They say never work with children or animals, but in the final few days of the Victorian election, Labor decided to do both.
Premier Daniel Andrews headed to the marginal south-eastern suburbs on Wednesday to announce free early childhood TAFE courses and cash for dogs in his bid for re-election.
If Labor is delivered a second term on Saturday, Mr Andrews promised to make two early-childhood TAFE courses free and create 8000 university scholarships for prospective kindergarten teachers in a $27 million promise to support a future three-year-old kindergarten program.
"We need the workforce that will be skilled to meet that demand," Mr Andrews said while visiting the marginal electorate of Frankston.
"This will save students in the vicinity of $3000 to $10,000."
He then headed to bayside Mordialloc, held by Labor by just 2.1 per cent, to announce cash to trial retired racing greyhounds in public nursing homes as comfort dogs.
The $150,000 trial would see 10 dogs in 10 facilities.
"This has worked well in other parts of the world, these are essentially companion animals helping seniors," Mr Andrews said.
Labor would also spend $1 million on shelters and foster carers for dogs and $2 million for upgraded and expanded community vet clinics, with clinics eligible for grants of up to $150,000 each.
An expert committee will also conduct an inquiry into sterilising cats to try and control the feral population.
"One complete female cat and her offspring can create 5000 cats in seven years and we know the environmental damage that can be done and is done and we also know the very unfortunate high rates of euthanasia for so many cats," Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford said.
"So that's an important area of future reform."
Other Labor pledges made on Wednesday included more than $67 million for the stage-two redevelopment of adult education facility, the Chisholm Institute, at Frankston, $5.3 million towards stage two of the 'Home of Golf' project at Sandringham Golf Club, $2 million in grants for minor upgrades and equipment to golf clubs and millions of dollars for community cricket.
The Victorian election will be held on November 24.
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