Jaclyn Symes
Secret departmental plan for radical expansion of suburban high-rise push
There are currently 60 high-rise activity centres. A secret plan drawn up by a state government department calls for 150 more.
- Daniella White
Latest
Political war erupts over holes dotting Coalition’s path to cash surplus
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson used her budget reply speech to accuse the government of a “desperate and deluded scare campaign”, amid doubts over how she would reach her 2032 target.
- Daniella White and Kieran Rooney
Labor promised ‘our finances will stay strong’. What went wrong?
This week’s Victorian budget revealed a debt bill heading rapidly towards $200 billion. It was a far cry from the fiscal strategy the government once boasted about.
- Patrick Hatch and Daniella White
- Exclusive
- Victorian budget
The key assumption in the Victorian budget that has economists worried
Treasurer Jaclyn Symes insists the budget and the assumptions underpinning it are conservative, despite Treasury’s recent history of overly optimistic forecasts.
- Daniella White, Patrick Hatch and Kieran Rooney
Regional pothole patching to be cut amid pledge to rein in Big Build
The government has committed more than $1 billion for road maintenance, but the amount of spot patching on regional roads has been significantly scaled back.
- Kieran Rooney and Patrick Hatch
Budget takes $2b hit from property price falls
While Treasurer Jaclyn Symes bets on a rapid housing recovery, first-home buyers like Tom find that even a 20 per cent deposit isn’t enough.
- Daniella White
- Updated
- Victorian budget
Lotto windfall boosts state budget amid warnings about election-year spending splurge
A surprise $1.14 billion lottery licence deal has underpinned a forecast $1 billion surplus, although Victoria’s economic outlook is at the mercy of the war in the Middle East.
- Kieran Rooney
State budget Victoria 2026 as it happened: $1.1 billion lottery deal saves budget from deficit as Treasurer Jacyln Symes spends big on health, transport, neurodiversity support
Follow our live blog as Treasurer Jaclyn Symes hands down Victoria’s 2026 state budget – with a forecast $1 billion surplus, amid a growing mountain of debt.
- Clay Lucas and Alexander Darling
Iran war hits Victoria’s economic outlook. And it could get worse
The state government’s reliance on economic growth to drive down Victoria’s burgeoning debt pile is under threat as the war in the Middle East forces a downgrade to economic forecasts.
- Patrick Hatch and Craig Butt
- Analysis
- Victorian budget
Stubborn government refuses to pay down some of what it owes
The state’s interest bill is taking a $50 billion bite out of the money we have, and the figure will keep rising.
- Chip Le Grand