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Bird flu
Bird flu mainly affects birds and some other animals
As H5 bird flu has spread around the world the wild birds most affected have included waterfowl, shorebirds, seabirds and birds of prey or scavengers. H5 bird flu has also been detected in domestic pets including cats and dogs, farm animals including dairy cows and sporadically pigs, sheep and goats, marine mammals including dolphins and seals and wild animals including foxes and polar bears.
Biosecurity - Bird flu
Murray-Darling
RAMJO says $430 million water buyback shows Basin communities are still being ignored
The Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation (RAMJO) has condemned the Federal Government’s latest Murray-Darling Basin water purchase, saying the reported buyback of almost 86 gigalitres for more than $430 million is another blow to food-producing communities across southern New South Wales.
Federal Court decision
NT law about straying stock applies on Aboriginal land
The Federal Court has determined that a Territory law allowing the retrieval of livestock that strayed onto a neighbouring property operates concurrently with the NT Land Rights Act.
Mental health - Casino
Feeling blue? The little blue motorbike that starts a convo
A small blue motorbike on a stand out the front of a cafe in Barker Street, Casino was getting a lot of attention today, Sunday, June 21. The Blue Motorcycle Project president Heck McGregor said it’s a conversation starter.
Home-based business
Sarah Josh and the elixir of invention
Necessity is often the Mother Of Invention so when mother of two, Sarah Josh, was pregnant with her third child, she went looking for natural skin care products that worked for her skin. Unable to find something suitable Sarah started making her own skincare products and sharing them with friends. Everybody loved them and, being keen to start a product-based business she could run from home, her skincare business - Liminal Elixirs - was born.
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History & heritage - Rugby Union
Rugby Union football in the Clarence Valley
The first rugby union club to be established in Australia was Sydney University’s in 1863 ... On 12 June 1880, the game was first introduced to the Clarence River by James Ellis, quarry manager at the Clarence entrance breakwater works.
Olympic plans
Swimmer aims for ultimate success
Despite missing out on selection for the Paris Olympics in 2024 as a 17-year-old, Molly Walker has taken the first steps to representing Australia at the LA Games in 2 years time. Molly started swimming lessons at 6 months of age at the Corryong pool and then joined the Corryong Crocs swim club...
Motorsport
Dirt racing back on track
Sebastian Calderon. Riverland motorsport enthusiasts are celebrating the return of racing at a popular local venue after months of work to address safety concerns surrounding speedway facilities. Renmark Dirt Kart Club president Jayne Gelston says the club was "thrilled" after regaining its track licence and successfully hosting a major long weekend race meeting that attracted competitors from across Australia.
Infrastructure - Cohuna
Aerodrome cleared for take-off
Patrick Tucker. After more than a decade of planning, lobbying and volunteer effort, Cohuna’s upgraded aerodrome will officially open on July 7. Driven by community volunteers and later overseen by the Cohuna Lions Club, the project has delivered a longer runway, new lighting, a terminal building and improved facilities for emergency services and visiting aircraft.
Medicine
Darling Downs Health celebrates third international accolade for stroke services
Toowoomba Hospital’s Geriatric, Adult Rehabilitation and Stroke Service (GARSS) has celebrated a major achievement during a special reunion with a former stroke patient. GARSS was recently awarded its third World Stroke Organization (WSO) Angels Gold Award, after first achieving gold status in 2025.
Research & innovation
Cauliflower waste could become protein for future foods: RMIT University
Researchers at RMIT have found that high-power ultrasound can help extract protein from discarded cauliflower leaves, opening up a potential new use for a vegetable by-product ... ARR.News found out more about the process and potential opportunities from Kinjal Furia, the study's lead author and RMIT PhD candidate.
Battery - Balranald
Australian-first battery powers up near Balranald
Energy Minister Penny Sharpe has cut the ribbon on Australia's first eight-hour battery near Balranald, with RWE's Limondale storage system promising steadier power, local jobs and money back into the community. A property on the outskirts of Balranald is now home to a national first.
Renewables infrastructure - Vic
Farmers question VicGrid process
Carey Brennan. Tuesday night’s VicGrid Community Reference Group meeting of impacted farmers, council officers and VicGrid employees was disrupted by around 60 farmers and concerned community members at Charlton Park. Claire Flanagan-Smith, of RMG Consulting, chairing the meeting, called a halt to proceedings and refused to let it continue with the farmers present.
Carbon capture
Newcastle carbon plant opens the door to new green industries: Bowen, Claydon
The MCi Carbon plant takes carbon dioxide captured from ammonia production and turns it into materials used in concrete, plasterboard, glass and paper.
Water
Farley questions Defence Minister in parliamentary debut
Newly elected Member for Farrer David Farley used his debut parliamentary question time to quiz Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles about the nation's water. Rather than directing his opening questions to the Environment or Agriculture ministers, Farley targeted the Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
Council elections - SA
Opinion
The virtue is theirs. The bill will be yours
Farmers for Climate Action has produced a report ‘Energy Sovereignty for Regional Australia: Protecting Farmers, Powering the Future’ arguing that Australia's transition away from diesel should be accelerated through electrification, subsidies, infrastructure investment and changes to fuel tax arrangements ... When did advocacy become less about persuading people to voluntarily embrace change and more about finding another group to pay for it?
Murray-Darling - water buybacks
Labor’s $430 million water buyback is another blow to Mallee food producers: Webster
The Albanese Labor Government’s latest $430m Murray-Darling Basin water buyback will take more productive water out of agriculture and put more pressure on families already struggling with grocery prices, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said today. The deal involves the Commonwealth buying almost 86GL of water entitlements for environmental use at a cost of more than $430m.
Major progress made towards Murray-Darling Basin water target: Watt
Nearly 85 per cent of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan’s environmental water target has now been achieved ... over 380GL of water has now been recovered towards the 450GL target, through a combination of federally-funded water-efficiency infrastructure projects and voluntary water purchasing.
Capital Gains Tax
Feral deer - Riverland
Rare sambar deer sighting in Loxton North: Landscape SA
The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board is urging the Riverland community to report deer sightings following the detection of a sambar deer in an orchard near Loxton North, captured on a remote trail camera. Sambar deer are a large species, reaching up to 1.6 metres tall and 300 kg, and can pose risks to people, road users and horticultural operations.
Regional courts - WA
Firearms - Vic
Paraquat
Does paraquat cause Parkinson’s? Here’s what the evidence says about this common weed killer
Ian Musgrave. Paraquat is one of the world’s most widely used herbicides. It’s also highly toxic and some research points to a link with Parkinson’s disease ... Let’s see what the evidence says about paraquat’s toxicity and any link with Parkinson’s disease.
Agricultural drones
Drone brings down powerline
SA Power Networks has issued an urgent warning about the use of agricultural drones around powerlines, after a large drone crashed and dropped a high voltage line to the ground at Wasleys, east of Mallala. The incident is the first of its kind to have occurred in South Australia.
Pollination planning
Growers urged to prepare after Landline spotlights Varroa’s pollination toll: NFF
Following ABC Landline's profile of the pollination impacts of Varroa mite, the NFF Horticulture Council and the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are jointly calling on horticulture producers to plan now for a future where reliable, managed pollination can no longer be taken for granted.
Seedbed Conditioner
Grain growers can increase drought and waterlogging resilience by 300 per cent
The new practice of Seedbed Conditioning not only improves the physical, biological and chemical properties of the root zone of cropping soils, it also produces very large and near-permanent improvements in the drought and waterlogging resilience of cropping soils.
Forestry
Rural confidence survey
Global unrest pushes Australian rural confidence lower, as farmers ‘reshape’ farm decisions: Rabobank
Sentiment among Australia’s agricultural producers continued to track lower this quarter, with concerns about cost pressures in the wake of Middle Eastern tensions remaining top of mind for farmers across the country. The quarter two Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released today, found national sentiment at its lowest point since November 2006 as it dropped to a net reading of - 48 per cent.
Koala genetics
Koala numbers crashed across Australia 100,000 years ago. Global glacial cycles are likely to blame
Toby Kovacs. As my new study published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution shows, koalas experienced a population crash about 100,000 years ago. This finding rewrites our understanding of the genetic history of koalas in Australia – and overturns previous theories about what caused their decline in ancient times.
Genetic bottlenecks: Vic Jurskis
Another study of koalas’ genetics has been published but a key result flowing from this research was not clearly identified by the authors ... The crashes in unsustainably high numbers of koalas, consequent to the Federation Drought but attributed to shooting for pelts, didn’t cause genetic bottlenecks.
Koalas - Yanchep
Young Yanchep koala gets his first health check
The first koala to be born at Yanchep National Park in 15 years has passed his first full health check with flying colours. In May the Parks and Wildlife Service at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) said Djilba, who was born in February last year, weighed a healthy 4.5kg.
New release
Celebrating a new book honouring May Gibbs, Nutcote and wild koalas: Australian Koala Foundation
The Australian Koala Foundation is delighted to have sponsored a new enchanting book celebrating the life of May Gibbs and her love of wild koalas ... Written by Fiona Starr and created for Nutcote’s centenary, this stunning 100-page book brings together May’s own words, artwork, and rich imagery to tell the story of the place she called home.
Wildlife - NT
Bilby baby boom brings extra cuteness to Central Australia: Boothby, Burgoyne
It’s all smiles and melted hearts as three baby bilbies emerge from their mothers’ pouches at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Under the careful watch of Alice Springs Desert Park staff and researchers, the three bilby joeys will remain with their mothers on display in the Nocturnal House, just in time for the school holidays.
Industrial hemp
Murray Industrial Hemp – $10 million to build in Barham
Murray Industrial Hemp (MIH) is thrilled with news the NSW Government has granted $10 million for a new hemp manufacturing business in Barham ... MIH will use the government funding, along with investments from local and national shareholders, to build industrial hemp processing and block manufacturing facilities in Barham.
Council - Lismore
Flood recovery - Northern Rivers
Reusing buybacks and pod homes aims to address housing shortage
Buyback homes and temporary home pods will be part of a housing reuse initiative by NSW Reconstruction Authority and Homes NSW. The homes will be offered for affordable, social, transitional, crisis or key worker housing, or as community spaces.
Report slams performance of post-flood programs
The NSW Reconstruction Authority has begun rolling out a new series of targeted information and industry sessions to help flood-impacted residents in the Northern Rivers move from the planning phase into active construction and relocation. This comes in the wake of the NSW Auditor-General's scathing report on the performance of the $880m Resilient Homes Program and...
Housing - NT
Housing costs: Half the story
"The latest housing market figures highlight growing confidence in the Northern Territory economy and property sector," trumpet Joshua Burgoyne and Bill Yan in a media release. The Ministers for Land and Housing Construction, respectively, clearly consider the Northern Territory to consist exclusively of Darwin.
Domestic violence - police response
Law & order
Man who killed toddler in Narrandera loses appeal over sexualised double murder
A man who murdered two people in southern NSW before taking "callous and calculated" steps to cover up his offending will stay behind bars indefinitely. Daniel Holdom, now aged in his 50s, murdered Karlie Jade Pearce-Stevenson and her daughter Khandalyce Kiara Pearce in December 2008.
Opinion piece – Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group to target serious online harms: Krissy Barrett
Krissy Barrett. When I became AFP Commissioner last year, I said I would have candid conversations with Australians to inform them about the threats they face ... But parents and caregivers now need to be aware of entrenched and emerging criminal threats because of rapidly-evolving technology.
Property rights
Critical Minerals Bill raises questions about agriculture’s future: Property Rights Australia
Queensland farmers are warning that the State’s quick-fire series of legislation amendments aimed to facilitate projects considered strategically important to Queensland have the potential to provide negative consequences to the future protection of agricultural land and regional communities.
Exhibition - Albany
Campfire sparks big, bright idea
Patricia Gill. Renowned Denmark photographer Nic Duncan and Menang – Gnudju Elder and WA Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, Aunty Carol Pettersen, had a brilliant idea while camping two years ago. At the time, expressions of interest were called for projects to mark Albany’s bicentenary of white settlement.
Festival
Lisamore Italian Festival returns for 2026
The much-loved LisAmore Italian Festival is set to return in 2026, bringing a vibrant celebration of Italian culture, food and music to the Northern Rivers. This year's event will be held on Sunday, 5 July 2026, with an exciting new home at the Lismore Showgrounds, reflecting the festival's continued growth and popularity.
Photography
Take flight with local birds in Price
Caitlin Menadue. Price is celebrating its bird wildlife through an interactive display, made possible by a Grassroots Grant from Landscapes SA Northern and Yorke. Championed by the Price Progress Association and Yorke Peninsula locals, the interactive wingspan display is located near the playground and features large-scale local bird species.
History & heritage - trees
Tree planting events in Allora
A link has been made between the pine trees planted at the Showgrounds, the planting of the trees for celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria in 1897, and the planting of the trees in 'Mayoral Row' in 1905. In fact, they were planted on three separate occasions ... It is not known if the Aleppo pine tree which blew down in William Street last Thursday night has any connection with the above tree plantings.
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Industry festival
Thousands embrace Clarence Harvest Celebration
Thousands of people from around the region descended on Maclean for three-day Clarence Harvest Celebration embracing the beef, sugar cane, and seafood industries of the valley. The premier weekend of the 2026 celebration followed the Clarence Kids Colour Run and Crowning Carnival and the Cane Harvest Ball, held in the preceding weeks.
Best friends
Dogs to the rescue
Some of us, in the aftermath of the Covid crisis, were subjected to a deep dive into the music tastes of preteens, which included a song about the lockdown experience called 'I'm Good?' by the Hilltop Hoods ... It's a neat echo of the experience of many people whose canine family member joined them through an adoption program or from the pound, shelter or foster system.
Puppy farm protest
Regional broadcasting - Northern Rivers
Central Coast
Call to action over sad state of war memorial
The heartbreaking story of one family losing three sons in WW1 and WW2 prompted family history and military buff Joe Laws to join the call for the 103-year-old Erina District War Memorial to be restored and better maintained. After researching his family's history, Mr Laws came across the sad story of the Weiss brothers – Frederick, Erle and Harry – who all lost their lives in service for their country.
King's Birthday Honours
Community champion recognised
At most emergencies in the Upper Murray in the past 40 years you would find Mary Hoodless, pitching in to help wherever it was needed. The Jingellic resident's lifelong commitment to the wellbeing of her community has now been recognised with an award in the King's Birthday Honours List.
Prestigious military honour for Brendan
Ex-Donald local, Brendan Allen, son of Leo and the late Fay Allen, has been recognised in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours, receiving the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC). Lieutenant Colonel Brendan Patrick Allen was awarded the prestigious military decoration for outstanding devotion to duty and leadership during his service as Commanding Officer of the 5th/6th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment, Australian Army.
Robbery
Pies pinched!
Shari and Wes Hughes have been shocked by the brazen robbery, saying it's unprecedented for the small community of Greenmount. The offender was clad in a cardigan and beanie, with a torch and an accomplice in the form of a very well behaved dog.
National Trust SA
Fragile buildings, precious items locked away
For 12 years, Marie Heesemans has cleaned and cared for the buildings housing some of Moonta's much-loved heritage attractions - the Moonta Mines Museum, Miner's Cottage and Family History and Resource Centre in the former School of Mines. Now all she can do is hope the buildings - and the precious items they house - are not falling into disrepair.
South West REZ
Regional development - Barham
Development approval for Barham Lakes
The highly anticipated Barham Lakes lifestyle resort has officially received Development Approval from Murray River Council and is now one step closer to becoming a reality. The CluBarham Riverina project, a 236-home over-55s land lease community in collaboration with Villawood Properties, will offer resort living unmatched for its pristine lake systems, proximity to the Murray River and range of facilities on offer.
Asparagopsis - WA
New licence supports SeaStock to scale up seaweed production: Jarvis
The Cook Labor Government has granted an aquaculture licence to Fremantle-based company SeaStock Pty Ltd for Western Australia's first commercial scale, land-based seaweed production facility, now under construction in Oakford. In recent years, algae aquaculture markets have developed significantly both locally and abroad for a type of red algae known as Asparagopsis.
Risk
The next fuel and fertiliser shock is coming
On writing this, urea had slipped back below $1,000 a tonne and oil had fallen under US$90 a barrel. The headlines had moved on, the politicians were congratulating themselves, and the market was once again telling us that everything was under control. Problem solved. Move along. Nothing to see here. Except that is exactly what people said after the last fertiliser shock, and the one before that, and the one before that.
Irrigation
Indian delegation studying the Riverland’s irrigation industry
International attention has turned to the Riverland's irrigation industry, with senior Indian government officials visiting the region to study how growers are adapting to changing markets through crop diversification and agricultural transformation.
Forestry - Tas, NSW, WA
Negotiations underway for sustainable Tasmanian forestry: Watt, Collins, Ellis
The Albanese and Rockliff Governments have officially committed to work together towards a bilateral agreement to support sustainable forestry in Tasmania into the future. From July 1 2027, the Albanese Government’s historic environmental law reforms will bring forestry operations covered by Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) under Federal environmental regulation.
Tribology
AgForce partnership aims to help producers reduce operating costs: Lowes Petroleum
Queensland producers will gain access to discounts on ground and aviation fuels, and lubricant services through a new partnership between AgForce and Lowes Petroleum aimed at helping reduce operating costs and improve on-farm efficiency.
Paraquat
National Farmers Federation responds on paraquat
National Farmers Federation President, Hamish McIntyre, responds to questions from Australian Rural & Regional News asked in the light of the pending decision on paraquat by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and recent media drawing a connection between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease.
NSW Red fleet ownership
Investing in regional jobs and RFS fleet management: Dib, Hoenig
The Minns Labor Government is backing regional communities with a $470 million investment in the 2026-27 NSW Budget to modernise management of the NSW RFS fleet ... The Minns Labor Government will also introduce legislation to transfer ownership of the State’s ‘red fleet’ of more than 6,000 firefighting vehicles from councils to the RFS.
AUKUS questions
Mute on nuke subs
The voice of Territorians in Canberra is barely a whisper: just four NT pollies are in the national Parliament. Only one of them, Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, is on the Government front bench. We asked her for an interview on June 2 or 3 about Territorians likely to have a very specific take on the $368b AUKUS fiasco.
Sports infrastructure - Broken Hill
A century of racing under threat: the fight to save Broken Hill’s greyhound track
Greyhound racing has been part of Broken Hill for more than a century. On 30 June 2026, Greyhound Racing NSW intends to end it. The decision to close the Broken Hill Greyhounds Club was made earlier this year as part of a broader restructure recommended by an independent Deloitte report, which advised GRNSW to reduce the state's racing footprint to a sustainable number of tracks.
History & heritage
Nhill’s Butcher’s Corner
John Williams. The prominent corner of Victoria and MacPherson Streets has worn many names over nearly 150 years: Butcher’s Corner, Buzz’s Corner, McLennan’s Corner, and a few since including Clohesy and Gurry. Its story begins in the 1880s, when Richard Rigewell built Nhill’s first butchery on the site.
Leadership & You
Exhibition - Casino
From the Louvre to Casino – Yuin artist part of new exhibition
Therese Schier. There’s a new exhibition coming to the Casino Art Gallery featuring internationally acclaimed Yuin artist Lloyd Gawura Hornsby from Glenn Innes and Galibul Elder Noel Caldwell (Uncle Charlie). The Celebrating NAIDOC exhibition opens on Saturday June 13 with artworks by local and regional First Nations artists.
Pony club eventing
Pony club eventers converge on Colac for state championships
The Pony Club Association of Victoria’s inter-branch horse trials competition has evolved from the days when it catered for top-level riders only into an inclusive, fun and highly competitive event that is a highlight of the pony club calendar for riders across all grades.
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