A 59-year-old man has been charged with reckless cause injury, criminal damage and unlawful assault after an alleged attack on the husband of Liberal candidate Amanda Dow. The incident happened on Sunday in Mernda, where police say the victim had gone to retrieve campaign signs. He suffered facial injuries and was discharged from hospital. The accused is due to face Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on February 1. Meanwhile, the latest Newspoll shows Labor trailing the Liberal-National coalition by 10 points ahead of the November 28 state election.
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 59-year-old man has been charged with reckless cause injury, criminal damage and unlawful assault after an alleged attack on the husband of Liberal candidate Amanda Dow. The incident happened on Sunday in Mernda, where police say the victim had gone to retrieve campaign signs. He suffered facial injuries and was discharged from hospital. The accused is due to face Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on February 1. Meanwhile, the latest Newspoll shows Labor trailing the Liberal-National coalition by 10 points ahead of the November 28 state election.
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Victorians will face several changes when they vote at the state election on November 28. The enrolment deadline has moved a week earlier, to 8pm on November 3. Early voting will run from November 18 to November 27, and all early voting centres will open on election day. Dedicated low-sensory voting sessions will be held in every electoral district on November 17. A recent Newspoll shows the Labor government trailing the coalition by 10 points on a two-party preferred basis. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said she felt confident but would not rest on her laurels.
Mark Nicholson, co-founder of Stepmates Studios, which makes political content for One Nation, has refused to apologise to Senator Jacqui Lambie. The video mocked Lambie's vaginal prolapse, a condition she disclosed in a Senate speech in August. The cartoon has since been removed. Nicholson, who is running for One Nation in Victoria's upper house, said public figures must accept parody. Lambie said Nicholson was unfit for politics and that Pauline Hanson had not personally apologised to her.
Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson says she is not taking a new poll for granted, even though it shows the Coalition ahead of Labor a month before the state election. The Newspoll gives the Coalition 33 per cent of the primary vote, Labor 24 per cent and One Nation 20 per cent. Wilson says she must still earn voters' trust and that the state needs urgent fixes, including repairs to roads and more police. If the Coalition forms a majority government, Wilson has pledged to recall Parliament on Christmas Eve to pass tougher bail and sentencing laws.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has played down a poll showing Labor trailing the coalition by 10 points on a two-party preferred basis. The Newspoll, published in The Australian, shows a 10 per cent swing against Labor since 2022. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt conceded the election will be tough, while Carroll said the only poll that matters is the vote on November 28. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said her team takes nothing for granted. Carroll also announced a pledge to hire 500 graduate nurses and midwives.
Victorians vote on Saturday, November 28, in a state election that could end Labor's 12 years in government. Opinion polls show Labor, One Nation and the Coalition each have about a quarter of first preference votes. The Coalition is the favourite on a two-party basis, but One Nation could hold the balance of power in a hung parliament. Enrolment closes at 8pm on Tuesday, November 3. Early voting opens on November 18, and postal vote applications open on November 4.
Premier Ben Carroll has promised to expand a dozen emergency departments by 25 per cent as Victorian Labor launches its bid for a fourth term. The $1.5 billion health package also includes 1,500 more health workers, half of them nurses, and 150 extra hospital beds, most opening next year. Labor says the expansions will cut waits by up to 20 per cent at hospitals in Melbourne and regional Victoria. The Australian Medical Association welcomed the funding but called for a review of the whole emergency care system.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has launched Labor's campaign for a fourth straight term, pledging to cut emergency department wait times. He announced $1.5 billion to expand emergency departments at 12 hospitals, with 250 extra beds and 1500 more health workers. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, speaking at a vandalised Upwey South tennis club, focused on crime and pledged 3000 new police officers. Mr Carroll accused the coalition of seeking to Americanise the health system, a claim Ms Wilson rejected. The state election is on November 28.
Neos Kosmos is hosting an open candidates forum in Melbourne on 29 October, ahead of the Victorian state election. Six candidates from Labor, the Liberals, the Greens, the Victorian Socialists and independents will take part. Political reporter Benita Kolovos will moderate the discussion. Candidates will introduce themselves, answer questions, then take questions from the audience. The event is free to attend on registration, with doors opening at 6pm at the Greek Community of Melbourne.
Victoria Police say a reported rift between Brendan Nugent and his family is one line of inquiry in the attack on federal MP Helen Haines. Commissioner Mike Bush said every line of inquiry remains open. He said Mr Nugent's father and the father's partner have been helpful to the investigation. Haines remains in a critical condition at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne. Police are also reviewing security for politicians ahead of the Victorian state election on November 28.
Female MPs say they are on high alert after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines, five weeks before the Victorian election. International students say they fear disruption after sudden changes to student visa rules. The cost of Snowy Hydro 2.0 has risen to as much as $25bn, with completion now expected at the end of the decade. Russia carried out a major attack on Kyiv hours after Vladimir Putin said he had agreed to resume negotiations.
A new grassroots group called Voices for Bendigo has been established to give residents of Greater Bendigo and surrounding areas another way to be heard. Co-convenor Claire Flanagan-Smith said people feel frustrated with party politics and that the group is not backing any candidate at the coming Victorian election. The group is running a community survey, with findings to be announced later. A community launch event, Voices in the Park, will be held on Saturday 24 October in the Library Gardens from 11am to 2pm.
Labor has pledged $18.59m for an applied learning and tech centre at Bendigo Senior Secondary College, if it wins power. It has also promised $7.9m to upgrade Maiden Gully Primary School and $3.95m for a larger fire station for Mandurang CFA. The Nationals have committed $4.3m towards a total $7.3m redevelopment of Ken Wust Oval in Quarry Hill. They have also pledged $2m for the California Gully Recreation Reserve and $2m for a splash park at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens. The Victorian election is on Saturday 28 November.
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Victorian MP Georgie Purcell says threats against her, including sexualised and violent messages on social media, have left her on high alert before the state election. Nationals MP Annabelle Cleeland says she shares her live location with her husband and staff when travelling. Police say they are working on a centralised process to monitor threats against MPs. Premier Ben Carroll met police, the electoral commissioner and his cabinet on Wednesday to discuss stronger safety measures. MPs are due at a police briefing on Friday.
A video piece argues that Victoria's upcoming state election will be historic regardless of which side wins. The source material is largely a list of related headlines rather than a full analysis, so the specific reasoning is not set out. Those headlines touch on the Labor government and the Coalition, the rising profile of One Nation, a proposed public transport fare cap, and free abortion access. Other items cover disputed campaign tactics, immigration debate among Indian diaspora voters, and a Covid grants scandal. The overall picture is of a campaign shaped by competing policy promises and contested political conduct.
Dumped Liberal candidate Grant Hutchinson has sent a legal letter demanding he be reinstated for Croydon at the Victorian election. His lawyers claim the party's decision to remove him breached its constitution. The letter says he was not given a right of reply and rejects claims he failed to disclose legal proceedings with his former law firm. Hutchinson was replaced by Toby Wooldridge at a recent meeting. The party has not commented, and opposition leader Jess Wilson said the matter was one for the Liberal Party.
Victoria's premier, Ben Carroll, says extra security will be in place for the November 28 state election after an alleged targeted attack on federal MP Helen Haines. Police allege Brendan Nugent, 43, drove a four-wheel-drive into Dr Haines outside her Wangaratta electorate office on Monday. She remains in critical condition after both legs were amputated. Nugent has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious harm and intentionally causing serious harm, and faced court for the first time on Wednesday. Police have not ruled out further charges, including attempted murder.
