Monday, 1 July 2019

The Andrews Labor Government continues to keep its promises, delivering on the commitments it made to our community.

It means from today, local families will benefit from brand-new Baby Bundles, new and expanded School Breakfast Clubs and the next stage of our landmark Solar Homes program.

Thanks to funding from the Labor Government, first-time parents are set to benefit from free baby bundles that will include all the essentials parents need to help guide them through the first few months and years of their child’s life.

These bundles will include a nappy bag, growsuit, safe sleeping bag, cotton wrap, teething ring, baby sunhat, toothbrush, first aid kit, information on safety and parenting, and picture books for various stages of a child’s development.

 Patients living in our regions will be better able to get the care they need, closer to home and family, with 125,000 new specialist appointments this year. This means families won’t have to spend hours in a car to Melbourne or hundreds of dollars on private appointments, just to get the treatment they need.

We’re driving down power bills for Victorian families, with our Solar Homes package ramping up from 1 July with the offer of solar panels on household roofs, with no upfront costs.

Thanks to our new Victorian Default Offer, we’re also stopping Energy Retailers ripping off Victorian families by abolishing costly standing offers and requiring retailers to offer a fairer price on energy.

Because we know how important regional businesses are to creating jobs in our country towns, we’re slashing payroll tax to just a quarter of the metropolitan rate, with the first tranche of tax cuts starting from today.

We’re also ensuring kids in our schools don’t go hungry, so they can get the most out their education. In coming weeks we will begin rolling out our School Breakfast Program, with a healthy lunch served alongside breakfast to students at 1000 government primary and secondary schools – with even more set to benefit over the next four years.

Our schools will also see mental health professionals rolled out in our schools, so our kids get the support they need, to help reduce the number of young Victorians tragically taking their own lives.

And in a national first, the Labor Government is set to provide pads and tampons in every government school – free of charge – because being able to access sanitary products shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a good education.

These are the things we said we’d do – and we’re delivering.

Because when we make a promise, we keep it.

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing

“When we said we wouldn’t waste a day in delivering on our commitments, we meant it.”

“From today, local families will benefit from new Baby Bundles, new School Breakfast Clubs and new solar panels on their homes.”