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Wildlife shelters inundated, as drought pushes native animals into urban areas in search of food and water

Wildlife carers in Victoria say more native animals are being injured or killed as prolonged dry weather drives them to seek food and water closer to urban areas.




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Federal election 2019: Rural Victorian voters feel forgotten as AEC abolishes voting booths

Rural Victorian voters are frustrated as the electoral commission decides to abolish more than 25 polling booths in the Mallee and Wannon electorates without consultation.




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The smiling candidate




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Bullied




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Maurice Cole is still riding life's waves

Over the course of his life, Maurice Cole, a legend of the surfing world, has absorbed damage, inflicted it and come face-to-face with death more than once. Now he is helping his son try and reverse the damage his generation has done.




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You Ask We Answer: What do the major parties think of recycling and waste in federal election 2019?

It's a topic that hasn't gathered much attention on the campaign trail, but based on the large number of questions we received through You Ask, We Answer, waste and recycling is something many voters are concerned about. So do the parties have a plan? And is it enough to make a difference?




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Scandinavian Hardanger fiddles played in Lord of the Rings soundtracks trending in Australia

An Australian fiddlemaker is helping to spice up the dying craft by creating Hardanger fiddles, a Norwegian instrument that gained international fame in The Lord of the Rings soundtracks.




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Election results: Liberal Sarah Henderson concedes Corangamite to Labor's Libby Coker

Newly-elected Labor MP Libby Coker says ensuring the Government delivers on their expensive election commitments in Corangamite even though they lost the seat will be her first priority after claiming victory in the Victorian electorate.




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George Pell's lawyer tells appeal court judges child sex abuse offences 'realistically impossible'

George Pell's lawyer tells an appeals court there are "questions of probability" over whether the child sex abuse offences the Cardinal is convicted of occurred, and a jury should have found him not guilty even if they believed his victim.




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Ballarat police officer David Berry acquitted of assault charge, punch to ex-neighbour ruled self defence

A Ballarat magistrate dismisses an assault charge against a police sergeant, agreeing his use of force was "reasonable" during an altercation in which he punched his neighbour in the face.





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Maryborough, the regional Victorian town struggling with self-esteem

Two homicides in two months last year rocked Maryborough in regional Victoria, a town whose residents already felt they'd become too accustomed to putting themselves down over the years.




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Five per cent of applicants processed through National Redress Scheme amid 'wave of reforms'

Lawyers warn child sexual abuse victims to be mindful of legal reforms before signing away their right to sue, as redress scheme marks its first anniversary.




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Catholic Church allowed Brother John Laidlaw to keep teaching after abuse, court hears

A teenager molested by Christian Brother John Laidlaw in the 1980s tells a Melbourne court he thought he was being "punished by God" when he was sexually assaulted at his family home, as the former teacher pleads guilty to abusing six boys over two decades.






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Man disqualified from driving six times jailed over crash that killed former Victorian mayor Rod May

A man disqualified from driving and tested positive to methamphetamines has been jailed for at least two years for dangerous driving causing the death of a former regional Victorian mayor near Ballarat in 2017.




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Chronic pain sufferers left untreated for years as Ballarat specialists cope with high demand

Every night Allanah Morel packs her daughter's school bag ahead of time because she knows that by the next morning she could be in too much pain to get out of bed.




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Grim prediction for regional motels as Airbnb, online booking sites add unprecedented pressure

Once the staple of regional travel, motels are facing an increasingly uncertain future as online alternatives bite away at revenue.




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Former Victorian Catholic priest Paul David Ryan jailed for historical child sex offences

A former Catholic priest who showed pornographic images to children and assaulted a teenager while he slept is jailed for two years and two months.




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Murdered Carisbrook police officer honoured 161 years after his death

Senior Constable Edward Barnett was shot and killed attempting to stop an armed robber in 1858. Now he has finally been honoured with one of Victoria Police's most prestigious medals.





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Australian athletes preparing for midnight marathon in Qatari heat

Thermostats and saunas become secret weapons as Australian athletes brace themselves for the unusual conditions of a midnight marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Doha next month.




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George Pell likely to be jailed with former friend, notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale

The ABC understands the Victorian Department of Corrections considers the Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat, 200 kilometres west of Melbourne, to be the most appropriate place to send the high-profile cleric.




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George Pell loses appeal against child sex abuse convictions, may lose Order of Australia honour

The Prime Minister suggests Cardinal George Pell will be stripped of his Order of Australia honour, as Pell plans to take his rejected appeal against his child sex abuse convictions to the High Court.




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Catholic priest says church should accept George Pell decision and be accountable for abuse

Ararat parish priest Father Andrew Hayes says the church should accept a court's decision to dismiss George Pell's appeal against his convictions, but the Melbourne Bishop is standing by the disgraced Cardinal.




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How Wood Splitters art heist from Ballarat helped change regional art galleries forever

In August 1978, someone entered Ballarat's art gallery, grabbed a 92-year-old painting off the wall, and walked out the front door. Now, the once cash-strapped gallery hosts international artists.







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Richmond beats Lions, Bulldogs defeat Crows, Power down Fremantle in AFL round 23

The Lions miss out on the AFL minor premiership to the Cats following their loss to the third-placed Tigers, the Bulldogs earn a return to finals action, while the Power defeat the Dockers to end their season on a winning note.




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Australia's old powerlines are holding back the renewable energy boom

Australian wind and solar farms are putting downward pressure on energy prices, and there are hundreds of new renewable facilities set to come online. But that green energy is stretching the country's outdated network of transmission lines.




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Lawyers say Catholic Church admits liability for claims from sexual abuse survivors

The Catholic Church may have opened itself up to hundreds of potential damages claims from sexual abuse survivors after admitting liability in court documents.




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Australian artists reveal how they maintain a living wage and a creative practice

Working 7 days a week, juggling multiple gigs, all for $28,000 a year this is the life of an Australian artist in 2019.




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Western Highway sacred trees protest comes to steps of Victorian Parliament

More than 500 protesters stop traffic outside the Victorian Parliament to rail against the planned destruction of trees sacred to Aboriginal people in Victoria's west.




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Ride Like a Girl filmmakers ignore Darren Weir scandal, celebrate Michelle Payne's victory

Rachel Griffiths's biopic about Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne, Ride Like a Girl, will remain unchanged despite horse trainer Darren Weir being banned from horseracing for four years.




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Ballarat man arrested over 1993 murder of Suzanne Poll in Salisbury

Police arrest a Victorian man over the stabbing murder of Adelaide woman Suzanne Poll at a shop in April in 1993 after a DNA breakthrough.




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Daughter of murder victim Suzanne Poll thanks police, as Victorian man extradited

The daughter of 1993 Adelaide murder victim Suzanne Poll has thanked police for their efforts in investigating her mother's death. A Victorian man has been extradited to South Australia charged with Ms Poll's murder.




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Ride Like a Girl payne mobbed




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Stevie Payne in Ride Like a Girl




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Magda Szubanski in Ride Like a Girl




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Sam Neill and Teresa Palmer in Ride Like a Girl




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Ride Like a Girl sports a classic underdog tale, but isn't necessarily an instant classic film

Ride Like a Girl's real strength is it never lets anything get in the way of telling the superb true story at its heart.





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Corruption risk likely faced by 'most, if not all' Vic councils, watchdog finds, amid calls for more scrutiny

A ratepayers advocacy group says a damning report into the risk of corruption within local government in Victoria highlights the need for greater scrutiny of regional councils.






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A new trademark for all-Australian wool and fibre