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Source: New South Wales – News

About 2.20am on Monday 20 October, police and ambulance crews were called to a business on The Parade, Seaford after reports that a man had attempted to force his way into the workshop.

A fight then occurred between two men at the property.

A 46-year-old Aldinga Beach man was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

A 45-year-old Seaford man was not injured.  He was arrested and charged with assault cause serious harm.  He is expected to appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court tomorrow, Tuesday 20 October.

Police believe this was not a random incident.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any dashcam or CCTV that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

270081

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Victorians can soon trial a new way of accessing specialist healthcare, through the state’s first virtual hospital – designed to deliver care remotely and improve access to specialist care across the state.

Following a competitive tender process, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Austin Health are the successful applicants to pilot the new service.

The service, when operational, will be capable of providing acute and subacute virtual care services for more than 250 patients, and is part of the Victorian Government’s plan to connect people to the right care, free up hospital beds and support patients to receive high-quality care at home.

The pilot will include virtual wards, with an initial focus on heart failure and post cardiac patients across both metropolitan and regional Victoria, to support patients to recover at home faster.

The service will also provide virtual ward rounds and monitoring, partnering with rural and regional health services to provide regional and rural patients access to tertiary specialist expertise.

A virtual foetal monitoring service to remotely monitor the health of babies is also included, with scans then sent to the Royal Women’s Hospital for a virtual consultation, saving regional mothers a trip into Melbourne.

The scope will also include ambulance and health service capacity and demand coordination, to make meaningful use of data and help ambulances get back on the road faster.

Both hospitals are currently designing how care will be delivered and finalising which services will be offered. Patients will begin accessing care through a phased rollout commencing in December, with the pilot set to be evaluated in June 2026.

Importantly, the success of the pilot will be evaluated with consideration to a range of outcomes, including positive patient experience and outcomes, the usability of virtual technology, and equitable access to care.

The design and delivery of the virtual hospital pilot is supported by a $3 million investment through the Victorian Budget 25/26.

This builds on existing virtual care options like the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, which saw an investment of $437 million in this year’s budget to massively expand and make the service permanent.

Source: Mental Health Australia

Motorists will soon experience safer journeys between Jindera and Table Top, with reduced speed limits to come into effect next month on Dights Forest Road. 

Source: Airservices Australia

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Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) has released its regulatory priorities for 2025–26. These outline the key risks and market issues it will target to better protect Victorian consumers and renters.

The priorities reflect emerging concerns, ongoing issues and the increasing pressures faced by many Victorians, particularly in the context of the rising cost of living, natural disasters and post-emergency recovery.

CAV will concentrate its efforts and resources on tackling harmful conduct in sectors that pose the greatest risk, including:

• unsafe and unfair housing for renters and rooming house residents
• high-pressure or exploitative sales, home-building and tradesperson services
• underquoting and trust account breaches by real estate professionals
• unfair practices in motor car trading
• scams and misconduct following disasters and emergencies, such as fake tradies, unregistered fundraisers, and the need for increased access to financial counselling.

While many priorities continue from previous years, CAV has introduced new areas of focus in response to emerging risks, including:

• a zero-tolerance approach to unsafe products, especially those that pose a risk to children
• ensuring fuel retailers provide accurate and timely fuel pricing and reporting
• protecting residents of retirement villages and residential parks from unfair practices.

CAV Director Nicole Rich says the regulatory priorities are aimed at focusing regulatory efforts where they are most needed.

‘Our regulatory priorities ensure Victorians understand what we are seeing in the marketplace and where we will focus our proactive efforts.

‘This does not stop us from responding to new or emerging issues during the year. CAV will always take appropriate action to address harmful conduct or breaches of the laws we administer.

‘Our priorities are informed by reports we’ve received from the public, feedback from stakeholders, market analysis and the experience and intelligence our investigators have gained on the ground.’

To learn more: Regulatory priorities 2025–26

Source: Mental Health Australia

The Minns Labor Government is helping motorcyclists make smarter, safer choices before hitting the road, today releasing new motorcycle helmet safety ratings that show the best protection doesn’t have to come with the biggest price tag.

The latest CRASH helmet safety results reveal the Nitro MX780 UNO, retailing for around $200, has scored a four-star safety rating, performing on par with helmets costing more than six times as much.

The Kabuto F17 GP MIPS was named Best Safety Helmet, while the Nitro MX780 UNO took out Best Value Helmet in the 2025 Consumer Rating and Assessment of Safety Helmets (CRASH) program.

CRASH, a consortium of government agencies and the Australian Motorcycle Council, independently and rigorously tests around 30 helmets annually against a range of criteria.

Tests include measuring impact protection, noise, ventilation, field of view and resistance to fogging.

All helmets sold in NSW must meet minimum standards, but CRASH has an additional series of more rigorous tests that compare their performance against each other.

Read the full media release here (PDF, 142.96 KB). 

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Search for bushwalker missing at Mt Field National Park under review

Monday, 20 October 2025 – 10:58 am.

The search for bushwalker, Daryl Fong – who has been missing in the Mt Field National Park area for a week – continued over the weekend and is currently under review. 
30-year-old Daryl was on a day hike in the Mt Field area when he last made contact with a friend about 3am on Sunday 15 October indicating he had become delayed and was planning to seek shelter overnight. 
Since that time Daryl has not been seen or heard from, his mobile phone has not been active, and the personal locator beacon he is believed to have been carrying has not been activated. 
The search continued over the weekend, with a specialist vertical rescue team deployed on Saturday to search the cliff area near the Tarn Shelf. 
Dangerous weather conditions in the area on Sunday, prevented further vertical searching and deployment of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. 
A review of the search is currently being conducted, with expert advice being sought from specialist survival experts. 
Search personnel remain committed to finding Daryl but with the passing of time and the conditions in the area, serious concerns are held for his welfare. 
Police thank all members who have been involved in the search, including the volunteers who are integral to the operation.  
Anyone who has been in the Mt Field National Park area and seen Daryl or anything they believe could relate to him, is asked to contact Bridgewater Police on 131 444 and quote ESCAD 000225-13102025.

Source: Mental Health Australia

The Minns Labor Government is today announcing the most significant motorcycle safety reforms in nearly 20 years.

The reforms include targeted, evidence-based measures to protect novice riders and save lives, while complementing the government’s broader efforts to improve road safety infrastructure across NSW.

Coinciding with Motorcycle Awareness Month, the reforms to the Motorcycle Graduated Licensing Scheme (MGLS) form a cornerstone of the Government’s 2026 Road Safety Action Plan – with the long-term vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on NSW roads by 2050.

The reforms follow extensive consultation, including via the 2025 NSW Motorcycle Safety Roundtable, which brought together more than 70 riders, trainers and safety experts. Their recommendations, captured in an independent Insights Report, have directly informed these reforms and are released publicly today.

The Insights Report found overwhelming support for better rider training and education, protective gear standards and enhanced road infrastructure.

Reacd the full media release here (PDF, 148.09 KB). 

Source: New South Wales – News

Emergency services were called to a shop on Henley Beach Road, Torrensville about 11.30am today (Saturday 18 October) by reports that three men of Asian appearance entered the store and started a fire, possibly using a Molotov cocktail.

MFS were quickly in attendance with the fire causing damage to the business.

The business was open at the time with several people inside suffering non-life-threatening injuries.  Two 24-year-old men were taken to hospital for treatment.

Police were later called to a house in Blenheim Street at Angle Park after reports that a man had suffered burns in a barbecue fire.

Upon further investigation, police found that the 40-year-old man may have been involved in the Torrensville fire.

He was taken to hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are investigating if this incident is related to Operation Eclipse.

Anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in either area is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

268819

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Fatal crash at Tasman Highway, Triabunna

Sunday, 19 October 2025 – 7:57 pm.

Sadly, a 63-year-old man has died following a crash at Triabunna today.
Police and emergency services were called to the scene on the Tasman Highway about 2:10pm.
Initial inquiries indicate the man was a rear passenger in a black Honda CRV travelling north when the vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a tree.
The remaining three occupants of the vehicle were treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones. A report will be prepared for the coroner.