Toyota confirms date for end of Australian assembly

Two weeks ago Holden confirmed that it will end vehicle production at its Elizabeth, Adelaide plant on October 20 – and now Toyota has announced it will end its Australian vehicle assembly on October 3. The two closures will come exactly a year after Ford ended its assembly operations at Melbourne and Geelong in October last year, with the loss of 600 manufacturing jobs. Toyota Australia has confirmed that as part of the shutdown process, its Altona, Melbourne manufacturing plant will stop building V6 Aurions in August, Camry hybrids in September and Camry petrol models in October.

Soccer bid

The Geelong-based bid – under the working guise of Victoria Patriots – is being fronted by former Socceroos player Steve Horvat and will also represent Warrnambool, Colac, Hamilton and the rest of western Victoria. Horvat, who made 32 appearances for Australia, said the consortium of investors had used the Western Sydney Wanderers model as inspiration and was looking to build links with regional Victorian cities.

Union denies Vic ambos drugs claim

Victorian ambos sometimes use painkiller Fentanyl to deal with job stress – but the paramedics union denies 10 Geelong staff were sacked or disciplined due to the drug. Ambulance Employees Australia secretary Steve McGhie says about 20 paramedics were interviewed as part of an Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission investigation of Ambulance Victoria.