Police fear for safety with criminals emboldened by change of pursuits policy

Nino Bucci and Rania Spooner 11:11 PM   Criminals may be emboldened to strike at police officers since the force scrapped police pursuits, with the union imploring command to explore solutions such as helicopters to monitor stolen cars and make sure offenders don't get a "free hit".

Police make arrests over claims weapons were to be brought to Melton anti-immigration rally

Aisha Dow, Alana Schetzer 10:44 PM   A man has been arrested and others are in custody after police received intelligence that several people were planning to bring weapons to an anti-Islam rally on Sunday.

Police seek help to find missing Diamond Creek teen

Larissa Ham 8:25 PM   Police have appealed for public help to find a teenage girl who went missing from Diamond Creek on Monday.

Mother plans to sue school after son died driving maintenance man's car

Adam Cooper 7:16 PM   The mother of a teenager who died driving a car belonging to his school's janitor is planning legal action against the school for not acting on allegations the pair were drinking mates.

Zero parking for South Yarra apartment fine, but not Brunswick, VCAT rules

Clay Lucas 7:15 PM   Zero car parking for apartment buildings located around vibrant commercial centres is acceptable, Victoria's planning tribunal has ruled in a new judgement over a South Yarra tower.

Police had called off chase before car thief shot at them in Hoppers Crossing

Rania Spooner, Patrick Hatch and Nino Bucci 7:11 PM   Police have arrested three men in Werribee after a shot was fired at a police car in Melbourne's west early Thursday morning.

Independent report condemns Environment Department's handling of botched Lancefield burn

Darren Gray 6:03 PM   A botched fuel reduction burn near Lancefield which destroyed homes was under-staffed, inadequately planned and risks like "heavy" fuel loads in the area were not properly recognised, a damning independent report on the blaze has found.

Gambing industry advertising spend jumps 326 per cent in four years

Alana Schetzer 5:47 PM   The gambling industry has become the fifth highest spending industry on advertising and is now the fifth highest spending industry on ads across the country.

Money launderers will be jailed, judge warns

Steve Butcher 5:24 PM   A Melbourne judge has bluntly warned money-launderers that jail awaits them, in sentencing a dual Israeli-Australian citizen for "organised criminal behaviour" involving $106,000.

Christmas behind bars for woman who, court told, stole cherries, decorations, then drove at police

5:08 PM   Woman accused of hitting a police officer with her car when he tried to talk to her about a theft from a Melbourne shopping centre won't be home for the holidays.

Hardship handout for taxi licence owners driven to poverty by industry reform

Adam Carey 5:06 PM   Small-time taxi licence owners who were hit the hardest by recent taxi industry reforms will share in a $4 million hardship fund to be handed out by the Andrews government.

'We've got babies crawling around in soot every day.' Family reminded daily about the devastating Lancefield blaze

Darren Gray 4:54 PM   Their house may have survived the Lancefield fire but, about six weeks after it hit, Verne Glenwright and his young family are living with daily reminders of the devastating blaze.

Melbourne weather: Cool change revives sweltering city

Patrick Hatch 4:51 PM   A cooling blast has hit Melbourne and sent the temperature plummeting by almost 10 degrees within half an hour.

It's all over ... now what? Best of the VCE memes.

Jessica Incoul, Timna Jacks 3:17 PM   If meme-making were a VCE subject, these students would have all scored 40plus.

Lancefield fire report finds 'significant shortcomings' in handling of burn-offs

Darren Gray 1:54 PM   Investigation finds Lancefield burn was inadequately planned and inadequately resourced. Engagement with the community was also found to be inadequate.

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Friends smoking ice when young woman shot dead in bedroom, court told

Mark Russell 1:43 PM   Four young people had been relaxed, chatting, taking drugs and playing with loaded firearms - then 'everything just stopped'.

The hidden costs of globalisation: super-long clothing labels

Lucy Battersby 12:19 PM   When people were warning about the potential downsides to globalisation back in the 1990s, I don't recall anyone mentioning excessively uncomfortable clothing labels. They just kept banging on about an economic race to the bottom, not an itch on your bottom.  

Damien Mantach charged over Liberal party cash theft

Adam Cooper and Richard Willingham 11:54 AM   The former state director of the Victorian Liberal Party Damien Mantach has been charged with taking more than $1.5 million from the party coffers.

Street declared safe after van bomb scare

Patrick Hatch 10:17 AM   A street in Geelong was placed in lockdown on Thursday morning as the bomb squad investigated a suspicious object found under a burnt-out vehicle.

On-the-spot fines unpopular and 'distressing' for Victorians

Aisha Dow 8:48 AM   Commuters who were fined complain to Public Transport Ombudsman that PTV officers said they had no right to appeal.

Social Affairs

Primary school puts Jenner, Lay on their gender agenda

Miki Perkins 8:18 AM   How do you talk about gender with a 10-year-old? And how can it prevent family violence? One Melbourne primary school uses David Bowie, Caitlyn Jenner and Ken Lay as a starting point.

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Melbourne Express: Thursday, November 19, 2015

Liam Mannix 7:06 AM   Melbourne Express is a live daily blog bringing you what you need to hit the day running – news, weather and transport updates, plus compelling content from The Age and beyond.

Victorian public servant wages growth strongest in six years

Josh Gordon 4:38 AM   Pay rates for Victorian bureaucrats are surging at the fastest pace for six years, underpinning a $357 million budget blowout in the wage bill for public servants in the past year.

How I survived breast cancer while pregnant

Julia Medew 4:29 AM   It was last thing Rebecca O'Donnell​ expected at 30 weeks' pregnant. One morning, while putting on her bra, she felt a pea-sized lump in her right breast.

Private sector called on to fund multibillion-dollar Metro rail tunnel

Adam Carey 12:15 AM   The Melbourne Metro rail tunnel will be built as a public-private partnership, with the state government on the hunt for investors who are willing to finance much of the $9-$11 billion project up-front.

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