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Health

Victoria's Opposition Leader Matthew Guy among five MPs fined for breaching COVID-19 mask rules

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy was photographed at an event at parliament without a mask on last week. (Supplied: Facebook)

Five members of Victoria's Coalition, including Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, have been fined by police for breaching mask rules.

The four other MPs are Nationals leader Peter Walsh, the opposition's Upper House leader David Davis, Narracan MP Gary Blackwood and Eastern Victoria MP Melina Bath.

Last week, Victoria Police said it was investigating after pictures emerged on social media of the MPs socialising inside parliament without masks on.

Masks are still required in all indoor settings for people aged eight and above under Victoria's COVID-19 rules, with some exceptions allowed, such as inside private homes.

Victoria Police confirmed the MPs will be fined $100 in coming days.

In a public statement, Mr Guy said the group had cooperated with Victoria Police and said the fines would be paid promptly.

"The Victorian Liberals and Nationals will continue to advocate for the removal of face mask mandates in low-risk settings so we can begin to recover, rebuild and move forward," Mr Guy said.

Premier Daniel Andrews was fined $400 after he was filmed without a mask before attending parliament in October last year.

At the time, Mr Guy said the Premier should be fined if he did not have a legitimate excuse for not wearing a mask and face "the full force of the law".

On Monday afternoon, Mr Walsh told ABC Victoria's Statewide Drive program the group was expecting fines to be sent from police.

"If that's the case, we pay the fine, we move on," he said.

When host Nicole Chvastek compared the fines with the one Mr Andrews received last year, Mr Walsh said, "he paid his fine and we'll pay our fine".

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