What now for Victoria?
The challenges and opportunities facing the new Labor government

Top Stories

Climate, Environment

A cool Melbourne in a hotter world

October 1, 2014

Melbourne must urgently start planning for a zero-carbon economy to protect itself from the worst effects of climate change, which will otherwise strike the city hard, write John Wiseman, David Karoly and Alexander Sheko in this extract from a new book.

Campaign, Political advertising

Election ads with a nasty edge lower the tone

October 1, 2014

Campaign advertising that denigrates and humiliates political leaders is cheap in both senses of the word and damages our political culture, writes Jackie Dickenson.

Election, Polls

Final vote is likely to be closer than polls suggest

October 1, 2014

Labor’s strong showing in opinion polls is deceptive because it depends very much on Greens preferences, and the situation is also complicated by recent changes to electoral boundaries in Victoria, writes Denis Muller.

Victoria Police, Public safety, Transport

Protective service officers: A smart return on transport investment?

October 1, 2014

With studies showing that increased police patrols have no effect on serious crime rates, and that the poor are unfairly targeted for minor forms of “anti-social behavior”, the role of PSOs must be questioned, writes Dave McDonald.

Education, Schools, Australian curriculum

The end of ‘the education Premier’

October 1, 2014

The lack of a real vision for education on the part of both the government and the opposition is the product of a shift of power to the federal arena that is castrating the states, writes Glenn Savage.

Campaign Ads

October 1, 2014

You can find political party campaign ads for Victoria's 2014 Election here.

Gay Rights, Adoption

It’s time to adopt change

October 1, 2014

Premier Denis Napthine wanted to see “proper” evidence before moving to legalise gay and lesbian adoption. The evidence is in, writes Simon Crouch, and it says many children thrive with same-sex parents.

Return of Writs

October 23, 2014

Close of Electoral Roll (8pm)

October 23, 2014

Victorian Electoral Commission

October 24, 2014

Who can vote; when and where to vote; nomination processes and deadlines: To access the Victorian Electoral Commission's information and resources, click here.

Deadline (noon): Registered political parties nominations & lodgement of candidate groupings

October 23, 2014

Victorian Government

October 24, 2014

For access to State Government legislation, services, events, publications, directories, click here.

Close of nominations (noon)

October 23, 2014

Also voting commences 4pm for electors with special circumstances; Last day for release of Pre-Election Budget Update by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Electoral boundaries

October 24, 2014

New State Government electoral boundaries, reviewed over the past two years, come into play this year. For information and maps, click here.

Deadline: Lodgement of group voting tickets (noon)

October 23, 2014

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