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Victoria preparing for heavy downpour, snow, hail and a possible new rainfall record in Melbourne

The warm weather is about to end in Victoria, with the state set to be hit by a deluge of rain, hail and snow from today and temperatures set to hang around the low teens all weekend.




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Unemployment spike sparks entrepreneurial spirit among regional youth

Youth unemployment has soared as a result of the coronavirus, prompting some young people to start their own businesses to try and claw their way back into the workforce.




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'There's confusion between us': Families question states' differing school advice

A Victorian-New South Wales cross-border community is uncertain when students should return to the classroom, as term two gets underway.




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BOM says 'strong wintry blast' on the way

It's time to find those woolly socks and dust off the heater — a plunge in temperatures is on the way and it's threatening the record books.





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Nursing home lockouts doing 'nothing for compassion', as governments square off with aged care industry

Meredith Thompson and Adrian Brown fight to see their beloved relative, after his nursing home denied visits even though he only has weeks to live.




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Mystery of missing military medal solved on Anzac Day — after 24 years

Retired naval officer Tony Pincott thought he lost his service medal in 1996, but a metal detectorist located it on a Queensland beach buried in the sand — 300km from where Mr Pincott left it.




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'Might as well learn an instrument': Aussies rediscover joy of music in lockdown

Coronavirus sees many housebound Australians revisit instruments they haven't played since they were kids — rediscovering the trials and tribulations of learning along the way.




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Festival search for 'best redhead' and 'fastest potato peeler' heads online

For the first time in its 24-year history, Koroit Irish Festival's search for the region's 'best flaming folk' is to take on a new life online.



  • Community and Society
  • Arts and Entertainment

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Victorian Education Minister James Merlino says offer from Federal Government to non-government schools is "completely inappropriate".

Victorian Jobs Minister Martin Pakula and Education Minister James Merlino provide an update on the coronavirus outbreak on April 29, 2020. There has been one death, taking the state's death toll to 18.



  • Schools
  • Government and Politics
  • University and Further Education

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Prisoner seeking temporary release fears he's a 'sitting duck' if COVID-19 gets into jails

The lawyer for asthmatic prisoner Mark Rowson tells a court his client should be immediately released from Port Phillip Prison, if authorities cannot mitigate the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in the prison system.




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Emergency patient tests positive for COVID-19 after having surgery

A patient who had emergency surgery at Sunshine Hospital tests positive for COVID-19, sending two dozen staff into self-isolation, while a Melbourne childcare centre closes following a suspected positive test.




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Giant sinkhole filling up as the rain keeps coming down

The sinkhole, measuring 12 metres wide and five metres deep, developed in a broken pipe for stormwater access, the SES says. It came as Melbourne was hit by heavy rainfall ahead of three more days of wintry weather.





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One week on, Victorians sound sirens for killed police officers

Sirens sound four times across Victoria to honour four fallen police officers, exactly one week after they were tragically killed in a truck collision on one of Melbourne's busiest freeways.




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Unrecognisable: Historic photos show Australia in shutdown

One day, future generations will look back at the history we're living right now, captured in these photos of a nation in shutdown.




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These swim teachers feel they're the 'forgotten' service during the coronavirus shutdown

There are warnings Australia could experience a spike in drownings if swimming centres are forced to close because of the coronavirus shutdown, with predictions one in five swim schools around the country will close their doors for good.



  • Disasters and Accidents
  • Government and Politics
  • COVID-19

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Things were already hard for Isabel's grandkids. A pandemic made things even tougher

The coronavirus pandemic has made life harder for most people, but spare a thought for 66-year-old Isabel McLeary, who is looking after three teenagers with disability who can now only access vital support online.





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Here's what we know from the royal commission about George Pell's handling of child sexual abuse complaints

For years, questions have been asked about what Cardinal George Pell might have known about clerical abuse within the Catholic Church. A report that could be released within days may give us the best answer we will ever get.




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COVID-19: Why have we done so well?

Joining Raf is Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison McMilan, discussing Australia's success in handling the coronavirus pandemic and how we can maintain progress in the future.




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‘You feel like you're writing history': ABC journalist Richard Willingham on covering coronavirus

Victoria's state political reporter Richard Willingham tells of a dramatic week during the COVID-19 pandemic when everything changed, and the particular challenges of reporting a story unlike any other he's covered.




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Aussie book about an outback fairy exposed on YouTube to be made into a feature film

Bunnaloo is a long way from Tinseltown, but Nullaboo Hullabaloo — a children's book based around life in this small NSW town, written by former police officer Fleur Ferris — will be getting the movie studio treatment soon enough.




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'Publisher' Google ordered to pay $40k in damages for defaming Melbourne lawyer

Internet search giant Google is ordered to pay $40,000 in damages to Melbourne lawyer George Defteros after a Supreme Court of Victoria ruling found the internet giant was a publisher, and had defamed the man.



  • Law
  • Crime and Justice
  • Courts and Trials
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Family, friends and Victoria Police farewell officer killed in Melbourne freeway crash

Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor is farewelled as a dedicated "hero" who will always be remembered for making a "huge difference to the community", as Victoria Police officers observe a minute of silence for their colleague.




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Four health experts weigh in on whether Australia is ready to lift restrictions

The curve is flattening, the growth factor is below one, but is it still too early to ease coronavirus restrictions? We asked four health experts what Australia should be doing next.




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Calls for Victorian deputy health chief to resign after comparing Captain Cook to coronavirus

The Victorian Opposition is calling for Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen to resign over her comments comparing the "terror" of COVID-19 to Captain Cook's arrival in Australia.




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Timber industry calls for housing construction stimulus as pipeline of work dries up

The Federal Government is being urged to introduce a housing construction stimulus to prevent dire predictions for the timber industry being realised.




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Calls for private health sector to hand back 'very substantial unexpected profit' during coronavirus

A health industry expert is calling on federal authorities to oversee the return of windfall profits, as customers negotiate with insurers to save money.




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Low numbers of pygmy-possums puzzle researchers

Summer's bushfires have cast doubt on the sustainability of the critically endangered mountain pygmy-possum population in Victoria's High Country, with scientists unable to access research grounds after.




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Victoria flags drug-driving law review, including drug testing truck drivers

Drug-driving has become more deadly than drink-driving and Victoria is flagging drug tests in trucking firms as one area needing urgent attention.




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Royal commission flooded with submissions as nightmare fire season officially ends

Fire season is officially over in southern Australia, but the work is only just beginning for the royal commission into the deadly crisis.




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Here's what you can and can't do this weekend as coronavirus rules are eased across the country

Across many states and territories, the coronavirus restrictions keeping people at home are finally being relaxed. Here are the things allowed as the country slowly opens back up.




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Coronavirus is causing havoc, but it's also a chance to envision a better future

To really understand how this pandemic is impacting all of us, and what we can do about it, we should look to social sciences and the humanities. They have a lot to offer — in ways that might surprise you.




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Australia beats Australia A on the final ball

The experiment of having two teams representing the same country in an international tournament has not been repeated since the 1994/95 summer of cricket.




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PM says Victorian official's comments comparing Captain Cook to coronavirus 'very disappointing'

The Prime Minister weighs into the debate on a tweet by Victoria's Deputy Chief Health Officer while the state's Premier says there are "far more important matters to talk about".




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Dramatic drop in Q fever cases across Australia

There has been a significant decline in the number of Q fever cases reported so far this year compared to the same period last year.




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Under grey skies, Victoria Police farewells officers killed in Eastern Freeway crash

Victorians will never forget the sacrifice made by the four police officers killed in the Eastern Freeway crash, Police Minister Lisa Neville says, as Constable Glen Humphris and Senior Constable Kevin King are laid to rest.




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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews responds to the state's Deputy Chief Health Officer's tweet comparing coronavirus to Captain Cook's arrival in Australia.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews responds to the state's Deputy Chief Health Officer's tweet comparing coronavirus to Captain Cook's arrival in Australia at a press conference on May 1, 2020.



  • Epidemics and Pandemics
  • Infectious Diseases (Other)


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Alpine village pushes ahead hoping for business as usual as first snow falls amid pandemic

A north-east Victorian alpine village says it will welcome visitors when restrictions allow despite uncertainty whether the ski season will go ahead at all.




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Judge orders coronavirus risk assessment of Melbourne prison

Supreme Court Justice Timothy Ginnane orders a COVID-19 risk assessment be undertaken at Port Phillip Prison after finding there was a prima facie case prison authorities breached their duty of care.




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'The system has failed you': Immigrant receives apology after spending two months in jail

A magistrate has apologised to a man who spent months behind bars waiting to be dealt with by the courts for minor theft charges.




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Wild weather lashes Victoria, Melbourne has its wettest start to the year

Melbourne experiences the wettest start to a year on record, and has eight times more rain than the same period last year.




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Victorian school likely had 'unsafe' levels of chemicals in soil, inquiry into possible cancer cluster told

A Senate inquiry into a possible cancer cluster on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula hears evidence from high-profile lawyer Peter Gordon of a "disturbing number of cancer cases" connected to the early years of Bellarine Secondary College.



  • Health
  • Cancer
  • Diseases and Disorders
  • Government and Politics

world news

BOM's hot April data may be surprising to those currently shivering

As the south and east remain gripped in a cold snap, it might be hard to believe that Australia just had its fifth warmest April on record.




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Pleas for children's heart specialist to allow patients to 'come home sooner'

Regional children with congenital heart disease must move to Brisbane to be closely monitored after critical heart surgery. One mum is petitioning for change.




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Socially distancing parents get creative introducing their babies to the world

For babies born during the coronavirus pandemic, introductions to extended family members have been a little different. Parents have had to use technology to allow grandparents, aunts and uncles to meet their latest family member.




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Puma sightings reported in Australia inspire new big cat documentary

A former Australia Zoo big cat keeper says an elusive population of wild pumas and panthers reportedly seen in the Australian wilderness could be long-escaped animals from travelling circuses, or former military mascots.




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First visible comet in 'years' graces Australian skies

A comet discovered by a man in regional Victoria is becoming brighter in Australian skies and is being closely watched by amateur astronomers around the world.