Category Archives: Victoria

Berries, creek water and two muesli bars: how missing hiker survived in Kosciuszko national park

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After almost two weeks missing in the rugged Australian Alps, Hadi Nazari has been found alive

It’s some of Australia’s harshest, most unforgiving terrain.

In Kosciuszko national park, the bush can be so thick in places you can’t see far beyond what’s in front of your face. The ranges are steep and remote. Extreme UV radiation belts down throughout the day and winds whip at you in the afternoon.

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Victorian police officer who allegedly performed Nazi salutes won’t be charged with making banned gesture

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Sergeant was suspended and commissioner apologised after gesture was allegedly made at police academy on consecutive days

A police sergeant who allegedly performed two Nazi salutes in front of colleagues at the police academy will not be charged despite the gesture being banned in Victoria, the force says.

The 65-year-old woman, who has been in the force for 40 years, was suspended with pay last October, after police launched a criminal investigation into the two incidents in which she allegedly approached other employees, performed the salute and said “Heil Hitler”.

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Man accused of setting fire to Caulfield racecourse grandstand also broke into Jewish centre, court hears

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Alleged arsonist Travis Bird, 51, charged with nine offences over Tuesday’s blaze and another three grassfires at nearby Attenborough park

A man accused of setting fire to a heritage-listed racecourse grandstand before breaking into a Jewish community centre will remain behind bars after facing court.

Travis Bird, 51, appeared at Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday after being charged with nine offences – four counts of arson, two of trespass and one each of burglary, criminal damage and theft.

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Australia news live: Dreyfus to spend a week in Israel, PM says; SA police shoot man dead during mental health incident

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The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, says “the firing gun has started” for this year’s federal election, which he predicts will be in March or April.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast just earlier, he said he doesn’t think the government will deliver a budget this year:

I think we’re all ready for it. I think it will be in March, April, I don’t think they’ll do a budget, they don’t want to remind the Australian people with the sea of red ink in the budget. That’s my punt.

This road is of national significance but it’s also one of the most dangerous in our country. And I think it just needs a commitment, and we’re glad to see the government has finally adopted that, one we had, and one the state government can now get on with the job of delivering.

Labor can make up all the nonsense they like. They’re desperate. I mean, this is a government that’s been on the back foot, that got things wrong, that is sending Australians on a pathway to poverty, not a pathway to prosperity. And so they’re in a state of desperation, saying these sorts of things.

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Caulfield Racecourse fire: suspicious blaze engulfs grandstand in Melbourne’s south-east

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Victoria police say nobody has been injured and a crime scene has been established

Major parts of a Caulfield Racecourse grandstand have been destroyed in a suspicious early morning fire.

Fire Rescue Victoria responded to the blaze at Station Street in Caulfield East in Melbourne’s south-east at 6.20am on Tuesday.

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Gina Rinehart and Pauline Hanson seen dining together in Thailand – as it happened

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Lambie says Albanese decision to campaign over holidays ‘bizarre’

Senator Jacqui Lambie has questioned whether Anthony Albanese would call an early election, amid his pre-election campaign blitz across multiple states this week.

Most people don’t want to see a politician over this … three weeks, you know, from about the 20th probably to about the 10th or 15th of January. So to be out there and campaigning now, I just I don’t know whether that will just annoy the people more or what …

Going out this early straight after Christmas, this would have to be a first, I reckon. This is phenomenal. So anybody would have to say that he’s going to call an election in late February or early March, surely.

You never see anybody running around campaigns during the Christmas period. This is really bizarre, so I’m not sure how that is going to go down with Australians. But quite frankly, the worst time to do it is the three weeks over the Christmas period. They just don’t like it very much.

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Collection of rare Barbie dolls worth $15,000 stolen from Victorian town ‘difficult’ to sell off

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Police say Tatura owner is devastated after theft of more than 150 dolls stolen last month

It’s unlikely more than 150 collectible Barbie dolls stolen from their dream house will be sold on the black market, with the close-knit collectors community keeping an eye out for dodgy dealers.

The dolls, as well as Elvis memorabilia and a Jack Daniel’s esky, were stolen from a home in the country Victorian town of Tatura, near Shepparton, in early December.

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Tourism agency deletes ‘pristine swimming spot’ post about unpatrolled beach on Mornington Peninsula

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Video removed as Life Saving Victoria carries out 145 rescues – ‘We don’t remember when we’ve been that busy’

Victoria’s tourism agency has removed a social media post that described an unpatrolled ocean beach on the Mornington Peninsula as a “pristine swimming spot” amid almost 150 rescues on the state’s beaches on Saturday.

Number 16 beach, on the Bass Strait side of Rye, is described on the Visit Victoria website as “recommended for experienced surfers only” as it is not patrolled by lifesavers. It has a reputation among local residents as dangerous.

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Southern Ocean winds to break stifling heatwave baking Australia’s south-east

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Front dragging warm air from the Pilbara brings ‘particularly hot’ weather to SA, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania

Winds from the Southern Ocean will bring relief on Monday to parts of south-eastern Australia sweltering through a three-day heatwave.

A heatwave warning for South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania was issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for the weekend as temperatures were expected to spike in some parts to 40C.

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Melbourne fire that destroyed Forty Winks store could have been arson, police say

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More than 95 firefighters and 26 trucks deployed to Nunawading, with dozens of nearby residents evacuated

Fire crews remain at the scene of a blaze that destroyed a Melbourne mattress store, with investigations likely to continue well into Sunday night after the fire was deemed a suspected arson attack.

Emergency crews responded to several calls about a two-storey building on fire at Nunawading in the city’s east about 2.20am on Sunday.

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Man arrested over alleged 1997 murder of Meaghan Rose on Sunshine Coast denied bail

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Keith Lees, 72, evaded warrant for almost 18 months in relation to alleged murder, and is accused of trying to bite police

A man is behind bars and will likely face extradition after his arrest over a woman’s alleged murder more than two decades ago.

Keith Lees, 72, remains in custody after spending about 18 months evading an arrest warrant over the death of his former partner, 25-year-old Meaghan Louise Rose, who was discovered at the base of Point Cartwright Cliffs on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 1997.

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‘Unimaginable tragedy’ for central Victorian community as three-year-old boy found dead after caravan fire

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Police continue investigation into child’s body found after firefighters put out blaze in Boort

A regional community is mourning an “unimaginable tragedy” after a three-year-old boy was found dead following a caravan fire.

Emergency services were called to Lake View Street in Boort, north-central Victoria, at about 5.50pm on Thursday after reports a caravan had caught fire.

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Heatwave descends on south-east Australia with temperatures forecast to exceed 40C

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Bureau of Meteorology says Melbourne’s hot weather will peak at 38C on Saturday while Penrith will reach 39C on Sunday and 40C on Monday

Much of south-east Australia will swelter through a heatwave over the weekend that is expected to exceed 40C in some places, bringing extreme fire danger before a cool change comes through.

Melbourne was expected to peak at 38C on Saturday, reaching 37C on Sunday and dropping to 22C by Monday as the cool change brings widespread showers.

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Falling house prices and drop in Victorian rental numbers could mark rise of owner-occupiers

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Buyers looking to move in could benefit from 6.5% drop in market since March 2022 as state claims largest share of first home buyer finance

Owner-occupier buyers in Victoria could benefit from an investor sell-off that has been gathering momentum alongside falling house prices, an expert says.

Data from Victoria’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing revealed the number of rentals fell by almost 25,000 – or 3.6% – across the state over a year.

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Police praise mostly well-behaved NYE revellers despite firework-related blazes

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Melbourne and Sydney fires brought under control, including in Tempe, and stabbings reported in Guildford and the Mornington Peninsula

New Year’s Eve revellers have largely been praised for their behaviour at Australia’s biggest fireworks shows, while officers were kept busy with outbursts of trouble around local fireworks.

More than a million people swarmed the main vantage points around Sydney harbour and hundreds of thousands of Melbourne partygoers were treated to a fireworks and laser spectacular.

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All the 1 January changes in Australia: Centrelink increases, import bans and pay rises

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Bigger Austudy and carer allowance payments, higher Medicare safety net thresholds and mandatory corporate reporting on climate also in 1 Jan changes

With the new year comes new policies, laws, taxes and reforms. Here’s everything to know about changes on 1 January, 2025 that could affect you.

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Australian bushfire smoke detected over Antarctica for first time since black summer

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Particles recorded by scientists at the Chilean research station, the Profesor Julio Escudero Base, as recently as Sunday

Smoke from bushfires in south-eastern Australia has been detected over Antarctica for the first time since the 2019-20 black summer fires.

Scientists detected the smoke particles at the Profesor Julio Escudero Base, a Chilean research station on King George Island, at the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula.

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All the 1 January changes coming to Australia in 2025: Centrelink increases, import bans and pay rises

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Bigger Austudy and carer allowance payments, higher Medicare safety net thresholds and mandatory corporate reporting on climate also ahead

With the new year comes new policies, laws, taxes and reforms. Here’s everything to know about changes on 1 January, 2025 that could affect you.

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Renewed bushfire warnings for NSW, Victoria and WA as heat forecast to return for new year

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BoM says light winds are expected to temper the fire danger despite high temperatures, especially inland

Scorching temperatures and elevated fire dangers are forecast for the coming week as Australia rings in the new year – but light winds could protect towns from blazes becoming too severe.

Perth was the first hit by the heatwave, with a high of 34C recorded on Sunday, and maximums above 32C forecast for every day until Friday.

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Firefighters still wary of Grampians outbreak after fire destroys at least three homes

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Prime minister announces disaster recovery payments for survivors as premier gives ‘heartfelt’ thanks to firefighters

At least three homes and nearly a dozen outbuildings have been destroyed by the fire in Victoria’s Grampians, as a new fire threatens homes and lives in Western Australia.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said on Sunday morning that assessments of the damage were still continuing, and the full impact of the blaze was not yet clear. She thanked those in the path of the fire for listening to warnings and taking action to stay safe.

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