Welcome to the 9News.com.au live blog for Monday, November 7, 2022. Medibank refused to pay a ransom over the data leak that impacted 9.7 million current and former customers, the health insurer said today. Sri Lankan international cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Sydney, remains in custody after a failed bail bid. Crown Melbourne has been slapped with fines totalling $120 million by Victoria's gaming regulator for failing to uphold the state's gambling laws. And Victoria's health and shadow health ministers have debated ahead of the state election.
– Bail rejected after Sri Lankan cricketer charged with sexual assault
– Crown Melbourne fined $120 over gambling law failures
– Medibank refuses to pay ransom as 9.7 million exposed in hack
– Sri Lankan international cricketer to face Sydney court on sexual assault charges
– Attourney General writes to Morrison over book
We'll end the live blog for Monday, November 7, 2022 there.
Here's what happened today.
Medibank refused to pay a ransom over the data leak that impacted 9.7 million current and former customers.
Sri Lankan international cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Sydney, remains in custody after a failed bail bid.
Crown Melbourne has been slapped with fines totalling $120 million by Victoria's gaming regulator for failing to uphold the state's gambling laws.
And Victoria's health and shadow health ministers have debated ahead of the state election.
We'll be back tomorrow with all the breaking news.
Until then, visit nine.com.au and 9News.com.au to stay up to date.
Crozier used her closing statement to speak about the "very serious health crisis" Victorians were currently living in.
"We have made our position very clear. We need to rebuild our health system. We need to be supporting our healthcare workers and importantly supporting Victorian patients," she said.
"That's why Victorians have got a clear choice. Our priority is to fix the health system, that's why we will be shelving the Cheltenham to Box Hill rail line and putting every available cent into rebuilding Victoria's broken health system.
"There are ambulances ramping at the moment. Too many people are dying. And the only government that is cutting out health is the Andrews Government."
In closing statements, Thomas said it was a "really important" election to choose a Labor Government which had a "strong record of delivery".
"Be that $15 billion into infrastructure or more than 26,000 additional healthcare workers. Importantly, we will work with our healthcare workers, not against them.
"We won't go to war with our paramedics. We won't cut the working conditions of nurses. Together we will build the healthcare system that all Victorians need and deserve."
Crozier is asked how the Liberal Party would cut the elective surgery wait lists by half.
"We will work in partnership with the private system and use technology," she said.
"(We will) use some really capable technology that's out there to assist in doing this."
"We had record numbers on that waitlist prior to COVID. But it is so extreme now. It is so extreme now. We have to get it down. So we have got a plan to be using the private system, to be working in partnership with them."
The next question is based around the Liberal Party relying on federal funding for some health promises.
"That's not (true) at all," Crozier insisted.
"We have made it very clear that the funding for upgrading and building of our hospitals will be coming from the government's $35 billion Cheltenham to Box Hill rail line."
"That money is (already) allocated, the $11.8 billion in the budget on that rail project, Cheltenham to Box Hill is there, that is where we are getting our money from."
The Opposition has pledged to train 40,000 nurses as part of a $325 million plan if it wins government.
Crozier said their workforce plan was based on "supporting nurses in the system, both in the public and the private system".
"You have got to have a strong public system as well as a strong private system," she said. "So our plan goes across both the public and private system to retrain, to give incentives to support nurses in senior management to support those nurses coming through."
Labor and the Coalition have pledged billions to upgrade and revitalise the health system by building new hospitals.
Thomas is asked how the Labor Government will deal with the demand of new staff.
"We have already employed an additional 26,000 healthcare workers since we came to government and we have plans for an additional 24,000," she said.
"We've got a campaign in the market to recruit an additional 2000 healthcare workers."
Thomas is also asked about where the 10 community hospitals that have been pledged under the current Labor Government will be built.
"I'm very proud of our record of delivery. And indeed with the 10 community hospitals they're all on track to be delivered by 2024," she said.
The second question is aimed at the Shadow Health Minister.
Crozier is asked about how she will overcome the party's reputation of cutting staff and services.
She said it was "simply not true".
"Labor has been in power for 19 of the past 23 years. The productivity commission in 2019 said there wasn't enough investment in health. So you can't blame others for the failures that are going on now. Where there is so much distress and suffering," Crozier said.
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