Greeks in Dandenong marked OXI Day despite rain, holding the annual event organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of Dandenong and Surrounding Areas. Bad weather moved the wreath-laying ceremony inside the Church of Saint Panteleimon, but the emotional tone remained strong as people honoured those who resisted fascism. Students from the community's Greek School took part, with poems and traditional dances. Community president Stefanos Karamoschos and school principal Niki Farfara Paschou spoke about freedom, dignity and the value of preserving the Greek language.
Victoria's emergency services minister, Paul Edbrooke, says he believes he is being followed after finding a bullet on his car bonnet following a community event in his Frankston electorate. The bullet was engraved with the word "RAT" and his former firefighter identification number, which he says few people would know. Edbrooke said the discovery was frightening, particularly because his children, who are young adults, also use the vehicle. He said the only people sending him aggressive threats and abuse online were members of the United Firefighters Union, which is in a dispute with Fire Rescue Victoria.
It is a company profile of Mornington Peninsula News Group, a locally owned and independent media business established in 2006. According to that text, the group publishes five weekly community newspapers, including the Western Port News, Mornington News and Frankston Times, along with two glossy magazines, Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids. Because the material provides no details about the shopping centre, the fire, its closure or any response by authorities, no summary of those events can be reliably written from it.
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Police are investigating after Victorian emergency services minister Paul Edbrooke found a bullet on his car on Saturday. The bullet was inscribed with the word RAT and his old firefighter number. Mr Edbrooke called it a death threat and said he had reported it to police. The United Firefighters Union condemned the threat and asked police to find the person responsible. Union secretary Peter Marshall later questioned whether the bullet had been placed on the car at all. Victoria Police said its Security Investigation Unit is investigating.
A four-bedroom home on a 4.71ha bushland property at Macclesfield, in the Dandenong Ranges foothills, has been listed for private sale. Price expectations sit between $2.9m and $3.1m. The property at 88 Kirkpatricks Road has been renovated and extended over two decades by its owner, Paige Fleming, working with architect Mark Burns. Features include landscaped gardens and a black infinity edge pool. Barry Plant Emerald agent Justin Barrot is handling the sale.
An artificial intelligence system fitted to an RACV roadside assistance van has detected more than 300 road defects across 1,000 kilometres of Victorian roads. The system, called RoughSense, was developed by RMIT University and tested with RACV. It identifies cracking, rutting and emerging potholes as the van completes its normal duties. The highest concentration of defects was found along the Frankston-Flinders Road corridor. Researchers are still assessing the system's accuracy, and the trial runs until January 2027.
The Block host Scott Cam says contestants are heading into the finale with old grudges and fresh revelations. Cam, who will host the auction, said the five Mount Eliza homes each carry a $3.45 million reserve. He said the production team apologised on air after wrongly stating that one couple had overspent their budget, but believes the fallout went further than needed. Cam said he has no idea which team will do well on auction day, as past winners have surprised him. The next season will be filmed at a heritage-listed former asylum in Sunbury.
Forensic psychiatrist Rajan Darjee's data shows 43 of an estimated 126 Victorian homicides in 2024 and 2025 were committed by people with psychosis. That is up from about one in 10 a decade ago. Almost 84 per cent of offenders had previously received treatment from mental health services. Professor Patrick McGorry blamed a policy failure to build a modern care system. Experts called for a review of the royal commission's recommendations and a greater focus on severe mental illness.
Workers at eight Victorian councils have rejected a pay offer, continuing protected industrial action that has disrupted services. The councils, including Hume and Merri-bek, are in multi-employer bargaining with unions. The rejected offer included wage increases tied to the rate cap and a $1200 transition payment. The Australian Services Union reported a 98 per cent rejection rate among its members, leading to strike action and service disruptions.
Tensions among The Block contestants are running high ahead of auction day at the Mount Eliza properties. Woman's Day reports that the five teams are divided after months of rivalries, and that end-of-season celebrations have reportedly become chaotic, with separate after-parties being organised. Jolene is reportedly trying to reconnect with Courtney and Sev, while Lisa is said to be less willing. Wyatt and Chantel have reportedly stayed on the Gold Coast, and Rick and Tayla are said to have received encouragement from producers, which some contestants have noticed.
Typical home prices in 18 Melbourne suburbs have moved above the $950,000 cap for the federal first-home buyer scheme, according to new REA Group figures. The cap was lifted by $150,000 last October, but rising prices have pushed these suburbs beyond it again. Templestowe's median unit price now sits $31,500 above the limit. Industry figures say the scheme makes larger mortgages easier to access but does not necessarily make housing more affordable, while one builder reports packages starting at about $450,000.
Melbourne student Aparjot, 21, has self-published her first novel, When We Were Souls, while studying cybersecurity and working part-time. The 376-page story follows two people who meet, fall in love and face the reality that some connections do not last. It is structured around seven Sufi stages of love, reflecting the Punjabi poetry she has written since childhood. Aparjot funded the book herself, designing the cover and editing the manuscript with help from friends. She is now preparing a second book, Ibadat, due in January 2027, which will draw on her Punjabi poems.
A Melbourne couple has moved into a new home that cost $80,000 less than they planned to spend. Jeyakaran Karnan and Shree Harini Vinothkumar chose a $720,000 house-and-land package in Clyde North after finding auctions stressful. They built at the Orana estate, where they hoped their son Yaalan could grow up among other young families. The couple used the federal 5 per cent deposit scheme, which reduced their deposit to $36,000. Construction took about four months, with the keys arriving roughly 10 months after they signed up.
