The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with the job, keeping our promises, and delivering on the things that really matter to Victorians.

The Victorian Budget 2017/18 reinforces the Labor Government’s track record of strong financial management, with a surplus of $1.2 billion in 17/18, surpluses averaging $2.4 billion over the forward estimates, and lower net debt than inherited from the previous Liberal Government.

It’s a strong foundation to help us get on with the job of delivering better schools, hospitals, roads and public transport, of removing level crossings, creating jobs, and keeping Victorians safe.

At the heart of this year’s Budget is a historic and life-changing investment to end family violence.

Family violence is a national emergency, with one woman killed every week by her former or current partner. We promised to do everything in our power to stop it, and that’s what this Budget does.

The Budget invests an unprecedented $1.9 billion to help implement every recommendation from the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

It’s an investment that will save lives. It will help us respond to the needs of victims, keep them and their children safe, and hold perpetrators to account.

We’re establishing 17 Support and Safety Hubs across the state, helping tens of thousands of victims with more after-hours crisis support, and creating five specialist Family Violence Courts to make our justice system more responsive to victims’ needs.

Victorians need to be safe in every city and town, so this Budget provides a massive $2 billion to Victoria Police to deliver a total of more than 3 000 new sworn officers. We’re giving them the officers, stations, equipment, and vehicles they need to keep Victorians safe.

Another $308 million will increase monitoring of serious offenders at the end of their custodial sentence, with two new post-sentence secure facilities to house the worst offenders.

We’ll give every child the best start in life, by investing another $1.3 billion in our schools on top of record funding last year, including an extra $685 million to build and upgrade schools across Victoria.

Because every Victorian deserves first-class care when they need it most, we’re investing an extra $2.9 billion in healthcare, with major upgrades at some of our busiest hospitals, and planning for a new Footscray Hospital, in addition to the record health investment in our last two Budgets.

Waiting lists will be cut even further with a $319.9 million elective surgery boost, while our ambulance service will receive another $26.5 million, on top of more than $500 million delivered in November, to keep improving response times after we ended the ambulance crisis for good.

Regional Victorians will get public transport they can rely on, with the $1.45 billion Regional Rail Revival package set to upgrade every major commuter rail line in regional Victoria.

Our growing population needs better and bigger roads, and the Budget invests another $2 billion in better roads across our state, including the $300 million Mordialloc Bypass, and $100 million to prepare for Melbourne’s missing North East Link.

Our government believes that Victorian projects should be built by Victorians, so we’re investing $500 million for more trains and trams – built in Victoria, for Victoria.

We’ll keep public transport running all night on weekends, with $193 million to make Night Network permanent in the world’s most liveable city.

Even more level crossings will be removed, and ongoing funding will deliver Victoria’s biggest road projects, including the West Gate Tunnel, and Australia’s biggest rail project, the Metro Tunnel.

After four years of stagnation under the previous Liberal Government, the Labor Government’s infrastructure investments are delivering a world-class transport network, and creating 50 000 Victorian jobs.

We’re building on our already-record jobs growth with a $90 million boost to attract more of the world’s biggest and most innovative businesses to Victoria and to protect existing Victorian jobs.

We’ll make sure regional Victoria shares in this success, with new government hubs in Ballarat and the Latrobe Valley to bring hundreds of jobs to the regions. Planning will also take place for a third jobs hub in Bendigo.

Small business will get another payroll tax reduction, along with a regional tax cut set to make it even more attractive to create jobs and grow your business in regional Victoria.

This is the first time in Australia that payroll tax has been cut specifically for regional businesses.

Through the Victorian Budget 2017/18, we’re investing in the things that really matter.

We’re creating and protecting jobs, delivering better roads and public transport, investing in better health care, boosting police to keep Victorians safe, helping to give every child the best start in life, and providing the biggest response in history to put an end to family violence.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“I promised I would do everything I could to put an end to family violence – and that’s what this Budget does.”

“This Budget delivers the things that really matter. This is a Budget that gets on with the job.”

Quotes attributable to Treasurer Tim Pallas

“Victorians will have the schools, hospitals, and transport options they deserve – wherever they live.”

“We’ll build on record jobs growth to create thousands of new jobs – and ensure every part of our state shares in that success.”