Wednesday afternoon's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the news you need to know this afternoon — so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Victorian puppy farms will be closed.

In excellent news for dogs and dog-lovers across the country, puppy farms in Victoria will soon be closed.

The RSPCA Special Investigations Unit has been awarded a $5 million grant by the Victorian government that it will use close illegal puppy farms, APP reports. The grant will also be used to prosecute rogue breeders and rehabilitate seized animals.

Legislation amendments that are already underway will strengthen the animal breeding code of practice and regulate pet shops, according to AAP.

Thousands and thousands of dogs are kept in puppy farms around the world, and the RSPCA says that “puppy farming is a major animal welfare issue in Australia”. In these farms, dogs are forced to become pregnant repeatedly — trapped in tiny dark spaces, where they often live in their own excrement and are unable to see the sunshine.

Meet Billy, who was rescued from a puppy farm, in the US Humane Society video (post continues after video):

2. Woman slapped with overtime “grief tax”.

A woman has been slapped with a $280 fine for staying a few minutes late at her husband’s grave after his funeral.

The distraught widow stayed just minutes past the 4pm closing time at Pinnaroo Cemetery Brisbane, Quest News reports.

“I was told that Pinnaroo operates as a business. It’s a grave-robbing grief tax,” a family member told the newspaper.

The fine was reportedly issued because of staff having to work overtime if the cemetary is not cleared out by 4pm.

Funeral directors told North West News said most cemeteries charged similar overtime fees, Quest News reports.

3. Allison Baden-Clay’s family speak out ahead of appeal.

The family of murdered Brisbane woman Allison Baden-Clay have spoken out ahead of her killer husband’s appeal.

“On behalf of Allison’s loving family and friends, we are aware that an appeal date has been set for August 7 in the Queensland Court of Appeal,” Priscilla and Geoff Dickie said today.

“We have no comment to make on the matter other than we are waiting for the justice system to complete all relevant processes so we can move forward with our grieving and our lives,” the devastated parents continued in a statement.

“We still have a long road ahead of us coming to terms with this horrific crime. We would ask you all to respect our privacy during this difficult time. The family will be making no further comments on the matter.”

Gerard Baden-Clay‘s appeal date has been set for 7 August.

4. George Pell ‘knew about sex abuse’ as early as ’74.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse has heard that Cardinal George Pell was told of child sex abuse allegations as early as 1974.

Victim Timothy Green told the royal commission he told Cardinal Pell he had been abused by convicted paedophile Brother Edward Dowlan in the ’70s — but that nothing was done.

Pell allegedly responded: “Don’t be ridiculous,” the Herald Sun reports.

Dowlan has previously admitted molesting more than 20 young students.

5. Chinese man arrested for fraud over ’17 girlfriends’

A man accused of having 17 girlfriends has been arrested for fraud.

BBC News reports the man, identified as Mr Yuan from Hunan province, China, was found out when all his girlfriends rushed to his hospital bedside at once.

The fraud allegation relates to money he took from various girlfriends, the South China Morning Post reports.

6. Nearly half of Centrelink calls went unanswered last year.

Nearly half of all phone calls made to Centrelink last year went unanswered, Fairfax Media reports.

Of the 57 million calls in 2014, around 13.7 million were blocked or only connected with a busy line, a eport by the Australian National Audit Office into the Department of Human Services’ “SmartCentres” reveals.

Another 12.9 million or so calls were”abandoned” as the callers hung up during long waits to speak to an operator, the new report found.

Do you have a news tip? Email news@mamamia.com.au

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