Contributor, ARR.News

Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has secured a delay to the decommissioning of the Albany Gas Distribution System, giving the community more time to navigate the transition. Provider ATCO has decided to exit the market in Albany, with the three-year decommissioning process originally set to begin in the second half of 2026.

The Barmah Narrows trade provision will start the 2026–27 water year with around 24 gigalitres (GL) available for downstream trade. A restriction on the trade of water downstream of The Narrows (previously referred to as the Barmah Choke) has been active since 2014 to protect water delivery to existing entitlement holders and to maintain the local river environment.

Grain Producers Australia (GPA) has secured a national emergency permit allowing grain growers to access stronger mouse bait as significant mouse numbers plague several states. Australian grain growers have been desperately calling for permits to access stronger mouse bait to tackle the growing problem, with the standard available bait proving inadequate. 

Queensland’s 2026 sugarcane crush will officially get underway this week, with harvesters rumbling into life across the state’s far north. Tableland crews will fire the starter gun on the 7 month harvest, with the first rakes of cane due to go through the rollers at MSF’s Arriga mill on 18 May. 

Seeing the healthcare barriers faced by rural families inspired Armidale medical student Fleur Steen to pursue medicine, and now a national grant is helping support that goal ... Now studying medicine at the University of New England in Armidale, Fleur said growing up in rural communities made her aware from an early age of the challenges many people face when trying to access healthcare.

Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has signed off on the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the Warracknabeal Energy Park – marking the most significant milestone in the state approvals process. Once complete, the 219-turbine wind farm would deliver more than 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy – enough to power up to 1.2 million homes.

The month of May marks the approaching end of the fiscal year for many businesses and a rush to find receipts and finalise financials, but for one Tiwi Islands organisation, the focus is firmly on planting for the future. Tiwi Plantations Corporation - based 80 kilometres north of Darwin on the Tiwi Islands - has released the Tiwi Forestry Workforce Plan 2026–2030...

Gippsland Critical Minerals welcomes today's determination by the Commonwealth on the Fingerboards Project under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Commonwealth has confirmed four controlling provisions, with GCM’s environmental and technical studies already underway in response to each...

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries will hold public hearings in Sydney and Dubbo as part of its inquiry into factors shaping social licence and economic development outcomes for critical minerals projects across Australia.

The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland MP, has announced a major shift in Victoria’s energy planning, with a proposal to roll out Urban Solar Parks across industrial and commercial precincts if elected to government in November. The policy would transform large rooftops on warehouses, factories, shopping centres and industrial estates into energy hubs...