In short:
The Coalition says it would halve waitlists for elective surgeries if victorious in the coming state election.
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it → say → election
The announcement has been backed by the private hospital sector, which says a similar scheme in Queensland has been successful.
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scheme → back → Queensland
Labor has committed to winding back land tax changes it made in 2023.
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it → commit → 2023
The Coalition has promised to halve Victoria's waitlist for elective surgery if victorious in the upcoming state election.
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Coalition → promise → election
The state's elective surgery waitlist has continued to climb over the past year, with about 68,730 Victorian patients across urgent and non-urgent categories still waiting for a procedure in June.
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patients → continue → June
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said her party would establish a program giving public patients the choice to undergo their surgery at a private hospital at no cost.
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party → say → cost
"The program will deliver an extra 25,000 surgeries a year," Ms Wilson said.
"
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Wilson → deliver → surgeries
For those people who are languishing on the elective surgery waitlist at the moment, putting their life on hold, I know they are looking for a government that is prioritising their needs.
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that → languish → needs
The policy mirrors a similar program introduced by the Queensland government, which resulted in a small drop in surgery waiting lists, according to ABC analysis.
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which → mirror → analysis
Ms Wilson said the $1.27 billion program would be wholly funded by winding up government investment fund Breakthrough Victoria.
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program → say → Victoria
"Victorians deserve a government that isn't playing venture capitalist but is instead delivering the health services that Victorians desperately need."
Breakthrough Victoria, currently valued at $600 million, recorded losses of $5.7 million in the 2025 financial year, and losses of $3 million in 2024.
The Breakthrough Victoria fund has already undergone consolidation after being merged with startup agency LaunchVic earlier this year.
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fund → deserve → LaunchVic
The announcement has been backed by the private hospital sector, which would sign four-year contracts under the deal to treat public patients, with spare capacity.
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which → back → capacity
Australian Private Hospitals Association chief executive Brett Heffernan said both the official and unofficial waiting times for surgeries were becoming a major problem.
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times → say → surgeries
"We're looking in the tens of thousands of patients who are stranded on longer and longer lists,"he said.
"There's also an unofficial list and that is a multitude of patients, probably more than the official list, who are waiting for consultations with specialists to get onto the list in the first place."
Mr Heffernan called the proposed program a "win-win" for patients and said the use of private hospitals had improved wait times in Queensland.
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use → look → Queensland
"They saw about 8,000 people in 18 months drop from their waiting lists, which may not sound dramatic, but it is because … when people come off the waiting lists, more people go onto the waiting list," he said.
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he → see → list
The Carroll government has backed its own record on surgeries, saying Victorian public hospitals had delivered a record 218,000 planned surgeries over the past year.
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hospitals → back → year
The government said 100 per cent of the most urgent patients, dubbed category 1, were treated within 30 days.
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cent → say → days
The government previously announced a $50.1 million investment towards 4,000 additional planned surgeries for children in the 2026/27 budget.
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government → announce → budget
Labor to wind back land tax changes
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Labor → wind → changes
The Carroll government has promised to reverse course on land tax if re-elected, scrapping changes it made to the threshold in 2023.
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it → promise → 2023
Under the changes, the threshold for paying land tax was lowered from a site value of $300,000 to $50,000, meaning 250,000 more Victorians were subject to the tax.
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Victorians → pay → tax
The government said the proposed changes would be implemented progressively over the course of several years, with the threshold increasing by $25,000 a year.
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threshold → say → 25,000
The changes will cost $230 million over five years, which the government says it will pay for by consolidating the government car fleet and delaying level crossing removals.
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it → cost → removals
"Lower land tax, more cost-of-living relief, and a responsible way to pay for it," Premier Ben Carroll said.
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Carroll → pay → it
"Im a new premier and this is my new direction."
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this → m → ?
The announcement mirrors Coalition and One Nation policies, with both parties committing to also reversing the 2023 land tax changes.
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parties → mirror → changes
The Aporia