It was the statistic that said it all.
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As Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews loosened the COVID-related reins on his state, he took to the "COVID comparisons" tab on his spreadsheet to underline his state's efficiency in dealing with the virus.
Back in August, daily cases in Victoria and the UK were comparable, the premier said.
"Today, as Victoria records two new cases, the UK hit 16,171," he said. "And as we continue easing our restrictions, they are being forced to increase theirs."
There were two steps and two tiers to Mr Andrews' revelations today - the state is effectively divided into metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victorian and once the first step is taken at 11:59pm, the second in both areas will be taken on November 1.
One significant difference is how Melbourne and regional Victoria get to enjoy AFL grand final day next weekend. It's very different - read about it in the links below.
If you need a step-by-step guide, here's how the two parts of Victoria will emerge from their various bubbles, lockdowns and rings of steel.
And while we're on bubbles and the like, the Trans-Tasman has gone a little pear-shaped this weekend.
The bubble wasn't exactly a big one. Under the original arrangements, New Zealanders were granted access to fly into NSW and the Northern Territory. That's it.
But, if nothing, they're a resourceful lot these Kiwis and they took themselves off to other "non-bubbly" states. First, we heard 17 Kiwis headed to Victoria (it ended up being 55, but you know ... whatevs) and another 25 arrived unannounced at Perth Airport without exemptions, just two days after the arrangement was put in place.
The same happened in Tasmania, The Examiner in Launceston reported, with three travellers from New Zealand arriving in the Apple Isle over the weekend.
So, what ensues? Not so much a political to and fro - just a "to" as state Premiers and government "spokespeople" had their say about needing to reinforce the reality of the bubble to our Antipodean friends. No doubt it'll be a case of "watch this space" as the issue unfolds over the next few days.
You might have read about the ACT's weekend election and New Zealand's election, but what about the convicted murderer who grabbed a narwhal tusk to help foil a terror attack on London Bridge last November? Thanks to intervention from the Queen, he'll have his sentence cut for his heroics. Have a read.
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