At last, election costings you can rely on

Election promises are about to get more believable.

Victorian state budget 2017: Amid growing need, Pallas saves to spend more

• ANALYSIS

With land tax and stamp duty boosting revenue by an extraordinary 11.5 per cent over the year, treasurer Tim Pallas might have felt entitled to simply spend what was coming in. Instead he's ordered extra savings.

Why $1.45b for regional rail is a good bet

• ANALYSIS

Away from the barricades, things are looking good for Victorian regional rail.

Melbourne's population growth tops 100,000 in a year

New Australian Bureau of Statistics population figures show the city has four of the five fastest growing regions in the nation.

Melbourne booms while the rest of the state wilts, and it could get worse

• EXCLUSIVE

Melbourne has become so important it now accounts for all of Victoria's economic growth, with the rest of the state contributing nothing in net terms.

We're no better off than in 2009

If you think you are worse off despite a raft of economic statistics saying things are getting better, you're probably right.

Good times, bad times: a tale of two treasurers

Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas luxuriates in surpluses, but he’s also protecting his revenue base, unlike another treasurer in Canberra.

Pallas redoubles bets on economic growth

Blessed with the highest population growth and the fastest property price growth in the nation, as well as the fastest economic growth this side of Darwin, Tim Pallas has decided to double down.

Melbourne booms as locals leave Sydney

Melbourne has consolidated its position as Australia's fastest-growing city, gaining an extra 95,600 residents in a year in which Sydney gained only 84,200.