Vulnerable and disadvantaged Victorian children will soon have the chance to get their COVID-19 vaccine among lions, meerkats, sharks, dinosaurs, robots and starlit galaxies.

Nearly three-quarters of a million unpaid carers will receive additional respite, employment and training opportunities, supporting their vital roles of caring for vulnerable loved ones during the pandemic.

Current and aspiring school principals have a unique opportunity to lead a brand-new school and establish a new culture from the ground up, with applications now open for principal positions at the Andrews Labor Government’s new schools set to open in 2023.

The Victorian Government is ensuring those who are doing it tough during the pandemic can continue putting a meal on the table, with funding to deliver food to Victorians who need it most.

Victorians who have mild COVID-19 symptoms are being encouraged to recover safely at home, with a new campaign being launched today to highlight the support available for those who are slightly unwell.

The Andrews Labor Government is delivering continued economic certainty and growth with Victoria performing as the strongest state for construction work and the third strongest state overall, according to the latest CommSec State of the States report.

The Victorian Government is helping to keep supermarket shelves stocked by linking thousands of jobseekers with food suppliers to reduce critical workforce shortages.

As students, staff and families across Victoria prepare for the beginning of the school year, the Victorian Government is making sure school and early childhood education is as safe as possible in 2022 – with a full suite of COVIDSafe measures to protect communities and minimise disruption to learning.

The Andrews Labor Government is helping schools stay open safely and reducing disruption to students’ learning, with a staffing pool to fill COVID-related vacancies in Victorian government schools at short notice.

The world’s largest hydrogen export pilot program has reached a significant milestone with the arrival of the first purpose-built liquefied hydrogen carrier, the Suiso Frontier, in the Port of Hastings.

The Andrews Labor Government is supporting a key emissions reduction project that will contribute to achieving the goal of net zero by 2050 and bring new jobs to Gippsland.

Victoria’s economy continues to remain strong amid the effects of the global pandemic, with the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing 25,000 new jobs created in December.

Tens of millions more Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will soon be available to Victorians, with the Victorian Government ordering a further 166 million tests, building on its initial bulk order of 44 million.

Victorians over the age of 18 will now be eligible to get their vital third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine after three months, just in time for a walk-up vaccination blitz starting this Friday.

A coordinated Pandemic Code Brown will be implemented across all public metropolitan and major regional hospitals, putting in place a formal emergency management structure to make the best use of hospital resources as Victoria battles the global Omicron outbreak.

With the number of COVID-19 close contacts continuing to grow, Victoria’s public health team will provide more essential workers with an exemption from close contact home isolation requirements to attend their workplace.

The COVIDSafe Event Plan for the 2022 Australian Open will be amended to ensure the health and safety of fans attending Melbourne Park from Monday.

The Victorian Government will train up to 1,000 new vaccinators, helping first-year health students, retired nurses, and more join an expanded workforce to be deployed across state-run centres and boost our vaccination efforts.