Victoria's Labor government has promised 45 extra beds and 145 nurses for Werribee Mercy Hospital as part of a $1.5 billion election commitment. The plan would expand emergency departments at 12 Victorian hospitals by an average of 25 per cent and reduce waiting times at those hospitals by up to 20 per cent. Labor says the expansion depends on winning re-election. The government has not yet released construction timetables or explained how the waiting time reduction was calculated.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has launched Labor's campaign for a fourth straight term, pledging to cut emergency department wait times. He announced $1.5 billion to expand emergency departments at 12 hospitals, with 250 extra beds and 1500 more health workers. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, speaking at a vandalised Upwey South tennis club, focused on crime and pledged 3000 new police officers. Mr Carroll accused the coalition of seeking to Americanise the health system, a claim Ms Wilson rejected. The state election is on November 28.
A contract has been awarded to remove the Anderson Street and Hudsons Road level crossings in Melbourne's west. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and finish in 2029. The project aims to improve safety and reduce delays in Yarraville and Spotswood. Two new accessible underpasses will maintain connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Plans also include new public space and additional car parking near Yarraville Village.
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Shares in NextDC, one of Australia's largest data centre builders, collapsed by 40% after the company said delays at its flagship Melbourne site would mean revenue falls short of forecasts. The delays followed community concerns about its M3 expansion in Footscray, which led electricity distributor Jemena to pause construction of large power poles. Investors are also worried about rising costs, higher borrowing expenses, fast-ageing AI chips and community resistance to data centres. Other data centre firms have also faced setbacks, including Firmus cancelling its listing for lack of demand.
House prices in Hobsons Bay dropped sharply over the September quarter, according to Real Estate Institute of Victoria data. Williamstown led the fall, with average prices down 24.8 per cent to $1.3 million, their lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic. Newport fell 13.4 per cent to $1.1 million, and Altona dropped 10 per cent to the same average. Seaholme and Altona North were the only suburbs to record noticeable rises, of 9.8 and 8.1 per cent. Seaholme now matches Williamstown as the highest-priced suburb in the inner west.
Mathew Serafin, one of the leading goalkickers in Western Football League division 2, has joined Albanvale from North Footscray. The Cobras say he kicked 88 goals in 2025 and a further 80 in 2026, helping North Footscray reach consecutive grand finals and a senior premiership this season. Serafin has more than 800 career goals and has earned multiple team of the year selections. The club has also signed Antonio Vitalone from Burnside Heights, while Aidan O'Neil has returned and Stephen Mihelakos-James has joined from Hadfield.
Sunshine has recorded back-to-back wins to open the Victorian Turf Cricket Association Isaacs Howarth Shield season. The Crows beat the Druids on Saturday after an opening win over Footscray United. Captain-coach Troy Stone said the side never felt fully in control. Dilum Weerarathna took 5-26 for the Crows, and Avishka Chenuka top scored with 43. Sunshine will next face Williamstown CYMS this Saturday.
Melbourne's Environmental Film Festival runs from Sunday 25 October to Sunday 8 November, screening more than 20 films from around the world. Presented by Environmental Films Australia, the program includes documentaries, shorts, talks and events across Melbourne, including in Footscray. Its 2026 theme, Who Cares?, includes a community litterpick on Melbourne Cup day, 3 November. The festival closes with a get-together on Saturday 7 November, and a special Enviro Film Club session follows on 8 November. Full listings and bookings are available online.
Chris Macheras has released a third book, Old Vintage Melbourne: A Culinary Chronicle, which records the city's classic eateries. It grew from an Instagram account of vintage Melbourne photos that Macheras started during COVID-19 lockdown. He produced the book while recovering from Hodgkin lymphoma. It features about 120 food venues, including Stalactites on Lonsdale Street, which opened in 1978 and is known for its hand-made ceiling. Many older restaurants have closed, some after COVID-19 and others after fires. Macheras says the book helps preserve the city's identity.
Maribyrnong mayor Mohamed Semra has again called for a joined-up approach to crime in inner-city Footscray. Police were called to an assault at a Barkly Street business on 15 October, where a female staff member was allegedly attacked by a woman after a man verbally abused her. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the alleged offenders are believed to be at large. A day earlier, a 37-year-old man was arrested on Byron Street after allegedly threatening passers-by with a knife.
A 24-7 naloxone dispensing machine has been installed at cohealth in Footscray, one of three new machines across Victoria. The machines give out free nasal spray naloxone, which temporarily reverses opioid overdoses and can be used by anyone following the packaging instructions. The new machines are part of a $95.1 million statewide plan, with 17 dispensers now operating across the state. Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said free naloxone available around the clock lets anyone act during an overdose until emergency help arrives. Hospital emergency departments and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations can now also distribute free naloxone.
Police arrested a 37-year-old man after reports that he was threatening passers-by with a knife on Byron Street in central Footscray. Officers were called to the street at about 4.30pm on 14 October. The man, who has no fixed address, was charged with possessing a controlled weapon and possessing methyl-amphetamine. He was bailed with conditions to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 6 April 2027. No injuries to members of the public were reported.
The owner of a Footscray laundromat says she will go out of business if Maribyrnong council removes parking spaces on Barkly Street. Hong Tran, who has run Footscray Superwash for more than 20 years, says most of her customers arrive by car. Draft plans endorsed by council in July would remove 34 on-street parking spaces to make way for bus stops and separated bike lanes. Ms Tran has submitted a petition with 183 signatures asking council to reconsider. Mayor Mohamed Semra says council has met with her and her concerns are being considered before final plans are decided.
Victoria will add 11 AI-powered cameras to its bushfire detection network across the state's east and west. The $3.8 million project is jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Hancock Victorian Plantations and the Green Triangle Fire Alliance. The cameras use artificial intelligence to scan for smoke and fire around the clock, and the expanded network is expected to monitor more than 1.4 million hectares. The new cameras are scheduled to be in place by November 2027. Minister for Emergency Services Paul Edbrooke said early information would help emergency services respond more quickly.
Ken Bodinnar, a 73-year-old former State Emergency Service worker from Paynesville, is fighting to have his workers' compensation claim recognised. His doctors believe his small-cell lung cancer resulted from years of service, including the Black Saturday fires. The insurer rejected the claim, and a medical report later found his exposure to firefighting smoke and diesel fumes was a significant contributing factor. The dispute will go to trial in November. Mr Bodinnar is in intensive care in Geelong and hopes the claim will support his family.
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A 62-year-old man from Caroline Springs has been charged after an alleged incident in a change room at the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre on Sunday 25 October. Police allege he used a recording device to film several people in a change room cubicle around 11.10am. He faces charges of producing child abuse material and producing intimate images. Brimbank council says it has terminated his membership and banned him from all council leisure centres. He is bailed to appear before Sunshine Magistrates' Court on 23 March 2027.
A Geelong-region state MP has claimed more than $60,000 in taxpayer-funded allowances for a second Melbourne home since early 2024, despite appearing to miss 70 per cent of parliamentary sitting days. South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman was expelled from the Labor Party in April 2024 after allegations of persistent, inappropriate behaviour towards staff, and has sat as an independent since. The allowance helps regional MPs living more than 80 kilometres from Melbourne. Mr Cheeseman declined to respond to questions from the ABC. Victoria has no public record of MP attendance, and the Greens and former premiers support introducing one.
A medical centre in Melbourne's north-west was extensively damaged by fire in a suspected arson attack early today. Police say offenders smashed a front window of the Shuter Street clinic in Moonee Ponds before using an accelerant and setting it alight just after 2am. About an hour earlier, two cars were set alight outside a Brighton home on Manor Street in what police describe as a suspected targeted attack. Police will investigate whether the two incidents are linked. An arson chemist will attend both scenes today, and anyone with information or dashcam footage is asked to contact CrimeStoppers.
A large former Toyota site at 200-214 Blackshaws Rd, Altona North, has been listed for sale, with a possible $40 million price. The 5.3-hectare property was sold by Toyota in 2020. A Victorian government masterplan has earmarked the site for a future town centre with a supermarket, shops and up to 395 homes. No development plans are yet in place. Expressions of interest close at 3pm on November 11.
Aireys Inlet Primary School will host its annual Aireys Fair on 31 October, running from 9am to 3pm. The fair, which has run for more than a decade, is organised by a committee of parents with help from grandparents, relatives and the wider community. It will be held alongside the Aireys Inlet Market, with rides and activities on the oval overlooking the ocean. A community-run bookstore will also operate, with all profits going back to the school.
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.
The husband of Liberal Party candidate Amanda Dow has allegedly been assaulted during a confrontation over election signs in Mernda. The party said he suffered facial injuries and was taken to hospital, where he was discharged. Police said a 59-year-old Mernda man has been charged with recklessly causing injury, criminal damage and unlawful assault. The accused has been released on bail and is due to appear before Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on February 1. Yan Yean is currently held by Labor with a margin of 4.3 per cent.
A match between Ange Postecoglou's Al-Nassr and UAE club Al-Wasl in the Asian Champions League has been postponed. Al-Wasl reported problems arranging flights to Riyadh. Al-Nassr had won four straight matches across all competitions. Elsewhere, Al-Ain beat Tractor 2-1, with Houssine Rahimi scoring the winner, while Al-Ahli came from behind to beat Al-Gharafa 2-1 in Jeddah. The top eight teams from the league phase will advance to knockout rounds held in Saudi Arabia in April and May.
Apartment residents and renters across Victoria will be eligible for rooftop solar rebates under an expanded state government program. Eligible applicants can receive up to $2,800 per apartment, capped at $140,000 per building. The changes raise the maximum building size from 50 to 150 lots and let owners corporations allocate up to 20 per cent of generated solar energy to common property. Applications are open until June 2027. Savings for individual households will depend on installation costs, electricity use and how power is shared among residents.
