The Editor

Residents will be able to be active at night under light from May 17 up to the start of daylight savings on September 25 as part of a pilot Lighting Up Ewing Park activation project by the City of Greater Bendigo. Through the initiative the City will turn on the new Ewing Park LED training lights from 6 pm to 8pm seven days per week to provide opportunities for residents to be active at the reserve at night under light.

Timber Towns Victoria is calling on the State Government to reconsider its plan to shut down the state’s native timber industry by 2030. Timber Towns President and Deputy Mayor of Glenelg Shire, Cr Karen Stephens said, “This is not the time for the Victorian Government to be taking steps that will cost more jobs, further damage regional communities and economies, and sacrifice a viable resource industry.

Despite 43% of organisations experiencing an increase in demand for services, further data from the ABS reveals that in the last 12 months, only 3.6% Australians started to take part in unpaid voluntary work, while just under one in five (17%) volunteers have continued donating their time. “This National Volunteer Week, we will celebrate the significant contribution made by almost six million Australians. This includes community sport coaches and managers, volunteer programs across hospitals and aged care, and volunteers supporting disaster response and recovery. We encourage everyone to reconnect with what is important by giving our time to help others and ourselves.” says Mark Pearce, CEO of Volunteering Australia.

Sparsely populated and prone to natural hazards, northern Australia is home to nearly 36,000 people – predominantly Indigenous Australians who live in remote communities. Previous fire and emergency management training has been seen as inadequate by local Indigenous land, fire and emergency managers, as it was based on suitability for southern Australia and lacked the tailored, collaborative strategies required to keep remote northern communities safe from frequent natural hazards in unique environments.

Get up close and personal with RAAF Hawk jets and PC21 training craft when Geraldton Airport throws open the tarmac to the public to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Australian Air Force.

As Stage Two of the Chinatown Revitalisation Project progresses, the Broome community will start to see the installation of several public artworks to enliven the streets of our town. The Shire of Broome has worked closely with community representatives and local Broome artists to integrate over a dozen artworks into the historic Chinatown precinct, inspired by the rich heritage and culture of Broome.

Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, said the Bill means the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) will now be extended for a further five years to 2026. “The NAIF has already committed $2.9 billion to projects across the north that will support around 9,000 jobs. Our changes will increase its ability to back even more projects."

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said $233.6 million in new funding will be used to help implement the National Soil Strategy and associated measures as part of the Commonwealth Interim Action Plan ... Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the government was committing an additional $37 million in the 2021–22 Budget to support a National Soil Carbon Innovation Challenge.