Category Archives: Melbourne

Peter Dutton and home affairs department cleared of wrongdoing in case involving Melbourne terrorist

Posted on by

No potential breaches found by independent inquiry into former Coalition government’s handling of Abdul Nacer Benbrika case

Peter Dutton and the home affairs department have been cleared of wrongdoing over what a judge described as “a serious interference with the administration of justice” in a court case involving Melbourne terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika.

But the independent review clearing Dutton and his former department will not be released publicly, Guardian Australia has confirmed.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Man allegedly behind ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti on Melbourne landmarks applies for bail

Posted on by

Victoria police say Yarraville man, 21, is accused of vandalism on Flinders Street station clock and other prominent locations

A man accused of being one of Australia’s most prominent graffiti artists has faced court after allegedly causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage with his cartoon-like bird murals.

Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, sat in the Melbourne magistrates court dock on Friday afternoon and smiled at times as the allegations against him were read out.

Continue reading...

Teen fighting for life and another injured after Melbourne street fight shooting

Posted on by

Detectives believe the boys, aged 15 and 17, were shot in a targeted attack during a Collingwood brawl involving up to 50 youths

Two teens are lucky to be alive after a targeted shooting during a street fight that embroiled dozens of youths, police say.

A 17-year-old boy is fighting for his life in hospital while a 15-year-old has been hospitalised with serious injuries after both were found with gun shot wounds on Vere Street in Collingwood, inner Melbourne, about 1am on Friday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Kyle & Jackie O Show drew nearly half of all decency complaints on Australian radio in last financial year

Posted on by

Exclusive: Kiis FM show promises to ‘behave’ in 2025 as regulator reveals 146 complaints made to broadcaster about material in 2023-24

Almost half of all complaints made in the last financial year about decency standards on Australian radio were about The Kyle & Jackie O Show, the Guardian can reveal.

In the 2023-2024 financial year, 321 complaints were made to radio stations across Australia about “material not suitable for broadcast”. Of these, 146 complaints (45%) were about The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

Sign up to get Guardian Australia’s weekly media diary as a free newsletter

Continue reading...

Tributes for ‘star’ Melbourne burlesque performer killed in arson attack

Posted on by

Police believe 27-year-old Katie Tangey’s death was a case of mistaken identity as friends rally to raise funds for her family

A popular performer, killed by fire in what police say is a case of mistaken identity, has been remembered as “an icon” as friends rally to raise funds for her heartbroken family.

Katie Tangey, 27, died after becoming trapped while house-sitting her brother’s three-storey townhouse in Truganina, Melbourne’s west, on Thursday morning.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Melbourne brawl that left two men dead began with birthday party argument, police say

Posted on by

Neighbours told to stay inside as police seek information on stabbing deaths of two men from same family

Two men died in a brawl at a birthday party on that spilled on to the streets in Melbourne’s outer south-eastern suburbs, police say.

Detectives said the two men, aged 23 and 54, who were from the same family, were involved in a brawl involving about 20 people. Police alleged some left the scene before police arrived.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

One man dead after being stabbed in ‘targeted attack’ in Melbourne park

Posted on by

Police called after reports of a group of people fighting in Wyndham Vale on Friday

A man has died after he was ambushed and stabbed during a late-night knife fight at a park in Melbourne’s west.

Police were called to reports of a group of people fighting in a park on Haines Drive, Wyndham Vale, about 11.30pm on Friday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Soaring air fares between Melbourne and Sydney see travellers take 11-hour train

Posted on by

Exclusive: Seats on Sydney-Melbourne train service regularly sell out over holiday period, as one-way flights to Tullamarine average almost $500

The 11-hour Sydney-Melbourne train has become so popular services are selling out – even with extra carriages added – as travellers seek alternatives to an aviation duopoly that is stronger than ever, with carriers charging $900 for one-way economy tickets.

Ridership on the Sydney-Melbourne rail corridor has exploded in recent months, with 203,000 passenger journeys between July and December. Data for the 2023-24 financial year revealed 393,000 passenger journeys, a 14% increase on the previous year and just 7,000 shy of the annual record.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Average renter would take 8.3 years to save enough for a house deposit, new Victorian analysis shows

Posted on by

Exclusive: PBO report based on wage growth, house prices and rent rises says nearly a decade needed if 20% of gross income is put aside

It could take almost a decade for the average Victorian renter who puts aside 20% of their gross income to save enough money for a home deposit, according to analysis from the state’s independent Parliamentary Budget Office.

But if rents were to increase in line at the historically high rate seen in 2022 and 2023, the time needed to save for a deposit could blow out to more than 65 years.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

New Year’s Eve fireworks 2024: the best places to watch NYE celebrations around Australia

Posted on by

Night skies will light up on New Year’s Eve to welcome in 2025. Here’s your guide to child-friendly shows plus what time and where to see the fireworks in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country

Night skies across Australia will light up on New Year’s Eve to herald the beginning of 2025.

Whether you are in a capital city or regional town, there are fireworks displays scheduled early in the night – for children, and those wishing to hit the hay early – and at midnight, for people counting down to the new year.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Easey Street double murder and rape accused faces Melbourne court nearly 50 years after alleged attack

Posted on by

Perry Kouroumblis was extradited from Italy and charged over the 1977 deaths of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett

An accused double murderer has faced a Melbourne court close to five decades after police allege he stabbed two women to death in a frenzied attack.

Perry Kouroumblis, 65, appeared bleary-eyed as he sat in the dock of the Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday after arriving on Australian soil on Tuesday night.

Continue reading...

Renters’ personal details allegedly stolen in Melbourne real estate agency burglary

Posted on by

Documents taken during break-in at Nelson Alexander agency in Northcote in October, police allege, and investigation under way

The personal information of a number of renters in Melbourne has been allegedly stolen from a Northcote real estate agency during a break-in, raising concerns about potential identity theft.

The ABC has reported that five boxes of documents, containing former renter information including names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and potentially ID documents, were allegedly stolen during a break-in at the Nelson Alexander agency in Northcote in October.

Continue reading...

Venomous tiger snake slithers up driver’s leg on Melbourne freeway

Posted on by

Woman weaves through traffic at 80km/h before fleeing from snake in car barefoot and attempting to flag down passing motorists

Victoria police have carried out one of the “more bizarre welfare checks” after a deadly tiger snake slithered up a driver’s leg as she was travelling at 80km/h on a major freeway.

Police said they were called to Monash Freeway near the Toorak Rd exit in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs on Saturday morning after receiving reports of a barefoot woman trying to flag down passing traffic.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Eastern Australia heatwave to make way for ‘volatile’ stormy weather

Posted on by

Risk of blackouts has receded in Sydney, while a WA bushfire has prompted emergency evacuation in parts of Shire of Dandaragan

The heatwave baking much of eastern Australia will rapidly make way for conditions offering the “perfect ingredients” for thunderstorms later this week, raising risks of heavy rainfall and even flash floods.

Temperatures reached the high 30s across much of western Sydney on Tuesday with Penrith’s 39.7C the hottest – about 12C above the November average. Similar readings were forecast for Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Australian police offer to help Laos investigation into suspected methanol deaths as Melbourne teenagers mourned

Posted on by

Prime minister pays tribute to Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles while families vow to turn tragedy into ‘mission for change’

Australian federal police have offered to help the Laos investigation into multiple deaths linked to a suspected mass methanol poisoning event.

Melburnians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, were among six foreign tourists to die.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...