This Month
Burke breaks silence on fund hacks as Victoria Police moves in
Cybersecurity Minister Tony Burke has broken his long silence on last week’s co-ordinated attack on superannuation funds.
‘Wheels are falling off’ in Victoria amid police crisis: Dutton
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has sought to link the growing unpopularity of the Victorian Labor government to Anthony Albanese’s federal campaign in the state.
March
Inside the rollercoaster week in Victorian politics
Crime, the CFMEU, cost blowout fears on the Suburban Rail Loop and a new stoush with the top cop. These stories show why Premier Jacinta Allan may think a week is a long time in Victorian politics.
More prison officers needed to manage stricter bail laws: Allan
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has passed tougher bail laws, saying the state needs a “jolt to the system” amid an escalating crime problem.
CFMEU is still Building Bad nine months later
New reports of criminal activity underline how inadequate the measures taken have been to stamp out illegal CFMEU-linked behaviour.
Coles names Victoria as Australia’s supermarket theft capital
Other grocery retailers are also warning about a rise in shoplifting in the state, suggesting criminal organisations are becoming more brazen.
Allan denies she colluded to oust Victoria’s top cops
Victoria’s former deputy police chief lodged a complaint with the state anti-corruption body that the premier plotted to remove him and his boss last month.
February
Allan denies making police chief the scapegoat for rising crime
The Victoria premier says her government had no choice but to move on Chief Commissioner Shane Patton after 87 per cent of union members voted against him.
ISPT earmarks asset sales as it revamps $18b fund
Super fund investor ISPT chalked up heavy losses ahead of its merger with IFM Investors. It is moving to fix that, with an overhaul of its $18b flagship fund.
December 2024
Festival drug arrests as pill testing trial starts
Two men have been charged with trafficking at the first Victorian music event to try such measures, and one person has been treated for an overdose.
‘Ready to burn’: Australians urged to avoid Boxing Day travel
Firefighters are battling blazes across the country and millions of people are being warned to stay alert as the risk of Christmas-week bushfires intensifies.
September 2024
CFMEU organiser charged with threats to kill
The charges against the senior CFMEU organiser are the first since a joint investigation into the union.
August 2024
He investigated murders, then got a law degree. Now he’s coming after bad execs
New Maddocks partner Dale McQualter swapped his gangland beat for a workplace and investigations practice at a big law firm.
Bogus email address shows Jacinta Allan’s CFMEU crackdown is a joke
The Victorian premier’s snap review of alleged criminal activity in the construction industry went 11 days without so much as an email address for whistleblowers to use. Until The Australian Financial Review asked about it.
July 2024
‘Everybody eats’: secret recording exposes CFMEU kickback plan
Harry Korras was clear that to get a CFMEU EBA “there’s a fee. That’s business.” Meanwhile, police evidence mounts against John Setka’s anointed successor.
Liberals still want vindication on Brittany Higgins saga
Suggestions we need to understand how the Higgins allegations affected the last election are telling. But satisfaction is unlikely.
May 2024
Students arrested in Queensland as protest encampments defy orders
Pro-Palestine student protesters have been arrested in Queensland while others in Melbourne have defied orders to vacate an occupied building.
April 2024
Business braces for more disruption from Gaza protests
Arrests have been made as train stations, ports and parts of Australia’s biggest cities are blockaded by widespread protests against the war in Gaza.
March 2024
Dunkley sets up Labor’s 2025 win
While the Liberals look down rabbit holes like crime and refugees, Labor plans to claim vindication on economic policy.
December 2023
Billion-dollar AFP busts reveal what criminals do with their money
A police taskforce has seized more than $1.1 billion worth of assets from alleged criminals, including fancy houses, fast cars, designer gear and bags of cash.