Australia invests $282m to expand Victoria’s virtual emergency department

The service is expected to assist over 1,750 individuals each day by 2028/29.

The Australian government will invest $282m (A$437m) to expand the ‘Victorian Virtual Emergency Department’ (Virtual ED), according to an announcement by Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas.

The funding, part of the 2025/26 Victorian Budget, will support a scale-up of the service, which provides care to more than 600 people daily.

The government projects that the Virtual ED will be able to assist over 1,750 individuals each day by 2028/29.

Moreover, the expansion will support more direct referrals from aged care, field paramedics, primary health networks, and the ‘Nurse on Call’ service.

A$1 = $0.64