It’s not every day an opportunity shop says it does not want any more donations of clothing, furniture, books, pretty much everything.
But it’s not every day a bag of goods infested with bed bugs is dropped off.
And that’s what happened to the Daylesford Community Op Shop – and while they do need donations, it’s the monetary kind.
Spokesperson Michelle Clifford said the op shop was forced to close about a month ago after the infested bag was dropped off.
Health protocols were followed and the much-loved op shop in Mink Street, Daylesford closed down while the infestation was dealt with. Thousands of dollars of donated goods were destroyed.
Now it’s all about raising funds to pay bills and re-open in March.
“I’ve been telling everyone not to donate goods,” Michelle said. “And we haven’t had anyone so far, so that’s been pretty grand of our community.
“People can help now by giving us money through the GoFundMe page or into our bank account, or give us something for our upcoming online auction.”
Michelle said when the incident first happened she was worried the op shop might close permanently but the generosity of the community showed that was not a concern.
Donations can be made to Daylesford Community Bank. Account: Daylesford Community Op Shop. BSB: 633000 Account: 145 943 866. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Four trucks driven by CFA members were loaded and the hay was moved to Harcourt. The Victorian Farmers Federation got involved too, donating a fuel subsidy for the trucks driven by Wayne Orr, Greg Orr, Trevor Brown and Aaron Orr. But wait, there’s more.

“They’re living locally and they’re not farming or part of the farming community. They’re people who are working from home or doing some trades and so forth. It’s been good that when we’re broadening it we’ve got younger ones and now they’re very enthusiastic. Things like this hay organisation is a lot easier to do.”
The next move is the Musk CFA getting permission to start a GoFundMe page to raise money for another tanker for their region – which takes in businesses like Rijk Zwaan Australia, Dairy Flat Farm, Passing Clouds winery, Daylesford Cidery and the Daylesford Spa Country Railway.
Musk CFA is also responsible for the area’s two key potable water reservoirs – Wombat and Bullarto.
The new tanker would double the current number of tankers – just one.
John said the Musk CFA took part in strike teams which meant their one tanker could be called on to leave the area to help elsewhere.
While other CFAs in the Glenlyon Group can help out, another tanker would be a much valued addition, he said. The cost of the tanker is about $250,000 but if $45,000 can be raised the rest may be found in a grant.
Finally, mark your calendar for May. The Bullarto Bush Dance is another major fundraiser, not to be missed.
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Gavin Orr

The state government is helping the Latrobe Valley attract the key workers it needs to enable greater community access to essential health and aged care services, with new worker housing in Newborough completed.

Latrobe Valley Village is a vital, trusted residential and aged care facility in Newborough and Moe that supports elderly Victorians and their carers to achieve positive health and wellbeing outcomes.

Works delivered at the Newborough site have transformed a disused wing of the company’s existing aged care facility into seven new self-contained units for workers and their families. Now known as ‘Cedar Workstay’, the wing features a new communal kitchen and laundry facilities for staff.

Cedar Workstay will attract skilled workers able to provide much-needed services for the Latrobe Valley community, which has an ageing population that had previously outpaced skilled worker availability.

Construction supported multiple jobs across a range of industries, with 45 workers and 15 businesses directly benefiting in addition to the seven professional aged care workers who now call Newborough’s newest units home.

Across the region healthcare providers are leveraging the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund to attract workers, including Bairnsdale District Health, Omeo District Health and Bayside Health.

The government is also investing $5 million from our Council Support Package to help deliver a range of activities across the Latrobe Valley, such as sporting and streetscape upgrades, new community and volunteer programs, improved internet access and support for Aboriginal-owned businesses.

This support is part of the Victorian Government’s record more than $47 billion investment in just over a decade to help make rural and regional Victoria an even better place to live, work, stay and play.

Hundreds more Victorian children will soon be given the chance to learn, explore and play in nature, with the  state government expanding the highly popular Bush Kinder program.

Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn recently  announced that another 150 kindergartens will now run Bush Kinder, supported by more than $900,000 in funding to make outdoor early learning accessible right across Victoria.

The 2026 expansion will see new Bush Kinder programs established in 55 local government areas, including 30 regional communities – giving more children the chance to learn in nature close to home.

The government is investing $3.6 million to expand Bush Kinder programs in up to 600 kindergarten services. Since the grants started, 300 services have already received funding to establish or improve their programs.

Bush Kinder takes learning beyond the classroom and into parks, bushland and beaches, where children can climb explore and discover the natural world – building confidence, curiosity and a love of the outdoors.

These supervised programs give children safe opportunities to learn through play, supporting their physical and cognitive development while encouraging independence and problem-solving.

Families across Victoria are struggling with the cost of living right now. Our investment in Free Kinder is also saving families up to $2,700 per child, every single year – real help to save families time and money.

Our nation-leading $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms are transforming early childhood education and making sure children can get the very best start in life, no matter where they live.

To find out which kindergartens are receiving a bush kinder grant, visit vic.gov.au/bush-kinder.

Bendigo local and women’s cricket trailblazer Barbara Rae has been immortalised in bronze, with a new sculpture in her honour revealed as part of the state government’s Victorian Women’s Public Art Program.

Premier and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan and Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards joined sculptor Lis Johnson and members of Barbara Rae’s family to unveil the new artwork at its permanent home at Queen Elizabeth Oval.

The sculpture’s location is also significant, with the oval home to the first women’s cricket match held in Australia in 1874 between the ‘Blues’ and ‘Reds’ at the Easter Fair.

At just 19 years of age, she captained the winning team and was the top scorer on the ‘Blues team’ – breaking ground in the sport at a time when women required permission to play what was considered a ‘male only’ game.

Barbara was pivotal in staging the historic match, recruiting other women to play and holding coaching sessions.

Now, 152 years since that first match, her leadership and legacy lives on as women’s cricket in Australia thrives – with record-breaking crowds and participation levels.

The sculpture of Barbara Rae is the first of six projects being delivered as part of the government’s program to address the lack of women being represented in statues, sculptures and other art in Victoria’s public spaces.

Supported by the McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery, the program honours the legacies of those who have forged a path for all Victorian women – reflecting diversity, and highlighting leadership, excellence and service to the community across a range of fields.

Workers’ rights advocates Agnes Chambers, Agnes Doig and the Wonthaggi Miners Women’s Auxiliary will also be recognised in Wonthaggi, as well as the nine women who were the driving force behind the Montsalvat Artists Community will be celebrated with an artwork in Eltham.

The state government is rolling out new digital birth certificates in three local government areas, giving parents fast and secure access to their child’s birth certificate on their phone for the first time.

Minister for Government Services, Danny Pearson, visited an Early Learning Centre in Point Cook last week to announce the trial of the new certificate in Wyndham City Council, the City of Casey and Mitchell Shire Council.

As an alternative to paper certificates, participating parents across the three councils can now use the new digital birth certificate to make enrolling their children in kindergarten programs easier, by quickly and securely adding their child’s digital birth certificate to the wallet feature on the Service Victoria app.

Digital birth certificates are another step forward in making more digital services available to support Victorians to more easily engage with the services they need like school, kinder and hospitals.

The use of the digital birth certificate will be optional for those eligible, and physical copies will continue to be issued to all Victorians.

The Service Victoria digital wallet now features a range of available documents, such as the veterans card, seniors card, digital driver’s licence, and many more – in fact, Victorians can easily access more than 170 government services online and via the app.

The trial is now officially live, meaning parents in the three Local Government Areas participating in the trial can log in to the Services Victoria app to add their child’s birth certificate today.

The massive expansion of Casey Hospital’s emergency department is full steam ahead – with the project marking a major milestone. 

Builder Icon will deliver the project, which will allow Casey Hospital to treat an extra 52,000 emergency patients every single year.

The expansion is part of a $280 million investment to boost patient capacity of the emergency departments at both Casey Hospital and Werribee Mercy Hospital, improving patient flow and reducing wait times for local families.

The project will deliver a range of new facilities to deliver more care for patients, including more immediate care cubicles, short stay beds, resuscitation bays, ambulatory care spaces, procedure rooms, consult and interview rooms, as well as a dedicated mental health zone and satellite imaging area.

Casey Hospital will feature a specially designed children’s emergency department zone, offering a private, calm and compassionate environment for paediatric emergency care.

The emergency department is being delivered on the site of an existing public carpark at Casey Hospital. To ensure patients and staff can continue to access adequate parking when they need it throughout the construction period, Monash Health has built and opened a new multi-storey car park at the hospital.

The Casey and Werribee emergency department expansions are expected to create more than 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction. Site establishment works are scheduled to begin in the coming months, paving the way for major construction to start soon after.

The expansion is being delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority in partnership with Monash Health and Icon.

More than 271 medical interns have been welcomed to regional hospitals this year – backing regional Victorians to continue to access world-class healthcare close to home. 

The 271 interns will cover 12 regional public health services, including:

• Albury Wodonga Health (13)
• Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (5)
• Barwon Health (46)
• Bendigo Health (43)
• Echuca Regional Health (5)
• Gippsland Health (36)
• Goulburn Valley Health (32)
• Grampians Health (6)
• Mildura Base Public Hospital (6)
• Northeast Health Wangaratta (12)
• Portland District Health (2)
• South West Healthcare (10).

The new interns join more than 123,000 public healthcare workers across Victoria. Under our Government:

Medical interns play a vital role in the system by delivering essential patient care helping hospitals run well.

Under the guidance of senior doctors, interns rotate through a range of specialties over 47 weeks, including medicine, surgery, emergency, mental health and other clinical areas.

GPs will also now be able to diagnose and treat ADHD in both children and adults – helping increase access in regional Victoria for ADHD treatment, reduce wait times, and save money.

On top of this, Victorians will be able to access a cheaper top-up prescription for ADHD through the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (Virtual ED) when they urgently need to replace a lost or expired prescription

A new automated permit system has been rolled out for heavy vehicles.

The new Heavy Vehicle Structural Assessment Permit System (HVSAPS), uses advanced digital technology to automate up to 85 per cent of structural assessments for Class 1 and Performance-Based Standards (PBS) vehicles  – eliminating the need for most manual bridge and culvert assessments.

The technology will dramatically reduce wait times for freight operators – cutting approval times from up to six months to days – while slashing costs that can reach up to $20,000 for manual assessments.

Removing these fees, which applies to all heavy vehicle combinations except superloads, will benefit a wide range of freight vehicles that previously faced longer assessment times due to their size variations.

The Victorian Freight Plan 2025-30: Victoria Delivers, supports modernising processes like HVSAPS and making use of smart technologies to support and manage heavy vehicle operations.

With the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) assisting with the processing of relevant permits, transport operators can use HVSAPS for Victorian state roads through Australia’s heavy vehicle portal, NHVR Go.

Freight and logistics contributes $36 billion to Victoria’s economy and employs more than 240,000 Victorians.

Peita Duncan and Jonathan Hardwick have been appointed as new directors to the Racing Victoria Board.

Ms Duncan brings significant experience in racing administration, governance and regulatory reform. 

During her ten years on the Board of Greyhound Racing Victoria, including serving as chair, she played a central role in delivering major animal welfare and integrity reforms.

Mr Hardwick brings more than 25 years of experience across law, agribusiness, manufacturing and the automotive sector. 

He is the owner and managing director of the HFH Auto Group, bringing a strong focus on innovation and commercial relationships, alongside his long-standing involvement in Victorian thoroughbred racing and breeding.

Ms Duncan and Mr Hardwick have been appointed as directors until June 14, 2028.

The appointments of Mark Player and Paul Guerra have also been extended, with Mr Player now appointed through to June 2028 and Mr Guerra through to October 2027.

Victoria’s thoroughbred racing industry generates $3.43 billion for the Victorian economy and supports more than 25,700 full-time equivalent jobs across the state.

The Victorian Government is strengthening support for Victorian ratepayers by providing councils with new, fair and clear guidance for people experiencing financial or other forms of hardship.

Minister for Local Government Nick Staikos today announced new Ministerial Guidelines on the Payment of Rates and Charges, designed to better support vulnerable and at-risk ratepayers experiencing financial hardship, family violence, and economic abuse – are now in effect.

The guidelines, developed in consultation with ratepayers, stakeholders and councils, set clear expectations on how councils recognise and respond to hardship in a fair, compassionate and proportionate way.

This includes flexible rate payment options designed to ease financial pressures on local ratepayers, such as deferrals, waivers, or payment plans.

The new guidelines also clarify councils’ responsibility to provide easy online and in-person access to their hardship policies and application processes.

The guidelines also support councils to refer ratepayers to a financial counsellor for assistance, reducing barriers to ratepayers submitting hardship or financial hardship applications.

Councils collect rates and charges annually to fund critical community services, as well as manage community facilities and open spaces, such as parks, libraries, community centres, roads and footpaths, and sporting facilities.

Rate increases have been capped at 2.75 per cent for the upcoming 2026-27 financial year to ease cost of living pressures on Victorians and to meet the forecasted Consumer Price Index.

To learn more about how council rates are set, visit localgovernment.vic.gov.au/council-innovation-and-performance/council-rates-and-charges.

Minister for Local Government Nick Staikos said:

“These hardship guidelines will ensure councils treat ratepayers who are dealing with difficult financial or personal circumstances with compassion, fairness and understanding.”

“By providing clear guidance, we’re giving councils the tools they need to support vulnerable Victorians facing prolonged hardship or unforeseen hurdles such as job loss, illness, or other changes to family circumstances.”

The 49th Historic Winton aims to see 40 anniversaries celebrated with displays at Winton Motor Raceway alongside its iconic historic motorsport races on 30 and 31 May.

Event Manager John Kessner said that the call was out for marques with anniversaries celebrating 120 years all the way through to 50 years.

“This year we are looking for some exotics like the 120 year-old Lagonda or the 100 year-old Bugatti Type 35 to more familiar and well-loved cars like the Mercedes Benz, XR Falcon, HR Holden, Mitsubishi Sigma, Volkswagen Golf and even the good old Ford Fiesta,” John said.

“And of course, we are celebrating 100 years since Ford commenced manufacturing in Australia and 110 years since its sales of the Model T commenced here.”

“Clubs are signing up but the more the merrier, with individuals invited to display their ‘pride and joy’ anniversary vehicles as well.”

For the second year in a row, the event will feature a Saturday Parade of anniversary and specialty vehicles in addition to the Sunday Parade.

Those with approved display cars received free entry for the drive and one passenger.  To apply, relevant historic vehicle owners can please contact Historic Winton by email at displays@historicwinton.org with vehicle year, make, model and photo.

The Victorian Government is protecting Free TAFE to make it easier and more affordable for future generations of Victorians to build the skills they need for the rewarding careers they want.

Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney today announced she is introducing a Bill that will change the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 to ensure a Free TAFE Guarantee is included in the Act.

More than 225,300 students have benefitted from Free TAFE in Victoria since it began in 2019, saving them more than $727 million in tuition fees – that’s more than $3,000 per student on average.

Free TAFE is key to Victoria’s economic success and addresses workforce shortages in areas that are important to Victorians, like construction, education, caring and clean energy. 

The Free TAFE program has played a critical role in making our skills and training sector more inclusive. More than 67,200 Victorians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have benefitted from Free TAFE since it was introduced in 2019, alongside more than 57,000 learners in regional areas and 59 per cent of all students are women.

At the last election we promised to enshrine a TAFE funding guarantee in legislation and this Bill delivers on that promise, ensuring 70% of all government Vocational Education and Training funding will be allocated to TAFE.

The Labor Government has invested $16 billion in new and base funding in Skills and TAFE since coming to government in 2014. We will keep rebuilding our nation-leading TAFE system after the former Liberal government sacked more than 2000 TAFE teachers, shut 22 TAFE campuses and ripped $1 billion from TAFEs across Victoria.

This Bill will protect Free TAFE and the benefits it delivers for Victorians now and into the future against more Liberal cuts.

Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney said:

“Only Labor Governments fully support TAFE, and Free TAFE started in Victoria – and we will always protect it.”

“This Bill will ensure that future generations of Victorians can benefit from cost-of-living relief while preparing to join the pipeline of skilled workers we need to meet Victoria’s goals.”

More than 30 mosques and Islamic centers across the state are opening their doors to combat hate and foster understanding as part of the 2026 Mosque Open Day with support from the Allan Labor Government. 

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt is encouraging Victorians to visit their local participating mosque on Saturday, 7 February to learn more about our diverse Muslim communities and push back against harmful narratives.  

Visitors can take part in a range of activities throughout the day including guided mosque tours, prayer observations, hijab tutorials and henna art. 

At a time when our Muslim communities are facing distressing levels of Islamophobia, the annual day helps to build an understanding of the important role these centres play as places of connection and reflection.

A number of mosques are participating this year across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria including ICMG Brunswick Mosque, Horsham Mosque and the Islamic Society of Geelong. 

The Labor Government has invested $400,000 to support the Open Mosque Day through to 2027 in collaboration with the Islamic Council of Victoria. 

This builds on the work by the Government to stand up against hate, discrimination and racism in all its forms including implementing the strongest hate speech laws in the nation, recognising the International Day to Combat Islamophobia and developing a guide to combat Islamophobia, with support for both victims and bystanders.

To see the full list of participating mosques and Islamic centers, visit vic.gov.au/victorian-mosque-open-day.  

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt said:

“Just weeks ago, an Imam was assaulted in a targeted act of anti-Muslim hatred – this week, mosques across Victoria will open their doors to all Victorians to combat hate and foster understanding.”

“Victorian Mosque Open Day is a great opportunity for all Victorians to step inside their local mosque, meet the community and learn more about the Islamic faith in a welcoming space.”

The state government is protecting free TAFE to make it easier and more affordable for future generations of Victorians to build the skills they need for the rewarding careers they want.

Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney has announced she is introducing a Bill that will change the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 to ensure a Free TAFE Guarantee is included in the Act.

More than 225,300 students have benefitted from Free TAFE in Victoria since it began in 2019, saving them more than $727 million in tuition fees – that’s more than $3,000 per student on average.

Free TAFE is key to Victoria’s economic success and addresses workforce shortages in areas that are important to Victorians, like construction, education, caring and clean energy. 

The Free TAFE program has played a critical role in making the skills and training sector more inclusive. More than 67,200 Victorians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have benefitted from free TAFE since it was introduced in 2019, alongside more than 57,000 learners in regional areas and 59 per cent of all students are women.