Voters have been promised a cut to controversial land taxes as hordes of motorcyclists demand pothole fixes be placed at the centre of Victoria’s election campaign.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson addressed the crowd—which organisers estimated was thousands-strong—at the “Broken roads, Broken promises” rally on Sunday, while Premier Ben Carroll said he had spoken to campaigners a day earlier about their concerns.
One of the organisers, Michael White, told AAP that fixing the problem meant not just filling in potholes, but ripping up and redoing large sections of the state’s roads.
“We don’t care what party it is, we want the roads fixed,” he said.
“It’s killing Victorians.”
The rally followed the death of veteran motorcyclist Peter “Tiki” Mason, who was killed when he hit a pothole in mid-September.
The government previously promised to double the number of potholes fixed in 2026 to 500,000, while the coalition has pledged to plug one million extra potholes over four years.
The premier on Sunday revealed Labor’s latest pitch for re-election, saying he would raise the state’s land tax threshold, unwinding a post-COVID policy introduced by his party predecessor, Daniel Andrews.
Carroll pledged to gradually remove the tax on land valued at more than $50,000 that did not house the owner’s primary residence.
Both Labor and the opposition have now pledged to cut land taxes if elected.
The land tax threshold was lowered in 2023 when Andrews was premier to help tackle debt following COVID-19-era spending splurges.
He cut the point at which the tax kicked in from $300,000 to $50,000 in a change slated to last until 2033.
But if Labor wins the November election, the tax-free threshold would be raised by $25,000 a year before returning to the pre-Andrews figure of $300,000 in 2033.
The opposition announced a similar policy in May, but it pledged to raise the threshold by $50,000 a year to reach $300,000 by 2031/32.
The tax changes would apply to more than 250,000 Victorians, potentially saving them up to $975 a year, according to the government.
The levy operates on a sliding scale and is based on a site’s unimproved land value, which excludes the value of buildings.
The budget would take a hit of $230 million over five years, but the impact would be eased by delaying level crossing removals, consolidating the government car fleet and cutting public service executive roles, Labor said.
The coalition released its plan to slash hospital wait times by giving public patients the choice to undergo surgery at a private hospital at no cost.
The policy, dubbed SurgerySooner, is based on a similar program already operating in Queensland and aims to deliver an extra 25,000 surgeries a year.
Industry peak body the Australian Private Hospitals Association, which championed the move, called it a win-win for hospital operators and patients.
But Carroll hit back at increasing private sector involvement in the public healthcare system.
By Duncan Murray
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