Summary: This submission urges the state government to keep investing in programs that have a proven track record of improving Victorian lives.

This year’s submission focuses on five key areas:

• Reducing family violence and its effects
• Improving measures to tackle crime and recidivism
• Alleviating spiraling cost-of-living increases (particularly water bills)
• Increasing affordable housing accessibility through private rental brokerage programs
• Ensuring a sustainable community sector.

The submission also highlights areas in which effective policies have been established but not universally implemented.

The Salvation Army is also calling upon the Victorian Government to:

• Extend the support for children who are impacted by family violence beyond those who are accommodated in refuges to include family violence outreach
• Establish more effective diversion, rehabilitation and post-release support for young criminal offenders to reduce recidivism
• Increase utility concessions, specifically targeting water bills, to reduce the cost of living
• Fund superannuation levy increases to build sector sustainability