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Sian Johnson
Sian Johnson is a reporter and digital producer for ABC Melbourne. She previously worked as a reporter in Ballarat and Warrnambool.
Contact Sian JohnsonLatest by Sian Johnson
Australia's COVID winter wave has eased. Here's how households are managing as spring arrives
By Sian Johnson
As COVID rules continue changing, more Australian families are navigating decisions around their handling of the pandemic for themselves.
Posted Affirmative consent laws have passed in Victoria. Here's what that means
By Sian Johnson
The reforms are designed to strengthen the "affirmative consent" model in Victoria's sexual assault laws, but legal groups are concerned the changes will cause greater confusion.
Posted With a state election around the corner, a crisis has left Victoria's opposition with no choice but to regroup
By Sian Johnson and state political reporter Leanne Wong
Months out from a state election, a leaked email, a "disastrous" interview and staff departures have rocked Victoria's opposition.
Posted Updated Alex's heart is barely working, but in a strained health system his surgery is not a priority
By Sian Johnson and Yara Murray-Atfield
New figures released by the Victorian government show the health system is under more pressure than ever before, but elective surgery wait times are beginning to stabilise.
Posted Updated Once a way to deal with 'the daughter problem', this tradition has become 'unkillable'
By Elise Kinsella with photography by Danielle Bonica
At debutante balls held across Australia each year, girls wear long white dresses and are presented to their communities. Supporters say these balls give young women a chance to shine, critics say they are outdated. Why are deb balls still a thing?
Posted Updated As the 'nastiest' COVID-19 variant sweeps the country, data indicates July has been worse than January
By Joseph Dunstan and Sian Johnson
There are signs that Victoria could be moving past the peak of its current COVID-19 wave as the nation nears the end of its deadliest month since the pandemic began.
Posted Updated Victorians without a third vaccine dose loom large among the state's COVID-19 deaths
By Sian Johnson
As COVID becomes something Australians are exposed to each year, we'll think less about how many vaccine doses we've had and more about how we time them with waves of transmission, experts say.
Posted Updated Victoria records grim milestone with COVID deaths surpassing 4,000
By Sian Johnson
As Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 become dominant in Melbourne, the number of Victorians dying from COVID-19 continues to climb.
Posted Updated Aged care facility where 45 people died of COVID charged over alleged workplace safety breaches
By Sian Johnson
The WorkSafe charges brought against St Basil's, in Melbourne's north, relate to the facility's alleged failure to ensure PPE was worn and correctly used by staff after a positive case emerged in July 2020.
Posted 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 As the eastern states face an energy crisis, Victoria may fare slightly better. Here's why
By Ashleigh Barraclough and Sian Johnson
Experts say the state's brown coal reserves could provide a "safety net", but ageing power plants and instability from the interconnected national energy market may still pose a threat.
Posted Koalas grazing near Victorian aluminium smelter suffering bone, tooth defects from fluoride exposure
By Sian Johnson
A study commissioned by American aluminium giant Alcoa shows koalas living in close proximity to a smelter in Victoria's south-west are suffering from a condition caused by fluoride poisoning, with many needing to be euthanased.
Posted Updated Monkeypox confirmed in Melbourne and Sydney
By Heath Parkes-Hupton and Sian Johnson
Two men, in their 30s and 40s — who are recently returned travellers — have been diagnosed with monkeypox, but both have mild symptoms and are in isolation, authorities say.
Posted Updated Victoria records 22 new COVID-19 deaths and experts ponder uptick in cases
By Sian Johnson
For the past week, the number of people catching coronavirus in Victoria has climbed, with a similar rise in the number of cases requiring hospital treatment. Overnight, 22 new deaths from COVID-19 were recorded.
Posted Updated Nurse's suggestion to send Veronica Nelson from prison to hospital was rejected, coroner hears
By Joseph Dunstan and Sian Johnson
A coronial inquest is told a health assessment of the 37-year-old Aboriginal woman upon her arrival at prison lasted just 13 minutes and did not include several key observations.
Posted Coroner hears of 'glaring absences' at bail hearing where Veronica represented herself before she died
By Sian Johnson and Joseph Dunstan
A lawyer who tried to assist the 37-year-old, who died in custody after allegedly shoplifting, described the shortcomings of a bail hearing on the third day of a coronial inquest.
Posted Updated In the days before she died, Victoria's strict bail laws likely influenced Veronica's failed bid to avoid being locked up
By Sian Johnson and Joseph Dunstan
A coronial inquest will examine the role tightening bail laws in the wake of the Bourke Street tragedy may have played in Veronica Nelson's treatment by authorities in the lead-up to her death.
Posted Updated Emotional Anzac Day for Jeep the military dog and his longtime partner in service
By Stephanie Ferrier and Sian Johnson
Jeep, a 14-year-old shepherd who helped with the search for missing plane MH370, wore his medal and a purple poppy to recognise the many thousands of other animals who have served in Australia's defence forces.
Posted Updated Here's what we know about 'one of the worst' helicopter crashes in Victorian history
By Sian Johnson
Five people — including a "highly respected" pilot and four passengers — were killed when a chartered flight crashed in rugged terrain at Mount Disappointment early on Thursday.
Posted Updated Key moments as Melbourne, and the world, said 'see you later' to cricket great Shane Warne
By Sian Johnson
As friends of Shane Warne shared anecdotes, recalled fond memories and poked fun at some of the charismatic cricket legend's antics, his enthusiasm for living well and lifting those around him remained a constant theme.
Posted Updated 'I was a mother': Women forced to put their babies up for adoption share pain as Victoria commits to redress scheme
By Sian Johnson and Erin Somerville
More than $4 million will be used to design a redress scheme and provide other support for those affected by forced adoption practices from the mid-1950s through to the 1980s.
Posted Updated It's spreading to places it normally wouldn't. Here's what we know about Japanese encephalitis in Australia
By Freya Michie and Sian Johnson
The deaths of two people from the virus amid a growing number of cases across Australia are causing concern for health and agricultural authorities. Here's what we know.
Posted Updated Victorian government ditches plan to tax developers to fund social housing projects
By state political reporter Richard Willingham and Sian Johnson
The levy on new developments would have raised about $800 million each year, but the property industry and councils strongly opposed the move.
Posted Updated As COVID-19 restrictions ease, older Australians are weighing up which risks are worth taking
By Sian Johnson
As restrictions ease, many older Australians are still wary of their heightened risk of becoming seriously ill, or dying, from COVID-19.
Posted Updated As Callum jogged through an empty city, he pulled out his phone to document the 'massive network of distress'
By Sian Johnson
With each COVID-19 lockdown, artist Callum Morton noticed more and more empty shopfronts bearing 'for lease' signs across Melbourne, so he began to document them.
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