Organisers have blamed the Victorian Labor government for contributing to any cost blowout in hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Commonwealth Games Australia CEO Craig Phillips issued the statement in response to Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement on July 18 that the state would withdraw as host of the Games—meaning organisers will be left to…

The cost for Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel project is expected to spiral out of control, and a transport expert attributed part of the problems to the Labor government’s rushing the project. The West Gate Tunnel project is a four-kilometre toll road under construction that will upgrade the West Gate Freeway at Yarraville and link to CityLink at…

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is refusing to apologise for labelling a female Liberal MP a “halfwit grub”, declaring he was defending a Labor colleague. Opposition women’s spokeswoman and Eildon MP Cindy McLeish says the premier made the remark in state parliament on Tuesday before withdrawing it. “Those comments were deeply offensive to me, but I…

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer (CHO), Brett Sutton, has resigned from his post after four years leading the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Sutton will take up the role of director of Health and Biosecurity at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Labor Premier Daniel Andrews thanked Sutton for his service with the state’s Health…

State leader Daniel Andrews has delivered a stinging tirade at families and Melbourne locals who opposed a drag storytime event at a public library. In a speech to the Victorian Parliament, the Labor premier labelled the actions of those protesting the Monash City Council’s decision as “shameful.” Andrews claimed it was “not an exercise in…

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the state’s new public drunkenness laws arguing that the move to decriminalise public intoxication will not add an extra burden for police officers—despite unions arguing otherwise. “Will it be easy? No. Of course, it’s a big shift,” the premier said on April 13. “This is a reform that is…

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will be the first state leader to visit China, ahead of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, since the outbreak of COVID-19. Andrews will leave on March 27 and visit Beijing, as well as the provinces of Jiangsu and Sichuan, before returning to Melbourne on April 1. He will meet with Chinese…

A new transgender flag will fly in front of Melbourne’s Treasury Place alongside two LGBT+ pride flags until the end of the month. The Victorian state Labor government made the decision following a rally on women’s rights on the weekend where women discussed transgender people taking part in women’s sports. State Premier Daniel Andrews wrote…

Commentary Victoria’s Parliamentary Budget Office’s (PBO) latest report (pdf) has revealed that the Labor government, who set it up, did not even use it to cost its 2022 election promises. The report notes that “There appears to be a disconnect between the Treasurer’s 2016 speech recommending the bill to parliament, in which he outlined his…

Commentary What is the “Catholic gut” that the now-former chief executive of Clubs NSW ascribed to New South Wales (NSW) Premier Dominic Perrottet? It is a set of values inspired by Jesus Christ. They include faith, hope and love, a sense of fairness, an abhorrence of hypocrisy, and the imperative to stand up for what…