Victorian State Budget Review: 2025/26

While some important programs for carers have received rollover funding, such as additional respite and the Support for Carers Program, most carers are not specifically targeted in this budget.  There is some good news for young carers of family members experiencing mental illness or psychological distress through an allocation of $10.1m (over 2 years) for supports and services delivered by the Satellite Foundation. 

Some carers may be assisted by cost-of-living relief measures and some new or continued initiatives in energy rebates, health and education. We have summarised the key ones below.

The figures noted in this article refer to funds allocated over the next four years unless otherwise noted.

Cost of living measures

• $318.2 million for free public transport travel in Victoria for children aged under 18 (all train, tram and bus travel across public transport in metropolitan and regional Victoria) from 1 January 2026. Ahead of this, free travel on public transport for students in crisis will continue to be available during 2025 to ensure they can travel to school and support services.
• $2.2 m for free weekend public transport for Victorian Seniors Card holders (over the age of 60 and working less than 35 hours /week) also from 1 January 2026.
• $152.3 m to increase the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund available to primary and secondary school children who have a parent with a health care or concession card. From Term 1 2026, every child will be eligible for $400 regardless of whether they are enrolled in primary or secondary school.
• 65,000 Get Active Kids vouchers, which provides up to $200 towards the cost of kids’ sports membership, equipment or uniforms. These are available for families with children under 18 years old who are named on a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card and Medicare Card.
• $50.6 m for a one-off $100 Power Saving Bonus for eligible Victorian concession card households that use the Victorian Energy Compare website. The payment is expected to be available from August. This amount also includes $600,000 to expand the Energy Assistance Program to provide free one-on-one tailored assistance for vulnerable and hard-to-reach customers struggling with their energy bills.

• $5.2m to expand the reach of the Good Money program and support more Victorians with no-interest loans and affordable financial services delivered by Good Shepherd.
• $17.9 m (over three years) to increase food relief to people in need via Regional Foodshares in Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Geelong, Mildura, Shepparton and Warrnambool, and the Regional Food Security Alliance. The Community Food Relief grants program will continue to provide grants to local community organisations, neighbourhood houses, and large-scale food relief providers.
• $29.7 m (for one year) for Solar Victoria to extend the hot water rebate program to more eligible households to install energy efficient electric heat pumps and solar hot water systems in their homes.

The Government will reintroduce half-price camping fees (for two years) from July 1, 2025, and will continue to fund free admission for children under 16 years of age to Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, Kyabram Fauna Park and Werribee Open Range Zoo on weekends, public holidays and during school holidays (for one year).

Healthcare

• $18.1 m to support further expansion of the Community Pharmacy Program to allow community pharmacists to treat conditions with medicines usually only available with a GP script and administering travel and public health vaccinations.
• $437 m to expand the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) to provide free care from emergency nurses and doctors for non-life-threatening conditions. The investment will increase its capacity to handle 1,750 calls per day (from the current capacity of 550) by 2028-29, or more than 600,000 calls every year.
• $5.6 m to support the health of Victorian women and girls by improving access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.
• $30 m to maintain 12 Urgent Care Clinics to treat patients who require urgent, non-emergency care, as well as strengthening local primary care services in targeted communities.

Mental Health – clinical care and community health services

• $34.4 m (over two years) to expand and continue the network of Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals, with seven new locations to be established in addition to the existing 15 locations.
• $28.3 m for mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people. This funding will continue the delivery of the Youth Outreach Recovery Support, Youth Live4Life and Healthy Equal Youth programs.
• $308.9m for mental health bed-based services
• This funding continues the operation of acute adult inpatient mental health beds at the Sunshine and Northern Hospitals and mental health alcohol and other drugs emergency department hub beds at Monash Medical Centre, St Vincent’s, Sunshine, Royal Melbourne Hospitals and University Hospital Geelong. Funding will also continue delivery of hospital in the home beds through Barwon Health and Orygen Specialist Program, providing home-based acute inpatient care.
• Funding includes provision to operationalise 30 new regional Youth Prevention and Recovery Care (YPARC) beds in Geelong, Shepparton and Ballarat from July 2026 to young people aged 16-25 experiencing mental health challenges and psychological distress.
• $1.5m (for one year) for the QHub program to support young people and their families in western Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ communities with place-based mental health and wellbeing support services.
• $26.6 m (over two years) for integrated treatment, care and support for people with co-occurring issues.
• $21.2 m for the Perinatal Emotional Health Program.
• $7.5 m (over two years) to support groups disproportionately impacted by suicide.

Drug and alcohol services

• $33.5 m to strengthen alcohol and other drug residential rehab services
• $10.7m (over two years) for alcohol and other drug community support services.

Disability

• $24.1 m (for one year) to continue support for Victorians with disability to access the Victorian Disability Advocacy Program, support Victorians with disability who are ineligible for the NDIS, autism assessment grants, and delivering an integrated child and family services response for vulnerable children with disability.
• $22 m (for one year) to maintain delivery of the Home and Community Care Program for Younger People with disability outside of the NDIS. Funding is also provided to assess people with disability seeking to have allied health supports included within their NDIS plans.
• $319.8 m (74% committed in 2025-26) to deliver Disability Inclusion reforms in Victorian government schools including extra funding to recruit and train specialist staff and provide tailored support for students with disability.
• $33.4 m (for one year) for the Students with Disabilities Transport Program and including the introduction of six new bus services for specialist schools.

Aged care

• $34.6 m (for one year) to continue delivering public sector residential aged care services, assist in meeting new nurse-to-resident ratios and fund additional public sector residential aged care places at the Kingston Centre and Hesse Rural Health.
• $7.6 m to strengthen medication practices in residential aged care to support the implementation of planned legislative requirements for nurses to administer medication in public sector aged care facilities.
• $2.7 m (for one year) for the Victorian Aids and Equipment program - supporting the aids and equipment needs of Victorians, including older people and people with permanent or long-term disability under 65 years of age who may be ineligible for the NDIS.

Education

• $2 billion to continue roll out of the Best Start, Best Life early childhood education reforms, including up to 15 hours of Free Kinder for three and four-year-olds statewide. Includes expansion of four-year-old kindergarten to Pre-Prep for up to 30 hours per week and continues the roll out of 50 government-owned Early Learning and Childcare Centres.
• A further $5.3 million will be invested in Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to deliver culturally safe kindergarten as part of Best Start, Best Life reforms.
• $25.6 m to continue to address chronic student absenteeism and support disengaged young people to re-engage in education through the Navigator program. Navigator will continue to provide identification, outreach and case management services to schools to improve outcomes for vulnerable students.
• $459 million in skills and TAFE, includes:
  • $171 m (over two years) for training, including an additional 20,000 workers to reskill through Free TAFE
  • $23 m (over two years) to strengthen the apprenticeship system
  • $43.8 m for 9600 more student places in digital literacy and employability skills training at Learn Local providers and 8 000 additional student places a year in literacy and numeracy programs at TAFEs.