Category Archives: Victoria

Two-year-old girl sexually assaulted at Victorian childcare centre, mother claims

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Exclusive: Worker named by ‘deeply traumatised’ child still has job and has not been charged because no one witnessed the alleged incidents and there was no CCTV

A mother has claimed that her two-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by a worker at a Victorian childcare centre but because there was no witness or CCTV of the alleged incidents, the educator is still working there and has not been charged.

Angela* told Guardian Australia that her daughter, Emily*, had disclosed the alleged sexual offences in mid-December, when she was nearly three. She said that on multiple occasions Emily had named the educator and said the offences had taken place while her nappy was being changed.

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Cold front to dump ‘decent dose’ of rain on drought-affected parts of south-east Australia

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Parched areas of South Australia, northern Victoria and south-western NSW to receive relief later this week

Drought-affected areas in south-eastern Australia can expect a “decent dose” of rain when a cold front arrives later this week, with some places likely to see the best rain of the year so far.

With one low-pressure system already delivering windy and wet conditions to the south-east on Tuesday, a second front – currently sitting off Western Australia – was expected to sweep across the country from Wednesday to Sunday, bringing a welcome band of rain to parched areas of South Australia, northern Victoria and south-western New South Wales.

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Alleged childcare paedophile Joshua Dale Brown likely to face more charges, court told

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Magistrate Donna Bakos granted an application by police for extra time to compile additional evidence against Brown

Alleged childcare paedophile Joshua Dale Brown is likely to face extra charges, with a court granting police more time to investigate him.

Magistrate Donna Bakos on Tuesday approved a request by police for an extension in the matter of Brown and Michael Simon Wilson.

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Native title win for Millewa-Mallee First Nations peoples in Victoria after decades-long fight

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Historic decision in Australia’s federal court gives traditional owners in state’s north-west the right to control access to their country

After a difficult journey spanning more than two decades, traditional owners say they’ve “weathered the storm” to finally have their native title rights recognised.

The federal court on Friday awarded the historic native title determination to the Indigenous peoples of the Millewa-Mallee from north-west Victoria, for the first time granting exclusive native title rights in the state.

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‘Breakthrough’ hailed in Melbourne synagogue arson investigation as man charged over ‘crime car’

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Victoria police charge 20-year-old with stealing ‘a communal crime car’ used in Adass Israel attack and blocking access to apps on his phone

The investigation into an arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue has reached a “critical point”, Victoria’s acting premier says, after a man was charged with stealing “a communal crime car” used in the attack and blocking police from accessing apps on his phone.

The attack on the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel synagogue in December is still being investigated as a politically motivated attack by the Victorian joint counter-terrorism team, which includes representatives from the federal police and the domestic spy agency, Asio.

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Firefighters warned of ‘dangers of partisan politics’ after truck displays Liberal corflutes at Melbourne protest

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Country Fire Authority says it ‘must always remain apolitical’ amid fallout over rally that also featured offensive slogans on trucks

Victoria’s Country Fire Authority has issued a warning to its senior leadership about the “dangers of partisan politics” and stressed it should remain “apolitical” after Liberal party-branded corflutes were attached to a fire truck at a rally in Melbourne’s western suburbs at the weekend.

A truck from the CFA Inverleigh brigade displayed Liberal party corflutes during a rally in Werribee on Sunday, with a photo of the vehicle shared on social media by the party’s South West Metro branch.

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Hannah McGuire murder trial: accused killer claims ex-partner hit her head during argument

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Workmate of accused murderer Lachlan Young tells jury he did not know 23-year-old was inside ute set on fire in remote bushland

The man accused of murdering Victorian woman Hannah McGuire claims the 23-year-old hit her head on the floor and died after an argument became physical.

Lachlan Young’s barrister made the allegation as he questioned witness Benjamin O’Keefe over his involvement in McGuire’s death.

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‘Disgusting’ slogan apparently directed at Victorian premier seen at rally attended by Brad Battin and union boss

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‘Ditch the bitch’ was emblazoned on a fire truck at a rally against the state’s new emergency services levy

The Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin, and firefighters union boss, Peter Marshall, have sparked backlash after attending a rally in Melbourne’s west where the slogan “ditch the bitch” was emblazoned on a fire truck.

The phrase, apparently directed at the premier, Jacinta Allan, echoes the infamous “ditch the witch” poster that Tony Abbott stood in front of during a 2011 rally, which was widely condemned at the time as sexist and misogynistic towards the then prime minister Julia Gillard.

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Wantirna South crash: Driving rules for elderly under scrutiny after car crash kills woman, leaves man fighting for life

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Police say car driven by 91-year-old ‘came from behind’ and struck a woman, man and toddler near a playground in Melbourne’s east on Thursday

The Victorian government is considering increasing testing for elderly drivers after a 91-year-old woman lost control of her car near a playground and struck three pedestrians, killing one.

The acting premier, Ben Carroll, said his thoughts were with the family of the female pedestrian who died on Thursday afternoon on Coleman Road in Wantirna South in Melbourne’s east.

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Mushroom trial spores toxic media hot takes after Erin Patterson’s guilty verdict | Weekly Beast

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Coverage ranges from psychedelic gifs to ‘full-on Walking Dead-style zombie stuff’. Plus: is the ABC really listening?

The media were constrained in what they could report during Erin Patterson’s 10-week trial. But after the mushroom trial guilty verdict was handed down on Monday, all bets were off.

The extraordinary photographs of the triple murderer in a prison van in May were published by every media outlet, bought from the wire agency AFP for more than $1,500 each or a discounted rate for the set of six.

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Police investigating video claiming responsibility for torching cars at Israel-linked weapons business in Melbourne

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Video raises prospect of further vandalism or targeted action as anonymous group says ‘Stop arming Israel or else’

Victoria police are investigating a video of a person claiming credit for the vandalism of three cars outside a defence industry business linked to Israel, while clad in a black balaclava and standing in front of a Palestinian flag.

The person, whose voice is digitally altered in a video seen by Guardian Australia, claims to represent an “anonymous cell” that torched three cars at Lovitt Technologies. The company supplies parts to the global F-35 joint strike fighter program.

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Labor to move quickly on special envoy’s plan to combat antisemitism

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Jillian Segal to present recommendations urging government to take stronger action against abuse toward Jewish Australians

The federal government will move quickly to adopt new recommendations from the special envoy to combat antisemitism, with a suite of measures expected to include education and online safety in response to the arson attack at a Melbourne synagogue.

Jillian Segal is expected to appear alongside Anthony Albanese at an event on Thursday to present recommendations urging the government to take stronger action against abuse toward Jewish Australians.

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‘Fungi fatale’ and ‘death cap stare’: how the world’s media reported Erin Patterson’s guilty verdict

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For more than two months, the Australian mushroom triple-murder trial has gripped the world – here’s how it finished up on the front page

The murder trial has spawned podcasts, documentaries, thousands of column inches, viral social media posts – and a rapt global audience.

After a week of deliberation, a supreme court jury found Victorian woman Erin Patterson guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder after three guests died and one almost died after eating her homemade beef wellington lunch.

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Erin Patterson’s hospital visit – and what the beef wellingtons really looked like: mushroom murder exhibits revealed

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Evidence presented in the mushroom murder trial shows the dining table used in the fateful lunch and social media chats

For more than two months, Erin Patterson’s triple-murder trial gripped people around the world. But while millions were glued to news updates, only a handful of people had access to the full case.

Jurors heard from more than 50 witnesses and were introduced to more than 120 pieces of evidence by the prosecution and defence throughout the lengthy proceedings.

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Australian doctors call for clampdown on social media influencers allegedly glamourising poker machines

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Doctors’ warning comes after report reveals the social cost of gambling in Victoria had doubled to $14bn

The peak body for Australian doctors has urged politicians and social media companies to restrict “shocking” content of influencers allegedly glamourising poker machines on social media, in what it called an incredibly new phenomenon.

The warning comes after a report commissioned by the Victorian government found the social cost of gambling in the state had doubled – from $7bn in 2014-15 to $14bn in 2022-23 – despite fewer people gambling.

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Celebrity chef Peter Russell-Clarke dies aged 89 – as it happened

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This blog is now closed

Here’s how Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel will transform the city and commuting

For nearly a decade, deep beneath Melbourne, tunnel boring machines and construction crews have been quietly reshaping the city with the creation of the Metro Tunnel.

I think every Liberal seat in the country is a marginal seat, right now. But my feelings around quotas and the talk in the media oversimplifies the issue, which is around the culture in the Liberal Party and how women are treated in the Liberal Party …

I had two attempts to take me out as a sitting member of parliament by blokes, very aggressively. So, until the culture is addressed, we could have all the quotas in the world, but it will be a revolving door of women.”

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PM condemns ‘shocking acts’ after suspicious fire at Melbourne synagogue with 20 people inside

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Police allege a man entered the grounds at about 8pm on Friday and poured a flammable liquid on the front door

Anthony Albanese has pledged federal support for Victorian authorities after police reported a suspicious fire was lit at a synagogue in East Melbourne on Friday night.

Victoria police alleged an unknown man entered the grounds of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation on Albert Street at about 8pm on Friday and poured a flammable liquid on the front door of the building and set it on fire.

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Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly to be made permanent and granted decision-making powers under treaty bill

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Body will be able to advise ministers on issues directly affecting Aboriginal people in the state

Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly will manage the rollout of community infrastructure grants and have a direct line to ministers and the power to make appointments to government boards under legislation to be introduced to parliament this year.

As first reported by Guardian Australia this week, the Victorian government and the First Peoples’ Assembly have confirmed that the statewide treaty bill will establish the assembly as a representative body to provide advice to government.

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Green zone: Australian city of Shepparton to grow a huge pear

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The three-storey fibreglass fruit is estimated to cost at least $1.3m but historian says regional city in the running to be the ‘capital of big things in Australia’

Not content with building the world’s largest Murray cod, the city of Shepparton is now planning the construction of the biggest pear on Earth.

The proposal for a three-storey fruit in the heart of the Goulburn Valley has generated headlines in recent weeks after the return of a business case that estimated construction of the fibreglass fruit alone at just over $1.3m.

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Chinese authority scams fleece international students in Australia of $5m in five months

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National Anti-Scam Centre warns that fraudsters posing as Mandarin-speaking law enforcement officers are becoming more threatening

Scammers pretending to be Chinese authorities are increasingly targeting international students in Australia, threatening “serious trouble” and 24-hour surveillance and fleecing them of more than $5m in just five months.

The scammers claim to be Chinese law enforcement officers who demand that personal information or money be transferred to them.

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