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, 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.
The AFL has released its 2027 Gather Round fixtures, with Adelaide and South Australia hosting a weekend of football. The Crows are expected to open proceedings on Friday night and Port Adelaide to close on Sunday afternoon. Some supporters had feared the draw would include weak matches, but the writer argues the league has delivered strong contests. Highlights include Adelaide against Brisbane, Collingwood against Sydney, Carlton against Melbourne, and Port Adelaide against the Western Bulldogs, featuring Zak Butters' return. Only two games were judged less appealing.
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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 media report claims the Sydney Swans could open the 2027 AFL season against the Geelong Cats on Wednesday, March 17, at the SCG. The AFL has not yet released its Round 1 fixtures, and the match has not been confirmed. All 18 teams will play on the same weekend to open the season, after Opening Round was scrapped. The Cats have added Toby Greene and Rowan Marshall, while the Swans are expected to remain strong under Dean Cox following a deep finals run in 2026.
A recent news item highlights a program that has broadened job aspirations among young people in the Colac district. Three local young people took part and were exposed to the variety of career paths across the agricultural sector. The same listing page also features items on heifer prices recovering, a Probus club celebration, and an upcoming historic flower show. The provided text offers no detail on the program's organisers, its duration, or how many young people overall have taken part, so those specifics remain unstated.
A five-bedroom character home in Drumcondra, near Geelong's foreshore, has sold for $2.3 million after barely three weeks on the market. The buyers, who are moving from the Mornington Peninsula to be closer to family, had previously lived in the suburb. Agent Malinda Leonard of Jellis Craig Geelong said the property drew two potential buyers during the campaign. The home was originally built in 1914 and combines its period features with a modern extension and a solar-heated pool. It last sold for $1.08 million in 2010.
Adam Steegstra survived three cardiac arrests at Anglesea Main Beach on Labour Day, after bystanders performed CPR and used a publicly accessible defibrillator. The device was installed by the Anglesea Lions Club, which has placed 19 defibrillators across Anglesea and Aireys Inlet. Steegstra, 44, had no history of serious illness and is now almost back to normal health. Ambulance Victoria says a patient's chance of survival more than doubles when CPR and an AED shock are given before paramedics arrive. Three people in the two towns have survived cardiac arrests over the past three years with defibrillator help.
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.
Cadel Evans says it would be possible for a Grand Tour cycling stage to start in Australia, though the distance is a major hurdle. Tour Down Under race director Stuart O'Grady has been trying to attract Tadej Pogačar to Adelaide for several years. Pogačar's manager recently visited and spoke well of the race. If Pogačar returned, he would likely also race at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Geelong. Evans also praised Pogačar's record of success.
Devonport's Spirit Quay has officially opened ahead of the first sailings of the Spirit of Tasmania IV and V. The facility includes a 740-tonne gantry with four steel ramps linking the new ships to concrete loading ramps. Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the quay will support growth in passenger numbers and freight across Bass Strait. Minister Kerry Vincent said more than half the construction work was delivered by local partners. The ferries will make their maiden voyages on 31 October.
Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson has revealed that a handwritten note from Channel 7 commentator Hamish McLachlan moved him to tears after his brother's death earlier this year. Speaking on the Dyl and Friends podcast, Dawson paid tribute to his wife Milly and to his club for their support. Jaryd Dawson was found dead in Robe in South Australia's south east in April. Dawson said teammates drove almost four hours to be with him, and that former Geelong captain Joel Selwood and former teammate Sam Jacobs had also helped him through the loss.
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia has concluded its annual conference in Geelong. Around 400 volunteers, staff and board members from across the sector attended. The conference explored the future of community broadcasting and its role in connecting communities and giving a voice to underrepresented groups. Among the attendees was Lizzie Wait from Nambucca Valley Radio in Tewinga, south of Coffs Harbour, who was attending for the first time.
This Green Left Radio segment, titled with a focus on Sarah Hathway's remarks about right-wing hypocrisy over an attack on Helen Haines, is presented as an audio discussion. The available text, however, is mainly a fundraising appeal from Green Left asking readers and supporters to contribute. It offers digital and print subscription levels and a phone line for donations. It does not supply the substance of Hathway's comments or detail the nature of the attack on Haines, so the specific claims made in the interview cannot be confirmed from this material alone.
Former Tour de France champion Cadel Evans says it would be possible for a Grand Tour stage to start in Australia, though he would not want to tell the riders. He said the idea has been discussed before, and that some Grand Tours are considering stages in America. Evans also said Tadej Pogacar may return to race in Australia, with Tour Down Under race director Stuart O'Grady having sought to bring him to Adelaide for several years. Evans praised Pogacar as the greatest of all time in his sport.
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The Greek Community of Geelong has marked 70 years since it was founded in April 1956 by a small group of Greek immigrants. Those first members met on Swanston Street to elect a board, and the community later built a church and a Greek school. Today it has around 300 to 400 families. President Andrew Alexander says the community is now focused on engaging young people and planning its next 25 years. He credits the sacrifices of the first immigrants for the community's achievements.
Premier Ben Carroll has promised to cut emergency department wait times by 20 per cent if Labor is re-elected. Speaking at University Hospital Geelong, he said 12 hospital emergency departments would be expanded by 25 per cent. The plan also includes 1500 new health workers, among them 750 nurses, and 250 more beds. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the changes would allow more than 210,000 patients to be treated each year. The state average emergency department wait is currently 15 minutes, though some patients wait more than two hours.
