Vote for Your Health
A nonpartisan guide for young Victorians: how to enrol and vote, and what the four highest-polling parties have promised on three youth health issues.
Tue 3 November
- Early votingWed 18 – Fri 27 Nov
- Election daySat 28 Nov, 8 am – 6 pm
- Postal vote applicationsclose 6 pm, Wed 25 Nov
1Key dates
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Tue 3 Nov, until 8 pm | Enrolment closes. This is earlier than at past state elections, because the roll now closes on the day the election is officially called. It’s Melbourne Cup Day, but you can still enrol online until 8 pm. |
| Mon 9 Nov, 12 noon | Candidate nominations close. You can find all your candidates on the VEC website after this. |
| Wed 4 – Wed 25 Nov | Postal vote applications, for eligible voters (close 6 pm on 25 November). |
| Tue 17 Nov, 10 am – 4 pm | Low sensory voting in every district: a quieter, calmer way to vote. |
| Wed 18 – Fri 27 Nov | Early voting in person (closes 6 pm Friday). Telephone-assisted voting also opens on 18 November, for eligible voters. |
| Sat 28 Nov, 8 am – 6 pm | Election day. |
If you’ll be away from Victoria during the voting period, you can still vote. Check your options on the VEC website.
2Enrol
Who can vote
Australian citizens who will be 18 or older on election day and have lived at their Victorian address for more than a month.
It’s compulsory
By law, all eligible citizens must enrol and vote. You could be fined if you don’t.
Turning 18 by 28 November?
You can vote, but you need to be enrolled by 8 pm on Tuesday 3 November.
Aged 16 or 17?
You can enrol now, so you’re ready to vote once you turn 18.
Enrol or update your details at aec.gov.au/enrol (it’s free and quick), and check your enrolment at vec.vic.gov.au/enrolment. Enrolment forms are available in 20 languages. You can find information in 29 languages at vec.vic.gov.au/information-in-your-language, or call 03 9209 0112 for any other language. Questions? Call the VEC on 131 832 (8:30 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday).
3How to vote
Lower house (Legislative Assembly)
Number every box, starting with 1 for your first choice.
Upper house (Legislative Council)
Number at least 5 boxes, either above the line or below the line. Don’t use both.
- Staff will ask your full name, your address, and whether you’ve already voted in this election.
- Made a mistake? Cross it out and write the correct number next to it, or ask for a new ballot paper.
- You can bring someone you trust to help you fill in your ballot papers, as you direct.
- Help is available at any time: wave to an election official. Every voting centre has at least one accessible voting screen or tabletop, a magnifying sheet and maxi pencils.
4What have the parties promised?
Why these three issues? Our young volunteers chose health issues that matter to young people, where at least one party had made a 2026 election announcement. Other issues matter too, so check the parties’ websites.
Which parties? The four parties with the highest support in the October Resolve Political Monitor poll, published by Nine newspapers and reported by AAP: the Liberal–Nationals Coalition, Labor, One Nation and the Greens. They are listed alphabetically below. This guide doesn’t cover independents or smaller parties.
| Issue | Greens | Labor | Liberal–Nationals Coalition | One Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free abortion care | Support Labor’s policy. Their platform backs “free and universal access to abortion”. | Announced on 15 October: no out-of-pocket costs for medical and surgical abortion under 16 weeks at participating providers, at an estimated $30 million over four years. Would extend medical abortion to 10 weeks, and expand rural patient travel assistance. | Said on 15 October it would match the commitment, so people would not be out of pocket for abortion care up to 16 weeks. | No commitment found. State leaders said the party has no plans to change Victoria’s abortion laws. Its national website says it would “reduce the gestational limit for abortions”. |
| Youth mental health beds | No youth-specific commitment found. Plan to “significantly scale up public rehabilitation beds and addiction support over the next five years”, and continue the roll-out of free mental health care. | No new 2026 election commitment found. (This guide covers election promises, not programs the government already runs.) | Announced on 6 October: $5 million to plan a standalone youth mental health facility in Parkville with up to 50 specialist inpatient beds for young people aged 12 to 25 (planning by June 2030), a Youth Mental Health Centre of Excellence overseen by Orygen, and a $50 million mental health workforce fund. | No commitment found. |
| Reviewing the reforms | Will “act on the recommendations of the Mental Health Royal Commission”. No commitment found on an independent review. | No commitment found on an independent review. Progress on the Royal Commission’s recommendations is published by the independent Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. | An independent review of how the Royal Commission’s recommendations are being implemented, an audit of reform spending and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy, a review of the Commission’s independence and powers, and a published reform blueprint. | No commitment found. |
The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System reported in 2021. Where a party has said what a promise costs, we report it, but we haven’t checked or compared costings.
5Questions to ask your candidates
- How will you help young people get mental health support close to home and in a reasonable time?
- What is your position on access to sexual and reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion?
- Will health services you fund offer free interpreters and information in community languages?
- How will you make sure LGBTIQA+ young people feel safe and welcome in health services?
- How will you make sure young people in regional Victoria can get the same care as people in cities?
6Need support?
Emergency: 000 · Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7, or text 0477 13 11 14) · QLife (LGBTIQA+ peer support): 1800 184 527, 3 pm to 9 pm every day · 1800 My Options (contraception, pregnancy options and sexual health in Victoria): 1800 696 784, 9 am to 5 pm weekdays, closed public holidays.
Written by young volunteers at The Aletheia Project, a youth-led health literacy not-for-profit for young people aged 14 to 25. We are not affiliated with any political party, and we did not receive anything from any party to make this guide. Health education, not voting or medical advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us through our contact form.
✦Sources
Accessed 24 October 2026.
- Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), 2026 state election
- VEC, Enrolment
- VEC, Information for young voters
- VEC, How to fill out state ballot papers
- VEC, Information in your language
- VEC, Contact us
- Australian Electoral Commission, Enrol to vote
- Youth Central (Victorian Government), Enrolling to vote
- ABC News, “Opposition matches Labor pledge to provide free abortion care if re-elected in Victoria” (15 Oct 2026)
- AAP, “Liberals match free abortion care state election pledge” (15 Oct 2026), including October Resolve Political Monitor figures
- AAP, “Abortion care is health care: Labor unveils pitch” (15 Oct 2026)
- AAP, “One Nation pitches pro-family policy amid abortion stir” (16 Oct 2026)
- ABC News, “Victorian Coalition pledges youth mental health focus if elected in November” (6 Oct 2026)
- Emma Kealy MP (Shadow Minister for Mental Health), media release (6 Oct 2026)
- Victorian Greens, platform: Health
- Victorian Greens, platform: Mental health
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, Implementation status update (June 2026)
- Lifeline · QLife · 1800 My Options