The Victorian government and opposition have suggested that the federal government may need to pick up the tab for a sick pay guarantee program that has seen $22 million paid out to support 93,000 claims in the last year.

This comes as Victoria’s $116 billion net public debt has blown out to be the largest among states and territories amid the hangover of the world’s longest lockdown, and is forecast to grow by $50 billion more to reach a quarter of the state’s gross product by 2026.