October 2024
- Opinion
- Canberra Observed
Without trust, our institutions lose authority. Just ask Trump
In 2016 Donald Trump stormed into office on the back of a widespread voter cynicism and distrust. He is a coin toss away from doing so again.
- Phillip Coorey
December 2022
Stubborn omicron wave sticking around for Christmas
Hopes for the national omicron wave to fade ahead of Christmas have been dashed as cases and hospitalisations rise.
- Tom Burton
‘COVID soup’ fuelling longer infection wave
An explosion in omicron mutants has created a soup of coronavirus subvariants and a national patchwork of case outbreaks.
- Tom Burton
October 2022
Victoria on brink of new COVID-19 wave as spring racing kicks off
The state recorded an increase of 24.7 per cent in reported COVID-19 cases this week.
- Hannah Wootton
September 2022
COVID-19 wave will be lower and slower: Sutton
Victorian chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton has softened his prediction of a repeat of winter’s crippling omicron wave.
- Tom Burton
April 2022
NSW, Victoria drop most COVID-19 rules
Business, retail and hospitality have hailed the end of isolation rules for household contacts of COVID-19 cases in NSW and Victoria to ease chronic skill shortages and urged other states to quickly follow suit.
- Updated
- Patrick Durkin
February 2022
New case data shows the power of the booster shot
Victoria research shows third dose dramatically improves the chances of avoiding severe sickness and death, compared with people who have only had two.
- Tom Burton
January 2022
WFH to offset case increase from schools reopening: Vic health chief
Victorians are set to stay working from home for the foreseeable future, as the highly infectious omicron remains the dominant COVID-19 strain in the state.
- Hannah Wootton
October 2021
Victoria to relax isolation and quarantining rules
Victoria will stop publishing lower-risk COVID-19 exposure sites, dump isolation requirements for some contacts and consider reducing quarantine periods for vaccinated travellers.
- Tom Burton
September 2021
‘Victorians will learn truth’: Former Labor MP Jenny Mikakos
The former Health Minister has supported calls for a royal commission into Daniel Andrews and COVID-19.
- Patrick Durkin
August 2021
Melbourne under curfew, playgrounds closed after ‘selfish’ weekend
Residents will be shut into their homes from 9pm to 5am from midnight on Monday under the tougher rules, which will apply until September 2.
- Hannah Wootton
June 2021
Melbourne eases despite Sydney spread
Melburnians can slowly emerge from restrictions four weeks after lockdown, despite the father of the host of Sydney’s super-spreading party bringing the virus back to the city.
- Patrick Durkin
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Victorian lockdown could eliminate PM
Scott Morrison has ignored what’s gone on under Daniel Andrews, but the ludicrous narrative that the federal government is to blame for the fourth shutdown could harm the Prime Minister’s re-election chances.
- John Roskam
May 2021
Victoria faces ‘critical’ point in outbreak
Authorities warned the situation in the state was ‘incredibly serious’ as a burgeoning aged care flare-up fed fears lockdown would be extended to a second week.
- Updated
- Hannah Wootton
Lockdown delivers $1b hit to business
Many aspects of life in Victoria have again been thrown into chaos, with Greater Melbourne declared a Commonwealth hotspot, as coronavirus case numbers increase.
- Updated
- Patrick Durkin and Hannah Wootton
Thousands isolate as Victoria records four new local COVID-19 cases
The four new cases, all of whom are related and live across two households, bring almost three months of no community transmission in Victoria to an end.
- Hannah Wootton
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Follow health advice to escape the gilded cage
As health experts now warn, breaking out of Australia’s gilded COVID-safe cage will depend on accepting the need to live with the virus when new cases inevitably appear.
- The AFR View
Victorian local virus case likely infected in SA quarantine
The Melbourne man, who is aged in his 30s, tested positive to the virus after completing a fortnight of hotel quarantine in South Australia.
- Hannah Wootton and Simon Evans
February 2021
Victorian lockdown questioned as just two new cases recorded
Epidemiologists have warned that Australia needs a more nuanced approach to responding to the UK COVID-19 strain than snap lockdowns.
- Hannah Wootton
Taxpayers foot $7.7m hotel inquiry legal bill despite poor advice
During the hotel quarantine inquiry top tier law firm MinterEllison allegedly gave advice that fell short of legal professional standards.
- Hannah Wootton