2009-10 State Budget

The State Budget is the means by which the Victorian Government details how it plans to collect and spend public monies for the upcoming year. It outlines departments' service delivery, initiatives and commitments.

The 2009-10 Victorian Budget was released on 5 May 2009.

The Treasurer has described the Budget as focussing on job creation through infrastructure development to reduce the impact of the Global Financial Crisis. The Budget also contains major spending on healthcare, education, police and bushfire recovery.

Agriculture

The Budget delivers funding to meet the costs of emergency response and biosecurity activities which emerged during the past year. Our department responded to several threats to Victorian agriculture including locusts, fruit fly and potato cyst nematode. In many cases, work on these issues is continuing.

The Budget also delivers funding through previously announced initiatives including the Future Farming strategy, the Foodbowl Modernisation Project and drought support initiatives.

Energy and earth resources

For the energy and earth resources portfolio, the Budget includes:

• $1 million allocated to facilitate a new large-scale solar energy generator for Victoria. This project supports a $100 million commitment made by the Premier in March to attract investment in a new large-scale solar power station.
  
• $1 million for a study to identify road, rail and port infrastructure needs in regional Victoria to support the growth of major clean coal based industries. This is an element of the Victorian Transport Plan.
  
•  $8.72 million over five years as Victorias contribution to the new Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), national energy market reform and energy efficiency work programs.
  
• $11.1 million over five years to fund actions in response to the Mining Wardens Independent Review into the Yallourn mine collapse in November 2007.

Go back to this year's State Budget page.