Byron Bay-based festival Splendour XR will ditch mosh-pits for lounge rooms with a completely online festival on July 24 and 25. With major headline acts including The Killers , Khalid , CHVRCHES , Tash Sultana and Vance Joy , the festival will run for two days and, for the first time, will be an all-ages event. Festival-goers can create a digital persona to roam the virtual grounds of the iconic Byron Bay setting, with multiple camera angles to choose from. Organisers have

Children in Victoria's child protection system are falling between the cracks, prompting calls for an independent review into Why, Nadia...

Local sporting teams may have returned to the fields in 2021 after grassroots sporting competitions were cancelled last year, but leagues are now struggling to find umpires. Southern Football Netball League (SFNL) umpire Michael Moore said umpire shortages were a growing problem. “Whether it’s the endless abuse, or older umpires simply retiring so that they can spend the weekend with their families instead, there’s less of us sticking around and less young umpires coming thr

The world’s first fully sustainable shopping centre in Burwood will create a “ripple effect” of eco-consciousness throughout the community, the project’s lead environmental architect says. Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre has incorporated a range of sustainable practices into its design, such as recycling wastewater on-site, rooftop solar panels, and air quality controls. The centre has already qualified under The International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Cha

Richmond community members say they are sick of seeing the Richmond medically supervised injecting room (MSIR) hammered in the media and are asking people to have some compassion. Victoria Street Drug Solutions founder Judy Ryan said she started the community group in 2016 to show support for the MSIR. “Despite the popular narrative seen in the media, we are a community that supports the Richmond injecting room,” Ms Ryan said. “People do not choose to have a heroin addiction

Farmers and Greens have lined up against the State Government to fight new rules that will allow free camping on rivers that run through farmland. Greens Deputy Leader Ellen Sandell joined farmers on the steps of Parliament in a recent rally against the changes. Ms Sandell said there were few issues where environmentalist and farmers could agree, “but this was one of them”. “The Government’s decision to open these areas, particularly for camping, is ill-conceived right from t

Islamic fundamentalist cleric Ebrahim Raisi received 17,926,345 of 28,933,004 million votes cast to become the eighth Iranian President on Friday. According to many critics of Iran’s government, the election was engineered, and because of widespread disqualifications by the Guardian Council, which is responsible for monitoring elections in Iran, a range of political organisations and voices were not included. The Ministry of the Interior said it was the lowest turnout in th

“We are a danger to ourselves and the rest of life,” musician Shane Howard told the Inquiry into Ecosystems Decline in Victoria on Thursday. Mr Howard, treasurer for the Belfast Coastal Reserve Action Group and former Goanna band front man, said better legislation, communication, education and funding was needed to stop the destruction of the environment. “We have created a Star Wars civilisation, with Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology,” Mr

A Boroondara council program aimed at promoting community growth in the wake of Covid-19, entitled Bare to Beautiful, will see empty storefronts covered with large botanical decals. The decals, designed by local artists, will recreate flowers unique to the region to provide a homegrown touch that creates a consistent botanical theme across various shopfronts in the district. The program launched last week as part of the council’s efforts to revitalise local shopping strips an

Hobson Bay City Council should do more to warn about the dangers dogs face with toxic fish at Altona beach, locals say. Dog owner and local resident Nicolas Downe said he acted immediately after his “playful” labrador Zeus swallowed a pufferfish a few weeks ago at the dog beach, also known as PA Burns Reserve. “I could actually see him chomping on [the fish],” he said. When I got him to spit it out, the fish looked like it had been partially eaten. This is when I knew there w

A Victorian woman has petitioned the Australian Department of Health for better treatment in hospitals for women who have miscarried or lost their baby through stillbirth. Since the beginning of May, the change.org petition has received more than 400 signatures, with many people sharing traumatic hospital experiences and calling for action. Sherrie Fujto said she started the petition after a miscarriage when, while waiting for surgery, she was placed in the same waiting roo

A petition against the closure of the East Ivanhoe Bowling Club was received by Banyule City Council last month, as part of ongoing unrest about the council’s plan for local sporting clubs. Now with more than 600 signatures from local residents, the change.org petition organised by club president Matthew Perkins highlights concern among sections of the community about the Ivanhoe Sports Precinct Plan. The plan aims to fix up ageing local sporting facilities and find homes fo