{
  "id": 3385714,
  "title": "Secret levy slapped on public transport fares to help pay for Suburban Rail Loop",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/secret-levy-slapped-on-public-transport-fares-to-help-pay-for-3385714",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T00:00:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Age",
    "slug": "the-age",
    "url": "https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/secret-levy-slapped-on-public-transport-fares-to-help-pay-for-suburban-rail-loop-20260825-p60rhk.html?ref=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The levy was exposed by the Victorian Auditor-General on Wednesday, who also warned the project was at risk of running late and over budget.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Secret levy slapped on public transport fares to help pay for Suburban Rail Loop",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/secret-levy-slapped-on-public-transport-fares-to-help-pay-for",
        "published": "2026-08-26T00:00:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian Australia",
        "title": "Suburban Rail Loop: Victorian government secretly increased public transport fares to help pay for controversial SRL",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/suburban-rail-loop-victorian-government-secretly-increased-public",
        "published": "2026-08-26T00:41:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Breaking: Fares secretly hiked to fund Suburban Rail Loop, Auditor-General finds",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/breaking-fares-secretly-hiked-to-fund-suburban-rail-loop-auditor",
        "published": "2026-08-26T00:43:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}