Kieran Rooney
@KieranJRooney
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State politics reporter at the The Age. 2002 Best and Fairest for Padua College Year 6 E-Grade cricket. [email protected]
Melbourne, Victoria
Joined April 2009
A man impersonating Kim Jong-un has crashed the end of the Prime Minister's campaign stop. He said he supported Gladys Liu as the "communist candidate". Police probing how he got into the building. #ausvotes
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Strictly Ballroom's Paul Mercurio has nominated for Labor for the seat of Hastings. He is a councillor on the Mornington Peninsula. #springst.
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UPDATE: Strictly Ballroom's Paul Mercurio has officially been preselected for Labor in Hastings. #springst.
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A Covid mRNA vaccine candidate has now successfully been manufactured in Victoria. It now has to go through approvals and trials process. @JaalaPulford says the feat means Victoria is now part of a small list of places that can manufacture this tech. #springst #auspol
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Premier Daniel Andrews says Victoria will not apply for any exemptions for unvaccinated Aus Open players. Means they cannot play. Premier says doesn't want to force crowds to be jabbed and not players. #springst.
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Lawyers for Victoran Labor have declined to provide IBAC with information that they recently requested for Operation Watts. The commission has warned this arvo that they will compel this info to be handed over, including summoning additional witnesses, if required. #springst.
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All close contacts of the 15-year-old Victorian who contracted coronavirus in Sydney have tested negative. #springst.
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.@AdemSomyurek passes premier @DanielAndrewsMP press conference as he arrives at parliament. #springst
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More than 12,000 bookings for AZ doses in past 24 hours in Vic. 3/4 of them are people under 40. #springst.
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Can't believe the entire upper house is gonna pull a post-lockdown all-nighter before I do. They should have had the sitting at Yah Yahs or Revs. #springst.
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Premier @DanielAndrewsMP announces testing blitz across the state. 100,000 Victorians to be tested for COVID-19 over next two weeks. This will nearly double the 104,000 tests that have run since the virus was first detected. #springst.
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Breaking: Victoria will enforce mandatory testing for all returned travellers in hotel quarantine. Those who refuse will be required to stay in quarantine a further 10 days. #springst.
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Some rumours circulating at the moment that City of Melbourne will move on the protesters outside Victorian parliament. The council has responded that this is untrue and no order has been issued. #springst.
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Gay conversion therapy now outlawed in Victoria. Legislation passed the upper house 27-9. #springst.
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Service Victoria app has been updated so that parents can add vaccine certificates for their children on to their profile, if they have access to their records through Medicare. #springst.
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Vic Pharmacy Guild President Anthony Tassone on vaccine shopping: "When I look under my seat .for the life jacket I'm not preferencing the red or yellow one. I'm getting what's there." #springst.
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Adem Somyurek has told IBAC that he brought up the issue of the red shirts rort with Daniel Andrews ahead of the 2014 election. He claimed Mr Andrews knew about the scheme and said words to the effect of "do you want to win elections". #springst.
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Best Monday ever. PT Minister Gabrielle Williams unveiling life size mock up of the new G-Class trams. #springst
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Big line for vaccines at Jeff's Shed. Moving quickly. Testing commander Jeroen Weimar says everyone here today will be vaccinated. #springst
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Very normal and cool to see politicians from all colours, who have largely had at least their first dose of vaccine, muddying the waters on AZ while thousands of younger Australians flock to get an appointment with a GP. #auspol.
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Liberal Democrats @_davidlimbrick will run at the top of his party’s Senate ticket at the federal election, vacating his seat in the Victorian parliament for the poll. Will be joined on ticket by Krystle Mitchell and Caroline White #springst #auspol.
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Emails show John Woodman told Premier Daniel Andrews a charity golf event organised in his honour would be filled with figures from the property development industry. #springst .
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Last year we revealed businesses not aligned to CFMEU were being dumped from Big Build under a major power grab. Insiders alleged "blatant industrial coercion" on projects and that gov was signalling to builders to do deals or miss contracts #springst .
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Really hoping we follow the Fast and the Furious model and that episode 5 of the Victorian COVID saga is where the franchise really picks up. Wacky heists, off-the-wall characters and high octane adventure. In lockdown 9 we drive the virus into space.
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A group of residents have heckled Acting Premier Jacinta Allan as she arrives at a level crossing removal in Surrey Hills. The project will merge two stations but they're upset with the impact of works and wanted them to remain separate. #springst
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"What happens is by the time people get into power, the time they become MPs. If they've been exposed to this sort of conduct or if they're engaged in supervising this conduct as MPs they're unlikely to bring a strong moral compass to their parliamentary duties." #springst.
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Premier Daniel Andrews points out there are thousands of AstraZeneca bookings available today. A health professional will be on site to talk you through an informed choice. #springst.
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.@FionaPattenMLC :"Let's put aside the slug photo for a moment because we've all become quite confident that that was doctored." #springst #SlugGate.
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Victorians will now be able to drive within 5km of their home for exercise. @VictorianCHO has updated directions after speaking with Victorian Police. Those fined should be able to review decision. #springst #COVID19Vic.
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Opposition Leader @michaelobrienmp gets a rapid covid test out the front of parliament to show how they can be used. Stay tuned for the result in 15. #springst
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Victorian Bar says current changes to pandemic laws do not go as far as they want to see. In a statement they said they still want to an "effective" parliamentary control over pandemic orders and an independent court to review detention of people who breach orders. #springst.
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Jeroen Weimar and the enchanted forest of protection, coming to all good bookshops #springst
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Victorian Labor Party loses more than a quarter of its members after cash payment ban. Tussle for seat kicks off. #springst.
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.@MartinFoleyMP says GP appointments opening up from today with Pfizer for 16-49. Urges people who are yet to get into state clinics to check if they can access jab this way. Also a reminder AZ available and "fantastically effective". #springst #auspol.
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This quote from the premier today reflects a massive shift in Victoria's pandemic policy. "It's now clear to us that we are not going to drive these numbers down they're instead going to increase. Now it's up to us to make sure that they don't increase too fast." #springst.
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Where can I get my hands on one of these delicious chill pills the Health Minister is spruiking? #springst.
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There are EIGHT active covid-19 cases in Victoria at this moment. 16,914 tests in last 24 hours. #springst.
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I will pay $50 (a pineapple) to the first AFL journo who this week starts referring to the #qclash by its true name. The Pineapple Grapple. @CXClausen.
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G'day Twitter. I'm off to Spring St to cover state politics for the @theheraldsun with @tminear and @alexwhitelive but will still be keeping my hand in the world of transport. Yarns are always welcome so please get in touch! (Insert silly GIF here).
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Premier Daniel Andrews says 1923 active cases in this sector are from private facilities and six are from public ones. #springst.
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Animal Justice Party MP @georgievpurcell has arrived at parliament on International Women's Day wearing some of the abusive comments she has received online. She says these are some of the "lower level" messages. #springst
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All four TBMs on the Metro Tunnel have finished digging. @JacintaAllanMP at State Library station to congratulate the tunnelling team. #springst
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Stawell SES are assisting a search for a group of 28 missing school children in the Grampians. Call for assistance at 5pm. Hopes they are on their way down from the pinnacle.
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True insanity is having pretty much every plan you made over the past month ruined by covid but somehow convincing yourself you might win Powerball tonight.
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Yarra Council were given the chance to comment before our story ran and have not once reached out to me seeking corrections. I hope they at least talk to the worried sporting clubs who raised the issue and got people to email in.
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Can someone please make and sell a mask that is the cushion pattern on Yarra Trams / Metro Trains seats? @danielbowen.
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Adam Sullivan tells IBAC roughly 60 to 75 per cent of Labor's membership committee were taxpayer-funded electorate officers. #springst.
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The @VictorianGreens will preference @VictorianLabor above @LiberalVictoria in every seat. Have called on Labor to preference them and progressive parties above UAP, One Nation, Freedom Party and DLP. #springst.
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Please ban the segments where they talk to Fittler and Slater while they're clearly trying to focus on the game. #Origin.
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Sustainable Australia MP Cliff Hayes will not be supporting the pandemic bill. "The Government has solely itself to blame for this predicament when it chose to consult with only three crossbenchers and keep the rest of us in the dark." #springst.
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Professor Ben Cowie says he had to sign the orders for the sixth lockdown as acting CHO. Says he's very happy to be signing the orders ending the same lockdown today. #springst.
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BREAKING: Transurban has told its investors of a $3.3b blowout on the West Gate Tunnel and "no reliable timeframe" for completion. Flags "all project parties" (aka state gov) would need to make a financial contribution to settle ongoing dispute. #springst.
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Looking forward to leaving my name and contact details with venues that open from June 1. I've been trying to hand out my phone number at pubs for years!.
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It is not looking great outside the CFMEU office. Staff are locked in and some shoppies are injured after John Setka tried to address the protesters. #springst.
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Lockdowns end for fully vaxxed Victorians when 70 per cent of the state is double dosed. This is expected October 26. #springst.
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As of 10am, there are already more than 50,000 people who have connected their vaccination certificates to Services Victoria. Peak time was between 9.30 and 9.40, when 4390 signed up. @JaalaPulford #springst.
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Play On, aka big return to live music, at Sidney Myer Music Bowl sold out in less than three minutes! #springst.
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A former public servant wrongly accused of leaking Victoria’s road map out of Covid lockdown is taking the state government to court over her treatment. #springst .
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.@TimSmithMP says the Hawthorn rocket from rocket park MUST stay. "That rocket must not be moved" #springst
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Health Minister Jenny Mikakos holding back tears as she talks about aged care outbreaks and toll on loved ones. Mentions St Basil's and its significance in Melbourne's Greek community. #springst.
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BREAKING: Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela has crossed the floor to back @AdemSomyurek IBAC/Ombudsman referral. She is the extra vote needed to get the motion over the line. #springst.
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Mothers who had their babies taken away from them under decades of forced adoptions could soon have access to compensation. An inquiry has called for a redress scheme and lifting the statute of limitations for victims wanting to sue institutions. #springst.
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I am seriously never going to get to see my family again.
If NSW is the model of what lies in store for all of us, then serious discussions are needed. Doherty Institute modelling predicts, even with 70% of the population vaccinated, 80 people will die each day six months after the outbreak. That’s 2,240 who will die each month.
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.@TaniaMaxwellMP will push today for a @VEOHRC inquiry into workplace bullying and sexual harassment in Victorian parliament. Comes after issues raised last year with how complaints are currently handled. #springst.
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Opp Leader @michaelobrienmp says that "whinging doesn’t win votes" as the Coalition work to bring in fresh talent and win over Vics in Labor strongholds. “We’ve got to do more work as a party to explain to people what our values are.". #springst.
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Landmarks across Victoria will be lit up in blue to commemorate the four Victoria Police officers who lost their lives in the Eastern Freeway tragedy. #springst.
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It is an ironclad rule among a certain generation of Australians that they must immediately let you know when you have "a good Irish name".
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Commonwealth Games officials working on those final costings that went from $2.6bn to $6bn to $7bn #springst.
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