Contributor, ARR.News

NSW Rugby reps have started rolling into the area ahead of the inaugural Coffs Coast Festival of Rugby that is set to light up the City of Coffs Harbour ... Some 2,000 tickets to the extravaganza at the C.ex Coffs International Stadium on Saturday 5 April have already been snapped up. 

Today’s publication of the Wood Volumes Analysis indicates Australia has reliable access to structural forest and wood products to meet future demand. The report provides an analysis of the long-run supply of and domestic demand for wood products in Australia, particularly those used in construction.

Broadacre farmland prices across Australia have continued their plateau for a second straight year after decade of strong growth, which had seen broadacre farmland rates increase by more than 10 per cent per year on average.

Lasagna Love, a global volunteer-led movement delivering homemade meals to neighbours in need, has reached a major milestone in Australia—1,000 homecooked lasagnas shared with local families ... Bega Lasagne Love Local Leader, Amy Whiter shares her most memorable delivery ...

Household cost-of-living measures were front and centre of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ pre-election Budget ... but the government has failed to deliver initiatives that would improve business productivity, innovation and growth. CPA Australia Chief Executive Officer Chris Freeland AM said: “Businesses and their advisers will find little in the federal Budget that will help offset the pain all-too-many small businesses have been experiencing.

The budget delivered ... is like a single, small scoop of vanilla ice cream for the bush – predictable and lacking the flavour to truly satisfy regional Australia, industry body GrainGrowers said ... it had missed the opportunity to deliver on a range of regional investment opportunities that would strengthen grain-growing regions and bridge the gap between urban centres and the bush.

...Federal Budget underscores just how critical the upcoming election will be to deliver the key investments needed to secure and grow Australian agriculture in an increasingly uncertain environment. National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke said this was a chance for the Federal Government to back Australian agriculture and give the economy a much-needed shot in the arm.

The Federal Budget for 2025-26 is a mixed bag for rural, regional and remote Australia in terms of funding for healthcare. While certain aspects of the budget benefit rural populations, there is a lack of a targeted strategy to address the unique health challenges these communities face.

...statement from the chief executive of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), Melina Morrison, on the Federal Budget ... “The significant expansion of aged care and housing policies unveiled in the Federal Budget will ensure many Australians can now rightly expect a better quality of life.

In an unprecedented gesture of support and mateship for their American “Brothers-in-Arms”, the Riverland Vietnam Veterans in South Australia will join with the United States in commemorating the US National Vietnam Veterans Day on Saturday, 29 March 2025 at 1100am.