Campaign Background

Background

The next Victorian State Government election is scheduled for 28 November 2026. In preparation, Palliative Care Victoria is developing a set of key palliative care priorities along with a draft budget. These materials will be shared with the major political parties in October and November 2025 to help shape informed policies and funding frameworks for palliative care across Victoria over the next four years and beyond.

Palliative Care Victoria’s 2026 Victorian State Election Campaign Engagement

To ensure the above priorities genuinely reflect sector needs, we have been seeking insights from Palliative Care Victoria members, health professionals, community representatives, partner organisations, and palliative care service providers state-wide.

Palliative Care Victoria have undertaken engagement with the following stakeholders throughout FY 2024 – 2025:

  • Victorian Palliative Care Consortia

  • Primary Health Networks

  • Aged Care Advisory Groups

  • LGBTIQA+ Communities and The Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities

  • Disability Advisory Groups

  • Nurse Units and Patients

  • Palliative Care Volunteers and Volunteer Managers

  • Specialist Palliative Care professionals

  • Metro, Rural and Regional palliative care services and community groups

  • Palliative Care Peak Bodies

  • Palliative Care Victoria Staff

  • Palliative Care Victoria Board

  • Palliative Care Victoria Members

  • Multicultural communities

  • People living with a life limiting diagnosis

  • First Nations representatives

  • Media

Victorian Palliative Care Alliance

As an outcome of our discussions, twelve non-profit organisations with touch points across palliative care have come together to form the ‘Victorian Palliative Care Alliance’ (VPCA) with a focus on the delivery of quality palliative care for all Victorians. The VPCA is currently working on a briefing paper to be shared at a VPCA meeting with the Minister of Health in October 2025.

VPCA Members:

  • Ageing Australia

  • Alliance of Rural & Regional Community Health

  • Australian Multicultural Community Services

  • Cancer Council Victoria

  • Carers Victoria

  • Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria

  • Dementia Australia

  • Gippsland Lakes Complete Health

  • Heart Foundation

  • Lung Foundation Australia

  • Motor Neurone Disease MND

  • MS Australia and MS Plus

  • Palliative Care Victoria

  • Thorne Harbour Health

  • Very Special Kids

Keeping our stakeholders informed

  • Tomorrows Care Starts Today - Tagline to champion the election campaign (developed with the support of an ANZ Skilled Volunteer)

  • Website (launched)

  • Social Media (commenced)

  • Tell Your Story campaign (lived palliative care experience story sharing)

  • Election Campaign updates in Palliative Care Victoria’s Newsflash and Volunteering Newsflash

  • Victorian Interactive PC Map in development to highlight data and lived experience stories across Metro, Regional and Rural Victoria (with the support of Westpac’s Skilled Volunteers).

Next Steps

In 2025-2026 Palliative Care Victoria will be working with local and state politicians across all Political Party’s to champion ‘Tomorrow’s Care Starts Today’ for their stakeholders. This will be delivered through a series of engagement activities informing politicians about the data supporting their Victorian constituents/voters palliative care priorities and showcasing the personal stories behind the data.

Media Training will be offered for key advocates and champions to have one voice across the palliative care priority areas in Palliative Care Victorias Election Campaign ‘Tomorrow’s Care Starts Today’.

Get involved today!

Tell your story