Live: Victorian election campaign rolls on as parties appeal to regions
Victorians will head to the polls on November 28 to decide who will hold the balance of power in the state for the next four years.
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Policy in focus: The emergency services tax
The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund has been a hotly debated political topic in the lead-up to the election.
Introduced by Labor in 2025, the new levy replaced the existing Fire Services Levy already attached to land rates in Victoria and is used to fund fire services, the SES and Triple Zero.
But it came with a tax hike, with some farmers saying the change meant they would pay tens of thousands of dollars more each year.
The levy's introduction sparked protests on the steps of parliament, with convoys of fire trucks lined up on Spring Street.
CFA volunteers argued they were getting slugged with an extra tax when they already contribute time — and in many cases — money to their local brigades.
The Coalition and One Nation both pledged to scrap the wildly unpopular levy during their election campaigns.
A Liberal Party-supported petition prepared for parliament attracted nearly 44,000 signatures — understood to be a record for a Victorian parliamentary petition.
Labor initially backed down from the public pressure, capping the rate charged on farmland at 28.7 per cent for two years.
Now, the Carroll government vowed to make the cap permanent if re-elected.
The ABC's Jane McNaughton, Warwick Long and Justine Longmore have the full story below:
Jess Wilson pours a few beers as she meets Wodonga locals
By Ashlee Aldridge
By Ashlee Aldridge
Opposition leader Jess Wilson swapped Spring Street for the pub on Thursday night, stopping in at Wodonga’s Blazing Stump Hotel.
Wilson travelled from Melbourne in her campaign bus and joined Liberal candidate for Benambra Steve Martin, meeting locals ahead of an expected morning of campaigning in the region today.
There were plenty of introductions, a few beers poured by Wilson herself and an offer to pick up the tab.
One punter seemed impressed with her bar skills, telling her she poured well.
But locals were also keen to talk about the issues affecting the region, including the state of the roads and the controversial redevelopment of the Albury Hospital.
One woman told Wilson a new hospital was “desperately needed" as there were not enough beds and people were dying.
Welcome to the live blog
By Judd Boaz
By Judd Boaz
We're bringing you live coverage today from the Victorian state election campaign trail.
Labor and the Liberals will resume their election campaigns, travelling across the state in big campaign buses to visit critical electorates.
We'll be bringing you any new policy announcements, plus coverage from the day of public hearings in the Big Build royal commission.
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