Melbourne councillors have unanimously endorsed a draft graffiti management policy for community consultation. The plan promises faster removal, clearer responsibilities and stronger enforcement, while keeping the city's street art culture. Graffiti visible in the central city would generally be removed within three days, compared with 12 days elsewhere. Offensive graffiti would keep a one-hour response target. Submissions close on November 5, and the final policy will return to council in 2027.
The program for the 36th Melbourne Queer Film Festival has been released, and several sessions are already close to selling out. The festival runs from November 13 to 23 and takes the theme Into the Light. Major screenings will be held at The Capitol, with sessions also at ACMI, Cinema Nova and new venue partner Chinatown Cinema. Opening night film KICK follows American runner Nikki Hiltz, while the centrepiece Time Warp features a drag theatre company staging a shadow cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The 36th Melbourne Queer Film Festival will screen 53 sessions of LGBTQIA+ features, documentaries and short films when it runs from 13 to 22 November 2026. Festival Director Louise Lever said the theme, Into the Light, celebrates the diversity of queer stories. Opening night features KICK, directed by Julia Schwalb, about American runner Nikki Hiltz. The centrepiece is Time Warp, a documentary about a drag troupe in Wyoming staging a shadow cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The festival closes with Big Girls Don't Cry, directed by Paloma Schneideman.
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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.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged after police allege he struck a 57-year-old woman with a stolen car in Melbourne on Sunday. The woman was standing at the Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street intersection at about 10.45am. She was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police allege the teen then drove along Flinders Lane, hitting several unoccupied parked cars. He was arrested at Albert Park and charged with reckless conduct, dangerous driving and theft of a motor vehicle. He was remanded to appear at a children's court on Monday.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged over an alleged hit-and-run in Melbourne's CBD that left a 57-year-old woman in hospital. Police allege he drove a stolen car along tram tracks on Flinders Street on Sunday, hitting her about 10.45am. The incident happened near runners taking part in the Melbourne Marathon. Officers arrested him in Albert Park a short time later. He faces a string of charges, including dangerous driving and handling stolen goods, and is also accused of assaulting an on-duty emergency service worker. A court heard he had been bailed over earlier offending.
A new health hub for people facing homelessness and drug addiction will open next week opposite Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. Run by Cohealth, the state-funded centre offers GP care, addiction specialists, counselling, and showers and meals. Next year it will also host a trial of hydromorphone, an opioid addiction treatment not yet used widely in Australia. Some traders and councillors have raised concerns about anti-social behaviour, but Health Minister Ingrid Stitt says the services will improve the area. Victorian overdose deaths reached 632 in 2025, and advocates have called for further action.
