The situation in New South Wales is similar to the state of affairs when Jeff Kennett came to office in 1992. For years, Victoria had been an economic basket case. Did Kennett respond, as Barry O’Farrell has done, by ignoring policy and presenting a small target? He did not. Instead, he and his supporters prepared to govern.

Total government spending for each Victorian government school student in 2005-06 was $10,352. Total spending for each non-government school student was almost half that figure — $5614. Independent school parents pick up the difference and in Victoria they are going to have to make an even bigger sacrifice.

Supreme Court Justice Peter Vickery granted permission for Channel Nine to immediately screen a version of the first five episodes of the hit TV series, which have been edited for Victorian viewers.

There are several things lacking in the man who holds the balance of power in the Senate, Family First Senator Steve Fielding. The main problem is that Fielding has spent three years being a stuntmeister instead of honing his negotiating skills, focusing on policy and developing the strategic side of his brain.

The latest Newspoll in Victoria makes stark reading for the Libs. It suggests not much has changed since Steve Bracks’ thumping win over then new-boy Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu in 2006. At the election, Labor won about 54.5% of the vote after the distribution of preferences. In the July-August Newspoll, Labor garnered 54%.

A spokeswoman for Police Minister Bob Cameron yesterday defended the system introduced by the Government to fight police corruption, but refused to say whether the laws would need to be amended. “Any legal technicalities which may arise … will be addressed appropriately,” she told reporters.

Hostilities between the Australian Building and Construction Commission and the unions are set to reignite, with a unionist due to face court on charges of assaulting and threatening to kill two construction commission inspectors. Police are expected to allege that Brian George Shearer assaulted and threatened two ABCC inspectors. Mr Shearer is expected to plead not guilty to the charges, which, if proven, could land him in jail for up to 10 years.

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks’ widely praised reform of the state’s upper house left the balance of power with the Democratic Labor Party and the Greens. This means the Opposition needs the DLP’s Peter Kavanagh to hammer the Government with inquiries, and the Government needs him to check the Opposition.

The poll comes at a time when the Government is forging ahead with several controversial infrastructure projects, such as the north-south pipeline, the desalination plant and the dredging of Port Phillip Bay. It has also been caught out badly on providing sufficient public transport for rapidly growing Melbourne.

During the 12 years of the Howard government, these voters were capable of voting for John Howard federally, then turning to throw their support behind Labor at the state level. The question was always what these voters would do once the government changed in Canberra, and now we are starting to get an answer.