Victorian Opposition Eyes $600 Million Saving From Produce Market Sale

Victorian Liberal Leader Jess Wilson speaks during the Australian Liberal Party annual meeting in Melbourne, Australia, on May 29, 2026. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has pledged to sell the state-owned wholesale fruit and vegetable market if the Coalition wins the Nov. 28 election.

The sale of the market, located in Epping in Melbourne’s north, would raise millions of dollars to help pay down Victoria’s multi-billion-dollar debt.

Wilson said the government authority running this market has reported a loss every year over the past 10 years.

“This will see around $600 million (US$422 million) dollars come into the state budget as a result of that sale,” Wilson told 3AW Radio.

“This market is one that the industry wants to purchase, this will be an open tender process, but we know that the industry is very much interested in being the owners and running the governance of this market to make it more efficient.

“This is an opportunity for the government to get back to basics, we don’t need to be the landlord of the market at the moment.”

Wilson said there was no doubt Victoria’s finances were in a dire state, but the Coalition had a plan to turn them around.

“I’ve always been upfront that we won’t be able to fix that overnight. It is going to take time but we can do it together. We have announced than $24 billions worth of disciplined and responsible savings to help us on the path to a cash surplus by 2032,” she said.

“This is now generational debt and I am not going to pretend otherwise.”

The Opposition’s plan comes as Victoria’s net debt reached $160.7 billion as of June 30, according to the latest data from the Victorian government.

Victoria’s net debt represents 24 percent of Gross State Product (GSP), while the state paid $7.9 billion in interest in the last year, averaging $21.6 million per day.

Despite the state’s mounting debt, the Victorian government has defended its economic performance, saying the economy continues to grow.

“While there are challenges in the global and national economy, the Victorian economy remains resilient,” Treasurer Colin Brooks said on Oct. 15.

“Victoria’s economic success is at stake–Jess Wilson’s Liberal-One Nation Coalition have a $40 billion cuts plan that will be a sledgehammer on growth, jobs and prosperity.”