Commentary The decision by the Victorian Labor government to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games is a major blow to the regional communities—promised world-class sporting events and infrastructure—and an assault on the reputation of the state; indeed the nation. The Games had been scheduled to showcase regional Victoria, with major events in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton,…
The Commonwealth Games Was Nothing More Than a Political Football
‘Gross Exaggeration’: Organisers Dispute Premier’s Claims of Cost Blow-Outs for Commonwealth Games
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…
Victoria Scraps 2026 Commonwealth Games as Massive Debts Sting
The Australian state of Victoria has decided to withdraw as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games as it battles financial problems caused by massive COVID-19 debts and high government expenses. On July 18, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that the state would no longer host the 2026 event because of a funding blowout. The Games…
New South Wales Temporarily Bans PwC Amid Ongoing Federal Investigation
The government of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has placed a temporary ban on scandal-plaguing consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as it seeks to improve the quality of consultant services provided by third parties. On June 15, the NSW government announced that it would suspend PwC from getting new government contracts concerning taxation…
Victoria’s Brett Sutton Resigns As Chief Health Officer
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…
Media Barred From Australian Premier’s Address to Chinese Dinner
Victorian state leader Daniel Andrews will not release speech notes from an address he delivered to Chinese dignitaries at Melbourne’s Park Hyatt on June 6. The Labor premier’s decision comes after a reporter from the Herald Sun newspaper was barred from entering the Post-Pandemic China-Australia Economic Cooperation Forum, where Andrews spoke for 30 minutes. There…
Religious Schools Oppose Victorian Government’s Plan to Impose Payroll Tax
Religious and independent schools in the Australian state of Victoria are opposing a new revenue-raising policy compelling many local education providers to pay payroll tax. In the 2023-2024 state budget, the Victorian Labor government proposed to remove the payroll tax exemption for non-government schools with high tuition fees to raise money to help repay the…
Rest of Australia to Help Pay for Victorian Government’s Debt Disaster
Australians outside of Victoria will be footing some of the state’s ballooning debt with Premier Daniel Andrews advising property investors and business owners to use his new taxes in their tax deduction claims to the federal government. “Any land tax is fully tax-deductible depending on the way in which they have their affairs arranged,” he…
COVID-19 the Scapegoat for Andrew’s $171 Billion Debt
Commentary Victorians will be paying for the financial mismanagement of the Daniel Andrews government for at least the next decade. This week’s state budget revealed the massive cost of the government’s failings for families, workers, and businesses. Worse, the government had revealed no credible plan to bring the vast debt under control. Victoria’s net debt…
Banning Native Logging Risks Fuelling More Illegal Logging Activities: Industry
Native forest logging will soon become illegal in the Australian state of Victoria after a string of legal actions from environmental groups hamstrung logging activity. The move, which comes amid a shortage in timber supply, has been warned by the sector to lead to more illegal logging, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs…
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