The Andrews Labor Government is creating jobs and caring for the people of the eastern suburbs.
The Victorian Budget 2021/22 will support an average of 38,000 jobs every year over the next four years, while also investing in the care, services and infrastructure our community needs.
This Budget delivers over $130 million in local investment – which now means there is over $400 million in local projects underway or delivered since local Member for Bayswater, Jackson Taylor MP, was elected in 2018.
Our local sporting clubs are so important to our community. The Budget is backing their future, delivering better pavilions, changerooms, grounds and courts so all Victorians can get active. In Bayswater, the Budget funds $2.5 million to deliver a new pavilion at JW Manson Reserve, including women's changerooms.
Templeton Primary School is one of 52 Victorian schools that will be upgraded in this year's Budget. This $9.19 million investment will look to deliver a new senior learning building as is the schools priority and will help them to move away from a 'four wall' classroom and transform their learning spaces into flexible learning environments which can be adapted based on student need. Not only will this give our students new classrooms and learning spaces, it'll create good jobs for locals too. Across the state, our investment in more and better schools is expected to support 3,500 jobs.
Recognising the key role of schools in supporting the wellbeing of our students, this Budget also invests in a new School Mental Health Fund. This investment will allow schools to choose and implement mental health and wellbeing programs that best meet the needs of their students. The Mental Health in Primary Schools pilot will also be expanded to include 90 government schools and 10 non-government schools.
We know our hospitals are at the heart of our community. This Budget invests $98.9 million to upgrade Angliss Hospital, delivering an expansion including a new in-patient unit and and much more. This project will give our doctors and nurses the facilities they deserve, while also ensuring that local families have the very best care, close to home.
We also want our youngest Victorians to get the best care. It's why this Budget delivers $100 million to build new emergency department zones dedicated to children, including at Maroondah Hospital’s Emergency Department. This investment will give local parents confidence their kids are being taken care of, while also creating 300 local jobs at the peak of construction.
Further to this, the Budget delivers a share of $5.7 million for planning and business case preparations for an expanded adult emergency department at Maroondah Hospital, too.
Better roads get us where we need to go sooner, and safer - and building them creates new jobs for locals. It's why this Budget delivers $8.6 million towards upgrades to the Canterbury Road and Heathmont Road intersection, delivering improved safety and connectivity for local pedestrians, cyclists and commuters and provide an easier way to get around in Heathmont. The works will ensure this intersection is fixed to make it safer, as well as allowing for right turns to be made easier, among other upgrades.
This Budget also includes a once in a generation investment to build our mental health system from the ground up. $3.8 billion will transform the way mental health support is offered in Victoria, with early intervention, a dedicated stream of care for our kids, and the recruitment of thousands of new workers.
We are truly lucky to have the Eastern Community Legal Centre serving our community and their strong focus on not just supporting family violence victims, but programs targeted at prevention and intervention. So to help them with this vital work, the Andrews Labor Government has funded in this Budget $891,000 for an expansion of their crucial early intervention services for women and children to the Knox Local Government Area, for at least three years.
Young Victorians are at the heart of our reform, with $842 million in mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people. This investment will see two separate streams of care created – one devoted to infants and children and one devoted to young people. This investment will deliver more early intervention, more intensive support for those who need acute care, and three new community-based hubs, providing a one-stop approach to children’s mental health, health and development.
An investment of $954 million will deliver 22 reformed area mental health and wellbeing services to replace current services. These services will have more capacity to treat and support Victorians experiencing severe and complex mental health challenges, in their own communities.
Not only are we delivering the mental health system Victoria needs – we’re also supporting around 3,000 new jobs. From doctors to nurses, support staff to peer workers, this investment is creating new opportunities for thousands of Victorians. To train and recruit this critical workforce we’re also funding new scholarships, job placements and continuing our Free TAFE courses.
With this Budget, we’re creating new jobs and caring for all locals.
Quotes attributable to Member for Bayswater Jackson Taylor
“I’m absolutely stoked to be able to have secured over $130 million in funding for local projects like the rebuild of Templeton Primary, the new JW Manson Reserve Pavilion, the Canterbury Road and Heathmont Road intersection fix – and much more.”
“With this Budget the Andrews Labor Government is also, importantly, investing in the health care and mental health support our community needs. At the same time, we’re also driving the creation of new jobs for local families.”
