Today
Former cop Brad Battin to challenge for Victorian Liberal leadership
A spill vote against embattled Opposition Leader John Pesutto is slated for Friday, but a ballot will first decide if absent MPs can vote remotely.
- 1 hr ago
- Hannah Wootton
This Month
Victoria opposition leader ‘to face leadership spill’ this week
John Pesutto’s bid to head off a challenge by calling a special party room meeting to resolve the Moira Deeming crisis may have backfired.
- Gus McCubbing
‘Jacinta’s Christmas present’: Liberal anger as Vic chaos rolls on
The party remains in turmoil after a meeting to reinstate ousted MP Moira Deeming was split 14-all, ensuring the internal row continues into next year.
- Gus McCubbing
‘I like fixing things’: New treasurer raises business hope in Victoria
Premier Jacinta Allan has made her first cabinet reshuffle, with business welcoming “proven performer” Jaclyn Symes as the successor to Tim Pallas.
- Gus McCubbing
Sydney train strikes to cause Christmas commuter chaos
Workers can resume industrial action after court win; Victoria’s assistant treasurer is brutally demoted. How the day unfolded.
- Updated
- Lucy Slade and Timothy Moore
Victoria’s attorney-general tapped to replace Pallas as treasurer
Jaclyn Symes, who has served as the state’s top law officer since 2020, emerged as Premier Jacinta Allan’s left-field choice to control the public purse.
- Gus McCubbing
Former human rights barrister to lead Victorian Supreme Court
Court of Appeal judge Richard Niall, who is recognised for his administrative and constitutional law expertise, has been picked to be Victoria’s chief justice.
- Maxim Shanahan
Industry slams ‘whitewash’ Victoria government report into CFMEU
Employer groups say Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s promise to strengthen whistleblower protections and clean up misbehaviour in the building industry ring hollow.
- Gus McCubbing and David Marin-Guzman
‘We do not tolerate antisemitism’: Allan cracks down on Vic protests
Masks, balaclavas, glue and chains could be banned under a crackdown on extreme and radical influences at Victorian protests following the Adass Israel Synagogue attack.
- Gus McCubbing and Andrew Tillett
After Pallas blowout, business wants Victoria back on track
Outgoing Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas says his greatest regret is that financial constraints meant his government could not afford to spend even more money.
- Updated
- Gus McCubbing
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Business won’t miss Pallas, but there’s no easy fix for Victoria
With two years before the next state election, it seems likely that Tim Pallas’ exit will mean a shift in messaging rather than a shift in fiscal strategy.
- James Thomson
Allan antisemitism response condemned as ‘too slow’
The Victorian premier is mulling new police powers, as two events in Sydney on Sunday underlined how the war in Gaza is stirring tension in Australia.
- Euan Black
Tax hit for homeowners, EV drivers as Vic deficit blows out to $3.6b
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas revealed property owners face a doubled fire services levy while electric vehicle drivers will lose a registration discount.
- Gus McCubbing
- Updated
- John Pesutto
Pesutto leadership ‘untenable’ after $300k loss in ‘Nazi’ trial
Opposition MPs say privately that Pesutto will face a rebellion if he does not resign, after former Liberal member Moira Deeming won her defamation case against him.
- Gus McCubbing and James Hall
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Economic statement won’t make Victoria investable again
The government’s plan is mostly window dressing. It does nothing to fix the state’s fundamental business investment problem which is about the budget, stupid.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Victorian budget
Victoria’s economic rescue plan is a joke but no one is laughing
The state’s new strategy resembles a political document drawn up in an episode of Utopia rather than a serious economic blueprint to revive the state.
- John Kehoe
Some help for business, but Labor plan to revive Victoria panned
Premier Jacinta Allan has released her economic statement that includes moves to cut red tape, speed up gas approvals and introduce a business council.
- Gus McCubbing
‘No taxi driver likes Uber much’: Uneasy truce in cabs trial
Uber users in Sydney and Melbourne can now get regular taxis on the app. Cabbies see the benefit, but it is an uneasy truce between the transport arch enemies.
- Tess Bennett
BCA scorecard ranks the best and worst states for business
The report names Victoria as the worst state or territory to run a business, with its onerous regulations acting against growth and investment on many measures
- Patrick Durkin and Gus McCubbing
November
Vic, NSW splurge putting Australia’s credit rating at risk: Fitch
Fitch Ratings has warned that state level deficits have risen sharply and were becoming increasingly important in its assessment of Australia’s fiscal position.
- Gus McCubbing, Patrick Durkin and Michael Read