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.
Victoria Police will deploy officers across beaches, waterways, shopping centres, nightlife areas and transport hubs this summer. Several operations will run at once, including Operation Summersafe from 1 November, which targets beaches from St Kilda to the Mornington Peninsula. Water Police will check jet skis and may seize vessels. Officers will also patrol Chapel Street on Friday and Saturday nights. Proactive patrols will begin in Mordialloc after recent disorderly behaviour, with acting Deputy Commissioner Chris Gilbert saying such conduct will not be tolerated.
The Victorian Government is using drones, long-range cameras and more officers to crack down on illegal dumping. The measures cover the Hume, Melton, Banyule and Greater Geelong council areas. Advanced drones can detect rubbish under vegetation and buried waste, while sniffer drones detect gases. Cameras can capture footage of trucks up to a kilometre away. Offenders face fines of up to about $800,000 or five years in prison.
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The Victorian government is deploying drones, long-range cameras and extra enforcement officers to target illegal rubbish dumping in four council areas. Hume, Banyule, Melton and Greater Geelong councils will work with the $21.5 million Illegal Waste Dumping Taskforce. Environment Minister Jaclyn Symes says the operation will help track down offenders. Businesses can face fines of up to $3.95 million, while individuals face penalties of up to approximately $800,000 or five years' imprisonment, depending on the offence.
Cropping farmers in north-west Victoria say a fast-growing locust population is becoming a serious worry. Insects hatched in large numbers across the Mallee from mid-September after warm, wet weather further north. Meringur farmer Jack Lambert says he has seen bands of thousands moving across his land and nearby national parks, and fears a repeat of the plague of 10 to 15 years ago. Agriculture Victoria runs a surveillance program, but its chief plant health officer, Stephen Dibley, says landholders are responsible for treatment. He said numbers were not at plague levels but were the highest in 15 years.
Victoria will spend $1.7 million to control deer populations in key areas, including Melbourne’s eastern fringe and Wilsons Promontory. The funding aims to protect wildlife, farmland, and communities from the invasive species’ harmful effects. Targeted control in the Dandenong Ranges National Park will reduce deer movement into urban zones and private property. Environment Minister Jaclyn Symes said deer damage forests, farms, and native habitat.
