-
6 days ago | 
abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel
Police have charged five people in Cobram and Wangaratta as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged criminal network. The multi-year investigation has resulted in hundreds of charges and the alleged seizure of drugs, guns and vehicles. Police say they will continue to pursue suspects until "every link in the chain is broken". Police say they have disrupted an alleged criminal network in north-east Victoria following arrests in Cobram and Wangaratta.
-
1 week ago | 
abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel |Callum Marshall
Strathmerton residents say they are devastated by the news Bega Cheese will close its manufacturing site in the town. A phased closure of the site is expected to be complete by mid-2026, with around 300 jobs cut. The company says it will upgrade and create new jobs at its factory in Bega. Maree Hodgson has worked at Strathmerton's cheese factory for more than 30 years. She has been left in disbelief at Bega Cheese's announcement on Tuesday that it will close its northern Victorian site by mid-2026.
-
1 week ago | 
abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel
Bega Cheese will close its northern Victorian site in Strathmerton and consolidate its processing and packaging operations into its premises in the Bega Valley. The company announced on Tuesday that after an extensive review, a phased closure of the Strathmerton site was expected to be complete by mid-2026. The decision affects approximately 300 staff at the Strathmerton site.
-
3 weeks ago | 
abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel
AFL footballer Noah Balta has been fined and handed an 18-month community corrections order for assaulting a man in a New South Wales car park last year. Balta, 25, ignored a scrum of media as he walked into the Corowa Local Court on the New South Wales border on Tuesday morning. Magistrate Melissa Humphrey handed Balta a $3,000 fine and sentenced him to an 18-month community corrections order.
-
2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel
Victoria's health department has confirmed a second human case of Japanese encephalitis has been recorded in a person from northern Victoria. Authorities said the resident was likely exposed in the Riverina region of New South Wales along the Murray River. The latest Victorian detection follows a confirmed case of the virus in a man from Katunga in northern Victoria in December which prompted a spate of health warnings earlier this year.
-
Jan 31, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Erin Somerville |Charmaine Manuel |Sandra Moon
Health services already affected by hot weather are warning residents about the dangers of heat-related illness as scorching conditions move across south-east Australia. The Bureau of Metrology (BOM) has issued severe heatwave warnings for South Australia, Victoria and NSW border regions. The BOM is forecasting above-average temperatures well into next week, with maximums in the high 30s to low 40s.
-
Jan 29, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Callum Marshall |Emma Field |Charmaine Manuel
More than 100 workers at a Victorian tomato glasshouse have been indefinitely stood down after a devastating tomato virus hit the business. Agriculture Victoria revealed on January 17 that quarantine controls were put in place at Katunga Fresh in the state's north-east after tomato brown rugose fruit virus was found. The virus spread from South Australia, where it was first detected five months ago.
-
Jan 25, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel
While Australia has a strong culture of life-guarding at beaches and pools, groups like Life Saving Victoria are calling for similar measures at popular inland waterways. Nearly one-third of fatal drownings in Victoria were at inland waters according to Life Saving Victoria 2023–2024 data. Programs like Bush Nippers are hoping to train the next generation to be more aware of water hazards in communities that live close to the river.
-
Jan 23, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel |Kristian Silva
A Melbourne man who caused a horrific crash that claimed the lives of five people in northern Victoria has been sentenced to more than five years behind bars. Christopher Dillon Joannidis, 30, was behind the wheel of a Mercedes Benz that crashed into a ute, sending it into the path of a milk tanker at Strathmerton in April 2023. Debbie Markey, 62, and overseas workers Pin-Yu Wang, Hsin-Yu Chen, Wai-Yan Lam and Zih-Yao Chen, who were from Hong Kong and Taiwan, were killed in the smash.
-
Jan 22, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Callum Marshall |Charmaine Manuel
Henri van Riet has shaved nearly $3,000 off his home and content insurance premium simply by refusing to take no for an answer. Mr van Riet was shocked when the most recent insurance bill for his Brisbane home jumped by 35 per cent to $8,173. So he hopped online, found a cheaper price for a comparable product and then demanded a match from his current insurer. After numerous calls and "escalations" to senior managers, Mr van Riet finally got his way. But it was not without a fight.
