What was claimed

Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has revealed he has a terminal illness.

Our verdict

False. Andrews has made no such comments, the quotes attributed to him are fake.

Disinformation actors are spreading fake quotes that allege former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is terminally ill amid media speculation about his health.

Andrews has been in hospital since before Christmas after a “medical episode”, according to the Herald Sun.

Speculation about his condition has been seized upon by Facebook disinformation operations purporting to offer updates from the Andrews and his family.

A Facebook post from a page called The Australian Bulletin claims Andrews has revealed he is “terminally ill”.

“Daniel Andrews emotionally shared his story about his remaining time battling a terminal illness,” it claims.

“‘I don’t want to die, but that day is getting closer,” Andrews, 53, is quoted as saying in the post.

The post has racked up 1.1 million views and more than 100 shares. Its comments section includes a link to an online blog that makes other claims and is laden with ads.

Another post from the same page claims Andrews’ wife, Catherine, said, “he’s not making it”.

The quotes attributed to Andrews and his wife are fabricated; there’s no record of them being reported, and the Andrews family has issued no official statement about his health.

There are no recent reports of Catherine Andrews speaking about her husband’s health status. Photo: AAP

Thousands of users have believed the posts, driving confusion about the former premier’s health.

Andrews led Victoria from 2014 to 2023 but has maintained a much lower public profile since quitting politics. His last public appearance was last September.

He has reportedly spent weeks in a Melbourne hospital, where his condition is reportedly “improving” after “intensive” rehabilitation.

Experts have previously warned that disinformation pages use false claims to push users to external websites that are often laden with ads, scams and even viruses.

There are dozens of social media accounts that spread disinformation about Australian politics; they often use AI tools to generate images and text.

A range of prominent politicians and media commentators has been targeted, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Senator Pauline Hanson, former prime minister Tony Abbott and veteran Queensland MP Bob Katter.

-AAP