Victoria's roadmap out of lockdown has been described as a "roadblock" by business groups, who say it is too conservative when compared with NSW's.
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Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday unveiled the state's roadmap out of lockdown.
"Victorian businesses wanted a pathway to prosperity, but instead we got a roadmap with roadblocks," Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said in a statement.
"It is extremely tough to look over the border and see our NSW neighbours get back to relatively normal life while we continue to be locked down in a holding pattern."
In NSW, those in Sydney's hardest hit suburbs are set for their first taste of freedom in months, with recreation rules relaxing as vaccination rates continue to climb.
Meanwhile support for both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has fallen in the latest Newspoll, while the Coalition has clawed back some ground from Labor.
Mr Morrison's approval rating slipped three percentage points since August to sit at 46 per cent in the latest poll, published by The Australian, as the lockdowns in NSW and Victoria drag on.
It is the prime minister's lowest net level of personal support since the 2020 Black Summer bushfires.
Had enough of disasters? You're not alone. More than a third of Australians have been hit by successive disasters in the past two years, with new research finding two in five feel less hopeful about the future.
The survey of over 1000 people, conducted by the Australian Red Cross, found the pandemic alone had negatively impacted the mental health of two in five people.
Some 42 per cent said they felt less control over the future than before the pandemic and 37 per cent said they felt less secure and safe.
On the sports front, Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines says the realisation that he's not a "silky smooth mid" helped propel him to the 2021 Brownlow medal, and he's glad the Power didn't let him leave two years ago.
Wines became the first Port player to win the AFL's most coveted individual award when he polled 36 votes in Sunday's thrilling count to edge out Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli (33) and Melbourne star Clayton Oliver (31).
Manchester United stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Dean Henderson have offered support to a Perth-based soccer player who was critically injured when he was punched from behind in an alleged unprovoked attack.
- with AAP