As it happened: Victoria records 1534 new local COVID-19 cases, 13 deaths; NSW records 304 new cases, three deaths; TGA approves Pfizer vaccine booster shots

Victorian Liberal MP for Benambra Bill Tilley said he had asked Mr Foley to match the NSW government’s commitment and send 30,000 rapid antigen tests to the area to get school children back in the classroom.

“Today Victoria’s COVID commander claimed everything was fine. Well, he needs to come to the border and see if he can get a test, talk to businesses that have just been told they are an exposure site 11 days after it happened or talk to parents, teachers and students and see if they are happy to be on this merry-go-round,” Mr Tilley said.

“If he wants he can jump in the car with me tomorrow afternoon.”

It said 30 external stakeholders were consulted in June and July. However, Mr Blanden has characterised the consultation process as a “gross misrepresentation” of what transpired earlier this year.

“The total extent of our 'consultation' – in inverted commas – consisted of participating in a 45-minute Microsoft Teams meeting back in June and the only issue raised was whether the chief health officer should retain the power to declare a pandemic,” he said.

“When you look at this bill, there are elements of it that [are] fundamental to the lives of Victorians ... and some of them are appalling.

“This is a bill that fundamentally interferes with the rights of citizens in some very basic ways. It abrogates the privilege against self-incrimination and you’ve got detention at the whim of the minister. It’s just appalling stuff.”

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The United Australia Party has been conducting a widespread anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination campaign, represented in federal parliament by former Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly, has also used text messages, letter-boxing and advertisements in print newspapers (including in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age).

By the end of August the Australian Media and Communications Authority said it had received more than 300 complaints about the messages. But because the communications come from a political party, they do not fall foul of the Spam Act of 2003, and they also don’t constitute advertising under the Therapeutic Goods Act of 1989.

The TGA took legal action claiming the campaign broke copyright law, but Mr Kelly hit back saying he would take his own legal action against the regulator.

Professor Skerritt said he would not comment on the issue at senate estimates today because of the legal action, but agreed to table the letters sent to Facebook and YouTube.

In the correspondence, Professor Skerritt stressed the good relationship between the regulator and the platforms in removing unrelated advertising that was in apparent breach of the TGA code over the course of the pandemic.

“While for the reasons described above the communications from the UAP do not fit into the category of advertising, I would ask you to consider removing such communications as they undermine Australia's vaccination campaign and are not in the public interest,” he said.

It was the most deadly outbreak of thunderstorm asthma recorded in the world.

With Victoria’s hospitals and ambulances under significant strain because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health emphasised it was important for people to stay well during the thunderstorm asthma season.

The Health Department advised Victorians to monitor the forecast on the VicEmergency app, avoid being outdoors in storms and during the winds that come before them, and for asthmatics to take their preventative medication as directed, even when free of symptoms.

Victorians are advised to see their doctor or call a nurse on 1300 60 60 24 if they require medical advice. If someone is not breathing, their asthma suddenly becomes worse or is not improving, or if they are having an asthma attack without a reliever on-hand, they should immediately call Triple Zero.