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Melissa Brown
Melissa Brown joined the ABC in 1997 in Queensland, working in the Toowoomba, Rockhampton and Cairns newsrooms before moving to Melbourne in 2002. She was the radio court reporter at the height of the Melbourne gangland war. She has spent time on the road for radio and TV news and News Breakfast, and has been a producer for Insiders. She is now a digital producer and a radio news producer and newsreader.
Latest by Melissa Brown
Fatal ambulance delays in Victoria grow to 33 as report finds delays with majority of triple-0 calls
Emergency services watchdog says understaffing and failings within triple-0 contributed to the deaths of 33 Victorians.
Posted Updated Just 2mg of this drug can be fatal, and police have just found a record amount of it in Melbourne
After a record amount of fentanyl was seized in Melbourne, authorities are sounding the alarm about the highly dangerous drug that has rarely been found in Australia.
Posted Updated Authorities decry 'audacity' of drug smugglers behind record fentanyl shipment
Federal authorities have intercepted a record amount of the potentially deadly opioid fentanyl, hidden inside machinery sent to Melbourne.
Posted Updated Capacity crowd expected in Melbourne for Matildas v Sweden lead-in to FIFA World Cup
The Matildas will take on Sweden in front of an expected full house at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in November, ahead of next year's Women's World Cup.
Posted Doctor tells inquest 'I am sorry' for misdiagnosis of pregnant mother hours before her death
A coronial inquest opens on the fifth anniversary of the death of pregnant Melbourne mother Annie O'Brien, who was misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis before a stillbirth and multiple organ failure.
Posted Updated Eddie's garden and mini-zoo became a popular local attraction during lockdown, but council says it must go
By Zalika Rizmal and Melissa Brown
More than 1,500 people sign a petition to save a mini petting zoo created by a Footscray resident in Melbourne's inner west.
Posted Cancelled flights, delays reach record levels as airlines struggle to make comeback from COVID
By Melissa Brown and Dan Smith
A record number of flights were cancelled or ran late last month as Australian airlines continue being pummelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and poor weather conditions.
Posted Updated Should I get a fourth COVID shot now?
As millions more people become eligible for a fourth COVID vaccine dose, you might be asking whether you should book in for it or wait for Omicron-specific vaccines still being developed.
Posted Updated Victoria's first openly gay ministers sworn in after major pre-election reshuffle
By Sian Johnson, Judd Boaz, and Melissa Brown
New ministers Steve Dimopoulos and Harriet Shing are part of the cohort that will flank Premier Daniel Andrews as he vies for a third term in government later this year.
Posted Updated Driver breaks down car park gate to escape gunman in Melbourne apartment block
Police release vision of a gunman threatening a couple in the garage of an apartment building in Melbourne's inner west last month.
Posted Updated No heating, no lunches with friends as renters struggle against the rising cost of living
Renters are facing a triple whammy of forces — as rents are rising, so is the cost of basic living essentials, and at the same time, the number of affordable homes is shrinking.
Posted Updated Australians are no longer worried about border closures, but the way we travel has changed
Australians are embracing international travel but industry experts say lingering memories about COVID-19 restrictions have changed the way we book holidays.
Posted Updated If you think your home build could be in doubt, here's what your next steps should be
Rumours about the future of Australian construction giant Metricon have left many people questioning how secure their home building projects are.
Posted Updated Another 10,000 travel vouchers released for senior Victorians, but is the industry over COVID?
The vouchers worth $200 each are being issued to senior travellers as the state records a bumper Easter weekend.
Posted Tens of billions of dollars' worth of property facing climate and erosion risk, analysis shows
Analysis finds climate change is threatening coastal homes, property values and the ability for buyers to secure bank loans and insurance.
Posted Updated Family of Melbourne woman who died after 'unnecessary' CT scan calls for change
A lawyer for the family of Melbourne mother-of-two Peta Hickey says they intend to launch civil action after the Victorian coroner finds doctors' poor judgement, inadequate training and lax industry standards contributed to the death.
Posted Updated Bold fashion under blue skies at Flemington as crowds welcomed back for Melbourne Cup
By Melissa Brown and staff
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, thousands of Melbourne Cup fans descended on Flemington to watch in person the race that stops a nation.
Posted Updated Endangered bandicoot back from the brink of extinction
Endangered eastern barred bandicoots are no longer classified as being extinct in the wild after conservation efforts.
Posted Updated Lockdown fatigue, essential worker movement causing Victoria's outbreak to outpace NSW
Experts say a range of factors, including essential work and lockdown fatigue, are likely contributing to the spread of Melbourne's outbreak, where cases are rising at an average of roughly 12 per cent each day.
Posted Updated Robert Doyle 'not medically fit' to be interviewed over alleged sexual harassment
Melbourne's former lord mayor is found unfit to be interviewed about sexual harassment allegations during his time with Melbourne Health.
Posted Updated Painkiller shortage forces patients onto stronger codeine drugs
Experts warn laws to prevent painkiller addiction are having unintended consequences, as patients like Wendy Benson find they can no longer access low-dose codeine drugs and are prescribed higher-dose products instead.
Posted Updated Homicide suspected in case of pregnant woman found dead with barbell on throat
A Victorian coroner says a woman found dead in her garage after a reported weightlifting accident was likely the victim of a homicide.
Posted Updated 'Lowest of the low': Drug addict jailed after accomplice murders Victorian war veteran
Kenneth Handford was tied up, stabbed 13 times and left to die, after Adam Williamson broke into his home and encouraged an accomplice to attack him. Williamson now faces 27 years in jail.
Posted Updated 'Hardest fire to fight': Homes lost as bushfires rip through Victoria's west
By Melissa Brown and staff
Blazes destroy or damage up to a dozen homes — as well as hundreds of beef and dairy cattle — in western Victoria, with authorities saying four fires remain a concern on Sunday night.
Posted Updated The hidden costs after the death of a loved one
Grieving partners are charged hundreds of dollars to get household accounts transferred from their loved ones' names into their own, with some companies even imposing both disconnection and re-connection fees on accounts.
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