{
  "id": 15668897,
  "title": "Victoria needs deep budget cuts, not policy gimmicks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/victoria-needs-deep-budget-cuts-not-policy-gimmicks",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-19T23:00:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MacroBusiness",
    "slug": "macrobusiness",
    "url": "https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2026/10/victoria-needs-deep-budget-cuts-not-policy-gimmicks/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Victorian government’s financial report for 2025-26, released last week, shows that the state’s net debt rose to $160.7 billion during the financial year. Operating expenses rose $8 billion from the previous fiscal year to $112 billion, and $891 million above the budget forecast, driven mainly by rising wage costs. The state’s net debt is The post Victoria needs deep budget cuts, not policy…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}