State election

26 November 2022

The VHA is seeking nine commitments in its election platform for the 2022 state election, representing significant areas of reform that need State Government intervention during the next four-year term.

• VHA State Election Platform 2022 – Response, recovery and reform: delivering the healthcare system Victorians deserve

• Media release: Health funding must exceed inflation

• Election position paper – Supporting Victoria’s healthcare system

• Election position paper - Supporting care in the community

• Election position paper - Supporting our public hospitals

• Election position paper - Addressing the rural health gap

• Election position paper - Supporting our healthcare workforce

• Election position paper - Modernising the delivery of healthcare

• Election position paper - Funding the health system to meet demand

• Media release: Rural Victorians deserve free urgent care

• Media release: Infrastructure funding should be based on evidence, not politics

• News: Prevention is better than cure - embedding the role of community health in the Victorian system

• Keeping Victorians healthy and out of hospital - The role of community health services

• Media release: Financial incentives urgently needed to boost health workforce

• Media release: Extreme demand the new norm for our public health system

• Unblocking the system: An issues paper on the causes of, and potential solutions to, ambulance offload delays in Victoria

• Victorian election - health policy tracker

• Greens response to the VHA election platform survey

• Labor response to the VHA election platform survey

• Liberals and Nationals response to the VHA election platform survey

Federal Election

21 May 2022

The VHA’s Federal election positions build on our recent Stabilising the system white paper, which highlighted potential solutions to support Victoria’s healthcare system, and our Federal Budget briefing.

These positions call for Commonwealth leadership in prioritising workforce immigration, supporting rural and regional training, increasing health funding, and supporting greater care in the community. The next Commonwealth Government has a vital role to support and augment the health response post-pandemic.

• Member briefing: 2022 federal election positions

• Opinion editorial: Australia urgently needs a health workforce plan

Victorian Budget

3 May 2022

Victoria’s health system has been under considerable and sustained stress since the onset of the pandemic. Community health services have created innovative programs to deliver care within the community, assisting in primary care responses and vaccine delivery. Metropolitan and regional health services have provided quality healthcare when the system’s workforce has been stretched to capacity, while the state’s ambulances experienced record callout demand.

A renewed emphasis on building capacity, public health initiatives, system coordination and out-of-hospital care have led to new forms of health interventions that have improved the health outcomes for Victorians.

The VHA has detailed nine immediate steps the Victorian Government can take to support the Victorian public health system, in its submission to the 2022-23 State Budget.

• Stabilising the system - State Budget briefing 2022-23

• Proposed model of care for the continuation of the community health-delivered High Risk Accommodation Response (HRAR) program

• Media release: Health budget focuses on stabilisation and recovery

• Member briefing: State Budget 2022-23

• Funding to support vulnerable Victorians cut, despite program success

Federal Budget

Tuesday 29 March 2022

Victoria has suffered the greatest impacts of the pandemic, after facing the most extensive lockdowns in the country.

This has had major ramifications for our public health and aged care services, which fought hard to protect and care for patients and staff.

We called for the Commonwealth to demonstrate stronger leadership by increasing health funding, improving workforce availability and ensuring greater care in the community.

Our Federal Budget submission details the 10 immediate steps we asked the Commonwealth Government to take to support the Victorian public health system.

• Stabilising the system - Federal Budget briefing 2022-23

• Media release: Federal budget fails Victorian hospitals

• Media release: Federal budget fails community health services

• Member briefing: Federal Budget 2022-23