Geelong Advertiser
‘ROLLING SHRINE TO HITLER’
A Jewish woman was left shaken after finding a car plastered with antisemitic stickers and whitesupremacist words in a Geelong shopping centre carpark. The vehicle was spotted at Newcomb Central on Friday morning, prompting a fierce response from the...
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SCREAMS AS SHARK HITS
A female surfer screamed as a shark repeatedly bumped her in Torquay on Thursday while witnesses described the creature toss her board around. The encounter unfolded about 8.30am at Torquay Point, with the victim warning others of a dark shadow...
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CITY SEES RED OVER PURPLE
The fight over a compulsory purple bin for Geelong households is heating up again, with Mayor Stretch Kontelj and frustrated residents united in opposing the state government mandate that City Hall says would cost ratepayers millions.
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TRADERS UNITE IN CARPARK BATTLE
Geelong traders have formed a new retailer group after the council’s removal of free twohour CBD parking sparked community backlash. Artsy Crafty Lounge owner Bec Lamont created the Geelong Retailers Association after an overwhelming response to an...
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FREEWAY ZOOM CALL
Princes Freeway motorists would have their travel time shortened under a Coalition plan to increase the speed limit to 110km/h, bringing it in line with other major Victorian roads. The change from the current 100km/h limit to 110km/h would apply for...
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MUDDY DISGRACE
Geelong’s soccer clubs are cancelling matches en masse and cramming dozens of junior players on to basketball courts as drainage failures plague more than half the region’s pitches. Football Victoria confirmed more than 50 per cent of local pitches in...
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Permanent police push for our CBD
Geelong’s mayor has called on the state government to station police officers in the CBD permanently, citing violence around the troubled Moorabool St bus interchange as a key concern. Stretch Kontelj made the plea for permanent protective service...
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BAKERY BOSS OWES SO MUCH DOUGH
A well-known Geelong businessman has admitted owing about $100,000 in unpaid superannuation to dozens of former employees, conceding he can’t guarantee they will ever receive the money. Bellarine Bakehouse and The Break Artisan Bakery owner Paul Field...
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‘MONUMENTAL STUFF-UP’
The Geelong line was thrown into chaos once again on Wednesday as the nationwide Telstra outage brought all V/Line train services to a halt. Morning commuters in the city were furious and frustrated as their travel plans came undone and they were told...
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CATS ASK FACEBOOK TO STOP THE SLOP
The Cats have asked Facebook to take action against pages that are repeatedly posting false and malicious AI-generated content about the club and its players, including fake deaths, births, crimes, illnesses, trade news and scandals.
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H CREEK
Armstrong Creek residents are taking crime fighting into their own hands, with reports of car bait scenarios and community patrols following breakins in the area despite police assuring offences had dropped.
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Dream hub build begins
Rose de Jong grew up on Wiradjuri country in central-west NSW but it is on Wathaurong country that she is helping turn a decades-long community dream into reality. The 33-year-old moved to Melbourne in 2016, where she held roles with Corrections...
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LET THERE BE LIGHT … SORT OF
The last steps to switch on traffic lights that have sat inactive at a major Geelong intersection for months have finally been green-lit. The hold-up has caused major delays, disruptions, detours and sparked safety concerns among frustrated local...
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SHIRE COPS A SPRAY
A Torquay father is demanding answers after council workers sprayed glyphosate around a playground frequented by toddlers and left no signage to warn barefoot children or their parents. Matthew Hardie said his partner and their two children, aged one...
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STUCK AT LIGHTS
North Geelong residents claim a busy Melbourne Rd intersection has been left without functioning traffic lights for more than a year, creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians and motorists alike. The lights are understood to have been out of...
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WOOD YOU LOOK AT THAT! JUMPING CASTLE COLLAPSE CLAIMS
Five children were trapped inside a collapsed jumping castle at a North Geelong play centre after management allegedly overruled staff who refused to pump up the damaged inflatable. “The children were screaming, then you had parents shouting, and...
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OCEAN ROAD BIRD FLU FEAR
A birdwatcher has slammed the state government for what she describes as a “shambolic” response to reports of a dead giant petrel southwest of Geelong – the same species at the centre of confirmed H5 bird flu cases across Australia. Helen Erskine-Behr...
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NOT GUILTY OVER WILD POLICE RUN-IN
A Wandana Heights man who woke in the middle of the night to find a police officer inside his house has been acquitted of assaulting officers after a tense confrontation that saw a police car run over his foot. Lewan Federico appeared in Geelong...
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WE ARE TAKING OVER
The state government has slammed Geelong council for a years-long delay in unlocking land earmarked for 23,000 new homes in the region, announcing it will seize control of the process. Premier Jacinta Allan (pictured) revealed the move in Norlane on...
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HURT NAN ON FLOOR FOR HOURS
Kay Rowse, 81, is treated by paramedics after more than two hours waiting in pain for an ambulance.
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ALLEGED KILL TRIO IN COURT
Three people accused of murdering a man in broad daylight in Norlane faced court for the first time on Tuesday. Bosko Kitevski, 39, of Lovely Banks, Norlane’s Adam Marlyn, 34, and Corio woman Shakeena Boutkan-Hill, 28, appeared one by one in the dock...
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SECOND CRIME SCENE DISCOVERED AFTER NORLANE STABBING P5
GEELONG’S VOICE FOR 185 YEARS Tuesday, June 23, 2026 $3.50
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NO FREE PARKING
Free two-hour parking in the CBD will be axed by Geelong council as it looks to balance its budget amid spiralling costs while also exploring the potential of partnering with the private sector to build a new multistorey carpark. The free parking...
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WILD AXE CHASE ON ROAD
A man who allegedly fled being bashed with a baseball bat was chased around a busy Geelong intersection in broad daylight by a gang of young men, one armed with an axe, a court has heard.
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UNI JOB CUTS SCRAPPED
Deakin University has binned its planned restructure that would have seen up to 150 jobs lost and 620 staff forced to reapply for their jobs. But there will still be “change” to come, an email to staff warned.
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Big player swoops on mega site
One of Australia’s largest property developers has entered Geelong, acquiring a Charlemont landholding that’s double the size of an inner-city suburb. Frasers Property has acquired the 60ha Torquay Rd site – the mixed-use development would comprise...
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ALLEGED SHOOTER IN COURT
A butcher accused of shooting another man after a neighbourhood dispute over parking in Point Lonsdale will face a contested committal hearing later this year, with his alleged victim still in treatment. Neil Harrington (below) appeared in Geelong...
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Barrabool plans back on
A three-storey inner-suburban apartment project that was struck down by Geelong council in controversial circumstances is back on the agenda, with the $8m proposal almost certain to get the green light second time around. Prominent local developer...
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SCHOOL RUN SHOCK
Two secondary students on their way to school were taken to hospital following a terrifying incident in East Geelong on Friday morning. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Ormond Rd and Humble St shortly after 8am after receiving...
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YARD BLADE SHOCK
Hours after his attacker fronted court, the victim of a vicious stabbing found a large sharpened knife had been left outside his home in the dead of night. CCTV captured two unknown men spending almost half an hour on the Whittington property at...
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Kindy sexual touching investigation
A Torquay kindergarten is under investigation after parents say repeated incidents of alleged sexual touching and talking went unreported to families. A Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority investigation was launched at Torquay Early...
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Saints fight off Swans
South Barwon coach Mark Neeld says there was a lack of belief among his playing group that they could knock off a dominant St Mary’s side before the Swans fell just short in a spirited final-quarter comeback.
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‘Hijacker’ planned to flee: court
A teenager accused of attempting to hijack a Jetstar flight allegedly told a psychiatrist he was attempting to flee the country, a court has been told. The young man, who cannot be named, was arrested on March 6 last year after allegedly boarding a...
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TIK-TOXIC TROLLS
Geelong teachers are being targeted by anonymous TikTok accounts, with one account using artificial intelligence to make two male teachers “kiss”. Some videos seen by the Geelong Advertiser also used AI to make teachers appear to dance, while others...
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FEARS FOR UNI JOBS
Staff at Deakin University are bracing for mass job losses and a major shake-up, with the academic behind La Trobe University’s cuts summoning “affected staff” to a 2.30pm briefing on Thursday.
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THEY SHOULD BE SAFE
Two midwives from Geelong hospital were assaulted while returning to their cars during a horrific late night attack on Little Myers St. The incident has sparked fresh calls for more steps to be taken to protect medical workers.
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BUSH MATTERS
The largest conversation between the bush and powerbrokers starts today, as News Corp Australia launches its 2026 Bush Summit campaign. Regional Australians can have their say on issues that matter most in a new poll, which will help frame debate at...
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CBD CRIME CRACKDOWN
Geelong shoppers can expect to see more police alongside them with the force launching a new operation within the city. Operation Pulse will expand from Melbourne to Geelong, with teams of police deployed across key retail hubs.
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DEATH DRIVER JAILED
The mother of a young woman killed in a horror crash in Meredith says her “real grieving” will now begin after the fatigued driver responsible was jailed. Judge Gerard Mullaly sentenced Cohen Merz, 27, to three years behind bars with a non-parole...
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Accused awaits fate
A jury is deliberating the fate of a man accused of sexually abusing three young girls. Darren John Kent, 59, has been standing trial in the County Court at Geelong charged with 14 child sex offences allegedly committed against three victims.
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Kinder sex touch claims
Allegations of inappropriate sexual touching between children at two Torquay kindergartens are being investigated. In the first incident, a probe was launched after children were allegedly discovered touching each other’s genitalia. Police received...
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$450k for Moorabool St artwork
Ratepayers are set to shell out $450,000 to fund a colourful artwork and lighting overhaul as part of a makeover of Moorabool St in the CBD, the Addy can reveal. Geelong council last week released an artist’s impression of the artwork and lighting...
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SIMPLY A LEGEND
Footy legend Neale Daniher has died, aged 65, after a courageous and public 13-year battle with motor neurone disease. Daniher transcended football to become one of the nation’s most popular and iconic figures as he led the charge to find a cure for...
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SCHOOLBOY SONGS OF FEAR
Students at a Geelong technical school sang warning songs about predatory priests while systematic abuse occurred unchecked, an alleged abuse survivor claims. Matt, who did not want his full name published, said he was in year 7 when he was repeatedly...
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Wrong turn over 30kmh speed trial
Geelong Council’s controversial plan to slash local speed limits to 30km/h has come under fire after analysis revealed the scheme would fail to target the area’s most hazardous roads. Three streets – Pier and Harding streets and The Esplanade in...
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Corio school abuse claim court fight
A former student at Corio West Primary School is suing the state of Victoria over alleged physical and sexual abuse at school in the 1980s. The ex-pupil, now 52, attended the school from 197784. He was about 10 when allegedly abused by a teacher in...
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Trio charged over assault
Three girls have been charged, and police are searching for a fourth, after a 13-year-old boy was kicked in the face multiple times at Geelong’s notorious Moorabool Street bus stop. One witness, who declined to be named, said a group of girls wearing...
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SUITE TREAT FOR CATS COACHES
Geelong coach Chris Scott and football boss Andrew Mackie enjoyed a boutique Sydney stay with a club sponsor who has since been accused of masterminding a $14.5m fraud, with complimentary hotel upgrades requested for the trio by a former Crown casino...
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THUG’S RIGHTS ‘VIOLATED’
A notorious Geelong criminal with a history of guns, drugs, assaults, extortion, bribery and kidnapping is taking prison officers to court, claiming his six-day stay in solitary confinement infringed his human rights.
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TODDLER FOUND ON STREET
A coronial investigation into the death of an elderly woman at a Geelong aged care facility has exposed major gaps in the emergency care protocols of the region’s public healthcare provider. Cornelia Groot died on April 11 last year from complications...
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Super chill Cat ready to freeze
Cats star Tanner Bruhn is set to take the plunge alongside fellow club legends in the fight against MND after being selected to slide at the fifth Big Freeze Geelong. Bruhn was chosen by Big Freeze Geelong ambassador Sam Moorfoot and will ride the...
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Council in ‘chest feeding’ controversy
Traditional breastfeeding rooms have been rebranded with genderneutral terminology at Geelong council’s civic headquarters as part of a push towards greater inclusivity, but critics view the changes as overreach. The council’s new enterprise agreement...
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Pair jailed over shooting
A man and woman have been locked up for their part in a vigilante-style shooting a judge described as “totally wrong and dangerous”. Samantha Rochford, 35 and Shaun Kennedy, 32, were both jailed when they faced the County Court in Geelong on Wednesday...
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Epworth dismissal upheld
A theatre technician photographed drinking while on duty at Epworth Geelong has lost his unfair dismissal claim after being sacked over the workplace incident. Tony Bitton was dismissed last year after photos circulated among staff showing he and two...
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Cat’s nasty glass mishap
James Worpel says he is lucky to have all 10 fingers with which to win the ball after a seemingly innocuous kitchen mishap turned ugly. A dropped glass a week before the former Hawk’s Geelong debut snowballed into a hospital stint and surgery a...
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BOTTLE SHOP BOOTLEG BOOZE
Bootleg alcohol is being openly sold in Geelong bottle shops, with researchers warning many legitimate retailers may be unknowingly stocking illicit spirits linked to tax evasion and organised crime.
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JUSTICE IN THE SLOW LANE
Two years. That’s how long the Rossiter family waited for an admission of guilt after a crash claimed their 12-year-old daughter Mia. But they aren’t alone – multiple grieving local families are being trapped in a legal “slow lane” that prolongs their...
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Quality hunt heats up
The rush to quality is evident in Geelong’s property market as homes that ticked all the boxes bring buyers out willing to trade in quick time. Properties in South Geelong and Belmont were snapped up as hopeful buyers traded offers to secure these...
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DEAKIN UNI ‘TOXIC’ CLAIMS
A damning union parliamentary submission claims Deakin University’s relentless pursuit of profit has created a dangerous, toxic workplace marked by systemic wage theft and extreme workloads, pushing staff to breaking point. Deakin has “categorically”...
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BAD FOR OUR HEALTH
The delivery of a new ambulance station for Geelong’s surging south has been pushed back by at least two years, while there are serious doubts about a promised community hospital in Torquay. Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes tabled the budget in...
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Planned fire station site up for sale
The future of a 24-hour fire station promised by the state government eight years ago following the tragic death of a woman in Armstrong Creek remains uncertain as land purchased for the facility is put up for sale. An almost 6000 sqm parcel of land...
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OUR KIDS, OUR FUTURE
Top doctors have warned the future of Australian children is at a critical crossroads and in dire need of worldleading medical research to reverse a situation where an entire generation’s health is now, for the first time, worse than their parents...
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Cricketer’s brutal attack
A star cricketer who tracked down a former partner using an online Uber receipt before confronting her and attacking another man as they slept has been jailed. Brett Rory Venables, 36, had pleaded guilty after he logged onto a laptop to obtain Uber...
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Teen terrorising shopping centre
Grovedale Central traders say they are living in fear of a teenage boy who has terrorised the centre, with footage showing him threatening staff with a knife and using an aerosol can as a flame thrower. The 15-year-old was arrested this week after...
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BUS ARRESTS DRAMA
Dramatic scenes unfolded outside Waurn Ponds railway station on Wednesday when police pepper-sprayed and arrested two Colac men, one accused of sexually assaulting a young woman on a V/Line bus.
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DANGEROUS SPIKE
Hundreds of discarded syringes are being found in Geelong’s playgrounds, streets and shopping centres, including more than 100 discovered on a single suburban road. New Freedom of Information data obtained by the Geelong Advertiser reveals the problem...
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Aus Day battle cash bid
Surf Coast councillor Paul Barker is asking for help from the public in his legal fight against the shire he represents after being suspended for questioning the crowd numbers at a truthtelling event and criticising the handling of a meeting in which a...
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Woman’s plea amid ‘war zone’ treatment
When doctors told Taryn Elder she had leukaemia, the first question she asked was “am I dying?” Now, six weeks into an aggressive chemotherapy regime at Barwon Health, the 39-yearold is using her diagnosis to advocate for more young Australians to...
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‘It’s foul’: Geelong CBD’s grim reality
Geelong’s top cops have fronted a fired-up community forum, conceding the region’s toughest issues aren’t going away anytime soon. About 40 people, from business owners to community leaders, attended the Geelong Neighbourhood Policing Forum on...
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HOSPITAL MURDER CHARGE
A Breakwater man has been charged with murder following the death of a patient inside a Geelong psychiatric hospital. Joel Steinbock, 31, appeared in the dock at Geelong Magistrates Court charged with the murder of a Highton man at the Swanston Centre...
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Pedestrian killed in city’s north
A man has been killed after being hit by a truck in North Geelong, with shocked witnesses describing his tragic last moments. Emergency services were called to Mackey St, near the Federal Mills, about 4pm on Wednesday.
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$60M GIANT SHOP SHIFT
A more than $60m shake-up of the supermarket scene in Geelong’s inner south is coming, with the country’s two dominant players embarking on redevelopments that will significantly change the local landscape.
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TRADIE HORROR
Shocking details and images have emerged from a barbaric attack that reportedly resulted from a conflict at a Lara construction site. Two men suffered horrific lacerations too graphic to show after up to six offenders set upon them.
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CITY TOILET BLOCK SHOCK
A major brawl near a public toilet involving a group of rough sleepers in the Geelong CBD is the latest violent incident sparking renewed calls to move The Outpost homeless support centre. The conflict caused damage to the toilets and to the exterior...
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