Mr McCurdy said the government’s much-touted $727 million surplus is meaningless when set against a debt mountain forecast to reach almost $200 billion.
“This is smoke and mirrors. A tiny surplus doesn’t undo years of financial mismanagement when Victorians are staring down record debt and an $11.8 billion interest bill,” he said.
“Every dollar spent servicing that debt is a dollar not going into our hospitals, roads or local services.”
He said the budget confirms essential services are in decline, with ambulance response rates sitting at just 65 per cent for the most critical cases.
“People in emergency situations are left waiting. That’s unacceptable and dangerous,” Mr McCurdy said.
“It’s hard to take ‘Safer. Easier. More Affordable.’ seriously when this budget delivers slower emergency response times, neglected regional roads and a debt bill that will make life tougher for Victorian families.”
Mr McCurdy also raised concerns about regional roads, saying the government’s $1.04 billion road blitz does not stack up.
“Less than three million square metres of regional roads will be maintained next year, about a third of previous levels,” he said.
He said housing targets had been missed, and police shortages remain, leaving regional communities behind
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