Construction on the Ballarat Railway Precinct will begin by mid to late 2017 after the state government unveiled the consortium which will take control of the $44 million project. Read more.

Ballarat City Council has confirmed an uncosted number of works undertaken at the Eureka Stadium were funded outside of a $14 million contract awarded by the state government in July. Read more.

The second Vietnamese man arrested over a Rokewood grow house has avoided jail. Read more.

The Victoria Police air wing and dog squad were called in to help find and arrest a 29-year-old man who was allegedly driving a stolen ute erratically and dangerously across Ballarat. Read more.

Former North Melbourne champion and Ballarat boy Drew Petrie is now a West Coast Eagle. Read more.

Increasing sunshine and a beautiful top of 22 degrees today.

Need a national news snapshot first thing? Well, we have you covered. 

► WARRNAMBOOL, VIC: The only time 86-year-old Ron Blackney hasn’t enjoyed the ocean was March 18, 1961. That was the day he watched his mate Ken ‘Smithy’ Smith get attacked by a white pointer in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay. A keen swimmer and stalwart member of the Warrnambool Surf Lifesaving Club, Mr Blackney was at Warrnambool’s main beach the day the city was rocked by its one and only recorded shark attack. Read more.

► ILLAWARRA, NSW: Two brothers have pleaded guilty to dealing in the proceeds of crime after three pygmy marmosets were stolen from Symbio Wildlife Park over the weekend. Read more.

► LODDON, VIC: A central Victorian council has vowed to win the war on puppy farms, and has backed the state government’s planned tough new laws on illegal dog breeders – whatever the cost. Read more.

► TASMANIA: A Deloraine mother has encouraged Tasmanians to get up-to-date on first aid following a terrifying ordeal. Eight-year-old Jaden Scott was bitten by a snake on Friday afternoon while playing at the property dam with three of his siblings. Read more.

► ORANGE, NSW: The 14-year-old boy accused of setting fire to Orange Bakehouse on Thursday night has been formally refused bail in Orange Local Court. Read more.

► BALLARAT, VIC: The Victoria Police air wing and dog squad were called in to help find and arrest a 29-year-old man who was allegedly driving a stolen ute erratically and dangerously across Ballarat. Read more.

► TASMANIA: The community continues to rally behind two young Trevallyn bakers who were held at gunpoint during an armed robbery last week. Alex Duncan and Josh Humphries are still dealing with the aftermath of the incident which left the local community in shock. Mr Duncan lost his “pride and joy” when two masked-men entered the Trevallyn Gourmet Bakery, put a shotgun to his head and stole his car. Read more.

► MANNERING PARK, NSW: A martial arts boxer has admitted killing a 56-year-old tourist after punching him to the ground in a road rage incident at Mannering Park. Graeme Wilton was on a two-year trip around Australia with his wife when his late afternoon walk was interrupted by a screeching utility on December 12, 2013. Behind the wheel was Muay Thay boxer Kaine Geoffrey Jones, who had already punched another man in the car park of a Central Coast shopping centre less than six months previously. Read more.

► WAGGA, NSW: A former Wagga ice addict has backed calls to decriminalise drugs, but warned of streets awash with methamphetamines if police lower their guard. The Greens have overhauled their drugs policy in the hope of sparking up the decriminalisation debate and lead to the legalisation of some recreational drugs. Read more.

► WODONGA, VIC: As if four superstars weren’t enough to make Catholic College Wodonga’s year 10 formal epic, Hamish and Andy had to throw in a surprise appearance. Read more.

► In Rirratjingu culture, there is a sacred, rarely seen ceremony that honours the two Djan'kawu sisters who created life on earth. On Monday at Parliament House, it was the powerful opening scene of an event demanding an end to family violence in Indigenous communities. Read more.

► The Australian Medical Association has distanced itself from a new relaxed drugs approach being pushed by the Greens, saying it underestimates the harm illicit drugs do to the community. Read more.

► A man found bound and trying to climb out of a car boot in Melbourne's north has been taken to hospital with minor injuries. Read more.

International news

► Ten people were taken to the hospital, one in critical condition, after an attack involving a car and a knife on the Ohio State University campus on Monday morning, local time, officials said. Read more.

► Stuck with a 2G mobile network and slow internet speeds, a group of Norfolk Islanders are looking for the ultimate technology boost: fibre-to-the-island. The problem is, they need someone to pay for it. And the Australian government is the most likely source of funds after taking responsibility earlier this year for the island, which sits in the middle of the ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia. Read more.

November 29, 1976: Happy birthday to Anna Faris! The American actress and producer celebrates her 40th birthday today. You might recognise her from movies such as the Scary Movie series, The Hot Chick, The House Bunny and What's Your Number? Check her out on The Ellen DeGeneres Show here: 

THE working career of Colleen Stuart began in a time very different from now.

Mrs Stuart took time out of celebrations to mark 40 years working for VicRoads to reflect on her decades in the job.

“It’s funny looking back,” Mrs Stuart said.

“When I began girls were not allowed to wear jeans or trousers to work, it was not the done thing. Men had to wear trousers with a shirt and tie. Shorts had to be worn with socks to the knees and a shirt and tie also.

“We had a tea-lady come around each morning and afternoon to make us a cuppa at our desk. We had workshops with mechanics and gangs of workers out in the field.

“It’s only when I look back and realise the changes that have occurred I realise the significance of the time frame – going from a paper-driven, handwritten work environment to watching the electronic world come in.  

“It’s great to be able to look back on the organisation and know that in some small way I have been a part of it all.” Read more.