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Bird Flu Has Reached Mammals in Victoria: a Fox Dead at Torquay, a Dolphin Suspected at Lorne
Victoria's first mammal case arrives with 212 positive birds since June, 1,000 penguins vaccinated, and surveillance now focused on the bays before spring breeding.
For the First Time in 20 Years, Victorian Doctors Have Walked Off the Job
Hundreds stopped work for four hours at Ballarat and Bendigo, after a year of negotiations, no offer, and — the AMA says — three health ministers in 12 months.
The Snow Season Is Ending Weeks Early, With Hotham Closing Sunday and Baw Baw Already Shut
Mount Buller's winter beat its temperature record by half a degree, the lower slopes had their worst natural-snow season ever, and the lifts are stopping early.
Victoria Will Approve Four-Home Townhouse Blocks in 10 Days, and Councils Won't Get a Say
From October, code-compliant four-home builds skip council objections entirely. Labor's platform also flags a look at stamp duty — hedged, but on the table.
North Melbourne Has Sacked Alastair Clarkson, Citing 'Gaping Holes' in the Game Plan
Told on Tuesday, a year left on his deal, a payout capped near $600,000 — and a club hunting 'a coach who can coach for the modern game'.
A 57-Storey Tower Is Rising Above State Library Station, Approved With No Public Consultation
Scape says it will be the world's tallest student tower: 185.4m, 1,420 beds, $500m — approved in 2017 under the Metro Tunnel framework, no notice period.
The Liberals Are Promising 25 Hybrid Trains for Melbourne's West. Labor Calls It a Bizarre Side-Quest
$1.7 billion, built in Victoria, delivered by 2030 — pitched at Melton and Wyndham Vale, where Australia's fastest-growing area adds 38 residents a day.
Victoria's Oldest Fire Truck Is 37, and WorkSafe Is Now Asking Questions
CFA volunteers asked the regulator to look at single-cab tankers 17 years past their use-by. New-tanker deliveries have halved in a decade, their data shows.
One Nation Would Keep Loy Yang A Open and Lift Victoria's 1983 Nuclear Ban
The formal launch came with no costings and no talks with AGL, which restated the 2035 closure. Grattan's Tony Wood warns of reliability risk and higher prices.
Victoria Has Opened Australia's First Offshore Wind Auction, With Two Gigawatts on the Table
Nine Gippsland licence holders can now bid for support to build the state's first 2GW of offshore wind — enough for 1.5 million homes as Yallourn heads for closure.
Labor's Next Roads Pitch: Minimum-Security Prisoners on Mowing and Graffiti Duty
A day after the 500,000-pothole pledge, Labor added a Corrections Victoria pilot, in-house maintenance crews and a website for reporting potholes.
One Nation Packed a Wimmera Rally With 1,000 Supporters and Promised Victoria a Coal Comeback
At a Farmers Fightback rally in Marnoo, One Nation vowed to strip VNI West's land acquisition powers and abolish the renewable energy zone — cost uncosted.
Victoria Will Try to Fix 500,000 Potholes by the End of January, Paid For by Delaying Level Crossing Removals
The $352 million blitz doubles the state's pothole target — and three level crossing removals at Highett and Mentone wait a year to pay for it.
After 442 Games, Scott Pendlebury Is Leaving Collingwood for the Gold Coast Suns
The AFL games record holder was not offered a new deal at Collingwood. He heads north as a player-coach — the same path Luke Hodge took to Brisbane in 2018.
Shared E-Scooters Are Now Gone North of the Yarra, After Darebin Voted to End Its Trial
93 per cent of feedback on Darebin's six-month Lime trial was negative — but the scheme's defenders say the council is walking away from its own climate plan.
Melbourne's Equal-Warmest Winter on Record Is Ending With a 22-Degree Start to Spring
Melbourne's winter mean of 12.2 degrees equalled its 2005 record, official BOM figures confirm, and modelling points to the warmest spring on record for southern states.
The Daniel Andrews Statue Is Officially Scrapped
Premier Ben Carroll has ended the 1999 policy behind Treasury Place's premier statues. The $134,000 commission survives — a panel will pick a new subject.
Melbourne Parents Got a 6.40pm Text Telling Them Their Childcare Centre Would Not Reopen
The liquidator says a sale fell through and recent staff resignations left the directors unable to guarantee staffing. Families had about 12 hours' notice.
Victoria's Pill Testing Service Turned One, With 12 Per Cent of Samples Holding Something Unexpected
A year of figures from Victoria's pill testing service: more than 5,000 samples tested, 28 public warnings issued and two urgent alerts for nitazenes.
Cameras That Listen for Loud Cars Are Coming to Four Melbourne Councils
Acoustic cameras will be installed in Port Phillip, Casey, Knox and Stonnington by the end of 2026. They do not fine you directly — they start a process that ends in a noise test.
18,000 Free Tickets Are Up for Grabs as the Ian Potter State Theatre Reopens Six Months Early
Housewarming runs 9 to 12 October with free shows from the Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, MTC and Circus Oz. The government has not said how to claim a ticket.
A New Suburb for 36,000 People Has Been Approved in Melbourne's West
The Melton East Precinct Structure Plan clears the way for nearly 12,000 homes, seven schools and 1,600 jobs. Nothing is built yet — the full precinct runs on a 20 to 30 year horizon.
Robert James Runs His Wedding Directory From Sydney, and Victoria Is Now Its Second-Largest State
Ever After Weddings lists 56 Victorian venues across eight regions, plus Melbourne DJs, MCs and planners — putting Victoria second only to NSW in the directory founder Robert James started in 2025.
Hollywood Is Finishing a Brie Larson Film at the Old Neighbours Studio
Skeletons, from producer J.J. Abrams and starring Brie Larson, is in its final stages at the former Neighbours studio in Nunawading. The government puts it at 635 jobs and $21.5 million.
Victoria Is Recruiting 150 Extra PSOs and Changing the Rules on Where They Patrol
The Premier says 150 more Protective Services Officers will be recruited, taking the year's total to 200, with a regulation change letting them patrol local shopping strips.
Victorian Full-Time Earnings Sit $42.60 a Week Below the National Average
New ABS figures put Victorian full-time ordinary earnings at $2,041.10 a week against a national $2,083.70 — and national growth is the slowest since 2022.
Melbourne Venues Can Apply From Today for Up to $11,000 to Put On 20 More Gigs
The 2026 round of the Victorian Gig Fund opens today. Venues can apply for up to $11,000 to stage up to 20 paid gigs between December and June, with applications closing 2 September.
The NFL Arrives at the MCG in a Month, and Almost Half the Crowd Is Coming From Somewhere Else
The Rams play the 49ers at the MCG on Friday 11 September. Fans from more than 35 countries have tickets, CBD hotel occupancy is up 39 per cent for the night, and Netflix takes it to 200 countries.
Census Night Is Tuesday, and the 2026 Form Asks Something It Never Has Before
The Census is taken on Tuesday 11 August. This one carries a single new topic — questions on sexual orientation and gender for people aged 16 and over — plus changes to ancestry, travel to work and more.
Melbourne's New Train Timetable Adds 400 Weekly Services and a First Direct Run From the West to the Bay
From 23 August, more than 400 extra weekly services start across the network — and for the first time trains will run straight from Newport to Sandringham via Flinders Street. The timetable is already online.