A new national pathway for rural cancer patients recommends care as close to home as is safely possible. It was published after research by Deakin University found rural Australians are 13 per cent less likely to survive cancer, largely due to late diagnoses. Nurse Victoria Turner, who had to travel from the NSW Northern Rivers to Queensland for surgery after an ovarian tumour was found, helped shape the guidelines. She described the experience as really traumatic and said the situation was a postcode lottery. The guidelines were developed with Deakin researchers and the Cancer Council.
Research group The Citizen Lab says an Israel-based company used digital advertising to install spyware on millions of devices. Viewing an infected advertisement was enough to expose a device to the attack. Targets reportedly included Australian government agencies, critical infrastructure and media organisations, among them the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. A spokesperson for that organisation said it had identified no impact on its systems. Google removed the company, Discover-Tech, from its platform after being told of the findings.
Local artist Mita Chowdhury has been named the recipient of the 2026 Venice Biennale Mentorship, announced by Wyndham council and Deakin University. She will travel to Venice from 19 to 24 October for the Venetian Kind program, hosted by the European Cultural Centre. Chowdhury, born in Bangladesh, works across digital image-making, painting, installation, textiles and socially engaged art, researching first-generation Bangladeshi Australian women. Her works from the program will be shown at Palazzo Mora, Venice, in November, before returning to Melbourne.
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Food relief organisations across the Geelong region are struggling to meet growing demand, and many have been forced to turn people away. New research from the Give Where You Live Foundation found 72 per cent of surveyed organisations saw increased demand over the past year. Almost half of single-parent households with children under 15 reported running out of food in 2024. Zac Lewis said food insecurity required longer-term solutions alongside emergency relief.
A report co-authored by the Australian Democracy Network and Deakin University says council rules are hampering the right to protest. It cites a regional New South Wales council that required a $20 million public liability policy for a rally in a park, and a Queanbeyan organiser asked to pay insurance. A Bayside council spokesperson said it was not opposed to a rally but that planned activities required event approval. Local Government NSW and the Office of Local Government were approached for comment.
A woman who built a beauty clinic from scratch fears she may have to move interstate after a suspicious overnight fire gutted her Moonee Ponds salon. Firefighters were called to Rejuvenate Hair and Skin on Shuter Street about 12.50am on Wednesday. Police believe two jerry cans were thrown inside before the business was set alight. Offenders fled in a light coloured vehicle towards Puckle Street. The owner, Hamidah Dildar, said the salon had been targeted by vandals three times in six months.
Residents in Anglesea can drop off old clothes and household textiles for free at the Anglesea Transfer Station. The Surf Coast Shire's two-month trial runs until 30 November. Textile Recyclers Group will sort items for reuse or recycling, and shred those that cannot be reused into products such as insulation and blankets. Clean, dry, loose items are accepted, up to five household garbage bags' worth. Councillor Liz Pattison encouraged residents to pass on or donate clothes in good condition first.
Sydney father Trent Gallucci says he felt empty and sad after his son was born in June 2021. Psychologist Danya McStein says perinatal depression and anxiety are relatively common in fathers, though less so than in mothers. Deakin University's Jacqui Macdonald says large studies find about one in 10 fathers affected, and that men often express distress as anger or risk-taking. Both experts encourage fathers to speak with a doctor, complete online screening and connect with support groups. Gallucci says he eventually called a mental health service and found counselling helpful.
Eltham apprentice technician Jaeden Matteo D'Aloia has been named the Overall Australian Winner in the 2026 Capricorn Rising Stars Awards. He won the Victoria/Tasmania regional title before taking the national prize. The 20-year-old is completing a Certificate III in Light Vehicle Technology at Box Hill TAFE while working at European vehicle specialist Technique Automotive. Technique Automotive owner Alex Hicks said he had exceeded expectations from the day he joined. Capricorn Group chief executive Brad Gannon said he was a deserving national winner.
Victoria Police are investigating a suspicious car fire in Taylors Lakes, Melbourne, the sixth consecutive day of arson attacks across the city. Firefighters found a car alight in a double garage just after 11pm, and no one was injured. Separately, a 53-year-old man was arrested at Clayton Railway Station after a factory fire in Oakleigh South caused minor damage. A criminologist says the attacks may be linked to Victoria's crackdown on illegal tobacco sales, though he describes the timing link as tenuous.
A fresh look is planned for the playground at Brookville Gardens in Toorak, with a draft design now open for public comment. The design includes a tunnel slide, a double slide, a rock scaling wall, a tree climber, a spider web climber, netted cube monkey bars and a shop counter for imaginative play. The council also proposes updating the existing play towers, which the community has said it values. Feedback can be shared online until 11.59 pm on Monday 16 November.
Federal MP Clare O’Neil has visited the Sri Venkata Krishna Brundavana Temple in Murrumbeena. She met His Holiness Sri Radha Manohar Das Swamiji and members of the local Hindu community. O’Neil described the temple on social media as a place of warmth, welcome and faith, and thanked the temple community for its welcome. Her post did not mention any formal announcements or policy discussions during the visit.
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.
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.
Consumer spending across Stonnington grew 8.1 per cent on the previous year, reaching $3.78 billion in 2025/26, according to new council data. Malvern East, including Chadstone, remained the largest spending destination at $1.8 billion, up 13 per cent. South Yarra and Glenferrie Road, Malvern also recorded gains, while night-time spending made up 22 per cent of the total. Council says it will fund precinct activations, business grants and night-time safety work in 2026/27.
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A Melbourne mother and her five-year-old son asked residents of the Huntingtower mansion in Hawthorn to fly the Greek flag to mark OHI Day on 28 October. The idea came from Konstantinos, who asked when the flag would be flown at the house. His mother wrote to the residents, enclosing a flag and a short history of the day. A few days later the Greek flag was flying from the tower. The family say they were delighted and thanked the residents, whom they had never met.
Detectives have arrested four teenage boys after an alleged aggravated burglary at a home in Diamond Creek early on Friday, October 23. It is alleged a Ford Ranger and a Kia Sportage were stolen from a carport about 1.25am while a 50-year-old man, a 41-year-old woman and a child were home. None were injured. Police allege the Kia was abandoned on Foote Street in Templestowe, while the Ford Ranger entered an underground carpark on Blackburn Road, Doncaster East, where the four boys were arrested. All four were charged and were due to appear in children's court on Friday.
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.
Ten-year-old Brandon Winkworth raised $500 for Bread Hub Victoria after his school charity choice was not selected. The charity matched the amount, doubling it to $1000. The money will fund vouchers for disadvantaged people in Hobsons Bay and Wyndham to use swimming and gym facilities at Laverton Community Hub and Bayfit. Laverton Community Integrated Services chief executive Michael Pernar praised the boy's efforts. Hobsons Bay mayor Diana Grima said the youngster's hard work was an inspiration. Brandon said he is proud of what he achieved.
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.
North Geelong will aim to win its fourth consecutive T20 cricket premiership. The Magpies, who are on a 17-game winning streak, open their season with an away match against Lara. Both sides sit in Group D of the Division 1 and 2 competition, alongside Bell Park and Geelong West. Each team plays three round robin games before quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final set for Tuesday 26 January. Defending Division 2 champions Lethbridge are in Group A with Winchelsea, Meredith and Teesdale.
Altona Meadows Primary School will celebrate the 10th edition of its internal news program, AMP NEWS, on Thursday 29 October. Year five and six students film, write and edit stories on fetes, special days and sports events. Two episodes are produced each term, featuring teachers and students. Teacher Sarah Capri has run the program since 2017, after it was started by a former teacher in 2016. About 60 students took part this year.
Kerry Janten has announced she will contest the St Albans seat as an independent. She says she is dissatisfied with the party system and wants the freedom to address electorate issues without following a party line. Her policy focus includes state debt, cost of living, transport, environment and disability access. Ms Janten will hold a campaign launch on Friday 30 October from 6pm to 9pm at the St Albans Community Centre. She says she wants to hear from a broad range of residents, including homeless people and those whose first language is not English.
The Class of 2026 at Chairo Christian School in Leongatha has marked the end of its school years with a series of celebrations. A carnival morning used a toy-themed design, with graduates dressed as characters and running stalls for younger students. The next day, the final assembly featured a devotional message from school captain Meg Stokes and flowers presented by Prep students. That evening, a Valedictory Dinner recognised the graduates and their families. Principal Amy Stork said the school was proud to celebrate with the students.
