Jobs B

Labor promised an ambitious 100,000 full-time positions within two years. Given economic conditions, delivering on the pledge will be hard. Victoria has created an estimated 73,300 new positions since November 2014. But according to ABS estimates, they have not been the right types of jobs, with only one in five full-time. To meet the target, the state economy would need to create almost 85,000 full-time positions in the next year. More broadly, the economy remains in reasonable shape, with solid growth this past financial year.

Josh Gordon

Education B-plus

Schools and TAFEs have received extra funding and disadvantaged families are benefiting from a new camps, sports and excursion fund. The state has cracked down on dodgy training colleges. But the government has attracted criticism for failing to commit to the final two years of the Gonski school funding agreement. Legislation guaranteeing private schools 25 per cent of the state funding given to public schools has proved controversial. Trust also needs to be restored in the Education Department, which has been rocked by serious allegations of corruption.

Henrietta Cook

Health B

Health Minister Jill Hennessy has delivered on many election promises that have impressed the sector. Paramedics received their pay rises and the Ambulance Victoria board has been overhauled in the hope it will reduce delays. Hospital bypass has also been axed to speed up ambulances but there are no signs of great gains from these policies yet. The health budget increased 6.2 per cent this year (up from 4.2 per cent the previous year). Public hospitals welcomed the increase but it is too early to tell if it's enough to cut waiting times.

Julia Medew

Public transport A-minus

With a list of major projects that would push Melbourne's creaking rail system into the 21st century, the government's agenda cannot be faulted for its ambition. It has made a good start, but it's a high-wire act. Labor desperately needs Malcolm Turnbull to co-fund the $11-billion Melbourne Metro, and the Port of Melbourne privatisation must proceed – preferably through legislation, not an administrative act – to pay for the removal of 50 level crossings. The $2.5-billion Dandenong line upgrade is also vital. The only misstep is a politically motivated deferral of train timetable changes.

Adam Carey

Roads C

Began by killing the East West Link, the most expensive road project in Victoria's history. The decision horrified investors and divided Victorians but was justified given the road's weak business case. Since then Labor has failed to develop a roads agenda of its own, piggybacking instead on whatever Transurban proposes. To that end, the CityLink/Tullamarine Freeway widening project has begun (Transurban gets a one-year extension of its concession deed) and the $5.5-billion Western Distributor toll road is being assessed, though it appears certain to proceed.

Adam Carey

Law and order C

Police and Corrections Minister Wade Noonan has inherited a poisoned chalice, with a soaring prison population, budgetary pressures and recidivism rates hitting 40 per cent.

Tensions erupted in June, when 300 inmates seized control of the Melbourne Remand Centre. A report on the riot is due in weeks and Noonan's faith in Corrections Commissioner Jan Shuard will be tested. He must also manage the fallout from an investigation by the Human Rights Commission and the state's Equal Opportunity Commission, which is expected to reveal toxic levels of sexism within Victoria Police.

Cameron Houston

Planning B-minus

The new government has worked hard to calm the frenzy created by former planning minister Matthew Guy, who oversaw one of Victoria's most frenetic approval periods. Apartment tower applications have all but stopped since Planning Minister Richard Wynne introduced new density laws in September; the opposition says this is a disaster for jobs and housing in Victoria but the government argues it has still approved $4 billion in potential development in the CBD in its first year – similar to what Guy approved in his last year. Elsewhere, little of substance has changed, with a series of reviews announced.

Clay Lucas

Social Justice B

Daniel Andrews has delivered on the promise of a socially progressive government.

Same-sex couples should soon have the right to adopt children. The government will introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics to keep out protesters. Some new community housing properties have been added but the government faces a massive waiting list for public housing. Welfare agencies say the government is consulting widely on issues such as out-of-home care but too many children remain vulnerable to ill treatment. There has been additional funding for family violence survivors while the government is also expected to take major action after the domestic violence royal commission.

Benjamin Preiss

Environment C

Much of Labor's environment agenda is still wrapped up in slow-moving reviews. There have been some advances in freeing up development of wind energy, getting cows out of the Alpine National Park and refreshing energy-saving incentives. But promised targets for renewable energy and emissions reductions are still to emerge. A task force convened to sort out the dispute over native forest logging and endangered species protection has started slowly. And in the meantime the government is testing the patience of the environment movement.

Tom Arup

Rural B-minus

The rural highlight of Andrews' first year has been the commitment to the Murray Basin Rail project, which was warmly welcomed by farmers and industry. But Labor's first budget was not considered particularly effective for the bush, and some commitments that would have rural benefits have been tied to the sale of the Port of Melbourne lease. Farmers have welcomed Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford's willingness to learn and listen; and environment minister Lisa Neville impressed during her visits to Lancefield in the wake of the bushfire.

Darren Gray