Latest news with #Mildura
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Child abuse survivors pay tribute to Victorian detective Denis Ryan
Former Victorian police officer Denis Ryan has been remembered for his courage in attempting to prosecute paedophile Catholic priest Monsignor John Day in the 1970s. Mr Ryan died on Tuesday at the age of 93. He was a detective based in Mildura in north-west Victoria when he was forced out of Victoria Police in 1972 for attempting to prosecute Monsignor Day. A year earlier, he had learned of multiple allegations against the priest for child sexual abuse and began his investigation, but was told to stop by his superiors. A contemporary of convicted paedophile priest Gerald Risdale, Monsignor Day has since been shown to be one of Australia's most prolific child sex abusers. Monsignor Day remained a priest until he died in 1978, aged 74. On Wednesday, Peter Hoysted — Mr Ryan's friend and co-author of the memoir Unholy Trinity: The Hunt for Paedophile Priest Monsignor John Day — led the tributes to Mr Ryan. "No sanctimony, a wicked sense of humour and courage to burn." It took more than 40 years for Victoria Police to apologise to Mr Ryan in 2016, but compensation was not made until two years later. "He never let up, refused numerous inducements offered which would have silenced him and allowed terrible crimes against children to remain in the shadows," Mr Hoysted said. John Fitzgibbon, who was abused by Monsignor Day, described Mr Ryan as "a great man" who validated the abuse local children had suffered. "He listened. [It was important] to be heard and believed because when we were younger, we didn't think anybody would believe it," Mr Fitzgibbon said. "But it was always Denis who was there for you. He believed it because he had statements from us younger ones." In 2015, Victoria Police admitted a conspiracy to cover up the crimes of Monsignor Day went right to the top, with Mr Ryan telling the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that "a Catholic mafia" within Victorian Police had thwarted his attempts to charge the priest. "His determination meant a lot to us all," Mr Fitzgibbon said. "He's a chap that's going to be really missed in our community and missed by a lot of victims that he still had time for." Mr Ryan was named the Australia Day Citizen of the Year by Mildura Rural City Council in 2018. Mildura Rural City councillor Ali Cupper, who also was a friend of Mr Ryan, said his story was one of international significance. "People like him were unfortunately in the minority for a very long time, but who shone a light on one of the darkest chapters of our history — the rampant sexual abuse of children by people whose job it was to protect them," she said.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
New Mildura hospital concept made public on architecture firm's website
The concept design for a redeveloped hospital in Victoria's north-west has been made public for the first time on an architecture company's website. The state government commissioned a master plan for Mildura Base Public Hospital in 2021 but has never released the plan publicly. However, artwork from the plan has been uploaded to the website of HSPC Health Architects' website. Hospital administrators enthusiastically welcomed a $2 million state government pledge towards the development of the plan in the 2021–22 state budget, but said this week they had never seen a completed document. The existing hospital offers health services to more than 57,000 people in one of the state's fastest-growing regions, where the population has jumped 10 per cent in the past decade. Mildura Base Public Hospital acting chief executive Matthew Jukes said Mildura's growing and aging population had put extra pressure on the hospital, and an upgrade was needed. "Our ED [emergency department] sees about 100 patients a day and our hospital runs at capacity most days," he said. Mr Jukes said the hospital's ED had 15 to 16 cubicles, one of which was a treatment room. In March 2022, former health minister Martin Foley said he looked forward to sharing the master plan with the Mildura community "in the very near term" and hinted it would involve a new hospital. "The master plan will deliver what the community of Mildura has always deserved: a world-class public hospital that is able to deliver, close to where people live, the services they need in partnership with the wider public health system," he told Victorian parliament. In the May state budget, the government announced a $634.3 million package to open nine new or expanded hospitals, but no new regional hospitals were included in the funding. The concept design of the redeveloped Mildura hospital shows a curved, three-story building with a glass facade on the ground floor. It was uploaded to the website of HSPC Health Architects, an architectural consulting and advisory service, under the headline Mildura Rural Base Hospital. A description on the website stated the company was commissioned to complete a master plan by the Victorian Health Building Authority, which was finalised in 2023. "HSPC approached the master plan for Mildura Rural Base Hospital with a comprehensive strategy, characterised by innovation and a fresh perspective, unencumbered by the site's past history," the website stated. HSPC Health Architects was contacted for comment. State member for Mildura Jade Benham said the concept design was a "pretty picture" and questioned why the full master plan had not been released by the government. "I asked for it many, many times and I just keep getting the run around from the government," she said. "The reasons that we get is … they won't be releasing it to me because it's a working internal document. "I want to know what they are hiding." Ms Benham, a Nationals MP, said more beds were desperately needed at Mildura Base Public Hospital and she had been calling on the government to fund them since she started her role as state MP in 2022. "We know from an operational point of view and a government point of view, the Mildura Base Public Hospital at a bare minimum needs 30 extra beds," she said. "There is not enough staffing. There's not enough investment. In a statement, a Victorian government spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the master plan would be released. "We know the importance of regional healthcare for communities like Mildura — that's why we returned Mildura Base Hospital to public hands in 2020, undoing the damage caused by the Kennett Liberal-National government," the spokesperson said. "More than $30 million in funding has been delivered for health infrastructure upgrades at Mildura Base Public Hospital, including an expanded ICU [intensive care unit] and a range of theatre upgrades."
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Mildura 'battens down the hatches' as dust storm takes over
Mildura residents are navigating an orange haze as a dust storm sweeps over the regional Victorian city. Police are directing traffic across town, as it gets harder for motorists to see. Real estate agent Katrina Wootton said while it was not that unusual for Mildura, it was the first dust storm in a while. "The Mallee dust is just rearing its ugly head today," Ms Wootton said. "We're quite used to it, you know, close all the windows and batten down the hatches. Emergency Services are warning people in the area to stay indoors, close their windows and shut their doors. If indoors, they advise people to set air conditioners to recirculate air and to cover your nose and mouth with a mask or damp cloth. "I've been wearing my sunglasses all day even though it's quite dull to keep the dust out of the eyes," Ms Wootton said. "I thought it was going to miss us … but it's getting progressively worse and worse." ABC Statewide Drive listeners texted in to the program and said in Colignan, visibility was reduced to 400 metres. While in Red Cliffs, Sue Eason told the ABC the sky had turned from red to black. "If we look out we can see vineyards … [but] we can only see the first row," Ms Eason said. "My car is blue but it's brown. "Outside we'll have to blow a lot of things down tomorrow." Parts of South Australia have also experienced dust storms as wild weather hits the state.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- ABC News
Jury in dishonesty trial for Nick Stevens discharged as judge stands down
A judge has discharged the jury in the criminal dishonesty trial of former AFL footballer Nick Stevens, after revealing she has previously prosecuted him. County Court Judge Fran Dalziel told the trial on Monday morning she had previously dealt with Mr Stevens in a case while working as Crown prosecutor. Mr Stevens was facing court over 18 fraud-related charges, including obtaining a financial advantage by deception, after allegedly accepting $170,000 from six families to install swimming pools that were either not started or left incomplete at properties in the Mildura region. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Judge Dalziel told the court she needed to recuse herself from the case to avoid any perception of an unfair hearing. "Because of that appearance, somebody might look at this going, 'Well, how could that judge, having prosecuted him in the past, bring a fair mind to this trial?,'" she told the court. "Nobody is suggesting that I have been biased, but it's the appearance of that." Judge Dalziel told the court Mr Stevens was found not guilty in the previous matter. The court has listed a new four-week trial to begin in late February next year.
ABC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
One Nation supporter fighting personal safety order was allegedly pushed by MP's husband, court hears
A court considering an application by a Victorian MP and her husband for a personal safety order against a One Nation supporter has heard allegations the MP's husband allegedly shoved the supporter at a car show in the lead-up to the federal election. Mallee MP Anne Webster and her husband, Philip Webster, successfully obtained an interim safety order on April 23 preventing One Nation supporter and Mallee farmer Dean Lampard from contacting or approaching them. The interim order followed an alleged altercation on Good Friday between Mr Webster and Mr Lampard at a Mildura car show, and prevented Mr Lampard from being within 20 metres of the Websters and their home or workplaces, and from contacting them. The Victorian government Solicitor's Office is now representing Dr Webster and her husband in an application for full personal safety orders against Mr Lampard. Mr Lampard's defence lawyer, Jamie Griffin, told Mildura Magistrates Court today it was Dr Webster's husband and her staff that approached Mr Lampard at the car show on Good Friday. Mr Griffin told the court there was "a conversation and pushing and shoving", with Mr Webster shoving Mr Lampard. "Ms Webster's staff approached Mr Lampard — Mr Lampard didn't approach Ms Webster," he said. Dr Webster, who is a member of the Nationals party, retained the seat of Mallee in the election with a slight swing toward her, in what is considered a safe seat. Dr Webster and her husband were not present in court today. The Websters' lawyer told the court he had only been made aware of the matter on Wednesday. Mr Lampard's lawyer argued there was not strong enough evidence for a continued protection order. A media application for a copy of an affidavit outlining the full allegations against Mr Lampard was adjourned to next month. The protection order hearing was also adjourned to a later date.
