By Paul Sakkal📷: James Alcock
Micro-parties may find it more difficult to have their candidates elected under laws to be introduced to Victoria's parliament that would ban the controversial practice of preference harvesting.
Reason Party MP Fiona Patten has drafted legislation to...
Paying experts to “preference harvest” in state elections will be illegal if new Victorian legislation is passed, potentially wiping out minor parties. | Alex White
Gaming the ballot box would be made illegal in Victoria in a move that if successful, could see minor parties wiped out in...
CHO, new DHHS boss to front Vic inquiry
Nov 19, 2020
Benita Kolovos
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton is set to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into the state's contact tracing system.
Professor Sutton will be among the Department of Health and Human Services witnesses called before the Legislative Council Legal and Social...
Health officials to front parliamentary inquiry into Victoria’s COVID-19 contact tracing system
Nov 16, 2020
Anthony Piovesan
The state’s top health officials, leading epidemiologists and tech personnel will give evidence on Victoria’s COVID-19 contact tracing system at a parliamentary inquiry on Monday.
Australian Medical Association’s Julian Rait, Deakin University chair in epidemiology...
By Ayomide Ibironke
The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) has launched the ‘Burning Issues,’ a unique project established to mark the availability and use of safe nicotine products around the world.
The GSTHR document the progress and public health potential of tobacco...
Mildura’s hemp future on trial
Nov 12, 2020
JESS MALCOLM | Picture: Carmel Zaccone
Mildura is set to become the new hemp capital of Victoria following the launch of a new trial into the viability of hemp production and cultivation in Sunraysia.
Speaking at SuniTAFE, Victorian Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes said there was...
Defeat looms for Victorian murder gag law
Nov 10, 2020
The Australian | By CLAIRE HARVEY and NINA FUNNELLPicture: Andrew Henshaw
The Victorian government on Tuesday night failed in the upper house to pass a controversial gag clause in the face of furious opposition from the families of murdered rape victims, including Jill Meagher.
A...
Sutton to front Vic contact tracing probe
Nov 6, 2020
Credit: AAP
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton is expected to give evidence at a parliamentary inquiry into the state's COVID-19 contact tracing system.
The upper house inquiry, chaired by Reason Party MP Fiona Patten, is also expected to hear from state virus testing head...
‘The road to reform will be rocky, but I’m more optimistic than ever’ – Interview with Cannabiz
Oct 29, 2020
The leader of the Reason Party and cannabis advocate Fiona Patten has described how she “wore down” state authorities in her battle to end the discriminatory drug-driving laws in Victoria.
But she warned the road to reform could still be “rocky” and stressed the police should not be...
Tom Burton and Tom McIlroy
Chief scientist Alan Finkel has broken with the Prime Minister and federal ministers, agreeing Victoria now has the best contact tracing platform of all the states and saying Australia has a chance to stop transmission of the virus completely.
Dr Finkel also...