October 25, 2026 — 4:58pm

Premier Ben Carroll has launched his re-election campaign in earnest by promising to spend $750 million a year to fund 250 more emergency department beds at 12 hospitals across the state.

Dodging torrential rain in North Melbourne and dogged by dire opinion polls that show Labor heading for defeat on November 28, Carroll boarded his election campaign bus for the first time on Sunday morning and fired the starting pistol on a five-week campaign.

Premier Ben Carroll began his 2026 election campaign on a trip to Geelong University Hospital on Sunday.…