Category Archives: Victoria

Australia live news update: fifth child airlifted to hospital with irukandji jellyfish sting; Albanese and Dutton trade insults over Indigenous voice

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Federal opposition leader wants Labor to legislate its preferred model before referendum is held this year. This blog is now closed

‘I’m genuinely interested in advancing the cause of reconciliation’

Peter Dutton is asked about whether the prime minister has been given a copy of his letter – Anthony Albanese has said he has not received it – and Dutton says a copy has been provided to the prime minister’s office and he expects “he will respond in due course”.

I don’t think that’s unreasonable. Certainly not racist. It’s not being opposed to reconciliation. It’s all about, frankly, just being informed about what it is they’re being asked to vote on. I don’t think that is unreasonable to ask the prime minister to provide that.

I’ve met with the prime minister and I’m grateful for the meetings that we’ve had and he knows that I’m genuinely interested in advancing the cause of reconciliation.

I’m speaking of millions of Australians, we’re asking you the reasonable questions.

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Internal fight over poker machine revenue threatens future of RSL Victoria, president warns

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Exclusive: RSL Victoria is locked in a dispute with sub-branches refusing to sign up to plan designed to rescue state branch’s finances

The president of RSL Victoria has warned an internal fight over poker machine revenue represents an “ominous” threat to the future of the organisation, leaked documents show.

The RSL is locked in a dispute with 10 sub-branches that have refused to sign up to a new funding model designed to rescue the state branch’s finances, which are described as at “a tipping point” with no cash reserves.

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Lifesavers rescue 1,200 over holiday period in Australia – as it happened

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‘Challenging night’ for WA fire crews in south-west

Earlier today, Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services incident controller Peter Thomas said it had been a “challenging night” for fire crews in the south-west, as bushfires threaten the region.

So our volunteers from the Donnybrook area across the south-west [who have] come to deal with this incident.

We’ve had some strong winds that have been coming consistently from the east, but been fairly strong and making it challenging for our crews.

When we allow sportspeople from Russia to participate in the Australian Open, we do exactly what Putin wants.

It doesn’t matter what flag Russian Federation players compete under. It has Ukrainian blood on it.

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‘Almost beyond comprehension’: police investigate crash that killed four people in central Victoria

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Two drivers in hospital after alleged ‘high-speed accident’ at four-way intersection near Shepparton

Police are investigating whether some passengers of a car were wearing seatbelts at the time of an alleged high-speed crash between two vehicles that resulted in the deaths of four people in central Victoria.

Those killed were passengers in a Peugeot that collided with a Toyota Hilux ute at an intersection at Pine Lodge, near Shepparton, on Wednesday afternoon.

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Victorian court allows abused altar boy’s children and wife to sue Catholic church

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Unique case may set precedent as family alleges church’s failings caused man’s violence in later life

A Victorian court has paved the way for the children and wife of an abused altar boy to sue the Catholic church, alleging the church’s failings caused their father and husband to become a violent alcoholic and drug addict who beat them later in life.

The abuse victim, now dead, was an altar boy in north-west Victoria in the mid-1970s when he was allegedly raped by Father Bryan Coffey, a parish priest who allegedly used his role as the supervisor of the local school’s cross-country team to prey on children.

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Melbourne shrank while Queensland grew: what the pandemic did to Australia’s population

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The Victorian capital is still on track to outpace Sydney as the biggest city in Australia but Covid lockdowns slowed that growth

Melbourne’s population growth turned negative during the pandemic as people fled prolonged Covid lockdowns, while Queensland welcomed a steady stream of people moving from other states, new population data shows.

The data from the Centre for Population showed Melbourne’s rate of population growth dropped from 1.8% in 2018-19 to -1.6% in 2020-21. Both international and interstate migration to Victoria fell, with annual population growth going backwards at -0.9%.

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Covid testing for China travellers ‘not an especially onerous requirement’, Chalmers says – as it happened

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Opposition calls on government to explain decision to implement restrictions on travellers arriving from China. This blog is now closed

China travel situation the ‘first test of the Albanese government’, Liberal MP says

The shadow assistant minister for mental health, Melissa McIntosh, is among those from the Coalition criticising Labor’s decision not to follow health advice on imposing conditions on travel from China.

The Coalition always supports the best interests of Australians and the safety of Australians ... Now I think this is really the first test of the Albanese government when it comes to pandemic management.

And it’s quite perplexing that on New Year’s Eve, the chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, sent a letter to the health minister, Mark Butler, stating he did not feel these restrictions on Chinese travellers were really required. And then a day later, the health minister has gone against the health advice, of the chief medical officer of this country, and imposed those restrictions. I think Australians very much deserve answers when it comes to the government’s decision, why did the government go against the chief medical officer’s advice and what’s the plan now they’ve implemented these restrictions?

One of the reasons why Australia got through the pandemic as one of the best countries in the world to do so was because we followed Australia’s medical advice. Australia’s medical advice. Not following other countries.

I think it’s really important we’re consistent in what we do as a nation ... when it comes to following the advice. And as I said, this is really a first test of the Albanese government. It’s leading people to be confused. Why would you have the chief medical officer say one thing, and the government ignore that, and do another?

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Daniel Andrews and Dominic Perrottet call for reforms to Australia’s ‘broken’ primary care system

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Victorian premier says state-run hospitals should not be acting as safety nets because people ‘cannot find a bulk-billing doctor’

Victorian and New South Wales have banded together to ramp up pressure on the federal government to overhaul Australia’s ailing primary care network through national cabinet this year.

Visiting a newly opened urgent primary care clinic in Melbourne, the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said state-run hospitals were too often acting as a safety net amid an ongoing shortage of bulk-billing general practitioners.

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‘This is a tragedy’: off-duty NSW police officer rescued teenage son before drowning

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Man, 45, was caught in a rip after getting his 14-year-old son to safety at a beach on the state’s south coast

An off-duty police officer who drowned at a beach on the New South Wales south coast had swum out to rescue his own son from a “substantial” rip, police say.

The man, who has not been named, had entered the water at a beach south of Narooma after his 14-year-old son was caught in a rip on Sunday.

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Investigation to begin into ‘terrifying’ New Year’s Eve crowd crush in Melbourne

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More than 100 people were reportedly caught in a pedestrian underpass just before midnight

Authorities will investigate a “terrifying” crowd crush that occurred in a pedestrian tunnel in the centre of Melbourne on New Year’s Eve, with revellers saying they felt “totally wedged” and “couldn’t move in any direction”.

A City of Melbourne spokesperson said the council was aware of the safety concerns raised about the incident at the Elizabeth Street pedestrian underpass shortly before the midnight fireworks on Saturday.

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Police charge 32 people over Melbourne A-League pitch invasion and search for 11 more

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One man believed to have been involved in the clash left Australia shortly after the match, Victoria police say

The number of people charged after an A-League pitch invasion has grown to 32 and police are searching for 11 others they believe to be responsible for serious offences.

About 150 spectators stormed the AAMI Park derby between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City earlier in December, injuring the goalkeeper Tom Glover, referee Alex King, a TV cameraman and two security guards.

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Victoria’s myki public transport card could be scrapped by end of 2023

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Victorian treasurer says plagued myki payment system will be reviewed with current contract due to expire late next year

Victoria’s myki tap and pay system could be scrapped by the end of next year, with the state treasurer acknowledging the public transport cards are not up to global standards.

Myki was first rolled out more than a decade ago and has since been plagued with million-dollar cost blowouts and system issues.

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Police say stabbing murder investigation could take weeks – as it happened

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Two teenagers are dead and a man has been hospitalised after a crash in South Australia’s mid-north.

Emergency services were called to the Augusta Highway at Lochiel at 7.30pm on Tuesday after a northbound car left the road and crashed into a tree.

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10 Australians dead in water accidents as lifesavers urge caution in ‘heightened danger’ of holidays

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Hundreds rescued in NSW over Christmas break as hot weather sends people flocking to beaches and waterways

At least 10 people have died in water accidents around Australia over the Christmas period and lifesavers have pulled hundreds more from danger.

On Tuesday two girls aged 13 and 14 died when they hit a tree stump while being towed behind a boat on an inflatable at Tamworth in north-eastern NSW.

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Southern parts of Australia swelter through summer’s first heatwave

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Adelaide stayed at 27.4C overnight while Victoria is forecast to dip no lower than 26C, the state’s hottest night in four years

Adelaide has sweated through a 38C morning as millions of people in the country’s south endure the peak of a summer heatwave.

Heatwave warnings were issued for South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and isolated parts of Western Australia with temperatures 8C to 16C above average.

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Four people drown in Australian waterways over Christmas weekend

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Three Victorians and a South Australian woman die, while two young girls rescued in near-drowning at St Kilda beach in Melbourne

Three Victorians and a South Australian woman have drowned on Australian waterways in a deadly long weekend.

A 17-year-old Pakenham boy died near Mordialloc, south of Melbourne, on Monday afternoon.

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Surf lifesavers warn of another deadly summer after two drown on Christmas Day

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With reports of surf lifesaving rescues up in some states, there are fears of a repeat of last summer, when 145 people drowned

Australians are being urged to be safe in the water this week, as the country enters the most dangerous time of the year for fatal drownings.

Two swimmers drowned on Christmas Day – a 36-year-old man in Sydney and a 19-year-old in Lorne in Victoria – and police divers in Western Australia are searching Black Diamond Lake near Collie in the state’s south-west after a 30-year-old man did not return from a swim.

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Wong condemns Taliban’s decision to ban women from NGOs – as it happened

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Ferry services resume in Sydney as fog clears

The fog looks to be clearing in Sydney, or at least the sun has just broken through the clouds where I’m sitting.

Passengers should continue to allow extra travel time and check information displays for service updates as services return to timetable.

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Teenager drowns and two men in hospital after Victoria surfing tragedy

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Trio were surfing at Cumberland River beach just south of Lorne on Victoria’s Surf Coast on Sunday evening when one ran into trouble

A teenager has drowned and two other men taken to hospital after running into trouble surfing.

The trio were surfing at Cumberland River beach, just south of Lorne on Victoria’s Surf Coast, when one got into difficulty just before 6pm on Sunday night.

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Therapy dog returned to Melbourne owner after it was allegedly stolen on Christmas Eve

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Victoria police have charged a Melbourne woman with theft after the dog was allegedly taken from outside a supermarket

Police have reunited a Melbourne woman with her therapy dog after it was allegedly stolen on Christmas Eve, in what its owner described as the best Christmas present she had ever received.

Kyron the dog was returned to its owner in the early hours of Christmas morning, hours after it went missing from a supermarket in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon.

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