VICTORIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Allan denies firefighting funding cuts

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Anthony Galloway, Liam Mendes
The Australian – Page: 7 : 13-Jan-26

Victoria’s Opposition claims that the state government has cut funding to the Country Fire Authority, with the CFA’s most recent annual report being cited as evidence. It shows that government grant funding fell from $351.6m to $339.5m over the four years to 2023-24, with the CFA’s 2024-25 annual report not yet released. With Premier Jacinta Allan rejecting the opposition’s claims, the row over funding comes as CFA volunteers fighting the state’s current bushfires have claimed that they are being expected to do so in ageing trucks with no air-conditioning in temperatures of up to 40C. About 27 fires were still burning across Victoria on Monday.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Wilson’s policy blueprint to take down Allan

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Anthony Galloway, Lily McCaffrey
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Nov-25

Victoria’s Opposition leader Jess Wilson has identified a range of policy priorities for the Coalition ahead of the state election next year. They include budget repair, the economy, healthcare, housing and the state’s crime crisis. Wilson has described herself as a "new generation" leader and says the appointment of a third Liberal leader in less than a year is a "line in the sand" moment for the party. Wilson was elected unopposed, with Brad Battin choosing not to contest the ballot after the party room voted 19-13 to spill the leadership. Sam Groth has been re-elected as deputy leader, while Beverley McArthur is the Opposition’s new leader in the upper house. The state government has already launched ‘attack’ ads targeting Wilson.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA

Victoria to set life terms for kids as young as 14

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Anthony Galloway
The Australian – Page: 3 : 12-Nov-25

The Victorian government has belatedly responded to the state’s youth crime crisis by announcing plans to implement ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws. Premier Jacinta Allan is set to announce that children aged 14+ who commit a range of offences will automatically have their case heard by the Country Court rather than the Children’s Court; these offences include aggravated home invasion and aggravated carjacking. The County Court can presently impose a maximum penalty of 25 years for aggravated home invasion and aggravated carjacking; however, the government will legislate to increase the maximum penalty to life imprisonment for offenders aged 14+.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, COUNTY COURT OF VICTORIA, CHILDREN’S COURT

Teaching Mandarin in Victorian schools, student exchange top of China strategy

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Chip Le Grand
The Age – Page: Online : 17-Sep-25

Closer education links with China will be a key part of the Victorian government’s so-called ‘China Strategy’. Premier Jacinta Allan has signed a memorandum of understanding during a personal meeting with China’s Minister for Education, Huai Jinpeng. The agreement includes a student exchange program at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, while Victorian students will learn Mandarin. Allan has also announced that China’s Trina Solar has received approval for a $435m battery project in Victoria. However, she has declined to comment on a transport announcement that she is slated to make later this week, and whether it will include Chinese investment in the Suburban Rail Loop project.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, CHINA. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, TRINA SOLAR LIMITED

Allan off to Beijing – to win over voters

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Damon Johnson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 3-Sep-25

A Victorian government spokesperson has advised that Premier Jacinta Allan will head a five-day trade mission to China in mid-September. Allan will meet with Chinese politicians and business leaders, and the talks will focus on issues such as trade, education, tourism and innovation. She will be accompanied by a junior minister, as well as four Labor backbenchers whose electorate have a large number of Chinese-Australian voters. It will be Allan’s first major overseas trip since she replaced predecesser Daniel Andrews, who visited China six times when he was in office.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

The staggering amount Allan govt is spending to keep young crims locked up

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ryan Bourke
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 27-Aug-25

Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation has released a report which shows that it now costs the Victorian government – and taxpayers – $7,775 per day to keep each young offender in jail. This equates to more than $280,000 per year for each offender. In contrast, the daily cost of detaining young offenders is just $2,814 in New South Wales and $2,162 in Queensland. A spokesman for Victoria’s Department of Justice & Community Safety says every dollar spent on keeping the community safe is "money well spent". The Minderoo Foundation’s figures are based on data from the Productivity Commission covering the period from 2023 to 2024.

CORPORATES
MINDEROO FOUNDATION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE AND COMMUNITY SAFETY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

‘People are less safe’: Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin claims Melbourne’s pro-Palestine protest put public at risk

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Hannaford
Sky News Australia – Page: Online : 26-Aug-25

About 100,000 people attended a pro-Palestine protest in the Melbourne CBD on Sunday, while similar events were held nationwide. Victorian police have stated that they had a "highly visible presence" at the rally but made no arrests on the day. However, Opposition leader Brad Battin says more than 22,000 police shifts have been diverted to the weekly pro-Palestine rallies, when police could have been dealing with the state’s escalating crime crisis. Premier Jacinta Allan has previously stated that people have a right to protest peacefully and that this right should be respected. Shadow police minister David Southwick agrees, but he says the pro-Palestine protests have gone "well and above that", and people no longer feel safe visiting the CBD.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Another exec to board Suburban Rail Loop gravy train

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ryan Bourke
The Australian – Page: 6 : 29-Jul-25

The Victorian government is seeking to recruit a director of engineering for its Suburban Rail Loop project. The salary range for the position is beween $290,000 and $419,000. This compares with an average salary of $210,000 to $230,000 for a director of engineering in Australia, according to jobs website Jora. A spokewoman for the SRL says the high salary range is justified, given that the role requires highly specialised expertise, technical skill and experience. She adds that the SRL is competing with major projects in Australia and overseas to hire staff for such roles.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. SUBURBAN RAIL LOOP AUTHORITY, JORA

Victoria turns blind eye to credit downgrade risk

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lily McCaffrey
The Australian – Page: 6 : 4-Jun-25

Victoria’s Treasurer Jaclyn Symes will hold meetings with global credit ratings agencies in New York on Friday. Symes has told parliament’s public accounts and estimates committee that there has been no indication from the ratings agencies that Victoria’s credit rating may be subject to an unfavourable review. The issue came under scrutiny earlier in 2025 when S&P Global warned that the government must demonstrate "fiscal discipline" if it hopes to retain the state’s AA/Stable credit rating, which had been downgraded from triple-A in 2020. The Treasury has advised that it has not undertaken any modelling on the impact of a further credit rating downgrade on the state’s budget position.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF TRANSPORT, S&P GLOBAL RATINGS

Victorian Labor enters debt-and-tax spiral

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lily McCaffrey, Damon Johnston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-May-25

S&P Global analyst Rebecca Hrvatin has responded to the Victorian government’s 2025 budget by emphasising the need for fiscal discipline, particularly in the lead-up to the state election in November 2026. The budget papers show that Victoria’s net debt is forecast to rise from about $155bn at present to $194bn in 2028-29, while the state’s annual interest bill will top $10.5bn by that date. The state’s wages bill is in turn expected to blow out to $42bn in 2028-29, despite plans to shed about 1,200 full-time equivalent public sector jobs. Meanwhile, tax revenue is expected to rise to about $48bn in 2028-29, compared with $36.8bn in 2023-24; this is despite the absence of any new taxes in the budget.

CORPORATES
S&P GLOBAL RATINGS