The Victorian Sick Pay Guarantee is an Australian-first $245.7 million initiative which aims to provide both casual and contract workers a financial safety net if they become unwell or need to miss work to care for a loved one.

The initiative, launched in March this year, allows eligible workers to access up to 38 hours a year of sick and carer's leave at the national minimum wage, fully funded by the Labor government.

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Father-of-two and a casual chef at Federation University's Murnong cafe in Mount Helen, Louis Green, is an eligible candidate for the scheme.

He said the initiative would be beneficial in a number of ways, particularly with maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

"Having young kids who tend to get sick all the time it can be a bit of juggling act trying to manage who is free to look after the kids with my wife being a nurse," Mr Green said.

"However, now with this initiative in place, when one of our kids does get sick it'll be less of a hassle and it is definitely going to take the sting out of the whole situation."

Mr Green, who is yet to sign up to the initiative, said he was eager to "jump on board" and "take advantage" of the guarantee, although he said the hours given could be extended to accommodate life's uncertainties.

"It's a good place to start but I think it needs to be a bit more," he said.

"I do my best to look after myself and hopefully I don't have to use it but I think the mentality of the workplace needs to change."

Minister for Workplace Safety Ingrid Stitt said the initiative was directed towards aiding casual and contract workers with "making ends meet" especially after a tumultuous COVID-19 period last year, cost of living increases and stagnant wage growth.

"All the research shows, and our experience throughout the pandemic shows, that a lot of people - particularly in low paid industries - are doing it really tough; they don't have a nest egg built up if they're sick," Ms Stitt said.

"So this (initiative) is really about making sure that people can make ends meet."

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Mr Green said he was confident the initiative would help casual workers like himself in both the short and long-term.

"It's definitely a bonus to get this allowance and it'll help a lot of casual workers in the long run," he said.

The scheme, which is a two-year pilot program, is in its first phase and is currently open to workers from variety of industries including food and hospitality, retail, aged and disability care, security, health and social services.

Ms Stitt said uptake for the initiative in Ballarat had gotten off to a "good start" with the government expecting to see more than 150,000 Victorian workers benefited.

"I really want to make sure that there's awareness among those workers in those key industries so that they know that they can get the support they need," she said.

"I encourage all casual workers in the Ballarat area to check their eligibility, register now and don't wait until you're not well."

MP for Wendouree Juliana Addison added: "This scheme will protect more Victorians and give them the support they need so they don't have to make the choice between a day's pay and looking after their health".

Similarly, Buninyong MP Michaela Settle said the initiative would be instrumental in ensuring the safety, well-being and financial security of casual and contract workers.

One in five workers in Ballarat are employed either casually or on a contract basis making up about 19 per cent of the area's workforce.

Ms Stitt said while the program was in its early stages with 13,000 workers registered, there was strong support to see the program continue past its two-year period.

"Well, we're two months into a two-year pilot so I think (we'll) have to give it the fullness of time to assess how it's going but I think early indications are that there's very strong support for it in the community."

To learn more about the Victorian Sick Pay Guarantee click here.

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