The Editor

The Barossa will host the Women’s Ziptrak ® Stage 1 of the Santos Festival of Cycling with an exciting route from Tanunda to Williamstown on Sunday, 23 January 2022. Sunday will also see the Santos Paracyling Time Trial held at Williamstown, with the opportunity to watch and celebrate our Tokyo cycling Paralympians in action.

Tweed farmers are invited to attend a field day to learn why and how to restore and protect biodiversity on grazing properties. The field day is being delivered by Council’s Sustainability and Environment team alongside Tweed farmers Rhonda and Greg James, who will host the event on their 220-hectare cattle grazing property at Cudgera Creek on Thursday 16 December 2021.

The state’s peak farming body will directly tackle the shearer shortage with the formation of the NSW Wool Technical Advisory Group (WoolTAG). NSW Farmers Wool Committee Chair Helen Carrigan said fewer shearers were making their way to Australian sheds, and the NSW WoolTAG would address the challenge.

Recent research by a team at Charles Sturt University aims to help develop a robust research framework for regional New South Wales to help improve the control strategy for COVID-19 at the regional level in NSW. It can also assist other infectious disease epidemics.

On the back of strong cattle and grain prices, the NAB Rural Commodities Index is now almost 20% higher than the same time in 2020, according to the bank’s November Rural Commodities Wrap. With a La Nina event now officially underway, the prospect of a wet summer for eastern and northern Australia could see grass fever push record cattle prices even higher, while grain prices are also rising.

Racing NSW has announced the 2022 dates and venues for the $1.6 million Newhaven Park Country Championships Series. The Series in 2022 will again be run on six Sundays and two Saturdays before culminating in a $500,000 Final at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday, 2 April 2022 on Day 1 of The Star Championships.

Victorian Minister for Water Lisa Neville has released the Barre Warre Yulluk Action Plan, identifying seven directions and 30 actions to protect the region’s waterways ... Barre Warre Yulluk – the Rivers of Barwon – includes the whole network of creeks and rivers from the Barwon (Parwan), Moorabool (Murrabul), Yarrowee (Yarowee) and Leigh (Waywatcurtan) rivers and their tributaries.

Regional Queenslanders will soon benefit from improved air service frequencies between Charleville, Roma, and Brisbane and coach services with stronger route connections following the signing of new regional transport service contracts starting in December and January.

Eighteen of Australia’s small news publishers who produce public-interest journalism, are banding together, to negotiate collectively to secure commercial agreements with Google and Facebook for supply of news content on their platforms. Called the Public Interest Publishers Alliance, these important Australian publishers, from around Australia, attract multicultural audiences, focus on issues at a local and regional level, and cover news that affects LGBTQI communities. The group includes valued titles such as: The Australian Jewish News, Australian Rural & Regional News, Australian Chinese Daily, Out in Perth, Q News, Time Out and more.

The immediate need for the development of a Desalination Plant on the Eyre Peninsula was fully supported by the District Council of Cleve at its November Council meeting. However, the Council also decided that it does not support SA Water’s proposed location of Billy Light’s Point in Boston Bay, Port Lincoln.