Right to appeal generally will be where there is no legal...

Right to appeal generally will be where there is no legal precedence. Can't imagine this type of case hasn't happened before and if the ruling is based on case law and legal rights of the plaintiff, then see this very hard getting challenged. Please observe other civil rulings where cases and precedents used in the rulings are listed to support decision.

Also to lodge an appeal straight away may not prove possible with forthcoming state elections you'd think !!

If the judge is confident in his decision, they won't allow anyone to waste the courts time further.

Or say VIC government loses and the damages are mind boggling. Do they have the right to expose the tax payer to further liability by appealing ?

Cases with no merit are summarily dismissed. VIC government tried that move and failed. In their subsequent defence they accepted that they'd not been entirely right in their legal position.