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.
Greg Lynn will remain in custody after the Victorian Supreme Court refused him bail. Lynn, 60, is charged with murdering Carol Clay, 73, who went missing while camping in Victoria's High Country in March 2020. The former Jetstar pilot was granted a retrial in December after the appeal court found a substantial miscarriage of justice in his first trial. In his bail bid, Lynn told the court he had been assaulted with faeces and held in solitary confinement. Chief Justice Richard Niall ruled that these conditions and five years on remand were not exceptional.
Police are searching for a masked man after a house fire in Sydney's inner west. An 88-year-old woman was rescued from the balcony of the Abbotsford home, which was engulfed in flames about 4am on Tuesday. Four occupants were treated for smoke inhalation and are now in a stable condition. NSW Police believe the fire was deliberately lit, with a suspect seen spreading an accelerant before fleeing in a red Holden Astra.
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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.
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.
A 1976 Express report said pupils at Albert Street, Moe, held a party for Winnie the Pooh's 50th birthday, with some bringing teddy bears. In 1996, community groups urged Latrobe Valley residents to attend the Latrobe Regional Hospital annual general meeting, where state Health Minister Rob Knowles was guest speaker. The groups opposed proposed privatisation. In 2016, Traralgon pilot Ben Lappin landed a restored 1941 Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber at Latrobe Regional Airport after an air show at Port Lincoln.
A six-bedroom home at 15 Freemans Rd, Mt Eliza, has sold for $12 million, close to the suburb's $12.4 million house price record. The sale was the biggest for a house in the suburb since 2017. The listing agent, Michelle Skoglund, called it a positive sign for The Block's House 1 renovation, which is set for auction this weekend. The property sits on 3502 square metres, with about 73 metres fronting Port Phillip Bay. Mr Cooley, a well-known auctioneer, will sell House 1 on the agent's behalf.
Newport has signed Altona midfielder Tate Ferguson for next year's Western Football League division 1 season. Ferguson played 13 senior games for Altona this season and three games for the Western Jets in the Talent League. The Panthers describe him as a fit, dynamic midfielder who uses the ball well. His father, Joe, was a senior coach of Newport in 1997 and 1998 and won the club's best and fairest award. The club has also re-signed Jackson Fullerton, Malek El-Hassan, Fawzi Eldanawi, Khaled Jawad, Jawad Jawad, Mustafa Mesto and Bill Chehade.
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.
French Ambassador to Australia David Martinon has visited The Briars on the Mornington Peninsula to view its Napoleonic collection. He was joined by Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie, mayor Stephen Batty and deputy mayor Paul Pingiaro. The collection dates to the Balcombe family, who befriended Napoleon during his exile on St Helena in 1815. The homestead is due to reopen later this year after restoration works, with a dedicated exhibition of the collection planned.
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.
Old glasses cannot go in household recycling bins because they are made from mixed plastics and metals. Many optometrists, including Specsavers, take part in the Opticycle program, which accepts prescription and non-prescription glasses. Some stores also take contact lens blister packs. The glasses are separated into lenses and frames, and the materials are recovered. They are then used to make products such as pavers, bricks, blocks and eco-aggregates, while metals are recycled into new uses. Recycle Mate can help people find a nearby drop-off point.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has led tributes to independent MP Helen Haines, who was allegedly struck by a vehicle in her electorate of Indi. Haines is in a serious but stable condition after both legs were amputated. Albanese said rage and aggression against politicians are increasing, enabled by social media. Politicians and advocates say female representatives face growing online abuse and intimidation. A survey by Women for Election found half of women in elected office were unsure they would run again.
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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.
Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Stephen Batty and local psychologist Danielle Jacobs have started a petition calling for urgent safety upgrades at three busy Mt Eliza intersections. The intersections are Volitans Avenue, Mount Eliza Way and Baden Powell Drive. The petition, addressed to the Victorian Parliament, seeks independent safety audits, a review of speed limits, signage, line marking, lighting, vegetation and sightlines, and a clear timetable for any recommendations. Batty said the intersections needed fixing and could not wait. Jacobs said the petition was about neighbours and asked residents to sign and share it.
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.
