Long-serving hospital staff have been sacked for accessing the medical records of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews after he reportedly suffered a stroke.
Andrews was taken to Monash Clayton Hospital in Melbourne's south-east just before Christmas and reportedly remains in a 'very bad way'.
A former employee of the hospital has now told Daily Mail she was abruptly dismissed after 14 years in the job for taking a self-confessed 'sneaky peek' at his medical file.
Michelle, 59 - whose name has been changed to protect her identity - heard Andrews was in the hospital from a radio report on December 18.
'We have a radio playing in the office, and it said a high-profile person was admitted to Monash,' she told Daily Mail.
'I thought, that can't be right - why Clayton? So I looked it up. I pressed the restricted access button, had a quick skim ... and that was it.
'I didn't read everything, didn't tell a soul. It's what we do all day - access patient info for lawyers and patients.
'I've seen colleagues check family or friends; everyone does it.'
Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews reportedly suffered a stroke. He is pictured with his wife Catherine in 2021
Dan Andrews is treated by medical staff after his fall in March 2021
Andrews was taken to Monash Clayton Hospital in Melbourne's south-east just before Christmas after he reportedly suffered a stroke
Michelle had worked at the hospital's Freedom of Information department where she would routinely look up patient records to deal with ongoing legal issues.
But this wasn't just any patient, with details of Andrews' condition and treatment kept a state secret.
A senior insider compared the information blackout to the levels of secrecy around world champion F1 driver Michael Schumacher after his traumatic skiing accident.
Michelle insisted she had not delved into the former Labor leader's personal condition and further refused to divulge what little she did read.
But she is convinced she is not alone in being sacked for accessing Andrews' medical history, with others fired for the same offence.
'I just did the wrong thing, like I pressed on the restricted access button and had a look,' she told the Daily Mail.
'But I just clicked through it and just went, "Oh, okay, whatever".
'Because I'm in freedom of information and that's what we do all day - we look up patient information and get all that information ready for lawyers and the patients.
Dan Andrews' last public post to social media on October 23, 2024 sparked concerns for his health over his ruddy and unkempt appearance
'I didn't think anything of it because I just didn't realise that the punishment was so severe.
'I did say I didn't think of him as a high-profile person. I just thought of him as a patient being admitted to Monash and that's probably what got me.'
Michelle was put on notice and spent an agonising wait over the Christmas period in limbo awaiting the outcome of an internal investigation.
On January 5, she was summoned from her office desk by her manager and told of the full seriousness of her situation before being sent home immediately.
'The lady was like I'd committed a crime,' she said, and in a series of follow-up meetings, Michelle says her bosses told her: 'What you did was so wrong.'
The protracted investigation kept her in the dark before she was finally told of her dismissal, she said.
'I kept emailing, saying I need to know what's happening with my life,' she said.
'This has been my life for 14 years and I've never had a warning. I've never done anything wrong.
Dan Andrews (top right) sparked a fierce backlash when he attended a Communist parade in China alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un in 2025
'The way it was done was so harsh and they locked me out of the employee hub online so I couldn't get into any of my emails anymore.
'I've just felt so defeated because I'm such a fighter. But there's nothing I can do.'
Michelle says the Health Workers Union offered her no help in contesting the dismissal.
'They did absolutely nothing,' she said. '[The union rep] sat in on one meeting and didn't say a word because of this high-profile person.
'It's all about this person being so high profile.'
Michelle worries the sacking has marred her reputation and ended her career in the field.
'I don't even care about getting my job back. I just want my name cleared,' she said.
'I have so much experience but Monash Health runs five hospitals and I can't go to any of them. I can't do anything. My name's mud and that upsets me the most.
Dan Andrews sparked anger among many Victorians during the Covid pandemic and was branded a dictator for the state's strict lockdowns which were the longest in the world
'I don't want to start over. My team cried; we had a great time, laughed a lot. Now it's gone.'
On Monday, the company said they couldn't go into the specifics of the sacking 'due to our ongoing obligations of confidentiality to all employees and patients'.
But a spokesman added: 'Monash Health treats its obligations to protect the confidentiality of personal information with the utmost seriousness.'
The Daily Mail has contacted Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen - who replaced Andrews as state leader in September 2023 - the HWU and Victorian Liberals for comment.
The former premier's latest health scare follows his serious back injury during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021.
While on a family holiday on the Mornington Peninsula, he suffered a nasty fall on slippery wooden stairs, resulting in a severe spinal injury that required hospitalisation, X-rays, and a lengthy recovery involving a spinal brace and gradual walking rehabilitation.
The incident sparked wild conspiracy theories at the time, but Andrews later confirmed it was simply an unfortunate accident which left him in significant pain.
The notorious chain-smoker has not posted an image of himself to social media since October 23, 2024.
Andrews, pictured here with his wife in 2022, has kept details of his latest health fears under strict secrecy
In that image, Andrews' face appeared a shade of red, with some insiders claiming it to be the telltale sign of health difficulties stemming from a stress-filled life and an appetite for vices such as alcohol and cigarettes.
His only other recent public appearance was snapped in China while he was watching a huge Communist military parade in September.
Andrews was filmed being greeted by President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan on a red carpet procession before the parade kicked off.
Andrews and Xi shook hands for several seconds as both men appeared to exchange warm pleasantries.
He also happily posed for a 'family photo' alongside a rogues' gallery of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.
It is understood that Andrews was attending in a personal capacity, plying his trade as a lobbyist after leaving political office.
