The City of Whittlesea has endorsed its Annual Report 2025-2026, which outlines the projects and services delivered over the last financial year. Council worked on more than 130 infrastructure projects under an $87 million capital works program. Major works included the Aboriginal Gathering Place, the Granite Hills Major Community Park and the murnong Community Centre in Donnybrook. Council also consulted residents on more than 50 projects and provided $1.8 million in community grants.
The City of Whittlesea is marking National Recycling Week, running from 9 to 15 November 2026, by encouraging residents to find new ways to reduce waste and reuse items. Planet Ark leads the national campaign, which highlights how recycling benefits both the environment and the economy. Free community events include a mending session at Thomastown Library on 7 November, a clothing and textiles recycling day at Whittlesea Showgrounds on 18 November, and a homemade holiday decorations workshop on 19 November. A Circular Fashion Market at the South Morang Civic Centre carpark follows on 22 November.
Whittlesea volunteer Raymundo Rosales has been recognised with the Ageing Victorian Senior Achiever Award at the 2026 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards. He has volunteered with several groups, including the Mernda CFA, which he joined in 2005 after starting with South Morang CFA. Since 2009 he has supported refugees, asylum seekers and victims of domestic violence through the St Vincent de Paul Society. Rosales said he was surprised by the honour and wants to share the recognition with the volunteers he works alongside.
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Whittlesea council has called for a moratorium on data centre approvals. At its October 20 meeting, councillor Jarrod Lappin moved the motion, which also expresses disapproval of the state government's use of the developer facilitation program. The program approved a data centre at McDonalds Road, South Morang, which council had objected to in 2024. Mayor Lawrie Cox said he was absolutely disgusted with the planning minister's process. Hume and Melton councils are also calling for a moratorium, and Whittlesea has urged other councils to follow suit. Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny was contacted for comment.
The City of Whittlesea allocated more than $1.8 million in community grants to 198 applicants across the 2025-2026 financial year. The figures were presented to council on 20 October 2026. In the final quarter, 27 applicants received a total of $173,396, including 11 under the Business to Business Grants Program. Funding supports events, programs, individual artists and athletes, emergency services, seniors clubs and Neighbourhood Houses. Mayor Lawrie Cox said the program keeps the community connected and active.
The City of Whittlesea is asking residents to back a campaign for a full upgrade of Donnybrook Road. Council says the road is operating well beyond its capacity, causing congestion and delays for commuters. Rapid population growth is adding pressure on the route, which affects access to work, school, public transport and essential services. Council is urging the Victorian Government to commit to the upgrades. Residents can add their voice through the Engage Whittlesea page, where they can contact the Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety.
Allowances for Whittlesea's mayor, councillors and deputy mayor have changed from 1 July 2026. The mayor's allowance rose from $146,000 to more than $157,000, and councillors' allowances increased from almost $42,000 to $49,000. The deputy mayor's allowance fell to just over $64,000, down from just over $73,000. It is now calculated as a loading on the base councillor allowance. A tribunal decided this method better reflects the deputy mayor's extra duties compared with a councillor's, while recognising those duties are more limited than the mayor's. A transitional arrangement means the reduced rate takes effect after the November mayoral election.
The City of Whittlesea has launched a Home Energy Program to help local households reduce energy costs and make informed choices about energy use. The program offers practical advice on energy-efficient homes and on taking first steps toward electric appliances. Free events throughout the year will let residents speak with experts. A free home energy assessment will be available soon, along with Speed Date sessions with specialists and a Home Energy Expo. Mayor Lawrie Cox said the program helps residents work out what suits their home and budget.
Melton, Hume and Whittlesea have recorded Victoria's highest rates of car key cloning, according to Victoria Police. Police seized more than 900 devices used by car thieves across the state in the past year, with 43 per cent taken in the north-west metro region. Police estimate more than 10,000 vehicles are stolen using cloning devices each year. Toyota Corollas, Landcruisers, Holden Commodores, Hiluxs, Rav 4s and Subaru Imprezas are among the most targeted. Police advise owners to fit an on-board diagnostic port lock and a steering wheel lock.
Lalor's laneways in Melbourne's north are set for new murals, light projections and public art under Whittlesea council's Lively Lalor project. A free community pop-up at Peter Lalor Walk on Saturday 24 October, from 10am to 1pm, will let locals meet the selected artists. Mayor Lawrie Cox said the project celebrates the area's diverse community. Artworks will be rolled out across 2026-27, with installation expected to begin in December this year and a community celebration planned for February 2027.
Whittlesea's Diwali festival returns this Friday, 31 October, for its ninth year. Organised by Mission Smile Inc with support from the Whittlesea council's community grants program, the event will feature a live DJ, fireworks, a marketplace with food stalls, traditional sweets and henna tattoo artists. Surprise acts are also planned. Bollywood dance workshops are free to join, and everyone of all ages is welcome, including first-time visitors. Diwali is a festival of light over darkness and good over evil, spanning five days and rooted in a centuries-old Indian tradition.
Victoria Police have seized more than 900 key cloning devices in the past year, mostly during raids and intercepts in Melbourne's North West Metro policing region. Police estimate more than 10,000 vehicles are stolen each year using the small wireless gadgets, which copy signals from car keys. Detective Inspector Julie Macdonald urged motorists to protect their vehicles by fitting a port lock and a steering wheel lock, and by parking off the street. Keys should be kept in signal-blocking bags when not in use. Push-start Toyotas and Subarus are among the most at-risk models.
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.
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.
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A 59-year-old man has been charged with reckless cause injury, criminal damage and unlawful assault after an alleged attack on the husband of Liberal candidate Amanda Dow. The incident happened on Sunday in Mernda, where police say the victim had gone to retrieve campaign signs. He suffered facial injuries and was discharged from hospital. The accused is due to face Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on February 1. Meanwhile, the latest Newspoll shows Labor trailing the Liberal-National coalition by 10 points ahead of the November 28 state election.
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 new $770,000 dog park at VR Michael Reserve in Lalor is now open to residents. The facility has separate active and quiet zones for dogs of different sizes, ages and temperaments. It also includes shelters, seating, drinking fountains, solar lighting and shade trees. The City of Whittlesea contributed $470,000 and the Victorian Government provided $300,000 through its New and Upgraded Dog Parks Program. Mayor Lawrie Cox said the park followed community feedback on the design.
Residents of Kalkallo, in Melbourne's outer north, are calling for new roads as their population has grown from 105 in 2016 to more than 11,000 in 2026. The only exit from the suburb is onto Donnybrook Road, and residents describe daily traffic jams. The Victorian government says construction of a $153 million interchange on the Hume Freeway will begin by the end of 2026, funded by developer Stockland. The Coalition has promised to duplicate Donnybrook Road. A car bridge is not planned until at least 2037.
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.
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.
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.
