Sat, 15th August, 2026: Anthony Galloway, Victorian Political Editor, The Australian

A new Premier, new rules for how we vote, and growing fights over energy and workplace rights—Victorian politics is undergoing a massive reset. Premier Ben Carroll is attempting to carve out a ‘new direction’ for Labor, but with intense pressure over state debt, construction rorts, and controversial legislation, can he reset the narrative in time? With his take is Anthony Galloway, Victorian Political Editor of The Australian.

Anthony had a story last week that the Victorian Labor Government had explored privatising Melbourne Water for five years to rescue the state’s finances. Named “Project Nerva”, the business case examined ways to attract private investment to fund infrastructure upgrades, such as the Western Treatment Plant. Ben Carroll has been under pressure to rule out doing any sale in the future but is yet to do so.

Jacinta Allan announced yesterday that she would not contest the next election after her resignation as Premier.

Political Stakes: With the November State Election fast approaching, Carroll has very little time to turn around Labor’s polling trajectory while facing aggressive attacks from Coalition Leader Jess Wilson on budget waste and project blowouts.

Anthony Galloway is The Australian’s Victorian political editor, having reported on some of the nation’s biggest security and political stories over the past decade. He was previously foreign affairs and national security correspondent at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, chief political correspondent at Capital Brief and earlier a political reporter at the Herald Sun.

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