Minister for Police and Emergency Services Kim Wells said 580 Tasers, that fire a 50,000-volt barb, would be provided to all 24-hour police stations across regional Victoria.

The use of Tasers has been trialled in Bendigo, Morwell, Traralgon, Moe, Geelong and Ballarat; and they are used by specialist units, such as critical response teams, in Melbourne.

Mr Wells said police officers working in pairs as well as those on highway patrol, special operations groups, and critical incident response teams would carry Tasers in 29 regional areas.

"Police are often called to respond to violent and dangerous situations involving people who are affected by drugs or alcohol, or who are otherwise at risk of causing harm to police, the community and themselves," he said.

Mr Wells said the Tasers would provide an alternative to firearms and help police "manage these complex situations and to minimise the risk of serious injury and fatalities".

The funding for the Tasers will be available from July 1, 2014, and Victoria Police will be responsible for the timing of the rollout.

Federation of Community Legal Centres senior policy advisor Michelle McDonnell said the multimillion-dollar investment could have been used to train police in how to peacefully de-escalate confrontations.

"The money would be better spent increasing communication and negotiation skills in dealing with people who are experiencing mental illness rather than spending it on an expensive weapon," she said.

She said police, believing stun guns were not as harmful as firearms, could become overreliant on such weapons when handling difficult situations.

Ms McDonnell said recent cases - including the death of a Brazilian student, who was hit by a stun gun nine times during a scuffle with Sydney police that led to his death and four officers being charged with assault; and a woman in Queensland who was seriously injured after being tasered in the eye - had raised concerns about the damage caused by stun guns.

The regional areas involved in the rollout include Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Traralgon, Bairnsdale, Horsham, Mildura, Portland, Hamilton, Sale, Shepparton, Wodonga, Warrnambool and Wangaratta.

Police undergo training on the use of stun guns and all police incidents involving the use of a stun gun are reviewed by Victoria Police, Mr Wells said.