Politics
Victoria
Exclusive
City life
Kouta’s $449,000 cash splash on failed lord mayoral campaign
The campaign to elect the former AFL star as Melbourne lord mayor spent a hefty amount with limited success. One of his supporters has called for electoral reform.
- by Cara Waters
Latest
Melbourne Uni agrees to repay $72 million to academic staff
The prestigious university has agreed to pay millions in interest and superannuation on top of the wage repayments to 25,000 current and former staff. One worker was underpaid by $150,000.
- by Noel Towell
Analysis
Property development
The Allan government is already spruiking its housing success. Here’s what the data says
Over a year after its Housing Statement, Labor is falling short of its lofty targets – and that’s if its estimate stacks up. If it doesn’t, things are even worse.
- by Rachel Eddie and Kieran Rooney
Exclusive
Victorian Parliament
High Court battle looms for Allan over electoral funding laws
Correspondence between Jacinta Allan and independent candidates reveals why a dispute over Victoria’s electoral laws is likely to head to the top court.
- by Chip Le Grand
Protests to go on ‘until liberation’, say pro-Palestinian rally organisers
Melbourne’s 61st consecutive pro-Palestinian protest has taken place as the state government mulls changes to protest laws.
- by Michael Bachelard and Carla Jaeger
Ex-Labor MP brands his old party ‘cowardly’ as he seeks re-election
Tony Lupton’s decision to run as an independent could well spice up a Prahran contest that was assumed to be a battle between the Greens and the Liberals.
- by Carla Jaeger
‘Absolute shambles’: Parents decry flaws in rollout of $400 school bonus payments
Technical glitches leave families fearing they could miss out, while others face curbs on how the money can be spent.
- by Bridie Smith
Updated
Crime
‘Back bigger and better’: Hundreds rally near firebombed synagogue, vowing to rebuild
Heartbroken members of Melbourne’s Adass Israel community have promised to restore the “jewel in the crown” of their community by rebuilding their synagogue.
- by Ashleigh McMillan, Carla Jaeger and Michael Bachelard
‘I’ve always been a team player’: Ben Carroll on the VCE exam crisis and what drives him
The deputy premier knows the government is under pressure, but insists they are doing what needs to be done to turn things around.
- by Annika Smethurst
Opinion
Political leadership
Bland and fake: Why the electorate has given up listening to politicians
Nobody should take tips from a politician, but after a decade spent watching them get more and more bland, I have some suggestions.
- by Annika Smethurst
Exclusive
Victorian budget
Victoria keeps nearly $2 billion in debt rather than paying it off
The government has decided to spend almost $2 billion budgeted for paying off debt over the past two financial years.
- by Kieran Rooney