Tom Whitford

Tom Whitford is our regional and rural Victoria reporter. Based out of the Goulburn Valley, he covers everything from country road tolls to the policing challenges facing small towns and Aboriginal communities across the state. He is a third-generation farmer and a volunteer firefighter.

Regional Victoria
Tom WhitfordJuly 15, 2026
Impressionism lands in Geelong and Adelaide in a rare double showing
Two major Australian galleries are presenting landmark Impressionist exhibitions, bringing works by Monet, Renoir and van Gogh to regional and…
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Missing Persons
Tom WhitfordJuly 11, 2026
Remains Found in Search for Missing Teen; Youth Arrested
Victoria Police is investigating after human remains were discovered during a search for a missing teenage girl in Victoria's west,…
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Regional Victoria
Tom WhitfordJuly 3, 2026
Sixty years on, Curtis’s abuse trial is dead before it starts
A Victorian Supreme Court case brought by a Ballarat man alleging childhood abuse by a Christian Brother has been halted…
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Regional Victoria
Tom WhitfordJune 14, 2026
Dying Further From Home: Why Regional Roads Kill at Twice the Rate
Regional Victorians die on roads at roughly double the rate of Melbourne residents. Tom Whitford examines the engineering, distance, and…
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Public Safety
Tom WhitfordJune 11, 2026
What coroners keep telling Victoria about firefighter deaths
Burnover incidents, failing escape routes and fractured command decisions keep appearing in Victorian coronial findings on rural firefighting fatalities. Tom…
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Public Safety
Tom WhitfordJune 10, 2026
Volunteer Army: How the CFA Prepares Victoria for Fire Season
With more than 50,000 volunteers across roughly 1,200 brigades, the CFA remains one of the world's largest volunteer fire services.…
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Regional Victoria
Tom WhitfordJune 10, 2026
Father and son: Ablett duo immortalised in football’s hall of fame
Gary Ablett Jr has joined his father in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, cementing one of the game's most…
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Regional Victoria
Tom WhitfordJune 10, 2026
Ballarat Abuse Survivors Walk Away From Diocese Deal
Victim-survivors of Catholic clergy abuse in Ballarat have declared agreements with the local diocese null and void, ending negotiations they…
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Public Safety
Tom WhitfordJune 9, 2026
First Nations Justice Caucus: How Far Has Victoria Come?
Victoria's Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4, the Wirkara Kulpa youth strategy and the Yoorrook Justice Commission are reshaping how the…
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Regional Victoria
Tom WhitfordJune 9, 2026
Six teens now charged over Bendigo stabbing of homeless man
A total of six teenagers have now been charged over the alleged stabbing of a homeless man in central Bendigo,…
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