Victorian Premier John Brumby: "The Queen requested daily updates on the bushfires"

I had not thought that a Victorian politician could take me by surprise. But there's always an exception from the rule.

When John Brumby explained the preparations in Melbourne for the national memorial service for the victims of the devastating bush fires in Victoria, he said: "The Queen and Her family had been receiving daily updates from our emergency services units here in Victoria. Like every day they've been wanting [them]."

Premier Brumby said the first sentence in today's Channel Nine's evening news, both sentences could be heard in Channel Ten's evening news. If the ABC used the opportunity to report on Her Majesty's interest in the devastating fires in Victoria must remain a mystery - I had no time to watch ABC's evening news. But considering the ABC's efforts to ignore our Royal Family (for her visit to Melbourne in 2006 ABC Victoria spared 13 seconds) I would not be surprised, if John Brumby was silenced on this topic.