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Source: State of Victoria Local Government 2

The City of Greater Bendigo is delighted to announce the opening of the 2026 Knuldoorong Art Exhibition on Friday July 3 at Dudley House, featuring works from First Nations artists and creatives.

The annual Knuldoorong Art Exhibition is a major highlight of local NAIDOC Week (July 5 to 12) events, anchoring the start of celebrations across Greater Bendigo.

This free exhibition features artworks from 25 First Nations artists living in or with connection to Greater Bendigo.

Knuldoorong means ‘all together’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language and the exhibition highlights artists at different stages in their lives and careers, including well-established Elders alongside young and emerging first-time exhibitors.

The works on display are diverse and include painting, weaving, ceramics, ceremonial pieces, and sculptural installation based art.

Artworks will be available for purchase, although items will remain on display in Dudley House until the exhibition ends.

The City’s First Nations Arts Officer and exhibition curator Michellie Charvat said the exhibition was a beautiful reflection of multiple generations of artists coming together.

“This year’s Knuldoorong Art Exhibition showcases an outstanding collection of artworks created by incredibly talented artists from right across Bendigo and beyond,” Ms Charvat said.

“Artists were not given a set theme. Each artwork reflects the culture and identity of the artist, deepening the connection to NAIDOC, community, and First Nations individuals.

“The official theme for this year is ‘50 Years of Deadly’, which marks the 50th anniversary milestone of the national NAIDOC movement and honours the activists, artists and Elders who have carried it forward.”

Due to the popularity of previous Knuldoorong exhibitions, the artwork will be on display beyond NAIDOC week. The exhibition is open from 10:30am to 4pm on weekdays (10.30am to 3pm on weekends) from July 3 to July 17 at Dudley House, 60 View Street, Bendigo. Entry is free.

The national NAIDOC Week celebrates and recognises the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

Berwick Fire Brigade celebrated a century of service at a special brigade dinner and awards ceremony at the Berwick Fire Station, last Saturday night (27 June).

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: State of Victoria Local Government 2

The City of Greater Bendigo in partnership with the Bendigo Historical Society has created an outdoor gallery experience in Hargreaves Street Mall showcasing post-war life from the Allan Doney Photographic Collection.

Curated by the Bendigo Historical Society, around 20 images from the Allan Doney Photographic Collection have been selected for the large-scale window display at the former Officeworks site in the Mall.

Allan Doney, a local tailor and passionate amateur photographer, began taking photographs at just 15 after receiving a Kodak Box Brownie camera. Over the following decades, he documented life across Bendigo and surrounding towns, capturing streetscapes, old mine sites, farms, and candid moments of everyday people.

His work is now widely recognised as an important visual record of a city in transition following the end of gold mining.

The collection was owned by the National Trust of Australia (Vic) and in a rare move it was gifted to the Bendigo Historical Society in 2025.

Bendigo Historical Society volunteers took on the enormous task of cataloguing, digitising around 13,000 film negatives and 3000 paper prints made between the early 1950s and the mid 1970s from Allan Doney’s collection.

Some of the negatives were still in the paper bags and sleeves they were first stored in some 70 years ago.

Society President Euan McGillivray said the outdoor gallery in the Mall was an opportunity to share the collection more widely and celebrate it in the community.

“Allan’s photos are a gift to the people of Greater Bendigo. With his camera, he roamed the streets and used beautiful light and composition to capture street life, with people coming and going, as well as significant buildings, some long gone,” Euan said.

“This was a period of significant change for the region following the end of gold mining, and Allan was there to capture it in a way few others did at the time.

Creative City Coordinator Maree Tonkin said the painstaking work from the Bendigo Historical Society has saved an important historical time capsule of the region.

“The City is delighted to partner with the Bendigo Historical Society and share Allan Doney’s fabulous collection as part of an outdoor gallery experience for shoppers and visitors in Hargreaves Street Mall,” Maree said.

The Bendigo Historical Society’s free exhibition Bendigo with Love featuring some of Allan Doney’s collection until August 8 at 11 MacKenzie Street, Bendigo (check opening times).

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

Lactalis Australia Pty Ltd has paid $59,400 in penalties after the ACCC issued it with three infringement notices for allegedly making false or misleading representations in the labelling of two of its milk products.

The ACCC alleges that Lactalis’ Golden North ‘Country Fresh’ 2L milk and Ferguson Valley ‘WA DAIRY FRESH’ 2L milk were labelled as fresh milk, when each contained substantial amounts of powdered reconstituted ingredients.

Lactalis’ products were identified in an ACCC investigation of the milk processing industry, which included obtaining information and reviewing the products of several major dairy processors and retailers.

The ACCC’s investigation found that processors and retailers largely label their fresh milk products accurately.

However, the ACCC’s investigation identified that Lactalis added substantial amounts of reconstituted skim milk and lactose to its Golden North ‘Country Fresh’ 2L milk. It also identified that Lactalis has added substantial amounts of reconstituted lactose to its Ferguson Valley ‘WA DAIRY FRESH’ 2L milk.

Lactalis removed the word ‘fresh’ from these product labels after the ACCC raised concerns about this labelling.

“Consumers should be able to trust product labels as accurate descriptions of the products they are buying, particularly for everyday groceries such as milk,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

“We were very concerned that prominent ‘fresh’ claims on these products may have been misleading, as consumers would not expect fresh milk to contain substantial amounts of powdered, reconstituted ingredients.”

“All food processors, including dairy companies, are on notice about the importance of truthfulness and accuracy with their packaging and labelling, and that they risk serious consequences if they make misleading claims to consumers,” Mr Keogh said.

These infringement notices were issued for alleged contraventions of section 29(1)(a) of the Australian Consumer Law, which prohibits false or misleading representations.

Background

Lactalis Australia is a major dairy processor that produces a wide range of dairy products across brands including Pauls, Harvey Fresh, Oak, Vaalia and Ice Break.

Lactalis Australia is owned by the multinational Lactalis Group, which is the world largest fresh dairy company.

In September 2022, Lactalis was penalised $950,000 for breaching the Dairy Code of Conduct by failing to meet some of its 2020-21 milk season obligations, in Federal Court proceedings brought by the ACCC.

Note to editors

The ACCC can issue an infringement notice when it has reasonable grounds to believe a person has contravened certain consumer law provisions.

The payment of a penalty specified in an infringement notice is not an admission of a contravention of the Australian Consumer Law.

The infringement notices will be published on the ACCC’s Infringement Notices Register.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Northern Territory Police have recovered two stolen firearms and arrested a 15-year-old after a stolen vehicle was driven from Daly River to Darwin.

At around 3:00am yesterday, a grey Toyota Landcruiser was stolen from Daly River. The vehicle, which contained two firearms and ammunition, was reported stolen by the owner later that morning.

Police will allege the stolen vehicle was driven to Darwin, where the occupants filmed themselves inside the vehicle, including handling one of the stolen firearms.

Acting on intelligence, Strike Force Trident members, supported by the Dog Operations Unit and Operation Ventura, conducted searches before locating and recovering the stolen Landcruiser in Gray.

While the firearms were not inside the vehicle, police recovered a quantity of ammunition. Enquiries with a local business owner in Gray provided descriptions of four persons of interest, who were subsequently located and arrested in Palmerston CBD a short time later.

During the arrest, Strike Force Trident seized a mobile phone containing video evidence allegedly showing a 15-year-old male and others travelling in the stolen vehicle and in possession of one of the stolen firearms.

Further enquiries led police to conduct searches of bushland off Jenkins Road and near the Palmerston Boat Ramp, where both stolen rifles and additional ammunition were successfully recovered.

As part of the investigation, police also located and recovered a second stolen vehicle that had allegedly been stolen from Bakewell the previous night and abandoned in bushland near Moulden.

The 15-year-old has since been charged with breach of bail and drive, use or ride in a stolen motor vehicle.

The owner of the firearms has been issued with a Notice to Appear in relation to alleged firearm storage requirements.

Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the offending are ongoing.

Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Burns from Strike Force Trident said the quick response by police led to an excellent result.

“Recovering these firearms before they could be used to commit further offences was our priority, and this is a great outcome for community safety.”

“This investigation involved a fantastic team effort between Strike Force Trident, the Dog Operations Unit and Operation Ventura. I’d also like to give a special mention to Patrol Dog Drax, whose nose led police straight to the hidden firearms.”

“We also thank the members of the public and local business owners who provided information that helped move the investigation forward.”

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested and charged a 41-year-old male following an armed person incident in Alice Springs yesterday.

Around 11:50am, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received multiple reports of a male allegedly armed with an edged weapon near Whittaker Street.

It is alleged the offender exited his vehicle while it was stationary at a set of lights at the corner of the Stuart Highway and Whittaker Street and used the weapon to damage the windscreen of a nearby white utility vehicle on the road.

The utility’s adult male driver exited the vehicle, and the offender allegedly chased him before a brief altercation occurred between the two. The victim did not suffer any injuries, and the offender subsequently fled the scene along Colson Street.

Police officers from Strike Force Viper, the Community Engagement Safety Team and general duties responded and arrested the 41-year-old offender a short time later on Elliot Street in Bratling.

He has since been charged with:

• Going armed in public
• Drive unregistered motor vehicle
• Drive uninsured motor vehicle
• Drive unlicensed NT interstate licence
• Damage to property

He was remanded to appear in court today.

Anyone with information, including with dashcam or CCTV footage, is urged to contact police on 131 444, quoting reference P26186319. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force’s first squad of Police Public Safety Officers (PPSOs) have made an immediate impact, supporting frontline policing across Greater Darwin during their first week on duty, including assisting with Territory Day celebrations and Operation Ventura.

After graduating last Friday, the inaugural cohort commenced duties this week and have already been deployed across Operation Ventura, high-visibility patrols, joint agency operations and major community events.

Assistant Commissioner Brendan Muldoon said the new PPSOs had quickly become a valuable addition to frontline policing.

“Our first PPSOs have hit the ground running and have already made a real difference in the community.”

“They were out supporting our members at Mindil Beach during the Territory Day celebrations, helping keep the community safe while engaging positively with the thousands of Territorians enjoying the event.”

“This is exactly what the PPSO model was designed for, providing a visible presence, working alongside partner agencies and allowing sworn police to focus on more complex policing matters.”

Six PPSOs are currently attached to Operation Ventura, working day and evening shifts alongside police and partner agencies. A further seven PPSOs have been deployed across Darwin and the northern suburbs, while the remaining members are conducting social order duties across Greater Darwin.

Since commencing duties, PPSOs have partnered with Public Housing Safety Officers, Transit Safety Officers, the Department of Education, Crown Lands, Palmerston City Council, Family and Youth Services and Yilli Housing to deliver coordinated community safety patrols.

In just their first few days of operations, PPSOs have achieved:

• 82 reassurance patrols
• 27 high-visibility foot patrols
• 163 persons moved on
• 127 litres of alcohol destroyed
• 32 Banned Drinker Orders issued
• 17 people taken into protective custody
• Nine arrests
• Nine infringement notices issued

PPSOs will continue supporting major community events, including the Top End Bull Spectacular this weekend, while maintaining a strong high-visibility presence across Darwin.

For the past six weeks, Operation Ventura has delivered a sustained, high-visibility policing response across Palmerston through close collaboration with partner agencies. The operation has focused on illegal camping, youth engagement, anti-social behaviour, public housing hotspots and licensed premises.

Assistant Commissioner Muldoon said while Operation Ventura would conclude after its planned eight-week deployment, the work would continue.

“Over the past six weeks, Operation Ventura has demonstrated the value of that approach. Officers have engaged with more than 4,100 people, conducted almost 3,000 high visibility patrols, issued more than 200 Banned Drinker Orders, tipped out nearly 1,800 litres of alcohol, made 99 arrests and seized 24 weapons. We’re also seeing encouraging reductions in anti-social behaviour, public drinking and alcohol-related harm across Palmerston.

“While Operation Ventura will conclude after its planned eight-week deployment, the work won’t stop there. Our new PPSOs will continue building on those results, maintaining a visible presence, working alongside partner agencies and helping keep Territorians safe every day.”

Considering joining the PPSO stream, visit the website for more information.

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Updated 1 July 2026

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Updated 1 July 2026

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

The Victorian Government’s Portable Rental Bond Scheme starts today, making it easier and more affordable for the around one million Victorians who rent to move home. Instead of paying a new bond upfront, eligible renters can transfer their bond money to their next rental property.

The Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) holds bonds securely as a neutral party on behalf of renters and rental providers. The new service aims to reduce moving costs by helping renters avoid the financial strain of paying a ‘double bond’ when changing properties. This forms part of the Victorian Government’s broader housing reforms.

How it works

The key steps for renters to transfer a bond are as follows:

1. Tell your rental provider or estate agent at the new property that you’ll pay the bond directly to the RTBA.

2. Once your rental provider lodges the bond request, you’ll get an email from the RTBA asking you to review and complete your bond lodgement.

3. If you’re eligible, you need to opt in, agree to the Terms and Conditions and pay a $25 application fee to transfer the bond. If your new bond is higher than your current bond, you’ll need to pay the difference.

The scheme is optional. Renters can still pay their bond directly to the RTBA even if they’re not using portable bonds. Renters can also pay their bond upfront to their rental provider or estate agent.

To learn more about portable bonds, eligibility and how the process works, visit www.vic.gov.au/portable-bonds.