Bendigo embraces apartment living
DARREN GRAY 11:45pm The front door to their apartment complex is literally 248 steps from the tramlines. And it's even closer to the city mall, a mere 78 steps away.
Latest Victoria news
Raglan Street, Port Melbourne rainbow fence owner sees blue over council fine
Chloe Booker 8:58am The owner of a Port Melbourne house with a rainbow-striped fence will cop a $4000 fine unless he repaints it.
Plan to lift cage fighting ban slammed by Chief Commissioner Ken Lay
RICHARD WILLINGHAM 8:02am Labor's plan to lift a ban on controversial cage fighting if it wins the election has received a blow with Victoria's top police officer arguing against the sport.
Melbourne Express: Monday, October 20, 2014
ANGUS HOLLAND 6:02am Melbourne Express is a live daily blog bringing you what you need to hit the day running - news, weather and transport updates, and compelling content from The Age and beyond.
VCE exam pressure for select-entry Suzanne Cory students
BENJAMIN PREISS 9:23am For Melbourne's newest select entry school, it is a time of change. Cars with p-plates are filling the carpark for the first time and students are buckling down for VCE exams. The first batch of year 12 students from Suzanne Cory High School have almost finished year 12.
Psychosis fears after 'ice' use rises among injecting drug users
HARRIET ALEXANDER 2:11am Hospitals and drug clinics are bracing themselves for more patients presenting with psychosis and cardiovascular problems after a significant increase in use of the drug "ice".
Tram route 96 freeway struggles as opposition mounts
ADAM CAREY 6:55am A plan to turn Melbourne's busiest tram route into a flagship light railway is struggling as residents and traders along the line fight moves to allocate road space to new high-capacity trams at the expense of on-street parking and car lanes.
Chief prosecutor Gavin Silbert joins opposition to baseline sentencing
STEVE BUTCHER 12:15am Victoria's Chief Crown Prosecutor has joined a chorus of opposition to the state government's introduction of "baseline sentencing", describing it as an "extreme overreaction".
Vulnerable children to get extra staff, says Napthine government
Henrietta Cook, state political reporter 12:15am Vulnerable children in every residential care unit will be supervised by at least two staff members during the day and one at night as part of a $55 million Napthine government announcement aimed at improving safety
Labor promises reform to consider planning objections
Henrietta Cook, state political reporter 8:38am The magnitude of community opposition to proposed developments will be taken into consideration by the state's planning tribunal if Labor win the state election.
Traumatised security guard sues police
NICK TOSCANO 11:45pm A security guard who was allegedly ordered to escort a team of armed police officers into the scene of a fatal shooting rampage at Monash University is suing Victoria Police for putting his life in danger.
Corruption watchdog probes education IT project
Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie 11:45pm Victoria's corruption watchdog is running a secret investigation involving past and present senior education bureaucrats and a botched $180 million schools computer project.
Remembering departed Diggers at Princes Pier
Chris Hingston 11:25pm Jack Farrar, 90, brought his family to the spot that his Uncle Arthur embarked on the slow boat journey to Gallipoli almost a hundred years ago.
Napthine promises $3.25 million to refurbish Mordialloc Pier
HENRIETTA COOK 8:13am A windswept Premier promised $3.25 million to upgrade and extend Mordialloc Pier on Sunday if the Coalition is re-elected on November 29.
'Sensitive and generous' Joshua Hardy was full of promise, say relatives
KONRAD MARSHALL 7:23am An anonymous young man sat sniffling and crying on Sunday morning, head cradled in hands, glancing at a plain tree strung up with wilting roses and proteas. Barefoot and bloodshot, he did not want to speak – only to sit and think of his friend Joshua Hardy, who died from head injuries sustained here in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Festive flock warned not to witness 'seedy' Melbourne
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 5:22pm Cleanliness really is next to Godliness when it comes to the Jehovah's Witnesses: despite the temptations of sinful Melbourne, thousands proudly resisted the allure of pornography as they sat in their hotel rooms, awaiting the next spiritual experience as part of the religion's international convention.
Snapper lure Port Phillip Bay amateur anglers into path of big ships
ADAM CAREY 4:02pm The start of snapper season in Port Phillip Bay has created a surge in "near misses" between small fishing boats and huge freight vessels moving to and from the port.
Bendigo on board with urban rail service
DARREN GRAY 3:03pm Bendigo, Victoria's fourth-biggest urban centre, is pushing for its own local commuter rail service to deal with what it says are "unprecedented levels" of population growth.
Coal generates more election heat
Royce Millar and Rania Spooner 12:15pm A contentious plan to open new coalfields in the Latrobe Valley has been quietly shelved until after the state election amid ongoing public anxiety over the Hazelwood mine fire and concern within the Napthine government that it could trigger a backlash in vulnerable seats.
'Loved by all': friends mourn Melbourne Uni student Joshua Hardy
KONRAD MARSHALL 5:24pm A University of Melbourne student who died after a violent attack outside a McDonald's restaurant on St Kilda Road on Friday night was "loved by all".
Investment banker in court over St Kilda Road murder of Joshua Hardy
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 12:07pm Investment banker Kyle Zandipour has appeared in court charged with the murder of 21-year-old university student Joshua Hardy.
Lena Dunham praises Jill Meagher's husband for violence against women essay
JANE LEE 2:27pm US actress Lena Dunham has praised Tom Meagher for speaking out about violence against women following the rape and murder of his wife Jill Meagher in September 2012.
Blood cord technican banking on City2Sea fund-raising
ALANA SCHETZER There is no such thing as a lazy moment for Liza Carroll. In between working as a cord blood technician and being a mother of four, Carroll is training for this year's The Sunday Age City2Sea, presented by Westpac.
Former football player tells of the night he was allegedly raped by his teammate
AISHA DOW A boozy night out with footy mates ended with a sexual assault that has blighted a young man's life, writes Aisha Dow.
$100,000 the new goal for volunteer school fete organisers
CAROLYN WEBB With spring school fete season upon us, the going amount that hard-working volunteer parent organisers must raise has ratcheted up to $100,000.
Private midwives blocked on hospital births
KATE HAGAN Women remain unable to employ private midwives to deliver their babies in Victorian public hospitals, a year after the release of a health department policy that was supposed to pave the way for them to do so.
Ready, set ... eat!
Eamonn Duff and Alana Schetzer It's the growing restaurant trend that has turned leisurely dining into a race against time.
My Place: The streets that call my name
Pamela Maie Young The autumn light is biblical. I suck in the fresh air and my heart knocks against my ribs. Cats greet me. Dogs wag their tails and their owners nod. Lorikeets convene in Maranoa Gardens; a comet of colour.
Restless, rootless, curious: painter Celia Perceval's progress
JOHN ELDER For Celia Perceval, in taking on the family business, it didn't begin with a paintbrush and a pot of colour, but rather with climbing a tree at the age of two. Her mother, Mary Boyd, told how she'd climbed to the top of a pine tree and wouldn't come down.
Opinion
Victorian jobs: Hockey will have the last say
Denis Napthine's employment boast is actually an admission of failure.
State election: grubby campaign, tight result
Fifty-one days before polling day, the battle for power is set to get nasty.
Can we trust media reporting on politics?
The spotlight will soon fall on state MPs, but it’s worth keeping an eye on journalists too.
Empower IBAC for the good of Victoria
Until IBAC is improved, Victoria has no agency that can seriously fight corruption.
Economy has failed to create enough jobs
It’s not that the Victorian economy isn’t creating jobs. Total employment has actually increased.
Worrying financial signs for the road ahead
Link is an impressive piece of infrastructure - but it will also be expensive.
Andrews a shot away
from power or failure
Opposition leader still needs to convince voters that change is worth the risk.
Video
Trauma in the fire brigade - Danny Ward
Firefighter Danny Ward gives an insight to his work.
Teaching with a difference at Templestowe
The school is now leading the state in innovative teaching.
Shaw's own vote keeps him in Parliament
The Frankston MP cast the deciding vote on whether he should be expelled.
