SOUTH WEST LOCAL NEWS- WEDNESDAY MAY 20th-2026

This morning on south west local news

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local member roma states her opposition to offshore winds proposals

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police investigation a flashing near the breakwater foreshore 

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$30,000 worth of fines layed for cutting protected native trees

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and in sport local export ally o’connor  makes her debut with the vixens

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This morning on Southwest Local News, local member Roma Brittnell states her opposition to offshore wind farms. Police investigate a flashing near the breakwater foreshore.$60,000 worth of fines laid for cutting protected native trees. And in sport local export, Ali O'Connor makes her debut with the Vixens.

SPEAKER_05 0:30

Live from Silverball Studios in Warnable. This is Southwest Local News with Shauna Rogers.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Good morning and welcome to Southwest Local News. The Victorian Liberals are calling on the Albanese federal government to stop the offshore wind farm development off Warnable and Port Ferry, warning it risks devastating impacts on the whale migration and breeding grounds. Deputy Opposition Leader David Southwick joined member for Southwest Coast Roma Brittnell at the Logan's Beach Whale Nursery to formally announce its opposition to the project. The 1,000 square kilometre project is proposed for waters that are part of a recognised whale nursery where endangered Southern Rite whales return each year to breed and raise their calves. The Victorian Liberals oppose this project given the serious environmental concerns and its lack of social licence in the South West Coast community.

SPEAKER_04 1:27

We're sitting standing behind a beautiful, pristine coastline that needs to be protected. People come here, they enjoy it here, and we need to protect what we've got. And that is why today a Jess Wilson government will work to ensure that this is protected, and we'll do that by ensuring that there is no industrial development of the whale nursery. This whale nursery must be protected at all costs.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

This is not an announcement that is against renewables. This is an announcement that says you can have renewables but it cannot be at the expense of the environment when it comes to Victoria. And while I matter, I'll also add this. What's more, what is the state government doing to defend and protect our environment here in Victoria?

SPEAKER_09 2:35

I was the very first person in this community to speak out and say we will not have this in our um in our whale granary pathway and nursery because there's not the evidence to support that this won't be affected and the risk is too great. I spoke in the parliament many times over the last two and a half years, whatever it is, no less than 10 times have I made public statements against this. But it is easy to just make statements without supporting evidence, and I've collected that data. I even travelled to Scotland, spoke with the company proponents, and spoke with their environmental scientists who they said to me there is nowhere in the world that they can point to where there is an offshore wind farm in a whale migratory pathway or a whale nursery. Now that sent fairly strong message to me that there is no way we can say this won't be a problem.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Warnable sexual offences and child abuse investigation team are currently investigating an incident where it's believed a man exposed himself and performed a lewd act between Warnable Surf Club and the breakwater around 4 pm Friday, May the 15th. Anyone with information or anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact or call Warnable Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team on 55601333. Crime Stoppers on 1-800-3330 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au. A 74-year-old KOAC man and his 44-year-old son were found guilty after appearing in the Geelong Magistrates Court of multiple offences relating to taking protected native vegetation. Evidence that was presented to court showed that the father and son sold more than 13,000 tea tree steaks across 2022 and 2023. The magistrate characterised the conduct as serious environmental offending. Under Victorian law, it is illegal to remove native trees or damage wildlife habitat on public land without authorisation. The vegetation was cleared from the Altway Forest Park, the Great Way Altway National Park, and Jancourt Nature Conservation Reserve, with sales of the tea tree stumps linked to Irwillipi, Carlisle River, and Jancourt. The two men have avoided conviction and will each receive a$30,000 fine. The duo were under an 18-month-long investigation. Inspections were conducted at KOLAC and Kolak West properties in 2023 that led to the seizure of a vehicle, machetes, a chainsaw, and more than 600 tea tree stakes prepared for sale. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood is urgently calling for 13,000 A and O blood donations within the next seven days as supplies run critically low. With winter already driving up appointment cancellations, Lifeblood warns stocks could fall to dangerous levels by June, putting cancer treatment, surgery, and trauma care at risk. In Warnable, you can donate at the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Centre on Ferry Street. This week we can continue to celebrate the volunteers in the community with a focus on getting members in the community to consider volunteering. The Volunteer Expo will be this Saturday, 23rd of May, and 10am to 2 pm. Speaking to Matt Walsh from Warnerville City Council, he says it's a great opportunity to get out there.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

So I think you know, being able to get out and experience different things, there's lots of different opportunities, and I think being able to volunteer really gives you a taste of those. So maybe it's setting themselves up for a future career or or something like that. So it's absolutely fantastic. 70% of Victorian young people are volunteering currently, which is absolutely fantastic. That just shows as a community how important our young people are. They are the you know, they're that next generation, and for them to be able to stick their hand up and volunteer, I think that's great. It's great for everyone and it's great for the roles that they're volunteering in. You know, and it's a it's a great different aspect that maybe you know, young people uh in the past maybe didn't volunteer as much. So I think it's a it's a really it's a really great achievement, and um I think we should be proud of our young people for doing that.

SPEAKER_10 6:48

I suppose volunteering traditionally has been people that come along and do the same role every week, most of them are retired, and that's been a set of practice for a long time. Then we went through a great change, and now the volunteering dreams are changing across the community. We have young people wanting to get involved in a more dynamic role that they'll come along for a short period of time, or they might engage with an organization, but they might just come along around the end. So it's a lot that organizations change with the needs of young people, and we need to engage young people as a volunteering dynamic for the future of volunteering in our community. And it's not refreshing, they just have a different mindset, a different way of looking at things, and some fantastic skills to tip some of us oldies as well.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Continuing to celebrate Volunteer Week, if you've spotted an increase of those choosing to sport orange today, it is not a coincidence. In fact, today is an important day on the calendar for volunteers across the state emergency service. SES volunteers are being recognised this week as part of National Volunteer Week, with today marking the annual Wear It Orange Day. The initiative is a national day of thanks dedicated to the thousands of SES volunteers who respond to storms, floods, and rescues around the clock every day of the year. The SES relies entirely on volunteer labour with members on call at all hours, regardless of conditions. SES volunteers often help save lives, protect properties, and assist other emergency services on the scene of an incident. These bifacial solar panels harvest light from both direct sunlight and reflected sunlight from the water surface below. Wantham Water is forecasting it will generate more than 600,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The solar energy system floats on pontoons made by a high-density polyethylene. This project came at a cost of$2 million and has been fully funded by the Wannham Water. The Victorian government's independent infrastructure advisor has released a report that further emphasises the need for major upgrades to regional roads. The regional cities Victoria have been advocating for a dedicated$2 billion on regional roads, and the report that has been released by Infrastructure Victoria warns that roads are due to worsen due to bushfires, floods, and extreme heat. Warnable City Council Mayor and Chair of the RCV says that regional Victorians are driving on aging infrastructure that is more at risk of deterioration and becoming more dangerous every year. A fire detection camera network across Southwest Victoria has been credited with containing 15 unplanned fires during 2025-2026 season before they could escalate. The cameras are said to give firefighters accurate location data immediately, allowing the right resources to be deployed faster. Free community legal sessions will be open to the public thanks to the Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre. Running under the theme When Law Meets Life, the sessions will help locals identify when everyday problems become legal issues and where to turn to help.

SPEAKER_02 10:49

So one of the things that we see regularly is a pattern around driving fines, for example. So this is a form of coercive control, a controlling partner who uses a victim survivor's car, racks up speeding fines and demerit points, and refuses to nominate themselves as a driver. So those fines and demerits land on the victim survivors' names, and they might not even know about it until the licence is suspended. So it's little things like that. What would you do in that situation? Where would you go? How do you keep yourself safe? And how do you rectify the situation and move out of that situation as quickly as possible? Women's legal services like ours, community legal services in general, and the law is there to protect and keep people safe.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Applications are now open for farmers to consider applying for a five-day program. The farming course only has 10 places available. The program is subsidized and will cover soil health, grazing management, pasture systems, and fertilizer use with sessions held on local farms across the district. Valued at$5,000, the course requires just a$300 contribution from participants. Applications close June the 14th, and for more information, you can visit Coast Care Land Care Network for details. First making news in sport. The Southwest has celebrated a massive sporting milestone as Warner's own Allie O'Connor officially made her Sun Corp Super Netball debut on the weekend, stepping onto the national stage as a Melbourne Vixen. O'Connor, 26, was elevated to the senior squad for the Round 10 clash against the Sunshine Coast Lightning, replacing mid-quarter Hannah Mundy. Striding onto the court at wing defence, the Vixen's Academy captain put in a gritty defensive shift in what was a heavily disrupted, undermanned Vixen outfit, missing key defensive pillars Emily Mannix and Rudy Ellis. While the Lightning ultimately took advantage of the structural changes to claim a 66-56 victory, O'Connor's debut stands out as a triumph of persistence, talent, and incredible local dedication. Southwest Victoria Soccer will be embracing the LGBTQIA Plus community in an inaugural Pride Cup round, held at Southcombe Park in Port Ferry. The Pride Round is an initiative from Pride Cup founded by Jason Ball, the driving force behind advocating for AFL's first ever Pride game in 2016 between St. Kilda and Sydney. Speaking to Cameron Pike from Southwest Sport, they are proud local teams are willing to embrace pride in their sport.

SPEAKER_07 13:35

But as you go down towards more community level, it may not be as present. And as you said, the the environments where the queer community to be involved with sport don't quite go hand in hand. We're just looking to, you know, those who want to come along and be involved, they don't need to have to be openly identifying as, but just be comfortable they can come into these spaces with people who are welcoming and and you know want people just to play football, enjoy it.

SPEAKER_08 14:00

Um we know that sport, particularly in Australia, is all about social connection, it's about community, it's about pitching in, supporting others, it's about managing your mental health, um, gaining physical health, and about that societal connection piece. And so um, yeah, it's it's incredibly important. I think sport is integral to our identity as a country, um, and particularly in Victoria, we're the sports state. And so um, we want to make sure that all the sports that we know and love are spaces where everybody is free to come and participate or coach or volunteer or even just spectate really safely.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Hamilton Golf Club's women's teams has claimed a historical double with both the Scratch and Division III teams winning their grand finals in Warnable on Monday. The Scratch side defeated Portland 4-1, while Division III edged Port Ferry 3-2. Captain Dawn Kay led the Division III charge. Alma Fonda sealed the Scratch title on the 20th hole. Four times a charm for Warnable strongwoman, Liz Atkin. Competing in Australia's strongest in Sydney, Liz was able to secure third place after overcoming injury. Miss Atkins competed in five different categories: a carry and load medley, a deadlift for up to 200 kilos, complete a 85 kilo overhead log press, and carry 180 kilos for 60 meters in under 60 seconds. The strong woman also lifted three Atlas Stones ranging up to 120 kilos. 16-year-old Angus Ewing takes home gold, representing Australia in the 2026 Oceana Athletics Championships in Darwin on Tuesday in Discus. Ewing secured his win with almost four meters difference between him and second place. His first throw was a meet record coming in at a distance of 58.75 metres. This sits him twelfth in the world for under 18s. His sights are now set on all school championships. On Friday, overnight temperatures are falling to as low as four degrees. Now to the forecast. A foggy start on Friday with a chance of morning frost in the northeast. As for Saturday, a top of 19 degrees with a partly cloudy day, and overnight temperatures are falling to seven. In Malt Lake, 17 degrees for the next two days. As for tomorrow, a cloudy day with light winds on Friday. Overnight temperatures are dropping to as low as four with frost in the northeast, topping at 18 on Saturday with a partly cloudy day. Shifting inland to Kolak and Camperdown, partly cloudy coverage for the days ahead. There is a chance of morning fog tomorrow with light winds on Friday, and Saturday, a partly cloudy day, topping at 18 degrees. Along the Great Ocean Road and into Port Campbell. Tomorrow, a cloudy day with 17 degrees. Friday, a mostly sunny day with a top of 17, also a chance of morning fog. Saturday, a mostly sunny day with a top of 18 and northeasterly winds. Home to Warnable, a top of 17 degrees with a chance of morning fog, with a slight chance of a shower. On Friday, also 17 degrees with light winds. As for Saturday, a top of 19 degrees with a partly cloudy day and northeasterly winds. That's it from your Southwest Local News team this morning, and thank you for tuning in. Remember that you can also watch this bulletin online at Southwest LocalNews.com.au. Until Saturday morning with peace. Have a great day.