10+ years of Labor’s failure in Victoria: 15 of the most damaging failures, and how Reform AU will undo them.
Victoria is a state in crisis, not by chance, but by choice. For over a decade, Labor governments in Victoria have presided over a tidal wave of incompetence, corruption, political overreach, and economic vandalism. The result? A state drowning in debt, riddled with red tape, and run for bureaucrats and insiders, not the people who work, build, and contribute every day.
Reform AU exposes 15 of the most damaging failures of the past decade, and the bold policies we will implement to undo the damage.
1
Labor’s land tax hikes have devastated families, retirees, and small property investors. Some face increases of over 2,000% in 10 years. This is theft through taxation. (The Australian — Victorian land-tax hikes)
Reform AU Response: Full repeal of the Robodebt-style land tax expansion.
2
The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), introduced on 1 July 2025, punished CFA volunteers and regional communities, leading up to 200 brigades to go offline in protest. Even the United Firefighters Union opposed it. (State Revenue Office; VicNews; The Weekly Advertiser; Victorian Parliament)
An October 2026 Auditor-General audit found that Victoria’s fire authorities needed an estimated $1.5 billion for critical fire-truck replacement and upgrades from 2024–25 to 2033–34, against only about $390 million in identified funding. No authority was completing all scheduled maintenance. DEECA had withdrawn 54.4% of its fleet before the 2025–26 fire season because of cracking and weight concerns; the vehicles were subsequently returned under repair and monitoring arrangements. (Victorian Auditor-General — Firefighting Fleet)
Reform AU Response: Full repeal of the ESVF Property Levy and restoration of rural emergency autonomy. Provide transparent, adequately funded replacement and preventative maintenance of firefighting appliances, with independent checks of fleet safety and readiness.
3
Cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games cost Victoria approximately $589.6 million and trashed its global credibility. (Victorian Auditor-General)
Reform AU Response: DOGE with Accountability to audit every major project and enforce ministerial consequences.
4
Lack of transparency, politicised planning, and reckless cost blowouts defined the SRL. (Wikipedia)
Reform AU Response: Infrastructure First Guarantee and Planning System Reform to end pork-barrel projects.
5
Victoria’s whole-of-state gross debt is forecast to hit $300.9 billion by 30 June 2030, with general government interest expenses of $7.9 billion in 2025–26 (approximately $21.6 million per day). (Victorian Auditor-General; ABC News)
The Auditor-General reported actual whole-of-state gross debt of $239.3 billion at 30 June 2026. The general government sector recorded a $5.2 billion fiscal cash deficit in 2025–26, with a further $30.5 billion in cumulative fiscal cash deficits forecast over the four years to 2029–30. These cash deficits are distinct from the gross-debt total. (Victorian Auditor-General — 2025–26 State Financial Report)
Reform AU Response: DOGE to enforce debt discipline and spending efficiency.
6
Misuse of taxpayer funds for electioneering remains deeply damaging to public trust. (Victorian Ombudsman (2018); Victorian Ombudsman (2022))
Reform AU Response: Sovereignty & Accountability Act to stop taxpayer-funded party abuse.
7
IBAC exposed systematic misuse of public resources, leading even Premier Andrews to admit “disgraceful” conduct. (IBAC / Victorian Ombudsman; ABC News)
Reform AU Response: DOGE with ministerial pension forfeiture powers for proven misconduct.
8
Victoria’s gas bans and refusal to approve new exploration have made energy more expensive and less reliable. (Victorian Government — Gas Substitution Roadmap; Resources Victoria)
Reform AU Response: Fuel & Power Independence Guarantee and repeal of gas bans.
9
North East Link increased from an early 2016 estimate of $5–7 billion to a later $26.21 billion—up to $21.21 billion higher, although project scope and the estimating basis changed. The West Gate Tunnel increased from its original $5.5 billion business case to $10.2 billion, a $4.7 billion increase. For SRL East, the Victorian Auditor-General assessed a potential cost of $36.08 billion—about $1.67 billion above the December 2025 budget—with additional interchange works not fully funded. This reflects pure fiscal incompetence. (North East Link — early estimate; Auditor-General — major projects; Auditor-General — West Gate Tunnel; Auditor-General — SRL East)
Meanwhile, existing roads and public assets are deteriorating because maintenance and renewal are not keeping pace. The Auditor-General found 48% of state roads in poor or very poor condition in 2024, up from 39% in 2021, and a growing backlog of defects. The Transport Department estimated more than $3 billion a year was needed to maintain road assets and replace ageing infrastructure, compared with recent spending of around $900 million–$1 billion a year and approximately $1.39 billion allocated for 2026–27. The Auditor-General also reported major maintenance and replacement funding gaps for schools and firefighting vehicles. (Auditor-General — Maintaining State Roads; Auditor-General — State Financial Report 2025–26)
The Auditor-General further found that the gap between recorded road defects and completed repairs more than doubled between January 2025 and June 2026, reinforcing concerns about the growing preventative-maintenance backlog. (Victorian Auditor-General — Maintaining State Roads)
Reform AU Response: DOGE with Accountability to oversee all major projects and enforce cost control and public disclosure. Restore properly funded, independently audited preventative maintenance and renewal of existing roads and essential public infrastructure.
10
Weakened bail laws and rising incarceration of Indigenous Victorians expose a broken justice system. (Crime Statistics Agency; Sentencing Advisory Council; Victoria Legal Aid)
Victoria Police’s 2025–26 Annual Report, using Crime Statistics Agency data, records 624,624 offences in 2025–26, up 33.2% from 468,985 in 2021–22. The recorded-offence rate rose 22.4%, from 7,089.5 to 8,679.6 per 100,000 people. Over the same period, crimes against the person increased 17.3%, property and deception offences 52.0%, and justice procedure offences 25.6%. (Victoria Police Annual Report 2025–26; Crime Statistics Agency — June 2026 data)
Reform AU Response: Bail Law Overhaul and a Law & Order Restoration Strategy. Support the introduction of Castle Law in Victoria to strengthen legal protection for people defending themselves and their families against violent home invasions, with a clear presumption in favour of reasonable defensive action and no duty to retreat within the home, while excluding retaliatory force after the threat has ended.
11
Tradies, carers, and commuters are punished with taxes, fines, and planning schemes designed to drive them off the roads.
Reform AU Response: Full repeal of the Congestion Levy and a Pro-Mobility Transport Policy.
12
The Victorian Auditor-General found that 242 government schools were rated in poor condition at 30 June 2026, with another 95 previously poor-rated schools undergoing works. Planned maintenance projects took an average of about 86 weeks to complete. A separate June 2026 audit found that school upgrade costings, selection priorities and project reporting were not always sufficiently transparent, while 29% of completed projects examined exceeded their estimated costs and 25% exceeded expected completion times. A separate financial audit identified an approximately $840 million annual maintenance benchmark, compared with $552 million allocated over four years to maintenance and compliance; the two measures have differing scopes. (Auditor-General — State Financial Report; Auditor-General — School Upgrade Projects)
Reform AU Response: Prioritise school repairs and upgrades according to independently assessed need, publish transparent project costings and completion dates, and restore sustainable preventative maintenance for government schools.
13
Following the collapse of Porter Davis Homes, a December 2025 Victorian Ombudsman investigation found that domestic building insurance generally delivered reasonable outcomes, but some homeowners with complex claims experienced serious delays, financial hardship and inadequate communication. The Ombudsman made nine recommendations for clearer claims processes, improved transparency and more effective internal review. (Victorian Ombudsman — Domestic Building Insurance)
Reform AU Response: Require clear claims timeframes and explanations, accessible independent review and conciliation, public performance reporting, and fair treatment of homeowners affected by builder insolvency.
14
Investigations into Victoria’s major infrastructure construction projects have exposed serious allegations of organised crime infiltration, intimidation, corrupt labour-hire arrangements, improper payments and inflated construction costs associated with elements of the CFMEU and the wider construction industry.
In February 2026, investigator Geoffrey Watson SC estimated that CFMEU-related misconduct may have cost Victorian taxpayers approximately $15 billion through inflated costs and other improper practices. Although this estimate remains disputed and has not been independently audited, subsequent police investigations and the establishment of a Victorian Royal Commission in August 2026 have highlighted the seriousness of the allegations. (Queensland CFMEU Inquiry — Watson Report; ABC News — $15bn estimate; ABC News — police raids; Victorian Royal Commission)
Reform AU Response: DOGE with Accountability to independently audit major government infrastructure contracts, investigate improper payments and labour-hire arrangements, strengthen contractor screening and public disclosure, and pursue lawful recovery of misappropriated taxpayer funds. Protect legitimate construction workers and lawful union representation while ensuring suspected criminal conduct is independently investigated and prosecuted where the evidence warrants.
15
A submission reported on 2 November 2026 alleges that Melbourne Airport Rail’s 2018 route assessment was manipulated to favour Sunshine over Maribyrnong. It claims the Maribyrnong estimate included 3.5 kilometres of unnecessary tunnelling, adding $3.8–$4.6 billion, and that public servants faced pressure to endorse Sunshine. Former transport minister Jacinta Allan denies these allegations; the Royal Commission has not made findings.
The Victorian Auditor-General found in 2022 that route assessments lacked rigour and transparency and that the final business case came too late to inform key decisions. The current state–federal commitment is $12 billion. The allegedly inflated estimate is not a proven taxpayer loss or audited project overrun. (The Age — 2 Nov 2026; Victorian Auditor-General — 2022; Prime Minister — September 2026)
Reform AU Response: DOGE with Accountability to independently review the airport rail route appraisal, cost assumptions and departmental and ministerial decisions; publish comparative assessments and business cases, protect whistleblowers, refer substantiated wrongdoing to the authorities and scrutinise further project expenditure.
Reform AU policies are bold, unapologetic, and built to reverse the damage. We invite Victorians to join us, not just to vote, but to rebuild the state we once loved. If you’re ready to fight for Victoria’s future, we are your home.
JOIN US – OR GET OUT OF THE WAY.
