A new hospital will be built for Victoria's West Gippsland region no matter who wins the state election, after Labor matched a Coalition pledge.
Premier Daniel Andrews has promised up to $675 million for a new West Gippsland hospital if his government secures a third term in office in November.
The project, long campaigned for by the local community, would be built on government-owned land in Drouin East, about 100km from central Melbourne.
While detailed design work won't begin until next year, the new facility is expected to create 75 more beds than the current West Gippsland Hospital.
Mr Andrews said it would feature 101 acute and sub-acute beds, three operating theatres, 33 emergency department spaces, a helipad, a new birthing unit and a 60-bed aged care facility.
Victorian Labor plans to fully fund the build, with construction to begin in 2024 and finish in 2028 before patients are admitted in 2029.
"This is a massive project, one of the biggest in country Victoria," the premier told reporters in Warragul on Monday.
"There's quite a baby boom going on across this community."
The population of Baw Baw Shire, which encompasses the towns of Drouin, Trafalgar and Warragul, is expected to grow from 56,595 people to 84,766 by 2041.
In its own pitch in June, the Victorian coalition announced plans to spend $400 million and ask the federal government for $200 million to build a new $600 million hospital in Warragul.
"That's not enough," Mr Andrews said.
"They didn't mention the aged care. They didn't put a timeline on when they'd start and when they'd finish. They forgot the helipad."
The latest bidding war comes as the Victorian opposition pitched to put 75 protective services officers in five major hospitals.
Under a two-year trial to curb attacks on staff, the PSOs would be stationed at Royal Melbourne, Dandenong, Frankston, Box Hill and Sunshine hospitals.
A similar 2010 election promise from the Baillieu government was ditched after a parliamentary committee raised concerns the presence of armed guards in hospitals could increase violence rather than reduce it.
The police union has backed the renewed proposal but the premier has rubbished the plan.
"The Liberal Party had this idea. It didn't last a year. Now it's been recycled. They can explain why," Mr Andrews said.
The Victorian opposition on Monday also promised a $2.8 million funding boost over four years and increased responsibilities for the state's Parliamentary Budget Office.
The independent office was set up in 2018 to cost policies at the request of non-government MPs, who don't have access to the state treasury or other departments.
Shadow treasurer David Davis said it was a significant increase to its funding levels, currently about $3 million a year.