Latest news with #StateControlCentre
Sydney Morning Herald
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Sydney Morning Herald
Residents warned of damaging wind as dust storm hits Victoria
Residents of north-west Victoria are dealing with a huge dust storm that began in South Australia, with coastal and central Victoria also being warned to brace for dangerous weather. Photos taken in Mildura depict a wave of orange engulfing the inland city. The weather bureau reported wind gusts of 70km/h in western Victoria on Monday afternoon. The State Control Centre first warned residents of the Mallee to expect dust storms from South Australia about midday. Images of the dust storm blanketing parts of South Australia were posted online on Monday. A video posted from the town of Orroroo by South Australian media personality Andrew 'Cosi' Costello shows a thick orange haze reducing visibility to less than a few hundred metres. 'Bloody hell,' wrote Costello in this video posted to Facebook. In Victoria, the State Emergency Service told residents to close doors and windows and remain indoors when the storm arrived. In South Australia, police warned drivers to exercise extreme caution because the roads were unsafe.
The Age
26-05-2025
- Climate
- The Age
Residents warned of damaging wind as dust storm hits Victoria
Residents of north-west Victoria are dealing with a huge dust storm that began in South Australia, with coastal and central Victoria also being warned to brace for dangerous weather. Photos taken in Mildura depict a wave of orange engulfing the inland city. The weather bureau reported wind gusts of 70km/h in western Victoria on Monday afternoon. The State Control Centre first warned residents of the Mallee to expect dust storms from South Australia about midday. Images of the dust storm blanketing parts of South Australia were posted online on Monday. A video posted from the town of Orroroo by South Australian media personality Andrew 'Cosi' Costello shows a thick orange haze reducing visibility to less than a few hundred metres. 'Bloody hell,' wrote Costello in this video posted to Facebook. In Victoria, the State Emergency Service told residents to close doors and windows and remain indoors when the storm arrived. In South Australia, police warned drivers to exercise extreme caution because the roads were unsafe.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Who are the winners and losers in Victoria's 2025 state budget?
With a focus on the cost of living, families are among the biggest winners in this year's Victorian budget. The budget has been described as "responsible" by the treasurer, and promises a $600 million surplus for the first time since the pandemic. The government is still grappling with rising debt, and plans to axe thousands of public service jobs. While the list of winners looks long, with the exception of health, many of the investments are expanding on existing programs or are relatively small initiatives. So, who are the winners and losers? Winner: Health This year's budget features an $11.1 billion investment in Victoria's healthcare system. The government says that's "almost a third of this year's expenditure". It includes $634 million for new hospitals across Frankston, Footscray, Craigieburn, Cranbourne and Phillip Island. The roles of pharmacists will also expand in a bid to help Victorians avoid costly GP appointments. They'll be able to treat more conditions and consultations will be free. Winner: Families With a focus on cost of living, families are among the big winners of this year's budget. Families with young children will save around $2,600 per child with free kinder offered for every three and four year old. It's an extension of the already existing Free Kinder program. Winner: Public transport users Victorians under the age of 18 will be offered free public transport anywhere in the state, throughout the entire year. That's expected to save families upwards of $700 per child each year. The government is also expanding its free public transport program for seniors on weekends. Loser: Taxpayers Net debt is forecast to grow to a record $194 billion in three years' time, up from $167.6 billion this year. The government says it's not introducing any new taxes in this latest budget but last week a new emergency services levy passed through parliament which is expected to bring in $600 million. The controversial levy will be charged alongside council rates and will raise funds for fire services, the State Emergency Service, triple-0 and the State Control Centre. Victoria will pay $7.6 billion in interest in 2025-26 which is set to grow to more than $10 billion in three years. Loser: Public servants The government has flagged thousands of public servant jobs will be cut as it looks to save $3.3 billion. The exact number of jobs to go and which ones they will be have not been identified. Instead, the government says it will wait for the Silver review — a report looking into the public service sector which is due to be handed down by the end of next month. No change: Infrastructure Two major projects are expected to be complete this year. Those are the West Gate Tunnel and the Metro Tunnel projects. But infrastructure projects across the board have blown out by $3.3 billion. That includes a previously reported blowout of $827 million for the Metro Tunnel project. According to analysis, 518 budget-funded projects show a 1.9 per cent increase in costs since last year's budget. Winner: Community safety The government says it's focusing on community safety, investing $1.6 billion in crime prevention. Of that, $727 million will go towards implementing the state's bail reform measures, while $176 million will be put aside to expand rehabilitation and support services to reduce reoffending. With pressure mounting on the government to provide more support to Victoria Police, it's investing $92 million in police recruitment. Winner: Home owners The government is committed to building 800,000 new homes by 2034. Last year the government announced a temporary slashing of stamp duty for new apartments, units and townhouses, when they are purchased off-the-plan. That concession will be expanded for an additional year until October 2026. Credits:
The Guardian
31-01-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Indigenous rock art threatened by Grampians bushfires in Victoria's west
Fire crews are racing to protect Victoria's richest concentration of Indigenous rock art, as they tackle a series of out-of-control blazes ahead of an expected heatwave. Bushfires continue to burn out of control at the Grampians national park in Victoria's west, after about 10,000 lightning strikes hit the ground in the state following hot conditions on Monday. Firefighters were working to contain the blazes and prevent impacts on the national park that is home to about 200 Indigenous rock art sites, a State Control Centre spokesperson, Reegan Key, said on Friday. The park contains 'the richest concentration of rock art in Victoria', which was among 500 Indigenous cultural sites in the area, she said. 'With three major fires now in the Grampians national park in the last month, we want to recognise the anxiety and impact these fires are having on the community themselves, but also the traditional owners of this country,' she said. Watch and act warnings were issued on Friday for residents of Wartool, Zumsteins, Brimpaen, Mooralla, Woohlpooer, Big Cord, Strachans, Victoria Valley, Glenisla, Hynes, the eastern side of Rocklands and the Little Desert national park. People along other parts of the park's western flank were told to monitor conditions. A fire continues to burn at the Little Desert national park, northwest of the Grampians blaze, after claiming one home near the town of Dimboola, a second home further west and an event centre. Country Fire Authority volunteers were backburning between the towns of Dunkeld and Cavendish to create fire breaks in the southern Grampians, amid fears the blazes at either end of the national park could meet. Aircraft, bulldozers and ground crews were removing vegetation to create control lines to prevent fires from progressing, while spraying down areas that are difficult to reach. Private land along the Victoria Range, in the western flank of the Grampians, remains at real risk after the fire burned more than 10,000ha. On Thursday, Key said benign weather conditions on Friday and Saturday would offer firefighters an opportunity to get in and around the fires before an escalation in heat from Sunday. 'The next few days, hopefully we will have firefighters in the area working to support those communities and lessen the impacts,' she said. 'The focus will be very strongly on trying to minimise the potential impacts of those warmer days coming over the weekend and into next week.' While the forecast for Victoria from Sunday onwards points to the mercury surpassing 40C, she said there would be an absence of strong winds. 'The fire does love heat and dry conditions, but it is when we see some significant winds you do see those fires take runs,' she said.
Express Tribune
27-01-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Firefighters battle bushfires amid extreme heat in Melbourne, Australia
Listen to article Firefighters in Victoria are battling dangerous bushfire conditions as temperatures exceed 40°C in parts of the state, including Melbourne. A total fire ban has been implemented for several regions, including Mallee, Wimmera, South-West, North-Central, and Central, which covers Melbourne. The fire danger rating for these areas is categorized as extreme. On Monday, strong northerly winds pushed temperatures in Melbourne past 40°C, with Point Cook reaching 42°C, Avalon also recording 42°C, and Mildura and Swan Hill in the state's north-west hitting 43°C. A "watch and act" alert was issued for Little Desert, near the South Australian border, shortly before 2 p.m. Authorities warned residents in the area to leave immediately as out-of-control fires spread in the Little Desert National Park, just south of Nhill. The alert was later expanded to cover Kinimakatka and Winiam East. A "leave-now" alert was issued for Minimay and Peronne, south of the Little Desert fire, and later extended to include Goroke. At 3:45 p.m., an out-of-control grass fire near Rokewood prompted a "watch and act" alert, warning residents of Barunah Park, Corindhap, Rokewood, Shelford, and Warrambine to leave immediately. This alert was later updated to cover only Warrambine and Shelford. Photo: Nine News State Control Centre spokesman Luke Heagerty confirmed that much of Victoria was experiencing hot, dry, and windy conditions, with dry lightning affecting areas such as Little Desert National Park. He advised tourists and campers in the park to evacuate, as the fire was spreading quickly. Emergency services were attempting to slow the fire's spread, but the combination of dry conditions and strong winds raised concerns about its potential to reach private land. Meteorologist Dean Narramore warned that the hot, dry, and windy conditions made any significant fires "uncontrollable and uncontainable." Isolated thunderstorms in Melbourne had raised concerns about dry lightning sparking new fires, especially in the western districts. By 4:15 p.m., AusNet reported that approximately 5,300 customers were without power. Heagerty described Monday as a "reverse Boxing Day," with holidaymakers returning home after the long weekend, making road safety a key concern. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasted a cool change to hit Melbourne around 6 p.m., with temperatures dropping by 10 to 15 degrees in 15 to 20 minutes. However, strong winds were expected to accompany the change, with gusts potentially reaching 80 km/h in Melbourne's bayside suburbs. Elsewhere, a four-wheel-drive vehicle became bogged on Elwood Beach at dawn, with the driver confidently assuring reporters he could free the car. A bulldozer later assisted in towing the vehicle away. Overnight, metropolitan firefighters responded to a blaze that destroyed a house in Lady Nelson Way, Taylors Lakes, around 3 a.m. Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) reported that a structural collapse initially hindered crews from entering the building, but the fire was declared under control by 3:43 a.m. Authorities have not confirmed whether anyone was inside, though signs suggest the house may have been abandoned.
