Bit of a long one this morning.

You might have heard the news this morning that Victoria will no longer be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

And I wanted to tell you about the decision. When the Commonwealth Games needed a host city to step in at the last minute, we were willing to help – but not at any price.

And not without a big lasting benefit for regional Victoria.

I won't share a photo because they simply don't deserve the attention.

But yesterday, anti-trans activists gathered to spread hate.

And on the steps of our Parliament, some of them performed a Nazi salute. I wish it didn't have to be said, but clearly it does:

Nazis aren't welcome.

Not on Parliament's steps. Not anywhere.

Construction on the Metro Tunnel is a full year ahead of schedule.

Tunnelling is complete, and stations are coming together.

And now the most important part - the tracks - are being installed.

Here's how: First things first: getting the rail onsite.

The first load of rail arrived in early 2022 by train.

All up, almost 40 kilometres of Australian-made steel is being used.

We're going to make V/Line services better - and fairer.

Here's the plan. A re-elected Labor Government will cap V/Line fares at the same rate as metro fares.

It'll save commuters up to 87% on current fares - and put more money back in their pockets.

In 2017, Victoria became the first place in the country to outlaw puppy farms.

But truth is, it wasn't our victory.

It was Oscar's. When Oscar was rescued from the puppy farm where he spent the first five years of his life, he weighed just over a kilo.

His teeth and gums were rotting, his fur was matted and his ears were infected.

In 1990, before the release of his first album, Archie Roach played a set to open for Paul Kelly at Hamer Hall.

It was a huge step up from the small gigs he'd been playing.

As he finished his final track, he heard nothing.

He thought he'd bombed. But as Archie turned to walk off stage, a wave of applause took over the hall.

"Took The Children Away" had left the audience in stunned silence.

From then, everything changed.

His debut album would become a massive hit, and his music would change our state forever.

It's not fair that big companies control our power supply and bills skyrocket.

So we're going to set up a government-owned power company to drive down bills.

It'll put the power back in the hands of Victorians.

And it'll be 100% renewable. Here's the plan:

Right now when you flick on the switch, chances are the electricity is coming from a big private company.

They generate using polluting coal power plants, and power prices mean they make massive profits.

But it doesn't have to be like that.

This morning I caught up with some of the ADF team who have been helping out with the floods.

200 personnel are already on the ground, and tomorrow that number will grow to 400. They're from all over the country, and some are from communities in Victoria where they've been affected themselves.

The team I caught up with today will be flying these huge Chinook choppers to get hay to farmers, and move generators to communities who are without power.

I know lots of Victorians have been watching coverage over the last few days and wondered how they can help.

Whether you've got a few bucks to donate, or you have time to get stuck in - here's some ways you can help communities impacted: The Red Cross has set up a disaster response and recovery fund. This will power on-the-ground emergency response teams in flood-affected areas.

redcross.org.au/donation/disas…

I've just been with the Prime Minister in Bendigo getting the latest on the flooding.

Here's what you need to know: There are emergency warnings in place for the Goulburn Valley and Echuca area.

Depending on where you are, you need to either evacuate now, or shelter in place because now it is too late to leave. The most up to date information is on the Vic Emergency website.

I've just finished up a briefing at the State Control Centre.

I wanted to give you an update on where things are at. The most important thing is that while the skies might be blue, there's a massive amount of water in catchments that'll be moving down rivers in the coming days.

That means this event is far from over.

Bit of an update on the flooding situation.

Today we've seen the severe weather that was forecast hit the state.

It's not over yet - heavy rain and strong wind is going to continue over the next couple of days. We've already seen it impact a number of towns, and interrupt power across the state.

Even if it's not raining where you are now, please follow the advice:

Firstly, if you don't need to be on the road today, stay off the road.

I got a briefing this morning from our emergency management team with @JaclynSymes.

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to sweep across the state, with the worst expected in Northern Victoria on Thursday.

Here's what you need to know: With many dams and catchments already full or near full, there's a high risk of flash flooding as well as falling trees and power outages.

It's official: the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the Regional Victoria games. The Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the regional games for regional jobs.

Four regional hubs will be established in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland, each with an athletes' villages. Shepparton will also host events, and the MCG will host the opening ceremony.

As my kids say - there's a big vibe today.

You can feel the optimism. You can sense the pride in what's been achieved.

And after everything it's taken to get here, we absolutely deserve to feel that way. I'm trying not to sound like some kind of soppy dad here, but I am proud, bloody proud of this state.

We've gone through such a hard time together, this pandemic has been exhausting in every sense of the word.

If you're the designated tech support in your family this might be a handy thread to bookmark.

Once you're fully vaccinated, here's how to add your digital vaccination certificate to the Service Victoria app. First things first - make sure you've updated to the latest version of the Service Victoria app. Find the app in App Store or Google Play store and tap update.

On the advice of the Acting Chief Health Officer, today we are making a number of changes to slow the spread of the virus, vaccinate more Victorians, and protect our health system. Through the pandemic, restrictions have been our primary weapon.

With the supply of vaccine finally becoming widely available, we're able to choose a different path - to protect workers who can't do their essential work from home, protect our health system, and our reopening.

I won't sugar-coat it, today's numbers were hard.

This clearly isn't where we want to be - it's obvious this virus is moving fast, and we're racing against it's spread to protect our state. I know you've heard it a thousand times, probably even more - but if we're going to stop this, you need to book a vaccine today, not tomorrow.

We've just announced that the interval between Pfizer doses will be reduced to just three weeks from the 4th of October.

Today we are releasing our roadmap.

As well as laying out how we will deliver the National Plan, the roadmap lets Victorians know when we can catch up with friends and family, and get back to the things we love. An accessible version of the summary, as well as the full roadmap will be available at premier.vic.gov.au shortly.

I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear this news:

Check the thread for more info, but from 7am tomorrow, all Victorians over 16 will be eligible to book an appointment to be vaccinated at state vaccine centres. Here's the details:

From tomorrow, 16 to 59 year olds will be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, 18 to 59 year olds will also be eligible for the AstraZeneca, and Victorians 60 and over will still receive the Astra Zeneca.

There's a million reasons to get vaccinated - but for me, it's Mum.

She still lives out in Wang, not far from where I grew up.

I love her, and I think about her every day.

Even if this pandemic means I can't see her as much as I'd like, I still want to know that she's safe. And I want to be sure that when I do visit, I'm not potentially putting her at risk.

I have my reason, you will have yours, and the million or so people reading this will have theirs too.

Maybe it's your own mum, maybe you want to go overseas, or see those you've missed.