Rugby Australia has struck a multi-year deal with the Victorian government that secures Melbourne to host the Wallabies and All Blacks in 2027, and an extra Bledisloe Cup Test in 2029. Brisbane's Lang Park is set to stage the first Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test next April, which would make a three-match series. Rugby Australia officials would not say whether this signals a permanent return to three Tests. The Wallabies have not held the trophy since 2002 and lost heavily to the All Blacks in 2026.
Transport Victoria has confirmed the final design for intersection upgrades along Sunshine Avenue in Taylors Lakes. Construction is expected to begin in 2027. Two roundabouts at Melton Highway and Old Calder Highway will be replaced with signalised intersections, with additional lanes and new signalised pedestrian crossings. New walking and cycling paths and street lighting will also be built. A bus stop on the northern side of Melton Highway will move to the eastern side of Sunshine Avenue.
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.
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.
Williamstown CYMS and Footscray United both lost close matches in the Isaac Howarth Shield. The CYs were defeated by Sunshine after a rain delay, while Maribyrnong Park St Marys edged out the Bulldogs. Seddon dominated, bowling out the Tigers for 58 and winning by eight wickets. The Druids secured their first win of the season against Aberfeldie. In the senior division, Yarraville Club beat St Albans, and Altona North's match with Airport West St Christopher’s was abandoned.
Brothers Sam, Max and Riley Conway are running their third Sundowner Festival in Downer, following their work building Gang Gang Cafe into a popular live music venue. The festival runs for 11 hours on 31 October across two stages, with market stalls, food trucks and roving magicians. Sam Conway says capacity has risen to 1000 people but the event still feels intimate. The lineup includes indie rock, post-punk, experimental pop, rap and underground dance acts, among them Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Dust and Wax'o Paradiso.
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.
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.
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.
Nelson Bay golfer Lachlan Pearson has won a bronze medal in the Level 5 Division 2 category at the Special Olympics Australia National Games in Melbourne. The 18-year-old represented Team NSW at Sandy Golf Links, finishing third in the 18-hole gross division. Pearson, a 12.9 marker at Nelson Bay Golf Club, also won an international gold medal earlier this year at the Macau Golf Masters. The National Games served as a qualifying event for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.
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.
Australia Post Group chief executive Paul Graham has announced he will retire at the end of the financial year. Graham was appointed to the role in September 2021 after a career in logistics and supply chain. Communications Minister Anika Wells thanked him for his service during a period of significant change at the national institution. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also named Derek Bopping as Australia's next Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, Artificial Intelligence and Critical Technology, and Rachel Moseley as Ambassador for Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation. Several senior public service roles were also filled.
More than 80,000 Victorian Year 12 students are sitting final exams, with warnings that AI technology could make cheating easier. La Trobe University academic Therese Keane said exams must ensure students' work is their own, as technology evolves. She stressed the importance of maintaining confidence in the VCE system's integrity and transparency. While AI poses risks, it can also be a useful study tool when used responsibly, Keane said.
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Australia Post Group chief executive Paul Graham has announced he will retire at the end of the financial year. Graham was appointed to the role in September 2021 after a career in logistics and supply chain. Communications Minister Anika Wells thanked him for his service during a period of significant change at the national institution. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also named Derek Bopping as Australia's next Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, Artificial Intelligence and Critical Technology, and Rachel Moseley as Ambassador for Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation. Several senior public service roles were also filled.
Victorians have until 8pm on Tuesday, November 3, to enrol or apply for a postal vote, which is one week earlier than in previous elections. Candidate nominations open on November 4 and close at midday on November 9. Early voting begins on November 18 and ends on November 27, while polling booths close at 6pm on Saturday, November 28. Monash University political scientist Zareh Ghazarian urged voters to check their enrolment details early, saying close seats could decide who forms government.
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.
Four young Australian men describe how manosphere content reached them through social media algorithms. Jak, 18, said workout videos led to messages about women and money. Flynn, 24, said his online content became prejudiced before he was hospitalised with a bipolar diagnosis. Bodie, 27, said online gaming friends adopted misogynistic attitudes. Each now says they are moving away from that content.
Victoria's net debt has risen to $161 billion, more than New South Wales and Queensland combined, with debt servicing costs now 6.9 per cent of state income. The state recorded a $2.4 billion net operating surplus in 2025-26, and its assets of $465 billion exceed its $268 billion in liabilities. Growth in debt is forecast to be lower than in some other states. The analysis argues that voters may weigh issues such as potholes, high-rise approvals and crime more heavily than debt, though a royal commission into the infrastructure program is under way.
