Brunswick - 3056

Victorian planning authorities will allow Assemble to significantly reduce the number of affordable homes offered at large developments in Melbourne's north by more than half.

The Victorian government has released its final planning controls for 25 activity centres in Melbourne, with tweaks meaning lower height limits in parts of Kew and Oakleigh and higher heights in parts of Coburg and Brunswick. 

Storms dumped 50 millimetres of rain on parts of Victoria on Tuesday and cut power to thousands of homes.

Victorian teachers say they are exhausted, living almost 100 kilometres from work, as their salaries fail to sustain housing costs.

Victoria's Auditor-General has found less than one in five tram services in Melbourne are accessible, with the Department of Transport and Planning failing to set any targets or direct funding to improve the tram network.

In one booming growth area, north of Melbourne, locals are forced to drive to avoid long delays for trains during peak periods. Multiple groups are calling on the state government to upgrade its services.

The body of Melbourne woman Isla Bell was so badly damaged that forensic experts were unable to say how she died, a court has been told.

As the Coalition grapples with the wave of support for Labor that swept Victoria on polling day, the state's voters share the issues that influenced their decision-making.

Wills was Labor heartland, but now the seat that belonged to Bob Hawke is squarely in the marginal column.

As streaming sees more and more people forgoing traditional cinemas to watch content at home, micro-cinemas showing alternative and niche films are rising in popularity across the country.    

Both major parties know Victoria, and in particular Melbourne, will play a major role in determining who wins the federal election. These are the seats to keep an eye on.

From Donald Trump to the housing crisis and the cost of living to aged care, voters have their say and tell us what matters most to them in the coming federal election.

The state government has named an additional 25 locations across metropolitan Melbourne where it wants to change planning rules to fast-track housing development.

The family of 19-year-old Isla Bell say they are trying to process the "unimaginable" after her remains were believed to have been found at a Melbourne tip.

A brief of evidence submitted to the Melbourne Magistrates Court outlines the police case against the man accused of her murder, and a second who allegedly helped the offender.

Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad have charged a 53-year-old man with murder and a 57-year-old man with assisted murder after the disappearance of 19-year-old Brunswick woman Isla Bell.

The grieving loved ones of a woman murdered by her former partner say her death has "shattered" their family.

The owners of a shopping centre in Melbourne's inner-north say they have been told a beloved bear statue that was stolen from the precinct is unlikely to be returned.

The artists who created a life-sized bronze bear statue say they are "shocked and heartbroken" after learning it had been stolen from a Melbourne inner-north shopping centre last week.

The trial for the murder of gangland lawyer Joseph 'Pino' Acquaro has been delayed indefinitely, after Victoria Police won a High Court bid to protect the identity of an informer in the case.