Central Victoria local news briefing, Thursday, October 1, 2026 - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Here's what's making news in Central Victoria today.

A tree management expert says the removal of trees at Elphinstone Primary School goes beyond bushfire safety concerns.

Parents and students watched as arborists removed large trees and vegetation yesterday as part of a state government bushfire preparedness program.

The education department said the school was in one of the state's highest bushfire risk areas.

University of Melbourne senior research associate Greg Moore said the department had grossly overestimated the risk and ignored the shade and cooling benefits the trees provided.

One Nation has announced its candidates for two central Victorian seats ahead of November's state election.

Former Macedon Ranges Shire Council candidate, mechanic and small business owner, Damien Parolin, is running for the seat of Macedon.

Ellen Morgan is contesting Bendigo West.

The party said Ms Morgan had worked in youth justice, community services and case management.

Bendigo's largest indoor aquatic centre has announced it is changing cleaning contractors after months of cleanliness complaints.

In a statement, Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre manager Shaun Kennon said he had heard the community's concerns "loud and clear".

He said staff had reflected similar concerns and a new cleaning service would commence on Monday next week.

New research from RMIT says the COVID-19 vaccine prevented almost 5,000 deaths in Victoria during the peak of the outbreak.

Researchers used data from more than six million Victorians to examine how vaccination influenced the spread of the virus from September to November 2021.

They estimated 315,000 infections were prevented in those three months, including 4,900 deaths.

Lead researcher Linux Lin said the findings showed the wider benefits of vaccination and that more even coverage could have reduced the spread further.

Residents in the Lockwood Ward of the Greater Bendigo City Council have until 6pm on Friday to vote in the by-election.

The Victorian Electoral Commission says ballot packs must be posted or dropped off at the election office in Marong by the deadline.

Voting is compulsory, and the commission said people who fail to cast a vote could face a fine.

Up to 10,000 doctors are planning to walk off the job this afternoon as negotiations with the government over pay and working conditions continue.

Unions said doctors were working under increasingly stressful conditions, including shifts of up to 16 hours.

They said critical care areas such as emergency departments and intensive care units would be unaffected by today's strike.

The walkout will be the third time in two months that doctors have stopped work.

Almost 1,300 new social homes are to be built across Victoria with federal government funding.

Construction is expected to start by mid-2027 and be completed by mid-2029.

The most recent publicly available data shows more than 58,000 households are on Victoria's social housing waiting list.

Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness Josh Burns said there was significant need for housing across the state.

He said the Victorian government was the custodian of the Victorian Housing Register, where people seeking long-term social housing put their names forward.

Victorians can access three hours of free power in the middle of the day under a state government-funded offer beginning today.

The government estimated households could save up to $428 by moving their electricity use into the free window between 11am and 2pm.

Customers were urged to check with their electricity retailer to make sure the Midday Power Saver was the right option, because those who used more power outside the midday window could end up paying more.