The Taipan snake is one of the deadliest in the world.
And the anti-venom for its bite was discovered right here, in Victoria – saving thousands of lives.
It's just one of the countless incredible breakthroughs that have made our state the centre of medical research in Australia.
And as we work our way out of this pandemic – we have no intention of slowing down.
That's why today we announced funding to start work on a brand new Australian Institute for Infectious Disease in Parkville.
This project will create thousands of new local jobs.
And when complete - will provide state-of-the-art research facilities for @TheDohertyInst, @BurnetInstitute, @unimelb, @CSL and many more.
It will bring together the best and brightest minds in the country.
I can't wait to see what they discover next.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
And you can't wash your hands and protect yourself if you don't have access to soap and water.
This pandemic has laid bare some of the deepest inequalities in our society – not least the need for secure housing.
That's why back in April we made crisis accommodation in vacant hotels available to Victorians experiencing homelessness – so that everyone had somewhere warm to rest and stay safe.
And it's why today we announced a $150 million package to support them to move from that temporary solution into long-term housing.
Of the 3,810 Victorians who tested positive for coronavirus over the past three weeks, almost 90 per cent kept going about their business after they began to show symptoms.
That's 3,400 people who kept going to work.
Kept going to the supermarket. Kept caring for loved ones.
Then, after having a test, 53 per cent did not isolate at home while they waited for the results.
That means 2,056 people carried on as usual – despite being concerned enough or sick enough to go and get tested.
This is not about apportioning blame or pointing the finger.
Briefed the media earlier today on a major expansion of our coronavirus testing program – but I wanted to explain it to you directly.
We've already tested more than 100,000 Victorians over the past three months.
Now we want to double that number – in just under two weeks.
The rationale behind the blitz is this:
As you know, testing for any sort of disease or virus can be tricky.
By the time someone feels sick and gets tested, they've often passed it on to other people – which then requires more tracing and testing…and so on.
And with a highly infectious disease like coronavirus, you're always on the back foot.
We know that physical distancing has slowed the spread – so instead of someone with coronavirus having close contact with 20 or 30 people, it might only be one or two.