Australia’s most indebted state government faces a raft of fiscal challenges over the next five years after the 10-year bond rate surpassed the 6 per cent mark last week.
Victorian Labor
Victorians are dealing with higher interest rates and household budgets are under pressure.
Lower-income country debt payments hit highest level in 30 years - Debt Justice
Lower-income country debt payments have trebled in the last decade, according to figures calculated by Debt Justice based on IMF and World Bank data
Can the Liberals topple Victoria's government at the state election?
The Victorian state election is less than 100 days away. With One Nation's popularity riding high, how might the Coalition wrest power from Labor?
Carroll fails to gain traction as debt fears grip Victorian voters, poll shows
The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey lays bare the challenge before Premier Ben Carroll, who has been unable to lift Labor’s primary support or his own standing.
Carroll fails to gain traction as debt fears grip Victorian voters, poll shows
The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey lays bare the challenge before Premier Ben Carroll, who has been unable to lift Labor’s primary support or his own standing.
Fastest rent hikes in Australia show why Victoria needs rent caps – saving renters $15,590 by 2030 | The Australian Greens
Melbourne renters are being slugged with the fastest rent increases in the country, with new figures showing the city's median weekly rent jumped by more than $20 (3.5 per cent) to $600 in the June quarter.
Guardian Essential poll: Labor’s housing and tax changes fail to win over voters as support for One Nation swells
Just 25% of Australians polled back the budget while the majority believe the government has fallen short of expectations over the past year
Landslide
The 2025 Australian federal election saw an unexpected landslide victory for the Labor Party, the Liberal Party’s worst ever result and the continued rise of the non-major-party vote. In this book, Australia’s leading election analysts explore what contributed to this outcome, including the effectiveness of party and third-party campaigns, the changing demography of the
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.
Victorian opposition pledges to toughen bail and sentencing laws
The Victorian opposition has pledged to expand the government's "adult time for violent crime" laws and introduce a "one-strike" bail rule that would see re-offenders automatically denied bail.
Debt Traps? Market Vendors and Moneylender Debt in India and the Philippines
A debt trap occurs when someone takes on a high-interest-rate loan and is barely able to pay back the interest, and thus perpetually finds themselves in debt (often by refinancing). Studying such practices is important for understanding financial decision-making of households in dire circumstances, and also for setting appropriate consumer protection policies. We conduct a simple experiment in three sites in which we paid off high-interest moneylender debt of individuals. Most borrowers returned to debt within six weeks. One to two years after intervention, treatment individuals were borrowing at the same rate as control households.
Victorian Liberals promise weekly red bin garbage collections for all, calling fortnightly system ‘disgusting’
If opposition wins November’s state election, leader Jess Wilson vows households will not pay more under the change
Victorian teachers are to be the best paid in Australia. A union rebellion helped seal the deal
Salaries will rise 28.3% to 32.4% over four years, an outcome partly shaped by a rank-and-file revolt within the Australian Education Union
Consumption and Debt Response to Unanticipated Income Shocks: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Singapore
This paper uses a unique panel dataset of consumer financial transactions to study how consumers respond to an exogenous unanticipated income shock. Consumption rose significantly after the fiscal policy announcement: during the ten subsequent months, for each $1 received, consumers on average spent $0.80. We find a strong announcement effect—19 percent of the response occurs during the first two-month announcement period via credit cards. Subsequently, consumers switched to debit cards after disbursement before finally increasing spending on credit cards in the later months. Consumers with low liquid assets or with low credit card limit experienced stronger consumption responses. (JEL D12, D14, E21)
Victoria is about to have the most unpredictable election in living memory
Much has been written about the rise of Pauline Hanson's One Nation in the past 12 months. The Victorian election will give us our best look yet at the decline of the two-party system.
Victorian election polls 2026 — average and ledger — Australian Election Tracker
Victorian state election 2026 polls: sourced statewide primary votes and a transparent weighted average with uncertainty bands. Latest tracker average (as of 2026-10-10): Labor 24.5%, Coalition 29.1%, One Nation 22.6%, Greens 14.9%, Others 8.9%. Not a forecast.
