Good morning central Victoria!
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We’re in for a mostly sunny day with patchy fog and the chance of light frost early this morning - Bendigo 15, Maryborough 15, Castlemaine 14, Kyneton 13, Redesdale 15, Echuca 17.
Catch up on news here:
'Too optimistic' financial forecast sees Radius Disability Services, Morley's Emporium close doors
Inaccurate budget estimates and a series of failed income-raising ventures are behind the closure of disability service Radius, its chairman has said. Russell Robertson said it was no longer possible for the organisation to offer its care and supported employment programs while continuing to pay staff members. Radius entered into voluntary administration on Monday. Read more here.
Footballer fights for life
A Heathcote Saints footballer is fighting for his life in a Queensland hospital after overdosing on a powerful synthetic drug while on an end-of-season trip. Read more here.
Assault revives focus on Hargreaves Mall
The assault of a school student with a disability in Hargreaves Mall on Monday has again raised concerns about the problematic behaviour of some who frequent the area. Read more here.
Councillor queries ‘doubtful’ vote
A sitting councillor has raised “serious concerns” about the counting of votes at the City of Greater Bendigo elections – leading her rival candidate to speculate she may fear the result. Read more here.
Bendigo called on to make a loud statement without raising its voice
Bendigo fashionistas are being urged to make a statement and support children who are deaf by donning their loudest, brightest and most colorful shirts. Read more here.
State of the nation
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
► MYALL LAKES: It was just hours following the accident, and Clayton Curnow was being released by police after being charged with being drunk behind the wheel of a utility when his best mate, Jake Collins, fell from the roof and died. More here.
► ORANGE: They might be direct, but Darryl and Vicky Prestwidge say the signs outside their home needed to be in order to make a difference to the greyhound ban. More here.
► ST ARNAUD: A man has been remanded in police custody after hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cannabis plants and hydroponic equipment were seized from a house on Friday. More here.
► MANDURAH: Motorcycle fatalities in the Peel-Mandurah region account for one fifth of WA’s motorcycle-related fatalities since the start of the year. In the wake of recent fatal motorbike crashes, acting road safety commissioner Chirs Adams has urged riders to take more responsibility and precautions on the road. More here.
► SCONE: Family and friends of Scone real estate agent Adam O’Regan have paid tribute to him a day after the Gundy car accident that claimed his life as well as those of two passengers. More here.
► BATHURST: The Wiradyuri community has called on Bathurst mayor Gary Rush to live up to what they say was his promise to add the word “Wahluu” to Mount Panorama. More here.
► DUBBO: A greater supply of resources and a different structure in the police force could help combat the rural crime epidemic in the central west. Member for Dubbo, Minister for Police and Justice and Deputy Premier Troy Grant said the current police model, Local Area Commands (LACs), may not be the best way to run police stations in western NSW. More here.
► HEATHCOTE: A footballer is fighting for his life in a Queensland hospital after overdosing on a powerful synthetic drug while on an end-of-season trip. Rikki Stephens, 27, was admitted to the Gold Coast University Hospital over the weekend after reportedly consuming the drug “flakka” and remains in a critical condition. More here.
National news
► Two government MPs, including the deputy speaker, have joined calls to allow the rapid-fire Adler shotgun to be imported into Australia, just hours after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared the ban was "set in stone." More here.
► Australia lacks adequate protections for human rights defenders and has created "an atmosphere of fear, censorship and retaliation" among activists, according to a United Nations special rapporteur. More here.
► Australia is about to launch a fresh diplomatic drive to expose Japan's claim to kill whales in the name of science, but a threat of further international legal action appears to be on hold for now. More here.
National weather radar
International news
► BALI: Accused Australian paedophile Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis has insisted he does not deserve jail for allegedly molesting Balinese children, saying "it was not a serious thing" and he "paid them generously". More here.
► JAKARTA: Maverick Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, as he is known, has never had a filter. Impulsive and polarising, the city's first Christian and ethnic Chinese governor - a double minority in Indonesia - seems to court controversy. More here.
► Julian Assange claims his internet connection was intentionally cut "by a state party", at the end of a weekend in which he was visited by Pamela Anderson and published a series of cryptic, coded tweets. More here.
On this day
The faces of Australia: Kate Delaney
FAMILY day care educator Kate Delaney admits she is big on communication – both with her young charges and their parents.
It means that when a child in her care has a breakthrough moment, she likes to deliver the happy news to the parent, along with the evidence, as soon as she can.
“It might be that a child has been trying to learn how to ride a bike with pedals. If they manage to do it while they’re here with me, I’ll video it, and send it along to their parents at work, along with a short message saying: ‘We did it!’” Read more here.