3,000 new police on the streets 

The Nationals will recruit 3,000 new police officers to boost frontline numbers, reopen the more than 40 police stations closed by Labor or now operating on reduced hours, and strengthen community safety across Victoria. Half of all recruits will be experienced officers from the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand, replicating a successful approach used in Western Australia. The program will be supported by a relocation allowance and a dedicated recruitment campaign, helping to fast-track the rebuild of Victoria’s police ranks and get more officers on the beat. 

Introduce tough new bail laws – Break Bail, Face Jail 

The Nationals will introduce tough bail laws so offenders who break their bail conditions face jail, rather than be released back into the community. This ensures there are consequences for repeat offenders while improving community safety. 

Adult Crime, Adult Time 

The Nationals will expand the range of offences treated as adult crimes to include burglary, serious assault and attempted murder. Offenders who commit serious violent and sexual crimes will face tough penalties, regardless of age. We will also introduce a one-strike bail rule, meaning offenders who reoffend while on bail will be automatically denied bail. 

More funding for youth mentor programs 

The Nationals will establish programs to bolster youth crime prevention and rehabilitation as part of our $100m Safer Communities Plan. 

• Restart will be a Victorian-first residential responsibility and discipline program that provides a live-in program for serious and repeat offenders aged between 12 and 17. The program provides a pathway out of crime through discipline, education, counselling, and community support. 

• Youthstart will invest in proven community-based interventions such as Youth Justice Hubs, risk-based diversion, trauma-informed therapy, mentoring, and family-based case management. 

Tough new laws to dismantle criminal organisations 

The Nationals will take strong action to stamp out organised crime, corruption, and misuse of public funds across Victoria’s major projects. We will introduce tough new laws, modelled on the United States RICO framework, to target the leaders of organised crime networks. These reforms will ensure gang bosses who profit from serious criminal activity face significant prison sentences. 

To recover stolen taxpayer money, we will establish a joint Victoria Police taskforce that works with the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Taxation Office to seize assets linked to criminal activity on Big Build sites. This taskforce will fully utilise existing asset seizure laws to return proceeds of crime to taxpayers and victims. 

We will provide Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) with “follow the money” powers, allowing IBAC to investigate third parties. This will ensure IBAC has the powers it needs to root out corruption on taxpayer funded Big Build sites. We will also ensure Victorians have greater transparency of corruption investigations by making it easier to hold public hearings. 

A new Construction Enforcement Victoria will be created to uphold integrity on taxpayer-funded building sites. It will enforce the Construction Industry Code, investigate breaches, issue banning orders, and refer criminal or corrupt conduct to Victoria Police and IBAC. 

All employees and contractors on Victorian major projects will need to successfully complete a police background check so crime can no longer flourish on our construction sites. 

Tobacco licensing and illegal trade crackdown 

Stronger enforcement and a tough licensing scheme will crack down on illegal tobacco, shutting down the illegal black-market shops fueling firebombings and organised crime gangs. 

Ban bikies from all government projects 

The Nationals will ban bikies and individuals linked to organised crime from public projects through mandatory background checks, ensuring the strongest standards in the nation for government funded worksites. 

Royal Commission into CFMEU misconduct 

The Nationals will establish a Royal Commission into CFMEU misconduct to expose corruption, stand up for honest workers and put a stop to criminal activities that are driving up costs for taxpayers on new schools, hospitals and roads. 

Jail for child sexual offenders – no exceptions 

Child sex offenders will face jail every time – no loopholes, no exceptions. The Nationals will legislate to close a long-standing gap that has allowed offenders convicted of historical child sexual abuse to avoid prison through suspended sentences. 

For too long, courts have applied outdated sentencing laws that have allowed convicted offenders to walk free instead of serving jail time. Our reforms will ensure all child sexual offences, no matter when they occurred, are sentenced under current law, with no suspension of jail terms. 

Tackle knife crime 

The Nationals will introduce Jack’s Law allowing Victoria Police to scan and detect weapons and remove them before they can be used in criminal activity. 

Restore move-on laws 

Commonsense move‑on powers will be restored so police can direct people causing trouble or blocking others, including during disruptive or unsafe protests, to move on and keep streets, shopping strips and town centres safe and accessible for families and local businesses. 

Right to Ask, Right to Know Laws 

The Nationals will introduce “Right to Ask, Right to Know” domestic violence disclosure laws to help at-risk Victorians make safer choices in their relationships and prevent intimate partner violence before it occurs. The proposed scheme would allow individuals to request information from police about a partner’s history of violence (“Right to Ask”). It will also empower police to proactively disclose information where a risk is identified (“Right to Know”), ensuring people have the information they need to protect themselves and their families. Anyone using the scheme will also be offered two free trauma-informed counselling sessions to help them understand the disclosure and support their next steps. 

Mandatory training for Working with Children Checks 

The Nationals will introduce mandatory training as part of the Working with Children Check system to strengthen child safety across Victoria. 

This training will ensure people working or volunteering with children understand their legal responsibilities, how to identify concerning or risky behaviour, and how to respond and report appropriately. It is designed to improve awareness, consistency and early intervention where risks to children may exist. 

By embedding training into the Working with Children Check process, the policy strengthens safeguards and helps ensure all children are better protected in schools, clubs and community settings. 

New rules to protect police during pursuits 

The Nationals’ Safer Communities Plan will strengthen pursuit laws and better support Victoria Police in dealing with dangerous offenders who refuse to stop. It will create a new offence for initiating a police pursuit, increase penalties for pursuit-related harm, and strengthen legal protections for police so officers have clearer guidance in high-pressure situations. The reforms ensure offenders who flee police are held fully accountable for the harm and risk they cause to the community, with tougher consequences for damage, injury and endangerment during pursuits. 

War on graffiti 

The Nationals will clean up our roadways, alleys and communities by introducing tougher graffiti penalties and faster clean-ups. This plan will ensure rapid removal of graffiti, stronger consequences for repeat offenders, and a clear focus on protecting public spaces, including town centres and transport hubs. 

Protests to be registered with police 

The Nationals will require major protests to be registered with Victoria Police to better manage disruption and protect community safety. Melbourne in particular has experienced repeated large-scale protests that have disrupted businesses, transport, and daily life. This policy will ensure people can still exercise their right to protest, while allowing authorities to plan appropriately and minimise unnecessary impacts on small businesses and the wider community.

$5 billion to fix Victoria’s roads, and keep them fixed
The Nationals will invest $5 billion in road maintenance over four years – a 25 per cent increase on current spending – to eliminate one million potholes and re-establish a proper, planned system of preventative road maintenance across the state. The plan will:
• Invest $5 billion in road maintenance over four years, a 25 per cent increase on current spending.
• Re-establish Better Roads Victoria as a standalone division within the Department of Transport and Planning, rebuilding the technical and engineering expertise lost when Labor abandoned VicRoads and axed Regional Roads Victoria.
• Boost roadside maintenance such as grass slashing, graffiti removal and drain clearance.
• Lift departmental and contractor accountability through a review of construction standards and maintenance contracts.[

Pause the Suburban Rail Loop 

The Nationals will pause Labor’s Suburban Rail Loop and conduct a full, independent review to assess its cost, scope and long-term value for money. This will ensure billions in public funds are not locked into a project without proper scrutiny. Any savings will be redirected into priority infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and rail upgrades that deliver immediate benefits to communities right across Victoria. 

Royal Commission into CFMEU misconduct 

The Nationals will establish a Royal Commission into CFMEU misconduct if elected to government to expose corruption, stand up for honest workers and put a stop to criminal activities that are driving up costs for taxpayers on new schools, hospitals and roads. The hard-earned money of Victorians should never be used to prop up illegal activity on government-funded worksites. 

Plan to tackle cost blowouts and clean up construction 

Tougher oversight will be imposed on major projects so every dollar goes into better roads, schools and hospitals, not into the pockets of criminals and dodgy operators. 

Ban bikies from all government projects 

Bikies and outlaw gangs will be banned from government worksites so workers are protected and taxpayer money doesn’t line the pockets of criminals. 

Establish a Victorian Productivity Commission 

An independent Productivity Commission will be established to monitor government spending and regulation, making sure taxpayers get the best value for money. The new commission will create an Intergenerational Report to provide a long-term outlook for the Victorian economy and state overall and be updated every five years.

Repeal Labor’s compulsory land acquisition laws 

The Nationals will repeal Labor’s new laws that allow farmland to be compulsorily acquired for transmission projects before environmental and planning approvals, including Environmental Effects Statements (EES), are complete. This will protect farmers’ rights, restore fairness, and ensure regional Victorians have a proper voice in decisions affecting their land and livelihoods. 

Reinstate VCAT appeals for affected landholders 

The Nationals will restore the right of affected landholders to appeal major planning and infrastructure decisions to VCAT. Labor’s laws have stripped landholders of this right, and The Nationals will overturn that decision. This will ensure landholders and regional communities are not shut out of decisions that directly impact their land and livelihoods, restoring a fair, independent avenue of review – an effective “third umpire” – when major projects are imposed on them. 

Bring back 2km buffer zones for wind turbines 

Sensible 2km buffer zones will be brought back so wind turbines cannot be built close to people’s homes. This will ensure regional communities are properly protected from the negative impacts of large-scale renewable infrastructure, while providing clearer and fairer planning rules for landholders and developers. 

Audits of agricultural land 

The Nationals will conduct audits of Victoria’s agricultural land to identify and protect the state’s best farming country. This will ensure prime dairy, cropping and grazing land is not unnecessarily lost, fragmented or compromised by poorly planned development, including transmission projects and other large-scale infrastructure. The aim is to safeguard productive farmland for future generations and strengthen long-term food security. 

Stop VNI West and the Western Renewables Link 

VNI West and the Western Renewables Link will be stopped, and every major transmission line will be subject to a proper, transparent assessment to determine if they should go ahead. This will ensure regional communities have a real voice on major projects going through their communities. Regional Victorians affected by these projects will receive genuine, meaningful consultation and decisions of this scale will not be dictated from Melbourne without regard for the people who live there. 

Rip up Labor’s Wonthaggi Overlay 

The Nationals will rip up Labor’s Wonthaggi Overlay and remove it from affected homes in Wonthaggi. This will lift requirements that force residents to undertake costly environmental assessments on their properties, restoring certainty and control to local landholders over how they use and develop their homes. Many residents have already spent tens of thousands of dollars on assessments, with no contamination identified – proving this overlay is excessive red tape that must go. 

New center of excellence to grow a greener Victoria 

The Nationals will invest $15 million to establish the Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria Horticulture Centre of Excellence, building workforce capability, strengthening food production, and developing solutions to restore Victoria’s urban tree canopy. The Centre of Excellence will bring together industry, research, and training to: 

• Build a future-ready horticulture workforce and address critical labour shortages. 

• Drive innovation and strengthen Victoria’s leadership in plant-based industries. 

• Improve productivity and resilience for growers. 

• Support biodiversity, urban greening and climate adaptation. 

Ten Year Economic Plan 

Our 10-year Economic Plan will get Victoria back into surplus, pay down debt and rebuild confidence so the next generation is not left with the bill for Labor’s wasteful and corrupt spending. The plan includes: 

• Prioritising the essential services and frontline workers Victorians rely on through an Essential Services Guarantee, and a hiring freeze of back-office roles. 

• Improving household affordability by progressively increasing the land tax threshold to $300,000. 

• Signaling Victoria is open for business by increasing the payroll tax threshold to $1.2 million by 2028-29, then reducing the metropolitan payroll tax rate to 4.8 per cent from 2030-31. 

• Cleaning up the books by establishing a Charter of Budget Honesty and Real-Time Expenditure Tracker. 

• Ending the $15 billion of Big Build corruption by establishing a Royal Commission and new construction sector watchdog. 

• Scrapping Labor’s divisive Treaty – saving taxpayers $1 billion. 

• Removing Labor’s emergency services levy and repealing taxes on schools, visits to the GP, short-stay accommodation and lifting the stamp duty free-threshold to $1 million for first home buyers. 

Financial Integrity Plan 

The Nationals will restore transparency, accountability and responsibility to the way Victoria’s finances are reported on a regular and frequent basis to the Victorian people. We will introduce a Charter of Budget Honesty and a real time expenditure tracker so Victorians can see how their money is being spent. We’ll also introduce an intergenerational report which will inform government decision making, particularly around important things like infrastructure, responding to population growth patterns and public transport patterns, and many other important priorities that our state faces. 

Pause the Suburban Rail Loop 

The Nationals will pause Labor’s Suburban Rail Loop and subject it to a full, independent review to assess its cost, scope and long-term value for money. This will ensure billions in public funds are not locked into a project without proper scrutiny. Any savings will be redirected into priority infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and rail upgrades that deliver immediate benefits to communities right across Victoria. 

Guaranteeing Essential Services while freezing back-office hiring 

Our Essential Services Guarantee will ensure that Victorians can access the services they need when they need them, with more frontline workers, while freezing back-office employees for 2.5 years to help with budget repair. 

• No public servant will be sacked under this policy. The size of the back-office workforce will be reduced over time through natural attrition. 

• This approach guarantees essential services are maintained and frontline care is protected, while ensuring resources are directed where they are needed most. 

Establish a Victorian Productivity Commission 

An independent Productivity Commission will be established to closely monitor government spending and regulation, making sure taxpayers get the best value for money. The new commission will create an Intergenerational Report to provide a long-term outlook for the Victorian economy and state overall and be updated every five years. 

Cap public service executives’ salaries 

Sky-high executive pay in the public service will be capped so less is spent on top bureaucrats and more goes to frontline services, like paramedics, police officers, nurses and teachers. To ensure these essentials are prioritised and executive remuneration meets community expectations, The Nationals will cap base salaries for new senior public sector contracts at the same level as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The cap will apply to new hires and any renewed or renegotiated contracts and will increase each year in line with wages across the state, saving more than $20 million by 2036. 

Payroll tax relief 

The payroll tax-free threshold will be lifted so that small and family businesses pay less payroll tax, helping them hire more locals and keep doors open in towns across Victoria. As part of the plan, we will gradually increase the payroll threshold from $1 million to $1.2 million over two years, before reducing the metropolitan payroll tax rate to 4.8 per cent. It is expected to deliver payroll tax relief to 23,000 Victorian businesses. 

Cut red tape to build more homes 

Less government red tape so more homes can be built sooner, increasing supply, easing pressure on prices and helping more Victorians into a home. 

Under Labor, delays and inefficiencies throughout the planning system are acting as a handbrake on development and further undermining confidence in Victoria’s residential construction sector. 

Uncertainty of time frames and costs through Victoria’s cultural heritage process, as well as delays within Government authorities, are stalling development and ultimately seeing fewer new homes built. 

Therefore, to get more homes built sooner and give every Victorian the best opportunity to own their own home, The Nationals will: 

• Establish clear timelines and costs for cultural heritage processes, with a Schedule of Fees to be released annually. 

• Mandate approval timeframes for cultural heritage where undefined timeframes exist (except the initial 14-day timeframe for response to a notice of intent by a Registered Indigenous Party). 

• Commit to an annual, published audit of cultural heritage approvals linked to housing development. 

• Establish clear timelines, costs, and institute annual performance audits for Melbourne Water in its approval authority role. 

Land Tax Relief 

The Nationals will restore the $300,000 land tax-free threshold, reversing bracket creep that is pushing more property owners into paying land tax. This will ease cost-of-living pressures, reduce upward pressure on rents, and support investment in housing. 

Ombudsman investigation into domestic building insurance 

The Ombudsman will be called in to investigate domestic building insurance so families left high and dry by builder collapses finally get answers and a fairer system. 

Abolish Stamp Duty for first home buyers up to $1 million 

The Nationals will abolish stamp duty for first home buyers on all properties up to $1 million – established or off-the-plan – in a bold and visionary policy to restore the dream of home ownership for a new generation. The independent Parliamentary Budget Office estimates the policy will deliver more than 17,000 exemptions in its first full year, helping young Victorians into a home while injecting confidence back into the property sector. 

Plan to tackle cost blowouts and clean up construction 

Tougher oversight will be imposed on major projects so every dollar goes into the housing infrastructure projects intended, not into the pockets of criminals and dodgy operators. 

Ban bikies from all government projects 

Bikies and outlaw gangs will be banned from government worksites so workers are protected and taxpayer money goes to building more housing infrastructure rather than lining the pockets of criminals. 

Establish a Victorian Productivity Commission 

An Independent Productivity Commission will be established to monitor government spending and regulation, making sure taxpayers get the best value for money. The new commission will create an Intergenerational Report to provide a long-term outlook for the Victorian economy and state overall and be updated every five years. 

Scrap the gas ban 

Labor’s ideological gas ban will be scrapped so households and small businesses have the option to use affordable, reliable gas for cooking and heating instead of being forced onto higher-cost energy options. 

Produce more local gas, sooner
The Nationals will throw open the door to new gas exploration, easing pressure on energy prices for households and businesses. Within 60 days of forming government, we will launch a statewide Request for Proposal process, inviting gas producers to identify Victoria’s best conventional gas opportunities and how quickly they can responsibly bring them into production. Proposals will be assessed under Victoria’s existing laws and environmental safeguards, with State approvals streamlined and an Energy and Resources Cabinet sub-committee established to oversee the process – delivering more local gas, more investment and downward pressure on prices.

Stop VNI West and the Western Renewables Link 

VNI West and the Western Renewables Link will be stopped, and every major transmission line will be subject to a proper, transparent assessment to determine if they should go ahead. This will ensure regional communities have a real voice on major projects going through their communities. Regional Victorians affected by these projects will receive genuine, meaningful consultation and decisions of this scale will not be dictated from Melbourne without regard for the people who live there. 

Bring back 2km buffer zones for wind turbines 

Sensible 2km buffer zones will be brought back so wind turbines cannot be built close to people’s homes. This will ensure regional communities are properly protected from the negative impacts of large-scale renewable infrastructure, while providing clearer and fairer planning rules for landholders and developers. 

Repeal Labor’s compulsory land acquisition laws 

The Nationals will repeal Labor’s new laws that allow farmland to be compulsorily acquired for transmission projects before environmental and planning approvals, including Environmental Effects Statements (EES), are complete. This will protect farmers’ rights, restore fairness, and ensure regional Victorians have a proper voice in decisions affecting their land and livelihoods. 

Abolish the Health Tax (GP Tax) 

Labor’s Health Tax on GPs will be axed so practices can bulk-bill more patients and keep fees lower for all Victorians. 

Mildura Base Hospital 

The Nationals will expand the emergency department with 18 additional beds and deliver a new Medical Assessment and Planning Unit to provide rapid assessment and short-term care for patients. It will also include a new 30-bed acute ward to improve patient flow and support hospital admissions, along with 80 new accommodation rooms to help attract and retain healthcare workers, including graduates, students, allied health staff and visiting specialists. 

Hamilton Base Hospital
The Nationals will commit $45 million to build a new emergency department and refurbish the intensive care unit at Hamilton Base Hospital, delivering the redevelopment Western District Health Service and the local community have been calling for. The upgrade will replace outdated, cramped facilities with modern, fit-for-purpose care for Hamilton and the Western District.

Free meningococcal B vaccines 

We will protect children and teenagers from a deadly disease without families having to pay a cent. 

A Literacy and Numeracy Guarantee

The Nationals will back every Victorian student to achieve their very best with a new Literacy and Numeracy Guarantee. Under Labor, one in four Victorian students are failing to meet proficiency benchmarks in literacy and numeracy, missing out on learning the basics that the rest of their education depends on.

The Literacy and Numeracy Guarantee will establish:

• A 15 per cent target increase, over 10 years, across the NAPLAN domains of literacy and numeracy – a genuine goal that goes above and beyond the targets Victoria has already signed up to under the National School Reform Agreement.
• A long-term goal of 90 per cent proficiency across the NAPLAN domains of literacy and numeracy.
• An expansion of professional learning for teachers, including targeted best-practice programs in explicit teaching and classroom behaviour management.
• A time- and scope-limited review of Victoria’s curriculum to better prepare students for life while reducing workload on teachers.

Successful School Starters 

Victorian students will receive the support they need to succeed at school under The Nationals’ Successful School Starters program, delivering access to specialist support to assess, refer and diagnose neurodiverse students when they start primary school. 

• In a first-of-its-kind program in Australia, Successful School Starters will commence in every Victorian prep classroom from Term 1, 2028, with occupational therapists and speech pathologists embedded within the existing Primary School Nursing Program. These specialists will observe students, help identify potential learning and developmental needs, provide advice to parents and guide families through the initial stages of specialist assessment and diagnosis. 

• Students requiring further specialist review and diagnosis will receive a $500 subsidy towards their initial specialist appointment. 

Scrap the Schools Tax 

Labor’s Schools Tax on non-government schools will be scrapped, keeping fees lower so parents can choose the school that best suits their child’s needs and values. 

Repeal Treaty in Victoria and establish First Nations Victoria 

The Nationals will repeal Treaty within their first 100 days of forming government. We will instead establish First Nations Victoria – a standalone service delivery agency that will make significant progress in meeting the Closing the Gap targets. 

The independent Parliamentary Budget Office has confirmed that Labor’s Treaty will cost $948.3 million over a decade, and that repealing it will save Victorians around $1 billion.