The budget outlines the Victorian Government's fiscal policy, infrastructure investment and economic outlook. Measures focus on cost-of-living help and more investment in frontline services. It continues a commitment to drive down spend on inefficient and non‑priority programs, and will deliver an operating surplus in the budget year for the first time since before the pandemic.

This note looks at the evolution of inflation over the last term of government, failures of wage growth to keep up with inflation, and what the major parties proposed in the 2025 federal election campaign to alleviate cost-of-living pressures. It suggests that structural changes are needed to provide long-term relief and to protect consumers from...

The paper presents data on six measures of living standards: mortgage stress, disposable income, the number of Australians with more than one job, household price levels, tax burden and debt burden. It finds that price level rises in various household goods and services all exceeded wages growth between 2022 and 2024.

This note analyses the significance of student debt as part of the cost-of-living crisis, the current Job-ready Graduates package and HECS-HELP debts, and the need for policy reform to support younger generations and reduce intergenerational inequity. It summarises what the major parties are promising to address student debt ahead of the 2025 federal election.

This policy platform identifies the Australian Labour Party priorities for the 2025 federal election. Policy areas include cost of living, tax reform and tax cuts, strengthening Medicare, housing supply and affordability, protecting the climate and environment, and growing the economy.