Lowan hospitality businesses already stretched and hurting with the Andrews Labor Government’s brutal restrictions have been thrown into chaos with a last-minute announcement that staff will need to be double-vaccinated by Friday. The government’s vaccine mandate for authorised workers states employees must have their first vaccination by October 15 – or be booked to receive…
Nationals Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy has called for masks to no longer be required outdoors in regional Victoria. Mr McCurdy said that with compliance with social distancing, high vaccination rates and plenty of space, the time was right to remove masks outdoors in regional Victoria. “It is time to get rid…
Vaccine hesitancy and testing hesitancy in Victoria’s Indigenous communities’ risks pushing people further into disadvantage under the Andrews Labor Government’s plan to offer more freedoms to people who are fully-vaccinated. Geographic data (SA4) from the Australian Government has revealed serious gaps in Victoria’s vaccine rollout in Indigenous communities, with the Warrnambool and south west region…
Crown Royal Commission has delivered its final report today, but Victorians will wait weeks to see the detail after the Andrews Government decided to keep the findings under lock and key. This is the Royal Commission Daniel Andrews never wanted to have. Labor is again kicking the can down the road, with Victoria’s…
Our kids desperately need additional mental health support right now while they’re still excluded from their family, mates, community sport and full-time learning in the classroom – not in a year or in two years’ time as Labor has announced today. According to the Government, the Schools Mental Health Fund will be “implemented in all…
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien has repeated calls in State Parliament for a solution to underperforming Gippsland trains amid ongoing fears the Andrews Labor Government intends to terminate Gippsland trains at Pakenham. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr O’Brien called on the Minister for Transport Infrastructure to investigate the options and…
An extended seasonal worker deal with Tasmania will finally deliver workers into Victoria, but it will do little fill the yawning shortage of pickers across the state. Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas confirmed today 200 additional workers are finally set to arrive after quarantining through the Apple Isle, but it comes too little too late for…
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South Danny O’Brien is calling on the Labor Government to permit the use rapid testing for employees who are not vaccinated as an alternative to standing them down. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr O’Brien highlighted the need for more support for small business and clearer information for employers…
Member for Euroa and Deputy National Leader Steph Ryan has called on the Health Minister to permit rapid testing for workers who are not vaccinated by the state government’s mandated deadline, to avoid looming workforce shortages. The call comes after businesses and industries across the electorate raised concerns that they will have to scale back…
The Nationals are calling for a comprehensive plan to revive local events in the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland. The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath said Gippsland’s events sector had been left devastated by a perfect storm of lockdowns, heavy restrictions on public gatherings and strict eligibility criteria over the past 18 months.…
Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has called on the Health Minister to permit rapid testing for workers who are not vaccinated by the state government’s mandated deadline, to avoid looming workforce shortages. Ms Kealy has been contacted by people across a wide range of businesses and industries that are facing significant reductions in services or…
A new plan to inject vibrancy and confidence back into Shepparton’s shattered events sector will see major events eligible for up to $10 million if they have to cancel at the last minute. Iconic local events, like the Shepparton Festival, Fryers Street Food Festival and annual agricultural show, have been forced to cancel or scale…