Tag: daniel andrews

Victoria’s Move to Re-Nationalise Energy Sector Fraught With Risks

Commentary After a year of ongoing energy crises—both global and local—nothing should surprise the industry anymore. Nevertheless, when Premier Daniel Andrews announced a re-nationalisation policy for Victoria on Oct. 20 it caught many people off-guard. If they win the next election, the Victorian Labor party—currently governing Australia’s second most-populous state—will be reviving the State Electricity…


Victorian Taxpayers To Provide $15 Million To Netball Australia After ‘Virtue Signalling’ Saga

Victorian taxpayers can add another $15 million to the state’s burgeoning debt problems after Premier Daniel Andrews announced its tourism body will step in to sponsor cash-strapped Netball Australia. The sporting league lost its major sponsor Hancock Prospecting just over a week ago after some team members expressed concerns over being associated with the mining…


Former Premier Criticises Labor’s Push for Pubic Ownership of Victoria’s Power Network

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has called out the former Liberal government’s privatisation of the energy grid in Victoria as the Labor government heads toward the election with a promise to renew the public ownership of part of the Australian state’s power network. On Oct. 20, the premier said his Labor government would spend $1 billion (US$628…


Former Premier Criticises Labor’s Push for Public Ownership of Victoria’s Power Network

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has called out the former Liberal government’s privatisation of the energy grid in Victoria as the Labor government heads toward the election with a promise to renew the public ownership of part of the Australian state’s power network. On Oct. 20, the premier said his Labor government would spend $1 billion (US$628…


Victorian Labor Pledges $1 Billion to Revive State-Owned Energy Giant to Fast Track Net-Zero Push

Weeks prior to the state’s election, the Labor government is pledging $1 billion (US$628 million) to revive Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (SEC) to fast-track the state’s net-zero push. Under the plan, the SEC will be directed to spend that money on building renewable energy projects to provide 4.5 gigawatts of power aimed at replacing the…


Release of Scathing Report into Australia’s COVID-19 Response Forces Australian State Leaders to Defend Pandemic Measures

Australian state and territory leaders—many of whom pursued a zero-COVID or tough suppression strategy—defended their policy response amid the release of a new report calling the country’s COVID-19 measures “excessive” and “harsh.” The report, ‘Fault lines: An Independent Review into Australia’s Response to COVID-19,’ was also critical of school closures, aged care response and warned…


Doctors’ Union Criticises Labor Government for Health System Management

The government of the Australian state of Victoria’s massive health budget is not delivering a positive outcome for workers, the state’s peak doctors’ union says in its Victorian election statement ahead of the Nov. 26 poll. The Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association says healthcare staff burnout continues to remain unaddressed in the post-pandemic…


School Bus Crashed With Truck on Melbourne Highway, 33 Injured

A school bus carrying 32 people, including 27 schoolgirls, collided with a truck before rolling down an embankment north of Melbourne and flipped on its side. The accident took place on Victoria’s Western Highway at the Victorian town of Bacchus Marsh at about 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday. The bus was taking students from years nine…


Victorian Premier’s Promise to Rename Hospital After Queen Elizabeth II Sparks Criticism

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has raised controversy when he promised to rebuild and rename a Melbourne hospital in honour of Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the state election in November. In his bid for a third term, the premier said if he were re-elected, his government would spend up to $1.05 billion (US$700 million) to…


Free University for 10,000 Nurses, Midwives in Australian State of Victoria

More than 10,000 budding nurses and midwives will have their university degrees paid off in full to ease workforce pressures on the Australia’s state of Victoria’s stretched health system. The nurses and midwives will be recruited and trained for free from next year as part of a A$270 million (US$186 million) initiative announced by the…