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Big Steps Little Feet 2017
Ballarat, this is your grade prep class of 2017. See the photos here.
Woman dies in Lexton crash
A woman has died following a single-vehicle crash in Lexton on Tuesday afternoon. Read more.
Ballarat lags behind as growth is sucked into Melbourne
Melbourne has become so important it now accounts for all of Victoria's economic growth, with the rest of the state contributing nothing in net terms. Read more.
Girl, 5, was stabbed 25 times
A disabled man who stabbed a five-year-old girl 25 times will be sentenced later this month. Read more.
Smythesdale withdraws senior football team
Smythesdale will be without a senior football team in 2017 as the struggling club continues its battle to survive. Read more.
Weather
Another beautiful day to continue our run of great weather.
State of the nation
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
► INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Despite huge advancements towards gender equality over the past 140 years, women are still fighting for true parity with their male counterparts in Australia.
One prominent issue is that of the pay gap, with the federal Workplace Gender Equality Agency reporting that women working full-time earn 16 per cent less than men.
The WGEA says it is a complex issue, influenced by work, family and societal factors, including perceptions of what work men and women ‘should’ do. More here.
► WOLLONGONG: Two men accused of participating in the fatal shooting of Wollongong underworld figure Darko Janceski have gone on trial in the NSW Supreme Court, almost five years after he was gunned down in the front yard of his parent’s Berkeley home in a targeted attack.
Janceski, a known standover man for the Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang in the Illawarra, was shot by a masked man who rode up to the Gannet Avenue home on a motorcycle on the afternoon of April 14, 2012. More here.
► CHINCHILLA: It was meant to be a six month fundraiser to help people during the drought but three years later the assistance of two Chinchilla women is being called on from farmers like never before.
Tash Johnston and Nicki Blackwell, also known as the Drought Angels, provide food, toiletries, toys and hay to drought affected farmers and their surrounding communities throughout Queensland and other parts of Australia. More here.
► YARRAWONGA: A beekeeper has been left devastated by the theft of 70 of his hives, with the future of his business now in jeopardy.
Jason Partelle checked on the Berrigan property where some of his hives were in transit at the end of February, to find bees missing.
The Yarrawonga Apiaries owner suspected the boxes had been removed by trailer at some point between February 14 and 26. More here.
► NEWCASTLE: Broken man doesn’t come to mind when you think about Troy Miles.
He was a tough as nails Newcastle Knight, part of the history-making 1995 reserve grade premiership team; a widely admired community man whose name is synonymous with the Lakes United Seagulls Rugby League Football Club; and, his biggest achievement, a devoted husband and proud father of three.
That’s where Miles, 42, has come from – but it’s not where he is today. More here.
► TASMANIA: The state government will take control of TasWater from next year but will not stop councils from receiving up to $20 million in dividend payments each year.
Premier Will Hodgman made the announcement in his Premier’s Address to Parliament, criticising the 2008 water and sewerage reform, which bore TasWater, for not fixing the problems it set out to do.
“Tasmania is a world-class destination with third-world water and sewerage services,” he said in his speech. More here.
National news
► One in five ABC managers - totalling up to 200 staff - will lose their jobs under a sweeping restructure announced by ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie.
Ms Guthrie acknowledged the "painful" cuts would be a blow for staff who lose their jobs, but said "swift and decisive action" was needed for the ABC to remain relevant to audiences. More here.
► Embattled former Victorian deputy speaker Don Nardella has been kicked out of the Labor Party caucus after he refused to pay back more than $100,000 he'd claimed to maintain a beachside residence.
Speaking to media on Tuesday morning, Premier Daniel Andrews said he had put it in "very clear terms" to Mr Nardella that he should resign from the parliamentary Labor Party if he was unwilling to repay the money. More here.
► An independent expert panel contracted by the Federal government to examine allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation in immigration detention failed to interview any victims, a royal commission has heard.
The three member Child Protection Panel was convened in 2015 in the wake of two inquiries which raised serious allegations about abuse in detention in Australia and offshore. More here.
► First they build our submarines, now the French will roll out a Commodore car. Next they'll be after meat pies and kangaroos. Surely not the football.
Although the future has long been foreign, what was once dubbed "Australia's own car" - the Commodore - is set to be produced by a French-owned company. More here.
National weather radar
On this day
The faces of Australia: Jay Beaumont
Port Macquarie’s Jay Beaumont will make his fourth trip to Thailand this month to complete a 500-kilometre bike ride for charity.
Jay is part of the "Blueprint Bikeriders", a business group which completes the ride annually.
This year, Jay's father, Paul, brother Dale and cousin Luke will all travel together to complete the ride.
The fundraising is for Hands Across the Water - a charity created by Peter Baines after the 2006 Boxing Day Tsunami which left thousands of children homeless and orphaned. Read more here.