Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson has agreed to a four-way debate ahead of the state election as her party enjoys a bump in support in fresh polling.

The move contrasts with Labor's campaign focus on road repairs, sharpening debates over spending priorities as the November election nears. The post Victorian Government Forgives $6 Million Pride Centre Loan Before Election first appeared on VibeWire Magazine.

Victoria’s independent corruption watchdog has handed down a damning report about the state’s Covid-era support programs.

The incident ramps up election pressure on Labor, as polls show One Nation surging in regional areas. The post Victorian Premier Walks Out of Cafe Amid Youth Crime Confrontation first appeared on VibeWire Magazine.

Ben Carroll has declared he will refuse to form government rather than accept support from the Greens, as he called on Opposition Leader Jess Wilson to do the same for One Nation.

By DAVID BRAITHWAITE   WHILE a general dip in the number of criminal incidents recorded across Victoria, the number increased in Latrobe City. The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) last week released recorded crime statistics for the three months to June 30 this year. It showed there were 10,304 criminal incidents recorded in Latrobe City for the period, a 3.4 per cent increase from the same time last year (9967). There were 3530 incidents recorded in Morwell, but that figure was down from the 3713 12 months earlier. Traralgon had 3038 incidents (up from 2729), Moe 1941 (up from 1746), Newborough 616 (up from 550), and Churchill 524 (down from 526). Most incidents occurred in houses (3261); streets, lanes and footpaths (1249); “other retail” (424); shopping complexes (413), and driveways or car ports (396). There were 1071 incidents of breaches of family violence orders (down from 1113), 961 incidents of criminal damage (up from 924), 850 of stealing from a retail store (down from 975), 824 of stealing of motor vehicles (up from 794), and 731 of “other theft” (up from 689). Of the 10,304 incidents, 37.9 per cent had charges laid, 22.5 per cent had no charges laid, while 39.6 per cent were unsolved. To compare local government areas, the CSA uses a rate or incidents per 100,000 people. The overall rate for Victoria was 6504.2, with Latrobe City well over that, with 12,902.7 incidents. Only the City of Melbourne has a higher rate of incidents. Incidents in East Gippsland Shire went up 10.8 per cent and Wellington Shire went up 3.7 per cent, with both remaining above the state rate. There was a reduction in incidents across the rest of Gippsland, with Baw Baw Shire down 2.7 per cent, Bass Coast Shire down 8.4 per cent, and South Gippsland Shire down 4.3 per cent. All three of these shires remain below the state rate of offences per 100,000 people. There were 14,306 offences recorded in Latrobe City in the latest reporting period, up from 13,985 a year ago. Almost half (47.2 per cent) has resulted in an arrest or summons, while 31.9 per cent are unresolved. The rate of recorded offences decreased across Victoria, down 3.8 per cent to 8679.6 per 100,000 Victorians in the past 12 months, while the number of offences decreased 2.1 per cent to 624,624. Despite the overall decrease, justice procedures offences had the largest increase in the past 12 months, up 3.7 per cent or 3685 to 102,015 offences. The main driver of the increase was breaches of orders, up 3362 to 87,257 offences, specifically breaching of bail condition offences, which rose from 5473 to 17,250 offences in the past 12 months following the commencement of new breach of bail offences as part of bail reforms in 2025. In the 12 months to June 30, 2026, the number of criminal incidents decreased 2.9 per cent or 14,064 to 468,070 incidents. The rate also decreased, down 4.6 per cent to 6,504.2 per 100,000 Victorians. Alleged offender incidents increased 6.6 per cent to 195,572, as did the offender incident rate up 4.6 per cent to 3062.1 per 100,000. Theft-related incidents increased by 4.3 per cent or 1822 to 44,544 alleged offender incidents. Specifically, shoplifting increased 9.3 per cent or 1807 to 21,306 alleged offender incidents. The victimisation rate decreased by 7.6 per cent to 3665 reports per 100,000 Victorians. The number of person-related victim reports was down six per cent to 263,746 and reports from organisations was down 1.3 per cent to 115,730. The decrease in person victim reports was primarily driven by the decreases in thefts (down 7.8 per cent to 121,410). Family incidents decreased 3.4 per cent, with 102,830 incidents recorded across Victoria. The rate also decreased, down five pre cent or 1428.9 incidents per 100,000 Victorians. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Bob Hill said while it was pleasing to see overall crime figures stabilising, and many categories seeing reductions, general levels remained elevated, reinforcing the need for police to maintain a strong focus on prevention and enforcement activities. “Community safety is maximised when our people are visible, proactive and focused on frontline policing. By continuing to modernise the way we deploy our workforce, we are increasing our capacity to prevent crime, target emerging issues and provide a stronger policing presence where it matters most,” he said. “A four per cent reduction in serious and violent crime is an encouraging result, but our work is far from over. We remain firmly committed to reducing harm across the community and will continue striving not only to meet our targets, but to exceed them. “Victoria Police will continue to focus on prevention where we can, enforcement where we must, and maintaining the visible, proactive policing presence that communities in this state rightly expect and deserve.” The state government said its new “tougher bail laws” were delivering serious consequences for offenders, with bail refusals up 32 per cent in the Magistrates’ Court and 28 per cent in the Children’s Court, and youth bail applications down. Police Minister Paul Edbrooke said crime was “going in a new direction under the Carroll Labor government: down”. “We are delivering more police, tougher laws, stronger powers and serious consequences,” he said. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said “tough bail is working” as bail refusals were up, bail applications were down and crime was falling. However, the Liberal-National opposition says total offences recorded had increased by 29 per cent since December 2022. Shadow police and corrections minister Brad Battin said last week’s figures sealed “Labor’s legacy of failure on crime”. “Under Labor, Victoria has more crime, fewer police and an additional 723 people become a victim of crime every single day,” he said. With regional Victoria making up 13 of the 14 worst Victorian areas for alleged offenders, Nationals state leader Danny O’Brien the latest statistics further emphasised the need for the Liberals and Nationals pledge to boost the police force and strengthen bail laws. “The Premier and the Police Minister are patting themselves on the back for the state’s crime figures while criminals run rampant across our regions which shows that Labor’s focus on Victoria extends only to metropolitan Melbourne,” Mr O’Brien said.  

Recent polls show the Coalition leading 52-48 on a two-party preferred basis. The post Victorian Premier Carroll Channels Brisbane Lions Comeback Ahead of Election first appeared on VibeWire Magazine.

With community concerns about datacentres becoming impossible to ignore, the state Labor government has changed course

By DAVID BRAITHWAITE   THERE are questions over the future of a proposed $1.6 billion power transmission line. Premier Ben Carroll has ordered a cost review of the Western Renewables Link (WRL), the same day Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny approved the environmental effects statement for the project, a proposed 190-kilometre transmission line to connect renewable energy projects in western Victoria to the energy grid. Mr Carroll said the review aimed to reduce building costs, and there would be no compulsory acquisition of property while it was underway. “I respect the public’s money. This project was planned almost 10 years ago and Victorian consumers deserve updated, transparent costings,” Mr Carroll said. The news came a week after VicGrid announced Central North Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) will no longer go ahead as a result of further technical assessments and community consultation. The Central North REZ was proposed for an area between Bendigo, Shepparton and Echuca. With no new transmission projects planned and many generation projects already progressing in the area, VicGrid determined there was limited capacity on the grid to support a renewable energy zone. There are a significant number of solar generation projects already operating, approved or seeking connection in the region. This means it is likely most remaining capacity on the grid would be allocated before the new access regime associated with renewable energy zones is introduced. VicGrid has also received significant feedback from the community and regional stakeholders on the proposed zone, with concerns raised around issues including biodiversity, flooding and the significance of agricultural land in some areas of the zone. The VicGrid decision does not mean there won’t be renewable energy development in the area, with many solar and battery projects already well advanced. Projects that are currently underway will continue to work through planning and connections approvals processes. REZs are areas identified as the best places to host wind, solar and battery projects. In May, the state government formally declared five onshore REZs, including one between Sale and Moe, along with the Gippsland Shoreline REZ, which will host underground cables connecting wind farms in Bass Strait to the power grid. Back then, the government said consultation for the Central North REZ was continuing. Victorian Farmers Federation President Ryan Milgate said the VicGrid decision regarding the Central North zone was “a step in the right direction for the community and a recognition that landholders deserve to have a genuine say in decisions that affect their farms, their livelihoods and the future of their region”.  

The new Regional Breweries Fund aims to bolster local breweries. The post Victorian Premier Launches Regional Breweries Fund Amid Tax Backlash first appeared on VibeWire Magazine.