Politics
Victoria
Pokies will close six hours a day, but gambling losses are expected to increase
Victoria’s pokies are due to close six hours a day starting later this year, but the state budget still tips annual gambling losses – and tax revenue – will rise.
- by Rachel Eddie and Annika Smethurst
Latest
Exclusive
Public housing
Building unions, Labor branches clash with state on housing towers demolition
Influential construction unions have joined more than 30 Labor branches in contesting the Allan government’s plans to redevelop Melbourne’s 44 public housing towers.
- by Kieran Rooney and Royce Millar
From jail to counselling, Matt is proof men can change their behaviour if they want to
Realising the gravity of what he’d lost helped Matt become a reformed family violence offender. Now back with his daughter and with a new life ahead of them, he wants support for others to change.
- by Wendy Tuohy
The $600 million economic shock buried in the state budget papers
The state government’s budget predictions hinge on a consumer spending splurge that may never materialise.
- by Josh Gordon
Exclusive
Healthcare
Victoria fell short of its lofty elective surgery promise – so it cut the target
The Allan government has walked away from a vow to permanently deliver an extra 40,000 elective surgeries annually by 2024, lowering its targets back to pre-pandemic levels.
- by Kieran Rooney and Henrietta Cook
How (and where) to snag a fish in Melbourne and regional Victoria
Victorians are hooked on fishing. Here are some expert tips to increase your chances of success.
- by Benjamin Preiss
Opinion
Victorian budget
Pallas says Labor’s promises have been delayed. Many would say they’ve been broken
Parents whose children will never attend promised childcare or see promised school upgrades are unlikely to be satisfied by the treasurer’s postponement of election pledges.
- by Annika Smethurst
Exclusive
Education
Police warn unis to break up protests as staffer threatens to burn camp
Victoria Police told universities there is a strong likelihood of violence if they don’t break up pro-Palestine student encampments on their campuses, warning that agitators who are not students are inflaming tensions.
- by Sherryn Groch and Chris Vedelago
‘Bleakest budget’ for mental health didn’t fund promised new agency
Premier Jacinta Allan’s first budget failed to fund an overdue support service to be run by people with first-hand experience of ill-mental health.
- by Rachel Eddie and Broede Carmody
The three-minute budget: Everything you need to know
Find out what will affect you most in this year’s Victorian budget.
- by Broede Carmody
Editorial
Editorial
Victoria is driving towards a debt cliff. Here’s one way to hit the brakes
Projections that the state’s debt would rise from $135.9 billion this year to $187.8 billion by mid-2028 highlight a need for drastic action.
- The Age's View