Health 

The Greens believe that every Victorian has a right to low-cost, high quality healthcare. Access shouldn’t be affected by who you are or where you’re from.

The Greens have set their sights firmly on rebalancing our healthcare priorities. The focus of successive Victorian Governments has been on addressing problems once they’ve become unmanageable. We need to shift that focus to tackling health problems before they become crises.

Increasing our focus on preventing health problems can offer massive improvements for the health and wellbeing of Victorians, and can offer significant savings in the long-term through reductions in health problems and treatment.

The Greens have a strong track record on campaigning for and securing improvements in community health and dental. We’ve also led the debate on reforming our drug laws to reduce the harm caused by drug use, and many of our policies are now being recognised by the major parties.

Children & Families 

Strong, connected and supported families are truly the backbone of our communities. Children’s opportunities in life shouldn’t be limited by where they live or how wealthy their parents are, and our education and welfare systems need to be fundamentally geared towards reducing inequality in society. 

The Greens are committed to ensuring that all children are able to attend early childhood education, as we know it’s one of the best ways of tackling inequality. We know that early childhood education and educators are under-valued in our society, and we know that shifting these attitudes is critical to good outcomes for children and families. 

Families that are struggling – for whatever reason – must have equal and ready access to high quality services to help them through tough times. The Greens have stood up time and again for the most vulnerable families in our communities and the workers and organisations providing services to those in need. 

The Greens have been advocating for reform of a broken child protection system for more than a decade. This reform needs to be holistic, from supporting families to deal with problems before they become crises, through to looking after workers and supporting children properly into adulthood. 

Women 

The Greens have been standing up for Victorian women for decades. 

Gender equality is one of our core principles, and we work hard to ensure that it’s reflected in everything that we do. In the Victorian Parliament, we’re particularly proud that of eight sitting MPs, seven are women. Our Parliamentary leader and deputy are both women. 

You can count on the Victorian Greens to fight for family-friendly workplaces; safe access to women’s health services; an end to family violence, and equality in the workplace.

There is no place for gender discrimination in our society. The Victorian Greens will work with all Victorians to support, empower and protect women today and into the future. 

Older People 

As our population ages, new and increased pressures are being placed on our aged care and healthcare systems, and in some areas they’re simply not coping. The Greens understand that the only way to meet these challenges is by planning for the long term, across sectors and services. 

Our aged care system needs to cater to the diversity of our population. It must be affordable, and it must be accessible. Where possible, older Victorians should be supported to live in their own homes or with families. Where this isn’t an option, suitable and affordable residential facilities must be readily available.

While Victoria has a relative large proportion of public aged care facilities (compared with other Australian states), the aged residential care sector is dominated by large corporates. Many of these are chronic tax avoiders, and some are providing sub-standard care to prop up profits. 

The Greens are committed to increasing publicly provided aged care services and ensuring that private providers are held accountable for providing quality care and paying corporate tax. 

Employment 

The cost of living in Victoria is on the rise, and at the same time, job insecurity has never been higher. The Greens are committed to transitioning to a greener, jobs-rich economy; supporting workers’ rights in a changing economy; tackling the gender pay gap; and making housing and services more affordable for all Victorians. 

Industrial Relations 

Victorian governments have failed to keep pace with the changing nature of work, from dramatic increases in labour hire, to the rise of the gig economy. The Greens are committed to ensuring that workers rights are protected wherever they work, and that people’s livelihoods are not left at the mercy of markets that too often focus on maximising profits at the expense of workers.  

We know that families need flexible workplaces in order to dedicate time to raising children; to balance work and family; and to make ends meet. The Greens strongly support reform to labour and leave legislation that aims to meet these challenges and provide better protection for working families. 

Industry & Investment 

The Greens have been leading the conversation on transitioning to a greener, more sustainable economy for decades. 

The Greens’ vision for transition to a greener, circular economy isn’t just about protecting our environment. Evidence shows that a focus on renewables and recycling provide huge employment opportunities, and often generate more jobs than the old, dirty alternatives. 

Many of our most successful industries – from agriculture to manufacturing – have huge potential to contribute to a more circular economy. With leadership and support from government, we can achieve huge change in a relatively short time-frame. 

Transition to a low-carbon economy isn’t an option, it’s an imperative.