The first, largest and growing network for independent news from across
rural and regional Australia.
Tell your network.
Explore
Since our launch in 2021, we’ve published over 16,000 articles.
Look through years of stories on your topics of interest.
Research our news.
Australia Day - Kyogle
Starstruck Liesl couldn’t believe Keith Potger from The Seekers sang on stage with her
Liesl Pederson was starstruck when she went on stage to sing I am Australian at the Kyogle Australia Day ceremony at the KMI Hall. Liesl is well known at Kyogle events often singing the national anthem at the Kyogle Show and performing on Anzac Day.
National anthem - NT
Childcare
Three-day childcare guarantee now in effect for all families
Every child is now guaranteed three days of subsidised childcare, but there's a catch for rural families. The three-day childcare guarantee now in effect for all families. A new federal subsidy removes work test, but access to centres remains challenge in Barwon electorate, according to the local MP.
Land tax - NSW
Tax shock for farm trailblazers: NSW Farmers Association
Farmers with cellar doors and fruit stands should beware of huge new bills being slapped on them by the state government, NSW Farmers says. Reports have spiked of family farmers being forced to pay up to $300,000 in land taxes to the NSW Government for diversifying their businesses with small farmgate sales and agritourism experiences.
Australia Day - Alice Springs
Mayor Hill to abstain from council’s Australia Day function
The Town Council ... (19.1.2026) announced its "special Australia Day ceremony" and ... (20.1.2026) Mayor Asta Hill announced that she won't be taking part. "It is my personal view that the 26 January is not the right date to celebrate our national day," she said in a statement.
Research - carbon farming
Tailoring carbon farming can realise greater co-benefits: Matthew Harrison
Without agriculture, hundreds of millions of people would go hungry every day. Yet modern agriculture is increasingly judged not just on how much food it produces — but on how well it stores carbon, protects biodiversity, and reduces emissions. Farmers are being asked to deliver food, climate solutions and conservation outcomes, while still running profitable businesses.
Surf life saving
New champions crowned at NSW Country surf titles
Cudgen Headland SLSC has almost returned to the summit of Country surf sports but there's still plenty of racing to go after a day in which competitors of all ages earned a slew of medals at the 2026 NSW Country Championships at South West Rocks.
Bushfire recovery
Powering up
Ausnet repair crews have been acknowledged by the community for the rapid response in rebuilding the electricity network in the wake of the Walwa-River Road bushfire despite facing tough terrain, high temperatures and even lightning and hailstorms.
Australia Day weekend - Quambatook
QHWMA’s harvest days, January 2026
The Quambatook Heritage Working Machinery Association will once again stage its Harvest Working Days and Vintage Tractor-pull on this Australia Day weekend. Club members have been working to prepare items from their extensive collection of tractors, harvesting machinery and old trucks.
Equine therapy
From the Rockies to home: Mikaela Hurst’s global journey on horseback
In the dusty yards of a local feedlot, on a horse twice her size, Mikaela Hurst effortlessly moves cattle under the unrelenting Australian summer sun. But beneath the wide-brimmed hat and even wider smile lies a specialised skill set that is rare.
Infrastructure - hazardous road
Hole lot of drama on Armidale Road
Several vehicles have had tyres damaged, and rims broken as they’ve travelled along a notoriously dangerous 22km section of Armidale Road between Coutts Crossing and Nymboida in recent months, with one social media user likening it to the Mariana Trench. With countless potholes, some measuring 16cm deep and 40cm wide, creating a hazardous obstacle course on the bitumen, many locals and business representatives ... have shared various warnings online...
Sports infrastructure - Olympic bid
Show Society confidence in games bid
Allora Show Society is moving ahead with an attempt to become involved in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games after discussing the potential for a multi-function stables complex at the showgrounds. It is anticipated that the complex would cost around $1.5 million and would become a valuable asset at the showgrounds beyond the Olympics.
Murray-Darling
Value of Murray-Darling conference lauded by councillor
The Murray-Darling Association 2025 National Conference saw its new Strategic Plan unveiled, building on the direction of Vision 2025. Narrandera Shire Council was represented by Cr Jenny Clarke, who presented a report to the Council recently.
Interview
“I am desperate to get to court”
Facing aggravated assault charges he has denied, member for MacKillop Nick McBride says he is "chafing at the bit, desperate," and "can't wait to get to the court" to tell his side of the story. In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with The News, Mr McBride asked voters for a "leap of faith," urging the electorate to uphold the Australian Constitution and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
New release - review
Review – A Bold Endeavour: A history of our work in the Western Australian rangelands
Roger Underwood. A Bold Endeavour – a history of our work in the Western Australian rangelands is a terrific book. I read it from cover to cover and then went back and read some parts again ... if the political will for action ever arises, best-practice land management systems for the WA rangelands are now known and understood, and could be implemented across the rangelands tomorrow. This situation can be attributed to the work of that small band of tough, dedicated scientists of the Rangeland Management Branch during its short, but dramatic history.
Working musician
Dave Rastrick – All that Jazz
To say that David Rastrick is a hardworking musician is an understatement of monumental proportion ... He performs several times a week and can clock up around 120 gigs a year ... juggling all these commitments requires the skill of an air traffic controller and the stamina of an elite athlete.
Defence industry - Qld
Fire hazard - Tas
Fire - prevention and preparation
Victoria’s bushfires show the need for smart, coordinated approaches to fire: Michelle Freeman, Forestry Australia
Michelle Freeman. Victorians are living through another black summer, with fires burning through more than 400,000 hectares of forest and farmland and leaving communities from Natimuk to Walwa confronting loss. The scale of the damage underscores the need to continue evolving how we manage our landscapes to better prepare for fire.
Fire - co-ordinated management
Fire funding - Vic
CFA Annual Report confirms continued funding gap: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation has slammed the State Government's continued underfunding of the Country Fire Authority, with today's release of the CFA's 2024-25 Annual Report confirming a funding crisis that is placing regional communities at unacceptable risk. VFF President, Brett Hosking said the numbers tell a damning story that can no longer be ignored.
Beardy Creek
Tin mining dangers
Kaali King. Few of us know that tin is one of the fastest growing rare-earth mineral commodities in 2025, outstripping lithium, cobalt, silver and graphite. Demand for electronics and EVs, all of which use tin solder (48 per cent of the global tin market) is fuelling the boom.
Open for comment - Koalas - NSW
Cattle - NT
Cattle keep land ‘intact’: Pastoral lobby
The Territory’s 45 million hectares of cattle country is “some of the most intact” land in Australia, something that pastoral families, over more than a century, have achieved not “by locking the country away ... Romy Carey, CEO of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association, is making a powerful point in her group’s current newsletter, as her $1.5 billion a year industry is facing Chinese trade restrictions and criticism over its position on buffel weed.
Aquifer - NT
The Cambrian Limestone Aquifer – stable and plentiful: NT
The Northern Territory Government takes a holistic, evidence-based approach to sustainably managing water in the Territory. The Cambrian Limestone Aquifer (CLA) is vast and plentiful and contributes to water resources across a large area of the Territory.
Fisheries - WA
The WA Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries has a budget credibility problem
Jackie Jarvis was appointed Minister for Agriculture and Food in December 2022. She picked up responsibility for Fisheries in March 2025, giving her three budgets and one election to get her head around the DPIRD budget papers ... Once again, I’ve gone back to the state budget to point out a glaring problem: the rhetoric simply does not match the money.
Aboriginal cultural heritage - WA
Heritage by litigation: How Ben Wyatt is rewriting history to excuse a failed law
“WAFarmers are reaping what they sow,” Ben Wyatt declared recently, reflecting on the looming Maddox case and claims by WAFarmers that the current laws are being selectively targeted by the department ... There is a curious habit among former ministers once they leave office: they rediscover principle. Mr Wyatt’s recent commentary on Aboriginal cultural heritage laws is a textbook example.
Floods - Qld
Murray-Darling
The complexities of managing the waters of Menindee Lakes
The Menindee Lakes system is often described as the beating heart of the Darling-Baaka river system, but in the halls of Canberra and Sydney, it is also a vital "battery" for the Murray-Darling Basin. As we move into 2026, the lakes find themselves at the centre of a major policy shift - the "rescoping" of a controversial water-saving project that has pitted engineering efficiency against cultural survival.
Demersal ban - WA
Commercial fisher supports call for mandatory recreational reporting
A commercial fisherman affected by the Cook Government’s decision to permanently close the West Coast bioregion from Kalbarri to Augusta for demersal fishing says it should be mandatory for recreational boat fishers to provide data on their catch on the day they fish.
Centenary of Canegrowers
The meeting that changed Queensland’s sugar industry: Canegrowers
One hundred years ago this week, sugarcane growers from across Queensland met in Mackay to take a defining step that would change their industry forever. CANEGROWERS was born. At the time, sugar was one of Queensland’s most important industries, so central to the state’s economy that it featured on the Queensland coat of arms.
Regional populations
Research
Potential for satellites and AI to help tackle critical invasive species problem: Charles Darwin University
Satellite imagery and artificial intelligence can detect with high accuracy two invasive weed species in Australia, posing a new opportunity for defense against these pervasive plants. Research conducted by Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Charles Sturt University (CSU) explored the potential for SkySat satellite imagery and AI algorithms to detect and map African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) and bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata).
Leadership & You
Pressure is a privilege, but stress is an illness
Pressure sharpens performance and signals purpose, but when left unmanaged it quietly becomes stress—an illness that erodes people, teams, and leadership from the inside out.
ARR TV
Do you have a great sporting moment to share?
A top goal, a winning ride?
Upload your video and
share it here on ARR.News.
We want your news!
Hang gliding - Corryong
Cup draws pilots from across Australia and overseas
More than 75 pilots competed in the recent Corryong Cup Hang Gliding competition on Mt Elliot including entrants from all over Australia and some from Norway, America, England and Ireland ... "So much fun was had that it is likely to become a regular event!"
Sailing
Go like the wind – Big week of sailing in Wallaroo
Austinn Lane. It was a big week on the water in Wallaroo, with the 51st Tasar national championships held at the local sailing club from January 12 to 17. The event attracted 37 teams of two sailors each, who travelled with their craft from around Australia.
Cricket records
Alexander brothers smashing records
An unforgettable day for West Wimmera Warriors cricket and brothers Nathan and Bradley Alexander in Saturday's one day match. The day score final scores as Warriors 3/395 to St Mary's 10/151. In incredible scenes it saw Nathan Alexander - score 230 runs from 126 balls, including 17 4s and 14 6s.
Walwa-River Road fire
Firefighters make the most of calmer weather
A major operation is underway in the Upper Murray and Tallangatta Valley to complete a 300km containment line to bring the Walwa-River Road fire under control … the blaze was started by a lightning strike in the Mt Lawson National Park 25kms west of Walwa on January 5th and has now burnt more than 105,000 hectares and the perimeter stretched around 420kms. To date, there have been nine confirmed house losses, 53 structures (sheds) destroyed and an estimated 10,000 hectares of HVP pine plantation and communication infrastructure at Mt Lawson have been burnt.
Victorian fires
Regional banking
A matter of trust: unpacking Bendigo’s Better Big Bank campaign
Love it, hate it or don’t even understand it, Bendigo Bank’s multi-million dollar “Better Big Bank” marketing campaign has raised a lot of questions since its launch seven years ago ... A review of the “last bank out” of regional towns across Australia since 2020 has revealed that Bendigo has left more communities without banking services than all four big banks put together.
NSW Libs
Crouch dumped as Shadow Minister for the Central Coast
Denice Barnes. The dumping of Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch as Shadow Minister for the Central Coast has resulted in a public backlash, forcing newly-appointed NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane to defend the decision. Mr Crouch lost his role as Shadow Minister for the Central Coast in the recent reshuffle of the NSW Shadow Cabinet.
Ag workforce
Demersal ban - WA
Riverland wine
Malinauskas on the move
Madison Eastmond. Visiting the Riverland as part of a broader regional tour of South Australia last Wednesday and Thursday, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas met privately with local growers and wine industry representatives to discuss current issues within the industry, including falling grape prices, increasing water and production costs, and tolls on mental health.
Regional media
How Yamba’s newspaper came to life
June 1994. Most great ideas begin the same way…within a thought bubble: in the case of your local newspaper - with a cold beer, a colder winter’s day, and someone saying something they probably shouldn’t have ... “Is there anyone here silly enough to move to a warm climate and start a community newspaper in a town called Yamba?”
Property
International
Local bowlers bowled over by Chinese hospitality
Barham's state-of-the-art bowls greens have drawn bowlers from all over the world in recent months, but at Christmas, it was our chance to export some. Four intrepid adventurers from the Barham Bowling Club, President Steve Wilson, Glenn Faul, Damien Paterson and Dave 'Harry' Potter competed on the world stage at the 2025 Tin Ding Sin China Lawn Bowls Open in Qiantang district, Hangzhou, China.
Rescue - Sunshine Coast hinterland
LifeFlight airlifts man after hinterland motorcycle crash
The Sunshine Coast-based LifeFlight aeromedical crew ... airlifted a man to hospital after a motorcycle crash in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The LifeFlight helicopter was tasked by Retrieval Services Queensland at 12.15pm to a State Forest near Kenilworth and landed on a dirt road close to the scene.
Dark sky
Dark sky could dawn at Port Moorowie
Caitlin Menadue. A new Dark Sky Policy could put Yorke Peninsula's Port Moorowie on the stargazing map as community consultation draws to a close today, Tuesday, January 13. If adopted, Port Moorowie will become an established Dark Sky Community alongside Carrickalinga on the Fleurieu Peninsula, the first Dark Sky Community in South Australia.
Floods - Qld
Queensland Rail the only dam builders in Queensland: Katter
After seeing the devastating flooding firsthand, it’s clear the only new dams in Queensland are to be found against Queensland Rail (QR) tracks! The Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader, and Member for Traeger has said. Large swathes of built-up rail line with poor drainage in the flood affected areas around Julia Creek are acting as dam walls, preventing flood waters from receding.
Water - WA
Power cables connected to Alkimos desalination plant
A major milestone in construction of the future Alkimos seawater desalination plant has been achieved, with Western Power installing 5km of 132kV underground cabling between the project site and the existing Yanchep substation.
Trade - SA
Alert
Red Alert warning issued for blue-green algae at Toonumbar Dam
WaterNSW has issued a Red Alert warning for high levels of potentially toxic blue-green algae at Toonumbar Dam, about 30 km west of Kyogle. The Red Alert warning applies only to untreated water at the dam.
Free ranging
Free range reality
Keeping hens dates back many thousands of years since the eggs (and meat) of jungle fowl were first enjoyed by humans. Ever since then, the sound of chooks wandering around the yard or the paddock has been an enjoyable part of life for countless people in many civilisations. Today, keeping hens in the backyard or in small commercial flocks can still be rewarding.
Atherton Tablelands
Crystal Caves’ Rock Car gets coconut-powered makeover by Magnetic Island artist
The beloved Crystal Caves 'Rock Car', a local landmark known for its quirky Flintstones-style appearance, will roll into a new era in 2026 thanks to a creative facelift by Magnetic Island artist John Pavart.
Public consultation - Darling Downs
Premier at the pub
Premier David Crisafulli shared a schooner with residents and local member Pat Weir during a visit to the district over the holiday break ... The December 19 event allowed the politicians, stakeholders, industry leaders and locals to mingle, and share their experiences and concerns...
Freight rail - WA
Time for action: WA’s rail buy back promise cannot wait
We now have a bumper crop, a tax windfall for government, and broad agreement across agriculture, transport and local government that the system is stretched. The buy-back was presented as a serious response to a real capacity, efficiency and safety problem. The only question left is whether the government is prepared to act.
Algal bloom - SA
Oysters reopen at Stansbury
Michelle Daw. Stansbury oyster growers have cautiously welcomed the reopening of their harvesting area, which had been shut since early May. Growers were informed of the reopening mid-afternoon on Wednesday, December 31 — too late for them to sell for the lucrative Christmas and New Year's Eve markets.
Buffel grass - NT
Comment: Cattle or tourists – The buffel debate nears deadline
The debate about buffel needs to be broadened to take account of the weed's current and future commercial as well as social consequences. The pastoral industry, in love with the irresponsibly introduced plant, has leases over half of the NT, land that is owned by the people of the NT. From 31 December they will have just 43 days to comment on how the government should be dealing with the scourge, declared a weed in 2024, yet still expanding in the region's prime tourism areas.
Victorian election 2026
Upper House member will not contest 2026 election
Liberal member of Victoria's Legislative Council, the Hon Wendy Lovell, announced on Monday 5 January her decision to not contest the seat of Northern Victoria Region in the November State Election. The Northern Victoria Region is one of eight electoral regions in Victoria.
Council - Gingin
Shire of Gingin acknowledges police investigation
The Shire of Gingin says it is aware WA Police have undertaken an investigation relating to matters involving one or more of the shire’s councillors. This morning WA Police said that Gingin Police had charged a 61-year-old Gingin man after he allegedly made numerous threatening phone calls to a person between February 7, 2025 and September 10, 2025.
Mapping Lord Howe history
Museum cultural project – A place names map
Ian Hutton. Throughout 2025, the Lord Howe Historical Society has been working on a project to enhance the Island cultural history – a Place Names Map. Since the Island's discovery in 1788, a few place names have remained constant whilst others have changed depending on the era.
Photography
The earth laughs in flowers
Glenda Guy. The topic of Wildflowers was undertaken with enthusiasm by the Allora Photography Group with minds racing as to where would be the best spot to find some interesting and unique specimens.
ARR TV
Do you have a great sporting moment to share?
A top goal, a winning ride?
Upload your video and
share it here on ARR.News.
We want your news!
Racing - Nhill
Nhill Boxing Day races
The Nhill & District Racing Club celebrated a wonderful day on Boxing Day at the DMD Nhill Cup ... Just over 1100 people flocked to the Nhill Racecourse for the annual Boxing Day race meeting. The Paul Preusker trained Sirius Black won the feature race of the day, the DMD Nhill Cup with Harry Grace riding.
Tell your network about Australian Rural & Regional News
If you like a story on Australian Rural & Regional News, if you think this is a news platform worth a look, worth keeping in touch with, share it with your network.
There’s too much out there now to just trust people will happen upon it. Take a moment to spread the word. Onya.
Subscribe for notice of every post
If you are really keen and would like an email about every post from ARR.News as soon as it is published, sign up here: