Hiring freezes and job losses at Victorian hospitals are prompting many healthcare workers to look interstate for work.
The water authority borrowed additional money from a Victorian government entity – and paid interest to the government – so it could pay a tax to the same government.
Victoria blitzed elective surgery waiting lists down after the pandemic,but looming health cuts threaten to blow them out again and force more people to take out private health insurance.
Priority primary care clinics,promised in 2022 as Daniel Andrews’ solution to the health crisis,are facing cutbacks as the Victorian budget grapples with debt.
As hospitals continue to search for savings,Victorian mental health programs,including those for children,could be hit with redundancies and hiring freezes.
The Greens will introduce a bill in the next sitting week in an attempt to block further privatisation of government services.
Bed and ward closures,reducing elective surgery,cancelling breast screenings and even closing special-care cots were all openly discussed as possibilities to save money.
Some high-fee schools will pay more in taxes than they get in state funding,according to opposition analysis. Find out which ones here.
An account meant to help drive down Victoria’s borrowing costs was instead put into overdraft,forcing the government to find hundreds of millions of dollars to repay it by the end of this financial year – and possibly billions in the next.
Treasury sought advice from investment banks earlier this year as part of a review to see how much money could be raised from privatisation of public assets.
Outside the public eye,the highest-taxing state in the nation is fending off threats from South Australia and Queensland to steal Victorian businesses.