Source : the age
School upgrades, a new children’s court, hospitals, suburban parks and an expanded railway station are among more than 150 funded projects now delayed, according to the Victorian budget.
Almost a third of the 518 projects funded in last year’s budget have been delayed by at least three months. The total cost has also blown out $3.3 billion, or 1.9 per cent, in the year.
Treasurer Jaclyn Symes delivering the budget on Tuesday.Credit: Joe Armao
“The cost of materials and supply of skilled labour are improving across the construction industry. However, challenges remain,” Tuesday’s state budget said.
An analysis by The Age of state budget papers found 171 projects have been delayed, referred to as “revised” completion dates.
Many of them had already been delayed in previous budgets. For example, 10 community hospitals promised by former premier Daniel Andrews in 2018, have repeatedly faced delays. Recently completed projects were cut from the analysis.
Premier Jacinta Allan talks with the media in the state budget lock-up on Tuesday.Credit: Joe Armao
Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes began their efforts to sell the budget to the public on Wednesday, defending the state’s net debt levels, set to hit $194 billion by 2028-29.
Allan said Victoria’s budget strategy was working as the government stabilised debt and grew the economy.
“We’ve also got to recognise that right now, working people and families, are facing real pressures … and my choice as premier and our government is supporting them with that cost-of-living support,” she told ABC radio.
Speaking at the annual post-budget lunch held by the Melbourne Press Club and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce, Symes defended the state’s tax system and said they had listened to business by not adding new or increased taxes.
“Resource-rich states can dig things out of the ground to balance their budget sheets, while we do have to rely on taxation to deliver the same level of services that Victorians rightly expect,” she said.
Symes said Victoria’s economic outlook was strong, and wages were forecast to grow above inflation for the first time since the pandemic.
Here are the projects whose timelines have been pushed back. These tables list the project, the completion date in last year’s budget, their revised date and the length of the delay.
Education
More than two dozen education projects have been delayed with most being school upgrades that have fallen up to 18 months behind schedule.
These include works at Ashwood High School, Yinnar Primary and Exford Primary schools. Diggers Rest Primary School has suffered the longest delay, at 21 months. The list also doesn’t reflect school upgrades still awaiting funding.
Projects to acquire land, and a separate project to provide kinder for every three-year-old have also been beset by delays.
Opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said delays to school upgrades meant Labor would break their promise to deliver them by the next state election in November 2026.
“The Allan Labor government has put a go-slow on these upgrades and the needs of students on pause as it scrambles to pay Victoria’s more than $1 million-an-hour interest bill,” she said.
“With educational outcomes declining and a worsening teacher shortage crisis, delivering safe, modern and appropriate school facilities must be a priority, and these delays are inexcusable.”
Health
The promised new hospitals at Melton and Frankston are behind schedule, along with rehabilitation and mental health projects.
A health sector program entitled “building emergency departments kids and families can count on”, designed to create calmer environments for paediatric patients, is three years and three months delayed.
The redevelopment of the Thomas Embling Hospital, which cares for mental health patients in the criminal justice system, is now a year behind schedule despite the expansion being recommended in the mental health royal commission.
Transport
Tuesday’s budget revealed upgrading myki’s new ticketing system, to allow travellers to tap on with bank cards and smartphones, is now up to 18 months late.
The premier defended the delay. “We always said that this would be a staged rollout, and indeed, the trials are already under way right now.”
The Port Rail Shuttle, which would move about 30 per cent of freight containers across Melbourne by rail, is also five years behind schedule.
While the Ballarat Station upgrade is a 15 months behind the estimated completion date stipulated last year, it will still be finished in 2026 as publicly announced. And the West Tarneit Station will still open for passengers in 2026 even though the overall project has been pushed back.
The government also said that while the suburban roads upgrade package is running 3½ years behind, that is only because stage two of the Yan Yean Road upgrade has been newly added, with other road upgrades already completed under the program.
Housing and disability
A handful of family violence and public housing projects have been delayed, by as much as 18 months.
An investment in the North Richmond community, which houses the state’s safe injecting room, is also tracking nine months later than it did a year ago.
Justice
The state government’s law and order push has seen a $779 million expansion of the prison system and a total of $1.6 billion invested in new crime and justice initiatives in the 2025-26 budget.
However, prison system capacity expansions and police infrastructure have fallen behind schedule along with upgrades to the Children’s Court of Victoria Clinic and Conference Centre and a specialist family violence integrated court. Upgrades to Country Fire Authority and the State Emergency Service (SES) assets are overdue.
Environment
The suburban parks program has been pushed back by two years since last year’s budget.
Water
Several upgrades to sewerage systems and water treatment plant projects are overdue, including in Bendigo where there is a 2½-year delay.
Cemeteries
A small collection of projects at Melbourne cemeteries will now be completed later than scheduled.
Other delays
Tightening security at government buildings will be delivered a year later than planned a year ago. There are also delays to projects under the Geelong City Deal.
