Category Archives: Victorian politics

Daniel Andrews refuses to apologise for calling Liberal MP Cindy McLeish a ‘halfwit grub’

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Victorian premier says his comment in parliament was in defence of Labor MP Kat Theophanous

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is refusing to apologise to Liberal MP Cindy McLeish for calling her a “halfwit grub” in state parliament, arguing he was defending a female colleague at the time.

Andrews made the comment during debate on an opposition bill to adopt the four recommendations of the anti-corruption watchdog’s Operation Clara report, which was handed down earlier this year.

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Legalise Cannabis makes united push for personal marijuana use in three Australian states

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The party’s bill allowing adults to possess and grow small quantities of the drug at home will be introduced across Victoria, NSW and WA

Legalise Cannabis MPs are launching a coordinated push to make marijuana legal for personal use in three states and overhaul what the party says is outdated legislation that unnecessarily criminalises people.

The party’s drug reform bill will be introduced on Tuesday in state parliaments in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia – the jurisdictions where it has representation in the state’s upper houses.

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Factions, power and Daniel Andrews: Victorian Labor prepares for its first state conference in more than three years

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They used to be the setting of some of the party’s most dramatic spats. But the biggest realignment of factional power has occurred behind close doors

It’s November 2019. Tones and I’s Dance Monkey has been on the top of the charts for so long, you’d be forgiven for thinking its actually crawled into your ear and started gnawing on your brain. Richmond are the reigning AFL premiers (again), Covid-19 is yet to exist and the Victorian Labor party is gathering for its annual state conference.

There are some factional tensions on show – members of the CFMEU and other left-wing unions walk out of the new Labor deputy leader Richard Marles’ speech – though it is largely a stage-managed affair that garnered few headlines.

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Victorian Greens threaten to block planning changes unless housing demands met

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Leader Samantha Ratnam says half of all dwellings in new projects should be public or affordable housing

The Victorian Greens are threatening to block upcoming changes to the state’s planning laws unless they include a requirement for half of all dwellings in new developments to be either public or affordable housing.

In the coming months, the Andrews government will announce a suite of measures to boost housing supply, which could include changes to planning laws to fast-track approvals and limit the powers of councils to object to major developments.

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‘It nearly crushed me’: Brett Sutton resigns as Victoria’s chief health officer

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Sutton says the pressure of the public role through the worst of the pandemic took a toll on his family

Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, says there were moments during his time as the face of the state’s Covid-19 response that would have “crushed” him were it not for the support of his family, as he announced his resignation on Friday.

Sutton said he would be leaving the Department of Health after 12 years to take up a position as director of health and biosecurity at the CSIRO from September.

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Losing bidder for Myki system upgrade tells Daniel Andrews tender process was ‘flawed’

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Government defends processes and the US company that won the tender, saying it has ‘reputation for delivering successful projects’

A losing bidder for the contract to overhaul Victoria’s Myki system has written to the state’s premier, Daniel Andrews, to claim his government ran a “flawed” tender process and questioned whether the chosen company will be able to provide the technology it has promised.

Senior executives at Cubic wrote to Daniel Andrews last week, detailing their “serious concerns about possible errors in the tender process” for the public transport ticketing system.

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Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto served with fresh defamation threat by ousted MP Moira Deeming

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Sixteen-page notice contains list of claims against Liberal leader as he faces another by-election after the resignation of veteran Ryan Smith

Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto has been served with a fresh defamation threat by ousted MP Moira Deeming, as the party faces a by-election headache.

Lawyers for Deeming, who was expelled from the parliamentary Liberal party this month for allegedly bringing discredit on the party, has issued a second defamation concerns notice to Pesutto.

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Victorian Liberals gear up for byelection following the resignation of Warrandyte MP Ryan Smith

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Potential candidates include opposition party’s federal vice-president and upper house MP Matt Bach as Labor considers whether to contest electorate

The Victorian opposition will face voters for the first time since John Pesutto took on the leadership, with a byelection to be held following the resignation of the long-serving Liberal MP Ryan Smith.

Several potential candidates have been floated since Smith announced on Wednesday he would step down from parliament on 7 July, triggering the byelection in his electorate of Warrandyte in Melbourne’s north-east.

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Victorian private schools ‘fear-mongering’ over job losses after tax exemptions axed, experts say

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About 110 of the state’s top high-fee paying private schools will be required to pay tax on staff salaries, raising more than $420m over three years

Fears that stripping “high-fee” Victorian private schools of their payroll tax exemption will lead to job losses are a “red herring”, education experts say.

The change, revealed in last week’s state budget, means about 110 private schools will be required to pay tax on staff salaries, raising more than $420m over three years.

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Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly says Facebook must act against ‘tidal wave’ of racist trolls

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Indigenous body says it has blocked about 300 people in the past week who used racist slurs

Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly has called on Facebook to act against the “tidal wave” of racist online trolls that it says have targeted its work.

But Facebook’s parent company Meta has defended its record of addressing online abuse, saying it was a problem all tech companies needed to confront.

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‘Hitlist’ of private schools criticised and businesses and public sector join outcry over Victorian budget

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New tax measures and job cuts to help repay state’s Covid debt spark criticism from multiple groups

Victorian private schools are among a chorus of critics of the state’s latest budget, after payroll exemption for schools with “high fees” was cut and landlords and big businesses were hit by new taxes.

To help repair the state’s budget bottom line, the Andrews government on Tuesday revealed more than 100 private schools will no longer be shielded from payroll tax in a budget measure the opposition and independent education sector warns will lead to higher fees for parents.

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Moira Deeming supporters boo and walk out on Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto at state council

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Group heckled Pesutto and held masks of Deeming’s face at party’s state council in Bendigo

Supporters of Victorian MP Moira Deeming have walked out of a Liberal party conference as tensions flare between members over the decision to expel her.

A small group clutching masks of Deeming’s face and a sign labelling the Liberal leader, John Pesutto, a “bully” shouted “shame, shame” as he took to the stage at the party’s state council in Bendigo on Saturday.

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Victoria considers mandates on school bus seatbelts after crash leaves children severely injured

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Daniel Andrews says it is important to see if rules around wearing of restraints need to change

Daniel Andrews says the Victorian government will consider mandating the wearing of seatbelts on school buses after a catastrophic crash in Melbourne’s western fringe that left several children severely injured.

A bus carrying 46 students from Exford primary school was struck from behind by a truck at the intersection of Exford Road and Murphys Road in Eynesbury about 3.55pm Tuesday.

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Neo-Nazis clash with police and counter-protesters at anti-immigration rally in Melbourne

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Police use pepper spray on crowds outside Parliament House, where a group of masked men performed the Nazi salute

Neo-Nazi and anti-fascist groups have clashed in Melbourne, with police making several arrests and deploying capsicum spray in a bid to quell the violence.

A group led by the self-proclaimed neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell was expected to meet at state parliament at midday on Saturday for an anti-immigration protest, which an anti-fascist group planned to disrupt by rallying 30 minutes earlier, according to multiple posts on social media.

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Australia news live: John Pesutto praises Liberals’ ‘reform journey’ after Moira Deeming party room expulsion

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Controversial MP Moira Deeming expelled from Victorian Liberal party room; ally Renee Heath sanctioned. Follow live

Medicare benefits increase will help all patients, Butler says

The surprise centrepiece of the budget was $5.7bn increased funding for Medicare, including incentives to improve bulk billing for children and concession cardholders.

Rebates aren’t frozen, every rebate on the MBS [Medicare Benefits Schedule] in going to increase next year – the biggest Medicare increase across the board – every single service, for every single Australian.

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Moira Deeming expelled from Victorian Liberal party room after threat to sue leader John Pesutto

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Previously suspended for nine months, Deeming has been accused by colleagues of ‘bringing discredit’ to the party

The controversial MP Moira Deeming has been expelled from the Victorian Liberal party room.

Deeming’s colleagues voted 19 to 11 to expel her during a party room meeting on Friday morning, meaning she will have to serve the remaining three-and-a-half years of her term on the crossbench of the upper house of the Victorian parliament. She remains a member of the broader Liberal party.

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Moira Deeming serves Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto with defamation concerns notice

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MPs expected to proceed with a vote to determine if Deeming is expelled from the party on Friday

A vote on whether Moira Deeming will be expelled from the Victorian Liberal party room will go ahead on Friday, despite the suspended MP’s decision to serve the opposition leader, John Pesutto, with a legal letter warning he could face possible defamation action for doing so.

The Australian on Thursday reported Deeming’s lawyer sent Pesutto a defamation concerns notice, warning of possible federal court proceedings if he does not immediately seek the withdrawal of Friday’s expulsion motion, publish an apology to her on his website, and pay her compensation and legal costs.

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Moira Deeming supporter Richard Riordan urges delay of Victorian Liberal’s expulsion vote

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The Polwarth MP claimed Friday’s meeting could risk a ‘messy legal dispute’ due to an ‘invalid’ motion

Richard Riordan, a Victorian Liberal MP, has written to the party’s state leader, John Pesutto, calling for a delay to Friday’s vote to expel the suspended MP Moira Deeming or “risk a very messy legal dispute”.

The Polwarth MP also wrote on Tuesday to the five MPs who put their names to the expulsion motion – Roma Britnell, former leader Matthew Guy, Wayne Farnham, Cindy McLeish and James Newbury – saying it was invalid as they did not sign it or provide reasons.

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Moira Deeming facing new expulsion push as she denies threatening to sue Liberal party

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Five MPs have given John Pesutto a notice of motion seeking her expulsion, which will go to the party room on Friday

In the latest instalment of a saga engulfing the Victorian Liberal party, the suspended MP Moira Deeming has put out a statement declaring that she “never once considered suing the Liberal party”.

That claim comes days after she emailed MPs saying she had advised her lawyers to prepare a legal challenge to her suspension.

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Moira Deeming faces new challenge as Victorian Liberals push for vote to expel her from party

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Peter Dutton tells state colleagues ‘I want this mess sorted out’ after MP threatened to sue

Suspended Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming will face a new challenge to expel her from the party as early as next week after she threatened the party’s leader, John Pesutto, with legal action.

Amid warnings from the federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, of an intervention into the Victorian party, seven state Liberal MPs told Guardian Australia they are willing to put forward the motion to expel Deeming.

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