Year 12 students at Korumburra Secondary College have finished their school days. Year 12 Coordinator Steven Scott said the final year is demanding, with both schoolwork and pressure about what comes next. He told students without a clear plan not to panic, and that they can change direction if a path proves unsuitable. Students in the VCE and VCE Vocational Major programs continued the tradition of dancing for staff and younger students. Senior School Coordinator Nicole Creaser said the routines were well rehearsed and praised the students for sharing lollies with the younger pupils.
New nursing labs have opened at The Gordon's Geelong City Campus, giving 416 Diploma of Nursing students hands-on clinical training in simulated hospital wards. The Gordon chief executive Joe Ormeno said the facilities include assistive technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, wheelchair access, adjustable furniture and low-stimulation spaces. Deputy premier Gabrielle Williams said the labs are the first stage of The Gordon's TAFE Centre of Excellence in Disability Inclusion. Work on the remaining stages is underway, with the centre due for completion next year.
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.
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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.
Benton's Square Shopping Centre has reopened, with Woolworths and Dan Murphy's trading again. A fire gutted Harcourts Family Butchers, formerly Lindens Meat. Neighbouring businesses Top Pho and The Pantry House also suffered significant damage.
A new mural has been painted on the Waterhole Creek underpass in Morwell. The project was delivered by Latrobe City Council with local artist Charles Solomon, and it recognises the Brayakaulung people of the Gunaikurnai Nation. Painters Bradley Brown, Erika Brown and Terry Hayes worked on the design, which is titled Rise and Shine. Mr Brown said the artwork is meant to encourage young people. Latrobe City Mayor Sharon Gibson said the mural reflects the diversity of the community. The mural is expected to be finished by the end of the month.
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.
Wyndham local David Hatfield says he was 12 when his mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer, and she died within nine months of a later liver cancer diagnosis. In 2025, Mr Hatfield, 48, was diagnosed with kidney cancer after an emergency visit to Stawell Hospital during a holiday in the Grampians. He says being diagnosed himself gave him a deeper understanding of his mother's experience. Ahead of Canteen's Bandanna Day on 29 October, he is asking people to listen to the stories of those affected and support the organisation's work.
Authorities have shut 100 shops under newly granted powers aimed at stamping out the trade in illegal tobacco. Since those powers took effect on 9 September, the VIPER Taskforce and Tobacco Licensing Victoria officers have confiscated over four million unlawful cigarettes, roughly 70,000 vaping devices, three tonnes of leaf tobacco and close to $1 million in cash. The drive is directed at criminal networks that profit from the illicit product, including groups run from overseas. Retailers across a string of Melbourne suburbs have been inspected, and the operation is still underway.
A new $770,000 dog park at VR Michael Reserve in Lalor is now open for dogs and their owners. The park has separate active and quiet zones designed for dogs of different sizes, ages and temperaments. Facilities include accessible pathways, shelters, seating, drinking fountains, solar lighting, shade trees and landscaping. The project followed community feedback and key improvements identified in the VR Michael Reserve Master Plan. Whittlesea council contributed $470,000, with the Victorian government providing $300,000.
Victoria will add 11 AI-powered cameras to its bushfire detection network, covering more than 1.4 million hectares before the 2027-28 fire season. The $3.8 million project is jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Hancock Victorian Plantations and Green Triangle Fire Alliance. The cameras will scan landscapes around the clock for smoke and fire, flagging possible incidents for investigation. Installations are scheduled across western and eastern Victoria by November 2027. Officials say the network will give firefighters more time to respond. Most of the monitored area is non-plantation land.
Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Stephen Batty and local psychologist Danielle Jacobs have started a petition calling for urgent safety upgrades at three busy Mt Eliza intersections. The intersections are Volitans Avenue, Mount Eliza Way and Baden Powell Drive. The petition, addressed to the Victorian Parliament, seeks independent safety audits, a review of speed limits, signage, line marking, lighting, vegetation and sightlines, and a clear timetable for any recommendations. Batty said the intersections needed fixing and could not wait. Jacobs said the petition was about neighbours and asked residents to sign and share it.
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.
Labor has described Payman's linking of a Haines-style attack to staffing allocation as outrageous. Payman has asked whether the Prime Minister is waiting for what happened to Helen Haines to happen again. Shoebridge has called for ethical Australian AI after a cyber threat warning. Lambie says Hanson has not personally apologised over a cartoon. A former Rio Tinto boss is set to lead a defence procurement watchdog, and the Farrer independent spent $1.7 million on a byelection campaign.
Old glasses cannot go in household recycling bins because they are made from mixed plastics and metals. Many optometrists, including Specsavers, take part in the Opticycle program, which accepts prescription and non-prescription glasses. Some stores also take contact lens blister packs. The glasses are separated into lenses and frames, and the materials are recovered. They are then used to make products such as pavers, bricks, blocks and eco-aggregates, while metals are recycled into new uses. Recycle Mate can help people find a nearby drop-off point.
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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.
Musician G Flip and actress Chrishell Stause have announced in separate statements that they are no longer together. G Flip, who is non-binary and born in Melbourne, asked people to respect their privacy. Stause said she was in love with G Flip and would always love them. The pair met at a Halloween party, and Stause first spoke publicly about their relationship on the Netflix series Selling Sunset in 2022.
