Anita McInnes, Yanchep News Online

With foot and mouth disease on Australia’s borders livestock owners and producers in the Wanneroo and Gingin areas need to be on guard as do farm workers returning from holidays who may have been in contact with susceptible animals while travelling ... “If there has been contact, consider requesting the worker isolate from livestock for seven days and ensure appropriate border declarations have been made to ensure all footwear, clothing and equipment is free of mud, animal manure and mucus to minimise the risk of introducing a disease,’’: DPIRD chief veterinary officer Michelle Rodan.

Shire of Gingin residents disappointed with the council’s decision to not re-establish a working group to undertake a review of the Upper Coastal sporting facilities master plan say they are now looking at the options available to them. A petition with 376 signatures was presented to the council and 21 people including Lancelin Community and Sporting Club president Norm Skoglund as well as golf, bowling, hockey and netball representatives attended the shire’s June 21 ordinary meeting in the hope councillor Frank Peczka’s motion on the issue would be successful.

North Wanneroo growers have been dealt a blow with the McGowan Government seeming to rule out any benefits from the proposed Alkimos desalination plant being shared with agricultural licence holders.

Horticulturists and agriculturists who take water from aquifers in the Gingin groundwater area south of Gingin Brook and Moore River will have any reductions to their entitlements delayed, according to the Gnangara groundwater allocation plan.

Gingin trainer Cliff Green has Atlantis Beach on a seven-day back up after his win in the Crown Perth Handicap (1600m) on Roma Cup day ... while carrying 58kg, 18hh Atlantis Beach finished one and three-quarter lengths clear of his closest opposition to nail the second win of his career.

Parts of Dewar and Edwards streets will need to be permanently closed prior to their inclusion into a consolidated caravan park reserve if the Shire of Gingin proceeds with an agenda item.

When the new emergency services centre was announced for Gingin last year it was expected to be finished by April this year but the project is running behind with some site works among the jobs still to be completed.

A report from the Inquiry into Australia’s regional newspapers released earlier today has made 12 recommendations including that the Australian Government ensure a percentage of government print advertising is placed in regional newspapers.

Yanchep, Yanchep East, Gingin, Lancelin and Guilderton are all set to benefit from infrastructure upgrades to mobile network sites designed to improve mobile phone services for communities during emergencies. One hundred and forty-one infrastructure upgrades in WA will be funded as part of the second round of the Commonwealth mobile network hardening program, worth $10.9 million.

Yanchep News Online gave evidence at the Inquiry into Australia’s regional newspapers on Tuesday, March 1 speaking as a regional representative from the Public Interest Publishers Alliance.