Benita Kolovos
@benitakolovos
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Victorian State Correspondent @GuardianAus . Formerly AAP. Views my own, likes and RTs ≠ endorsement. You can reach me on benita.kolovos @theguardian .com.
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Victoria's premier, Daniel Andrews, says there will not be a state funeral service for George Pell out of respect for victims of institutional child sexual abuse: "I couldn't think of anything that would be more distressing for victim-survivors than that."
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An undecided voter just told Paul Murray: "I think it’s a bit unfair Sky News gave Scott Morrison more time to speak and kept cutting Albanese off".
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Liberal Senator Jane Hume tells Nine: “We thought there would be a bigger Dan Andrews effect in Vic and there hasn’t … We have had such negative feedback about those harsh lockdowns in Vic, and we thought that may play out in those outer suburban areas. Clearly, they haven’t.”
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ICAC wasn’t investigating Gladys Berejiklian because “who her boyfriend is”. They were investigating whether she breached the public trust by failing to declare a conflict of interest from her relationship him and if she failed to report suspicions or encouraged corrupt conduct.
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Strong statement from the Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, calling on protesters to "stop thinking only of themselves, stop the violence and put the health and welfare of the Victorian community first".
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COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar has described yesterday's protesters as a "small minority having a self-indulgent tantrum".
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I can't believe I am even saying this but here goes. My partner Jack is an exercise physiologist. He sees clients every single day who have suffered falls. He says short steps can actually cause the worst accidents.
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This may be the wrong take but I genuinely don’t think we need a lottery or cash incentives to get vaccinated yet. We just need to be able to *get* vaccinated. You should be able to walk up to a hub, regardless of your age, and get a jab. Then watch our vaccination figures rise.
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Premier Daniel Andrews says there’s “no industrial cleaning at mum and dad’s”. Clearly not Greek.
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A reminder: I did not write the Victorian government's roadmap. Do not have a go at me in the comments of my tweets or DM me abuse. It's not cool. If you have genuine questions feel free to ask me and I will do my best to answer them once I've filed.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on Liberal MP Bernie Finn’s social media comments about abortion: “A lot of Victorian women are sick and tired of listening to blokes tell them what they should be doing with their bodies”.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on latest interest rate rise: “I'm not sure that 11 interest rate rises in 12 months is smashing inflation. I'm certain it's smashing families.”
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Sick of watching the COVID-19 pressers? Simple, don't watch them. But they need to happen. It doesn't have to be the NSW premier every day, but the government needs to be accountable as COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths peak.
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"I'm sick of talking about that person every summer," Premier Daniel Andrews says of Margaret Court.
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A reminder from Premier Daniel Andrews: “You can be otherwise fit and healthy and still have a pre-existing condition”.
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COIVD-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar on the smoko protests: "We all need to be humble on this and recognise the privileges that those of us who are still able to work can get. If you can't sit next to your mates having a sandwich, that doesn't seem a huge burden to bear".
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Premier Daniel Andrews on reports the federal govt failed to take up Pfizer's June 2020 invitation to meet: “If we got vaccinated back in March … then we would have been able to take advantage of the fact that we would literally have been the safest place in the world”.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on the federal government's vaccine allocations: "I signed up to a national plan to vaccinate the nation, not a national plan to vaccinate Sydney".
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Premier Daniel Andrews on Catherine Cumming's "red mist" speech, which is being investigated by police: "We're much better than violent extremism. We ought to leave that to the US. This is not America and I will do nothing to contribute to the Americanisation of our politics".
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Victoria's upper house has passed laws banning religious schools from sacking or refusing to hire staff based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. More via
@AAPNewswire
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Victoria Police have done 88 spot checks on people who are supposed to be self-isolating. Seven people weren't home, two people gave the wrong address to the ABF
#covid19australia
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ICYMI here's Premier Daniel Andrews on other states opening up Pfizer to over 60s: "I'm not going to take the only vaccine available for 12, 13, 14, 15-year-olds and give it to 60-year-olds when 60-year-olds have got AstraZeneca they can access".
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"I'm not here today to have a crack at airlines. But I think airlines have been pretty generously supported by taxpayers and it wouldn't be too much to ask them to check whether someone has a permit or not," Premier Daniel Andrews says after two infected women flew from Syd-Melb.
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Premier Daniel Andrews has announced if re-elected, Labor will spend $23m to provide free period products in public places. “Pads and tampons aren't a luxury, they're a necessity - and women should be able to get them wherever they are,” he says.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on rapid COVID-19 testing: “I won’t be taking advice from people on the front steps of parliament. I’ll be taking advice, if it’s okay with you, from experts”.
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Today a ban on any therapy that attempts to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or gender identity comes into effect in Victoria.
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Totally cool and normal Morrison allowed to asked Albanese several questions with no moderation.
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Victoria will become the first state or territory in Australia to ban the public display of Nazi symbols. Legislation is expected in the first half of 2022. More
@AAPNewswire
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Some ~ personal news ~ I’m incredibly excited to join the
@GuardianAus
in January as their Victorian state correspondent!
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Newstart: "I would hope that every politician across Australia acknowledged that the pre-pandemic rate was not enough and it needs to go up".
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For those who need reminding: Victorians are also taxpayers.
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GUYS HE CAN HOLD A HOSE AFTER ALL
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The premier on the Herald Sun front page today: "I genuinely don't know what the point of this story is. Can any of you explain it to me?"
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on the federal government’s religious discrimination bill, which will not protect trans students from expulsion: “I want every Victorian to be confident, safe, respected, included for who they are”.
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No fully vaccinated Victorians are battling COVID-19 in hospital. Get vaccinated.
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews drawing a line in the sand on Australian Open: “What I want to make very clear is that the state of Victoria will not be applying for any exemptions for unvaccinated players”.
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Asked why he didn’t earlier address rumours about his fall, Premier Daniel Andrews replies: “Never get into an argument with a fool, that never works. And don’t get into a debate with people who make up their own facts”.
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The Victorian Greens have announced they will be preferencing Labor above the Liberals in all seats at the upcoming state election. They are also calling on all parties to put the far-right and religious right last in their preferences before early voting begins on Monday.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on last night's
#FourCorners
program: "It takes a good deal of courage to speak out and call out some of the most appalling behaviour. To each of the women involved in that program last night, I want to say thank you and well done".
@Milliganreports
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"We're in Melbourne, right? I'm not walking away - everyone will get a go," Premier Daniel Andrews tells reporters.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on the PM attending the NRL: "I've got better things to worry about than who went to the footy in New South Wales."
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@AAPNewswire
Adut is huge overseas and is on the cover of five Vogue's next month, but an Australian magazine mistook her for another black model. Story via
@melly_singer
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Premier Daniel Andrews: “Hope always defeats hate.”
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COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar says it’s absolutely possible to contain Victoria’s outbreak. “This is a drag race, we will go as hard as we can,” he says.
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I have some ~ personal news ~ to share! I am staying on at AAP under its new owners, covering Victorian state politics. I'm thrilled to be able to continue the 85-year tradition of delivering objective and accurate news to Australians. Especially at a time like this.
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Premier Daniel Andrews says he received feedback from people who were intimidated and fearful at voting booths:" 25 people handing out for one candidate, essentially harassing people, getting up in their face ... that's perhaps not consistent with our mainstream values."
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Extending the state of emergency for 12 months does not mean lockdown continues for 12 months. By all means, question the need for such a long extension (perhaps three or six-month extensions would be a bit more stomachable) but don't conflate the two and needlessly scare people.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on Victoria: "Johnny Howard once said Victoria was the Massachusetts of Australia. No, no, Massachusetts is the Victoria. We are a progressive state. We are the centre of critical thinking, the centre of all the big ideas in our nation."
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Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton tells ABC Radio Melbourne that he has intelligence right-wing extremists were involved in the weekend's anti-lockdown protest. "The vast majority appeared to be between 25 and 40-year-old angry men," he says.
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Nationals MP for Gippsland Darren Chester has blasted the Victorian Liberal Party on Facebook, describing them as an "election losing machine": "Anyone who thinks the result in November will be any different if they don’t change direction now, is simply kidding themselves."
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Premier Daniel Andrews having a crack at state opposition this morning after reports of ambulance ramping overnight. “Let's be abundantly clear about this, people who can't even follow health advice want to run our hospitals,” he says.
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This is not okay
‘Pink mist’ is defined as the spray of blood which comes from a person when they’re hit by a sniper.
Catherine Cumming is a sitting member of parliament.
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COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar says the removalists from NSW weren't wearing masks, in a breach of their workers permit conditions.
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Premier Daniel Andrews said two rules will endure “right throughout 2022”: “Masks in some settings, principally indoors, where there is a greater risk, and the economy being open to you only if you have had to shots, only if you are fully vaccinated”.
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In case you were wondering, Premier Daniel Andrews got on the wines this morning with wife Cath and a mother's group catching for the first time since lockdown. Pics via
@AAPNewswire
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“I've got to be frank with you, I was pretty disappointed,” Acting Premier James Merlino says of the federal government’s educational videos on consent. “It was confusing. It was cringeworthy, it did not hit the mark.” Mr Merlino won’t be recommending them to Victorian schools.
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Premier wearing an SEC-branded jacket while doing the rounds on breakfast TV this morning
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Health Minister Martin Foley says the decision to open up AstraZeneca vaccines to people under 40 was not a national cabinet decision. He says the state health department has written to the commonwealth seeking further information and advice.
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Premier Daniel Andrews is up at 10am today with Housing Minister Richard Wynne to announce a $5.3 BILLION social housing package that will create 12,000 new homes over the next four years.
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Interesting exchange today's NSW COVID-19 presser.
Reporter: "Why not tighten the rules about who an essential worker is, Victoria did it very successfully?"
Premier Gladys Berejiklian laughs, replies: "No they didn't".
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Given almost every single Melburnian has been following strict public health directions for months on end, I think it's perfectly reasonable to:
a) be angry/frustrated/sad/etc
b) vent on social media
c) question the response to the latest outbreaks
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The new Andrews ministry has been sworn in. There are now more women in cabinet than any other Australian jurisdiction.
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Me, waiting for the Vic presser before I can get on with my day:
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A reminder there are more than 3000 aged care residents infected with COVID-19 right now.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on protests: “Victorians are united because more than 9 in 10 Victorians have gone and got vaccinated … We're open because people have done the very thing that large elements of these protesters are urging Victorians not to do and that's get vaccinated”.
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“This tournament is much bigger than any one person and Rafa and a few others have made their position clear,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews tells reporters. He says Victoria doesn’t grant visas and it’s a matter for the immigration minister to use powers to deport Djokovic.
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Premier Daniel Andrews is urging his federal counterparts not to vote for the religious discrimination bill in the Senate if they can’t amend it: “Every child should be protected, whether they're gay, straight or trans … any laws that don't deliver that ought not be voted for”.
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Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy’s director of communications has quit, less than 48 hours after a new chief of staff was announced. More via
@GuardianAus
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"To my last breath, I will work to keep this state safe. I can't control what happens and doesn't happen in NSW. These cases started in NSW, but I'm determined they will end here. We will put this out with the help of every single Victorian," Premier Daniel Andrews says.
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For the first time in a while Victoria has no COVID-19 cases in intensive care.
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Victoria will provide $50 million to establish mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Melbourne. More to come via
@AAPNewswire
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CHO on getting vaccinated: “Treat it as a matter of urgency, prioritize it like your life depends upon it, because your life does very much depend on”.
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Victoria’s capital has endured one of the longest lockdowns in the world - and as a result, they’ve managed to pull off something no other city has. via
@samanthamaiden
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Premier Daniel Andrews says we're not yet at the point to get back on the beers. "That will come," he says, adding "I might have a slab or two at that point".
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Statement from former Victorian premier Steve Bracks: “I was premier for almost eight years and not once was I subjected to the awful, sexualised treatment Premier Jacinta Allan has received in less than a month. We need to do better.”
Asked about this cartoon Premier Jacinta Allan says ‘it’s 2023 - the Herald Sun should be able to draw women without sexualised imagery’
@7NewsMelbourne
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Health Minister Martin Foley on Kevin Rudd’s meeting with Pfizer: “Good on him”.
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“Our nation had a sliding doors moment last July. Last July, there was an offer of Pfizer to the Commonwealth government that would be enough for our country and they didn't take it up,” Acting Premier James Merlino says.
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Shadow Attorney-General Tim Smith on reports in The Age: “The former premier of NSW resigned because she was under investigation by ICAC. The premier of Victoria is under investigation by our anti-corruption commission IBAC, why hasn't the premier stood down?”.
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Health Minister Martin Foley says there are just 9000 appointments left after opening up bookings on Wednesday to those aged between 16 and 39. "Hesitancy is not a problem with Victorians ... it shows that we need more supply," he says.
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The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian Branch is calling on Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck to resign over the slow rollout of vaccines to aged care staff:
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Maurice Blackburn Lawyers CEO Jacob Varghese backs the pandemic bill, says legal community has a “wide variety of views” on it. “No one should suggest the profession has a single position much less that the profession as a whole opposes these measures,” he says.
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The Victorian Greens are set to introduce a motion to parliament on Tuesday, calling on the government to "immediately reverse" a decision to rename Maroondah hospital after Queen Elizabeth II.
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The Vic govt to cover the cost of more than 10,000 nursing and midwifery degrees, in an effort to boost the state's health workforce. “If you’re in Year 12 and you’ve been thinking about studying nursing or midwifery – go for it. We’ve got your HECS fees covered," Andrews said.
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Premier Daniel Andrews: "Some things are really big on Spring St and they don't mean much on Main St ... I learn more with the greatest of respect, sitting on the side of the netball court .. talking to parents of my daughter's teammates than I do listening to loud voices."
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Former Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar has been appointed as chief executive officer of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.
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“If I were 25 and AstraZeneca was the only vaccine available to me today, I would get it,” Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says.
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It appears Daniel Andrews recreated the meme during his latest (?) trip to China
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Also, none of this is new? The premier's statement when he was discharged from hospital on March 15 described them as wooden steps:
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"I know that there's been a bit of chatter from a number of (tennis) players about the rules. The rules apply to them as they apply to everybody else and they were all briefed on that before they came ... There's no special treatment here," Premier Daniel Andrews says.
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