Established in 1875 as the
proudly serving Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay
29 OCTOBER, 2025
Sinful fun in Footscray Footscray will play host to electrifying magic, burlesque, fire, circus, and more this Friday night as the hugely popular Halloween-themed cabaret show, Sins of the West, returns for 2025. Held at a well-known LGBTQ+ venue Pride of Our Footscray, Sins of the West is a 90-minute show hosted by Cassidy La Creme and featuring some of Melbourne’s best cabaret performers. If previous years are any guide, patrons should prepare to witness anything on stage, with angle grinders, sword swallowing, even a live snake featuring in the past. In order to avoid missing any of the action, audience members are encouraged to arrive, order drinks and be seated before the show starts at 8.30pm on 31 October. Once the show is over, they can stick around afterwards for a late night boogie on the dance floor and to enjoy some more spooky drag shows from Sam T and LUMA. Tickets are on sale now at: https:// www.trybooking.com/events/ landing/1093075 Rhiannon Thompson (front), Cassidy La Creme, Benni Hutton, producer Angelina Lester and Kitten Kaboodle are all taking part in Sins of the West, a Halloween extravaganza at Pride of Footscray this Friday night. (Damjan Janevski) 512424_01
Tunnel stack fight By Cade Lucas A cabinet minister and local campaign group have traded insults following the release of damning report into the exhaust stacks being constructed for the West Gate Tunnel. The report commissioned by Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) found design flaws in the tunnel’s exhaust stacks would result in thousands of residents in the inner west being exposed to harmful pollution, despite the tunnel being built to remove trucks from the roads and improve air quality. The report conducted by Synergetics Consulting Engineers and released on
Tuesday 21 October, found the stack’s cosmetic design flourishes would create a downwash effect, pushing pollution towards nearby homes in Altona North and Yarraville where both are located. Yarraville resident Sarah Tartakover lives in Princess Street, a short distance from the tunnel’s northern stack, and said the results of the report made her feel betrayed. “For seven years we’ve put up with the inconvenience (from the tunnel construction) in good faith that we will be better off, that our lives will be better off, that our health will be better off,” Ms Tartakova said
“I feel like we’ve been sold a lie.” MTAG president Martin Wurt said the findings were alarming and again highlighted the need for filters to be installed in the stacks before the tunnel opens in December. “These unfiltered stacks will create even higher rates of hospitalisations for asthma, cardio-vascular disease, strokes and heart attacks. “Enough is enough!” However, Williamstown MP and Roads Minister Melissa Horne fired back at MTAG, accusing the organisation of spreading disinformation and not providing the government with a copy of the report.
“No other government has invested more to improve air quality across Melbourne’s west,” Ms Horne declared before listing a range of initiatives the government had undertaken to tackle the problem. She said numerous environmental and health assessments had found the tunnel would improve air quality and dismissed demands for filters to be installed. “No tunnels in Australia include filtration systems. “Expert assessments have found that filtration is not required for the West Gate Tunnel ventilation system.”
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