Today marks 10 years of Labor Government and Victorians are paying the price through record debt, record taxes, falling standards of living, and billions of dollars in cost blowouts across major projects.
For the entire term of the Labor Government, Jacinta Allan has either been Premier, Deputy Premier, or a Cabinet Minister, and has overseen a record that has left Victorians worse off and lagging other states.
Key failures of the Labor Government over the past decade include:
- Victoria's record net debt skyrocketing to $187.8 billion by 2027-28, increasing by a staggering $80.4 million a day over the September 2024 quarter
- Interest payments on Victoria's debt growing to $26 million every dayby 2027-28
- 56 new or increased taxes and charges since coming to office
- Suburban Rail Loop set to cost $216 billion, the most expensive and least transparent project in Victorian history, while communities miss out on the infrastructure they want and need
- Land Tax up 494 per cent or $9.3 billion by 2027-28
- Electricity costs up 21.5 per cent
- Implementation of gas bans for Victorian homes, driven by Labor's failure to issue a single new conventional onshore gas exploration permit, with gas costs up 34 per cent
- Major project cost blowouts of at least $40.4 billion, including $21.2 billion on the North East Link, $4.7 billion on the West Gate Tunnel and $4.92 billon on the Metro Tunnel on its initial budget
- Ambulance service in crisis, with emergency response time targets consistently missed and ramping at emergency departments
- Roads riddled with potholes, with maintenance funding cut and 91 per cent of roads rated in poor or very poor condition
- Youth crime rates jumping by 20 per cent over 12 months, driven by increases in aggravated burglaries, which have risen from one every three days to one every three and a half hours over the decade
- Unaffordable housing, with build targets missed and the highest property taxes in Australia
- Commonwealth Games cancellation costing $589 million and damaging Victoria's international reputation
- Falling living standards, with Victorian households on average $1,100 worse off than New South Wales
- Plummeting business confidence and 152,650 small businesses closing between 2023-2024
Leader of the Opposition, John Pesutto, said: "Under Premier Jacinta Allan's watch, debt is skyrocketing to $187.8 billion, Victorians are paying amongst the highest taxes in the nation, services are declining, roads are crumbling, and major projects have blown out by more than $40 billion.
"It's time to end Labor's record of failure. A Liberals and Nationals Government I lead will rein in cost blowouts, grow our economy, lower taxes, tackle the youth crime crisis, fix our roads, make it easier to buy a home, and provide opportunity for all.
"Labor can't manage money, and Victorians are paying the price."
Leader of The Nationals, Danny O'Brien, said: "In regional Victoria, we've been starved of infrastructure, our health and ambulance services are in crisis, our roads are crumbling, and regional communities are less safe than they were 10 years ago.
"It's bitterly ironic that regional Victorians are so neglected under the watch of a regional Victorian Premier."
Link: 10 Years of Jacinta Allan and Labor
