The Andrews Labor Government is creating jobs and caring for the people of our region, with young people at the heart of this year’s budget.
Woady Yaloak Primary School will receive a $9.05 million investment to upgrade and modernise all four of the school’s campuses. Not only will this give students in Smythesdale, Scarsdale, Snake Valley and Ross Creek great learning spaces, but it'll create jobs locally.
A new Youth Prevention and Recovery Care (YPARC) 10 bed unit will be established for the Grampians Region, as part of a $141 million investment, to deliver mental health care for young Victorians transitioning out of hospital, or to avoid hospital admission. The exact location will be determined over the coming months and the facility will service the Ballarat region.
Our local sporting clubs are so important to our community. The Budget backs their future, with $420,000 to deliver a brand-new BMX facility in Meredith, giving local BMX enthusiasts a new track, as well as an upgraded skatepark and a bigger and better playground for local families.
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.
Young Victorians are at the heart of our reform of the Mental Health system, 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.
Recognising the key role of schools in supporting the wellbeing of our students, this Budget invests $200 million 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.
Schools will be able to draw from a range of evidence-based measures proven to work – from ‘Positive Education’ to therapy dog programs to mental health first aid training. Schools will also be able to use their funding to engage more mental health and wellbeing staff to further support their students.
In addition, the Mental Health in Primary Schools pilot will be expanded to include 90 government schools and 10 non-government schools, adding an extra 74 schools to the scheme.
Ensuring that care is available to every Victorian, this Budget also provides dedicated support for our regional communities. This includes $11 million to deliver a Rural and Regional Workforce Incentive Scheme, attracting, training and supporting more mental health workers in our community. A further $2.3 million will trial two new digital services, enabling rural and regional Victorians to access care from their own homes.
We will also continue supporting rural and regional young people's participation in social, community and civic life through local youth sector offices, including the one in Ballarat.
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 and child protection practitioners 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.
To help ensure more Victorians have access to the internet, this Budget will extend free public Wi-Fi in Ballarat’s central business district. Not only is this convenient for locals, it'll ensure Victorians without internet connections aren't left behind as more of our lives go online.
And in a further boost to local jobs, a new fleet of 25 X’Trapolis 2.0 trains will be designed and built in Victoria – with at least 150 of the new jobs to be based at Alstom’s Ballarat facility thanks to a $986 million investment.
With this Budget, we’re creating new jobs and caring for Victorians.
Quotes attributable to Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle
“This budget creates new jobs by expanding our mental health workforce, 150 new manufacturing jobs at Alstom and more local construction jobs to upgrade our schools and build more social housing.”
“Young people are at the heart of this budget with $9 million to upgrade Woady Yallock Primary School, a new 10-bed youth mental health unit for our region, $200 million Mental Health in Schools initiative and $420,000 for a new BMX track for Meredith.”
