Reporter: Liz Weinberg. Halloween celebrations are set to take off all around the globe this weekend on the last day of October, but at what cost? The Australian Retail Council, in partnership with Roy Morgan, forecasts Halloween spending will reach $510 million in 2026. However, the proportion of Australians planning to celebrate is expected to fall from 21 percent in 2025 to 18 per cent this year. Frankston costume shop owner, Tanya Bowyer, said Halloween remained the shop’

By Danya Meyerthal. Racing Victoria stewards have withdrawn Saint George from Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup after an independent panel of imaging specialists found the Ciaron Maher-trained stayer was at heightened risk of injury. The horse underwent a compulsory CT scan of its lower limbs at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre in Werribee this week, according to a Racing Victoria stewards’ report released on Thursday. Three members of a seven-person international panel of spe

Reporter: Lucia Fisher. As the university semester comes to an end, many students are preparing to close one chapter of their lives and open another. For many, today marks the final day of their university studies, bringing a mixture of excitement, uncertainty and reflection about what comes next. Graduating from Swinburne University of Technology, Sam Smith said finishing university was a bittersweet milestone. “I’m really proud of myself for having this massive achievement

Reporter: Lucia Fisher. Australian first home buyers could face a new affordability squeeze, with property prices falling but the cost of borrowing potentially rising. House prices declined across every capital city in the September quarter for the first time in 15 years, according to Domain’s latest house price report. While cheaper properties could help Australians trying to enter the housing market, higher interest rates could offset those savings by increasing mortgage re

By Ava Campbell. A record-breaking 850 athletes with autism or an intellectual disability competed in the National Special Olympics in Melbourne this week. Young gun Claudia Flamini wasted no time in showcasing her talent at the Olympics running an 11 second personal best in the 1500m. The athlete says her early diagnosis of autism made her feel like an outsider but the games have given her a community she “enjoys to be a part of.” Flamini was the first ever Western Austral

By Dawn Hipe. 1 in 20 Australians live with Attention Deficit HyperActivity Disorder (ADHD). For university students with ADHD it can be difficult to complete their degrees and graduate. Awareness of ADHD has increased in the last decade, with universities establishing key services to help disabled students. “Being a student, your experience can go up-and-down, sometimes you feel like you got it under control other times you don’t. We hope that over time people are more comf

By Brooke Lote. A new study has shattered the myth that mental health declines because of daylight savings. Swinburne researches Dr Ben Bullock and Professor Greg Murray found evidence that there is no direct consequence of pushing the clocks forward on people’s mental health. “Our study found that the acute shift in clock time due to daylight saving was not consistently associated with significant declines in mental health,” Dr Bullock said. As Melbournians adjust to daylig

By Daniel Allen. One in five Australians say they feel disconnected from others, according to research released by Mental Health Australia. With World Mental Health Day tomorrow, the theme of “Together, We Thrive” celebrates the importance of connection. Senior Psychologist at Eastern Therapy Hub, Vicki Nousias, supports face-to-face interactions as a way for people to grow, learn and expand their support groups, forming behaviours that are beneficial for emotional wellb

By Brooke Lote. The ongoing rivalry between traditional movie theatres and subscription streaming platforms has been playing out for almost 20 years, since the launch of Netflix in 2007. Cinema struggles to keep up with the new era of digital streaming media, where movies are no longer only released in theatres, but straight onto streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Fundamentally, keeping people at home. However, in Melbourne’s West, cinema chains are fighting b

By Mitchell Davis. The 2026 Melbourne Marathon is set to take place this weekend. The 48th running of the event features a redesigned course that removes a section of the route through the pathways of Royal Botanic Gardens, resulting in runners spending more time on Melbourne’s public roads. Victoria’s roads have been under media scrutiny in the lead up to the state election in November, with road quality and pothole repair infrastructure being a major point of discussion. Fo

By George Podeu. There are increasing concerns around privacy and the sale of smart glasses after Kmart made the technology cheaper to buy. The major retailer recently withdrew from sale the Anko camera glasses after public backlash. The Office of the Australian Information Commission has launched an investigation. They have asked smart glass manufacturers to provide information about how the glasses work, who has access to the recorded information, and where it’s being store

By Mitchell Davis. Victoria’s native fish could benefit from warmer water temperatures as climate change alters freshwater ecosystems. Experts from the Victorian Fisheries Authority say Macquarie Perch and Murray Cod may have a better chance of survival in increased water temperatures. This is because introduced species such as trout rely on cooler water. “Non-native species like trout are cold-water species. What we’ve seen is as our waters are consistently warming, trout ar