Politics
Victoria
Exclusive
Renting
Rental stock plummets by 15,600 homes in Victoria, as squeeze tightens on tenants
The state’s tenants face a tough rental market that shows no signs of easing, and some local government areas face significant drops in the number of homes available.
- by Rachel Eddie
Latest
Daniel Andrews tops King’s Birthday Honours
The former premier’s public health role and Big Build legacy have helped put him in the company of next governor-general Sam Mostyn on this year’s honours list.
- by Kieran Rooney and Shane Wright
Payments up to $40,000 to compensate Victorians from power tower eyesores
The Allan government has begun consultation on a community benefits program that aims to have power companies pay landowners who experience a “loss of visual amenity”.
- by Kieran Rooney
Exclusive
Disability
Sixth government backflip in six months, this time on disability commissioner
The Allan government has quietly shelved a plan to axe the state’s disability commissioner on July 1, its sixth major policy walk-back in six months.
- by Broede Carmody
Perspective
Indigenous
Aunty Fay Carter learned life’s truths from her Nanny in a tin hut
For decades, Fay Carter campaigned for social justice for Aboriginal people. Her work was grounded by her experience living with her grandmother and 19 other children in a shack beside the Goulburn River.
- by Tony Wright
Crime scene video of Russell Hill and Carol Clay's burnt campsite.
The prosecution disputes accused killer Gregory Lynn's account, partly due to a black guy rope at the site of an alleged struggle over a gun.
Opinion
Political leadership
A Labor diehard wants them to lose the next election. I can see why
Budget cuts, wars with unions and now a flirtation with privatisation have set off alarms about whether Labor can hold on to its heartland.
- by Annika Smethurst
New myki operator wants more money to run troubled system
Conduent, which took over the troubled myki system in 2023, faces technical roadblocks and cost pressures. It still can’t facilitate iPhone payments.
- by Kieran Rooney and Patrick Hatch
Exclusive
Victorian budget
Victoria set up an offset account to save money. Then it went into the red
An account meant to help drive down Victoria’s borrowing costs was instead put into overdraft, forcing the government to find hundreds of millions of dollars to repay it by the end of this financial year – and possibly billions in the next.
- by Annika Smethurst
Exclusive
Courts
Court short: New justice hub to sit empty after government cuts funding
New $272 million law courts in Melbourne’s south-west won’t open as planned after building finishes because the state budget didn’t provide staffing and operational funding.
- by Kieran Rooney
Exclusive
Victorian budget
Births, Deaths and Marriages – and more? Victoria’s quiet review of its public assets
Treasury sought advice from investment banks earlier this year as part of a review to see how much money could be raised from privatisation of public assets.
- by Broede Carmody and Sarah Danckert