, battery storage and emerging plug-in solar and battery technologies. Victoria already offers discounts on heat pumps and cooktops through the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. (Source)(Source)

This policy would build new electricity transmission lines — high-voltage power lines that carry electricity over long distances from wind farms and solar farms to the local networks that supply homes and businesses. (Source) Planned projects include the Western Renewables Link, a proposed 190-kilometre line from near Ararat in western Victoria to Melbourne’s north-west. (Source) This policy aims to connect new renewable energy as coal-fired power stations close, including Yallourn, which EnergyAustralia plans to close in mid-2028. (Source)

This policy would require companies building large wind, solar and battery projects to offer locals a share of the project or its profits. A share of the project means locals own part of it, while profit sharing means locals receive a portion of the project’s earnings. (Source) From July 2027, Victoria will ask companies to consider community co-ownership, but they will not be required to offer it. (Source) (Source)

This policy would cap total public funding for each Victorian private school at 100% of its Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), the estimate of how much funding a school needs to meet its students’ needs. (Source) On average, Victoria’s private schools are funded slightly above their SRS (about 102.5% in 2023), while Victoria’s public schools are funded below it (about 90%). (Source)

This policy would open more government-run childcare centres, mainly in regional and high-need areas. It would build on Early Learning Victoria, the government’s existing childcare provider, which is already building 50 centres that offer kinder and long day care in one place. (Source) It aims to help families in “childcare deserts”, where more than three children compete for every childcare place. (Source)

This policy would establish 10 full-time technical colleges, each training up to 500 students in Years 10 to 12 in trades such as plumbing, electrical and carpentry, as well as healthcare and hospitality. (Source) The colleges would sit on existing secondary school and TAFE sites and, like South Australia’s technical colleges, (Source) partner with local industry to create pathways into apprenticeships.

This policy would ensure Victorian government schools are funded to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), the estimate of how much funding a school needs to meet its students’ needs. (Source) Under an agreement between the Victorian and Australian governments, Victoria is lifting its share from about 70% to 75% of the SRS, and the Australian Government from 20% to 25%, so full funding will be achieved by 2034. (Source) (Source) Principals say schools currently rely on voluntary parent contributions to help fill the funding gap. (Source)

This policy would make it harder for people accused of serious offences or repeat offending to receive bail. (Source) Victoria tightened its bail laws in March 2025, applying stricter bail tests to more serious offences and to people who reoffend while on bail. (Source) Further proposed changes include a “one-strike” rule requiring bail refusal for repeat offending, stronger penalties for breaching bail and extending breach-of-bail offences to children.

This policy would increase state funding for early intervention programs, such as mentoring, family support and help to reconnect with school, work and community, with the aim to keep young people out of the youth justice system. As the Auditor-General found no evidence that Victoria’s existing Youth Crime Prevention Program reduces offending, (Source) this policy would also focus on measurable targets and improving data.

This policy would increase state funding both to prevent family, domestic and sexual violence, through early intervention and prevention work, and to respond to it, through frontline services such as crisis response, case management, counselling and refuges. Victoria Police recorded 102,830 family violence incidents in the year to June 2026, (Source) and made a record 16,500 family violence arrests. (Source)

This policy, known as “Jack’s Law”, would allow police to scan anyone in a public place for knives and other metal weapons with a handheld metal detector, without a warrant or suspicion. (Source) Police can currently do this only inside formally declared “designated areas”, such as shopping centres or train stations. (Source) This policy would remove the need to declare an area first. (Source)

This policy would open 10 free, walk-in public dental clinics across Victoria — seven in Melbourne and three in regional areas — from July 2027. (Source) The clinics would provide free check-ups and treatment such as fillings, root canals and extractions, prioritising people with the most urgent needs, and could treat more than 100,000 people a year. (Source)

This policy would create a fund to build or expand up to 10 discharge lounges in Victorian hospitals, starting with those experiencing the worst overcrowding and ambulance ramping. (Source) In a discharge lounge, patients ready to go home can wait for medication, transport or paperwork, which frees their ward bed for a new patient. (Source) This aims to move patients out of emergency departments faster, so paramedics spend less time waiting outside hospitals. (Source)

Community health services are local services funded by the Victorian Government to provide allied health, counselling and nursing care, with a focus on groups such as children and people with chronic disease. (Source) This policy would increase the government’s core funding for community health services and bush nursing centres, so they can offer more prevention, early detection and care close to where people live. (Source) Over time, this aims to reduce demand for more complex and costly care in hospitals and emergency departments. (Source)

Based on Queensland’s Surgery Connect program, (Source) this policy would let public patients choose to have elective surgery at a private hospital at no cost, through four-year contracts with private hospitals that have spare capacity. (Source) It would cover common procedures such as hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and colonoscopies, and aims to halve the waiting list by delivering an extra 25,000 surgeries a year.

This policy would create an ongoing Victorian fund to pay for clean-up, repairs to community infrastructure and local recovery services after climate disasters such as bushfires, floods and storms. Victoria already shares eligible recovery costs with the Commonwealth, (Source) but this policy would add a dedicated state fund for any disaster.

This policy would tighten restrictions on removing native vegetation from privately owned land. Victoria already requires a council planning permit to remove native vegetation unless an exemption applies, so the change would strengthen existing controls. (Source) It would also provide dedicated state funding for councils to monitor clearing and enforce the rules, potentially using satellite and aerial imagery, as recommended by the Auditor-General. (Source)

This policy would create a legal duty for Victorian decision-makers to prioritise the health and wellbeing of young people and future generations when assessing coal, oil and gas projects. They would have to assess how a project’s contribution to climate change could harm young people. (Source) Victoria’s Climate Change Act already requires the Minister to consider climate change when deciding whether to approve onshore oil and gas. This policy would add a specific duty focused on children and future generations. (Source)

This policy would increase state funding and resources for the Country Fire Authority (CFA), whose volunteer brigades respond to fires and other emergencies across much of rural and regional Victoria. (Source) Additional funding could replace ageing fire trucks, upgrade stations and protective equipment, and provide training and support to recruit and retain volunteers. (Source)

This policy would cap weekly toll costs at $30 for cars, motorbikes and light commercial vehicles on CityLink, EastLink and the West Gate Tunnel throughout 2027. (Source) Motorists would keep paying tolls as usual, then claim back what they paid above $30 a week through a quarterly Service Victoria rebate, up to $350 a week or $5,000 a year per vehicle.

This policy would dedicate 5% of the state transport budget to planning and building safe, separated cycling routes across Melbourne and regional centres. (Source) This 5% would be new funding, on top of existing walking and cycling funding and bike paths already built through major road and level crossing projects.

This policy would guarantee at least $3 billion a year to maintain state-managed roads. The Department of Transport estimated this is the amount needed to stop roads getting worse while replacing ageing assets. (Source) This is nearly three times the $1.04 billion budgeted for 2026–27, (Source) and more than double the $1.39 billion total, once an extra $352 million for pothole repairs is included. (Source) 82% of state roads are in regional Victoria, which also have the highest proportion of roads as being in poor or very poor condition. (Source)

This policy would run buses, trains and trams more often across Victoria and make it easier to change between them. Examples include metro trains at least every 20 minutes until midnight and key cross-suburban buses every 20 minutes, (Source) with upgrades to busy interchange stations such as Caulfield and Richmond. (Source) It would also align bus timetables with train and tram timetables so passengers wait less when they change services. (Source)

This policy would temporarily pause approvals and construction of new AI data centres in Victoria until stronger, enforceable safeguards are in place for electricity and water use, the environment, and nearby communities. It aims to give communities time to weigh the risks and benefits, (Source) and give councils and residents a say on future projects. (Source) Victoria’s new planning rules are not yet legally binding, and only cover applications lodged from 23 September 2026, not the state’s 50 existing data centres. (Source)

Victoria became the first Australian state to legislate a Treaty with First Peoples in 2025, establishing Gellung Warl, which includes the elected First Peoples’ Assembly. (Source) The Treaty was developed over nearly a decade of extensive community consultation, including elections for the First Peoples' Assembly. Negotiations between the Assembly and the government that were held across Victoria so communities could take part. (Source)(Source) Gellung Warl cannot make or veto laws, but can question ministers and must receive a treaty compatibility statement with every bill. (Source) This policy would repeal that legislation and abolish those bodies.

This policy would remove out-of-pocket costs for medication and surgical abortions before 16 weeks of pregnancy by paying participating private providers to deliver the care. Currently, most abortions in Victoria are provided privately, where patients may pay fees even after Medicare rebates. (Source) This policy would also include travel assistance for eligible patients who need to travel long distances for care. (Source)

This policy would give eligible Victorian employees a legal right to work from home two days a week where reasonable, with a proportionate entitlement for part-time and regular casual employees. (Source) Employers could refuse on specified grounds, such as duties requiring attendance, significant productivity or safety impacts, or excessive costs, and would have to explain their reasons. (Source) Employees could challenge a refusal through the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and, if unresolved, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. (Source) On 10 September 2026, the Legislative Council voted to send the bill to a parliamentary committee, so it is not yet law. (Source)