🟠 Is it high noon for Kew's hoons?

WHAT’S COMING UP 🎟️

• SATURDAY 30/05/26, 7.30-9.30PM & SUNDAY 31/05/26, 2-4PM | Hills Act Theatre’s Away

• SATURDAY 30/05/26, 3-9PM & SUNDAY 31/05/26, 3-9PM | Unmarked Melbourne

• SATURDAY 30/05/26, 8PM | The Choirboys

• SATURDAY 06/06/26, 10.30AM-4.30PM | International Tabletop Day

• SATURDAY 06/06/26, 10.30AM-8PM | Dragon Boat Festival

• SATURDAY 06/06/26 & SUNDAY 07/06/26, 10AM-5PM; MONDAY 08/06/26, 10AM-4PM | Waverley Model Railway Club Exhibition

• SATURDAY 06/06/26 & SUNDAY 07/06/26 | The Witch Market

• SATURDAY 06/06/26, 8-9PM | Lehmo — Camper Van Go

• EVERY DAY TO SUNDAY 12/07/26, 10AM-5PM | Play School: Come and Play!

📰 THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES

🍃 Roads and power lines in the Dandenong Ranges are regularly damaged in extreme weather events. A new report shows it’s only going to get worse.

More than $57 billion of Victorian infrastructure is at risk of climate damage by 2030 — a figure that resonates strongly in the Dandenong Ranges, where residents are still recovering from repeated storm damage.

Storms, landslides and bushfires are not rare for Dandenong Ranges residents, with a June 2021 storm event damaging 112 homes and leaving 81 uninhabitable.

Overhead power lines and telecommunications were cut off, while residents looking to flee were met with trees blocking or damaging roads.

Kalorama Mount Dandenong Country Fire Authority captain Bill Robinson remembered supporting residents after most powerlines were destroyed and roads blocked.

“We were without power for three weeks,” Robinson told the Eastern Melburnian.

In a new report, independent authority Infrastructure Victoria analysed the risk posed to $318 billion worth of State Government assets, finding roads, rail, energy and health networks the most vulnerable.

Under a “low emissions” scenario where global warming stays below two degrees Celsius compared to the 1951-1980 period, the study found more than $23 billion of existing infrastructure would be vulnerable to damage or destruction from bushfires by 2030.

Flooding and extreme heat also pose significant risks, with more than $22 billion exposed to flooding by 2030 and almost $11 billion to extreme heat.

Roger Jones from Victoria University said investing in resilient infrastructure has often been politically difficult because success is defined by disasters being avoided altogether.

Jones, who currently works as a professorial research fellow at the university studying climate-related risk, said he believed the things outlined in the Infrastructure Victoria report may already be unfolding faster than official projections suggest.

“My own opinion is that the level of exposure that they're talking about for 2030 is what we're exposed to now,” Jones said, adding he hoped state and federal governments would act quickly on the findings and deliver adaptation plans as soon as possible.

“We’re not flying blind into the future,” he said. “There’s both a moral and, increasingly, a legal obligation to actually act on this kind of information.”

The State Government is due to release its next Adaptation Action Plan by October 31.

Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Dr Jonathan Spear said more needed to be done to update and fund climate adaptation action across the state.

“We know extreme weather is a reality now,” Spear said.

📸 $50,000 noise cameras and $1,200 fines floated as latest effort to halt Yarra Boulevard hoons

Multiple $50,000 noise detection cameras are among new technologies proposed by Boroondara Council to crack down on hooning along Kew’s Yarra Boulevard.

Speeding and excessive vehicle noise have been a nuisance for residents and wildlife for more than 10 years in the region, with councillors hoping Yarra Boulevard would be used in a State Government trial.

Since 2016, Boroondara Council has advocated to combat hooning along the six-kilometre stretch of road connecting Kew to Richmond, with steps achieved over the last 10 years including securing $7 million in federal funding.

“Hooning” is a term referring to a range of reckless or dangerous driving offences, including driving at 45 kilometres or more above the speed or deliberately causing the car to skid, produce smoke or making excessive noise.

Earlier this year in April, the State Government announced a $1.3 million trial of seven roadside noise cameras at key hotspots across Victoria aimed to combat this reckless driving. However, the government has not yet released the list of where the temporary cameras would be installed.

The noise cameras would take a photo of any vehicle exceeding a certain decibel limit, with offenders potentially facing fines of up to $1,221 for individuals and $6,105 for businesses.

During Boroondara Council’s meeting on Monday May 25, councillors passed a motion to advocate to directly punish speeding drivers, including permanent speed cameras, an increased police presence and noise camera technology.

👀 DID YOU SEE?

One Nation would use taxpayer money to fund riskier gas projects

A few days ago Pauline Hanson announced her party’s plan for taxing the nation’s gas exports.

The National Account’s Archie Milligan had a chat with the lead Australian Gas Analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, Joshua Runciman, who said the shift to this new policy is a “step back” for the party.

Jazz at the movies? Eastern Melbourne’s June gig guide

From Aussie punk rock legends to a crass comedian singer-songwriter, here are some of the gigs to check out across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs in June.

Sorcerers and stargazers: June’s events and attractions for young locals

A traditional Chinese celebration, a train display exhibition and a chance to show off your board games skills are among some of the best family-friendly events and activities next month.