WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has revealed he has a terminal illness.
OUR VERDICT
False. Mr Andrews has made no such comments, the quotes attributed to him are fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - Disinformation actors are spreading fake quotes regarding Daniel Andrews being terminally ill amid media speculation about the former Victorian premier's health.
Mr Andrews has been recovering from a "medical episode" in hospital, according to The Herald Sun.
Speculation about his condition has been seized upon by Facebook disinformation operations purporting to offer updates from the former Labor premier and his family.
A Facebook post from a page called The Australian Bulletin claims Mr Andrews has revealed he is "terminally ill".
"Daniel Andrews emotionally shared his story about his remaining time battling a terminal illness," the post claims.
"'I don't want to die, but that day is getting closer," Mr Andrews is quoted as saying in the post.
The post has racked up 1.1 million views and more than 100 shares.
The post's comments section contains a link to an online blog that makes other claims and is laden with ads.
Another post from the same page claims his wife, Catherine Andrews, said, "he's not making it".
The quotes attributed to the former premier and his wife are fabricated; there's no record of them being reported, and the Andrews family has not issued any official statement about his health.
Thousands of users have believed the posts, driving confusion about his' health.
Experts have previously told AAP FactCheck that disinformation pages use false claims to push users to external websites that are often laden with ads, scams and even viruses.
AAP FactCheck has identified dozens of social media accounts recently spreading disinformation about Australian politics; they often use AI tools to generate images and text.
A range of prominent politicians and media commentators have been targeted, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Senator Pauline Hanson, former prime minister Tony Abbott and veteran Queensland MP Bob Katter.
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