Gippsland local news briefing: Friday, November 13, 2026 - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Here's what's making news in Gippsland today.

A 17-year-old boy who was found alive yesterday after six days' missing in dense bushland in Gippsland, will be taken to hospital in Melbourne with a suspected torn oesophagus. 

William disappeared last Friday while camping with a friend at Walhalla East, near Cowwarr.

A police helicopter spotted him on a riverbank before he was reunited with his mother and taken to Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH) for assessment. 

LRH CEO Don McCrae said William was in a stable condition and was expected to be transferred to The Alfred Hospital this morning for further testing and specialist review. 

"He's in good spirits and has his mum by his side," Mr McCrae said.

William's mother, Elizabeth Barkley, said she had continued to hold onto hope during the search and it was 'a miracle' that he was found alive.

"His first words were 'I love you mum'," she said.

"Then he said 'am I grounded?' I said 'absolutely, you're grounded until you're 50'."

Plans to build a commercial barramundi farm at the Maryvale Paper Mill have stalled as the owners consider building a bore to heat the water.

Funded with a $30 million federal government grant in 2022, the proposed barramundi farm at the mill promised to produce around 3,700 tonnes of the usually tropical fish every year.

A 2024 feasibility study obtained by the ABC looked into the possibility of heating water for the fish using geothermal heat from a 650-metre-deep bore.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency funded nearly half of the $232,000 study, which found the bore project was economically viable, though its total cost would be commercial-in-confidence.

Despite initial plans to begin construction in 2023, that is yet to occur.

Proponent Opal Australia has been contacted for comment.

The federal opposition says people living with prostate cancer could lose vital support under a new care system, and regional patients must not be forgotten.

The federal government will cease funding for the Prostate Cancer Foundation's nursing service, redirecting the money to a new nursing model with the McGrath Foundation.

National Party member for Gippsland Darren Chester called for continuity of care, saying 28,000 men were given a prostate cancer diagnosis nationally each year, with up to 4,000 deaths.

He said the government needed to reassure people, services would be available when needed.

Health Minister Mark Butler was contacted for comment.

Victoria Police statistics show just one arrest was made for livestock theft in the state during the past financial year, despite 177 reports to police.

There were more than 2,600 alleged crimes reported on Victorian farms during the 12 months.

State farm crime coordinator Paul Hargreaves said he understood some farmers were hesitant to report crimes, but delays in reporting made it difficult to prosecute offenders.

"There has been occasions where a witness has seen people stealing sheep from a paddock and again has not reported it at the time, now we would say to anyone you should report it to us," he said.

Geoscience Australia has confirmed a magnitude 2.6 earthquake near Leongatha in South Gippsland yesterday morning.

The tremor struck just before 9am at a depth of 10km, with 12 felt reports at the time.

It's the latest in a series of more than 20 earthquakes recorded in the area since the end of September.