Krista Schade, Back Country Bulletin

In a marathon pre-Christmas session that stretched into the early hours of December 24, 2025, the NSW Parliament passed the most significant tightening of firearm legislation since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 was fast-tracked by the Minns Government following the horrific Bondi Beach terrorist attack earlier that month.

The safety of workers and the integrity of renewable energy projects across the state has been called into question last week, after a nationwide audit was launched following the discovery of asbestos in wind turbine components. The finding points to a lapse in compliance with Australian import laws, and has raised concerns the future of planned energy project development in the Hay and Balranald region.

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP is continuing to talk to stakeholders, in his push to set up residential alternatives to sending kids to gaol ... He has long argued for a mandated, residential option for young offenders - something between being released back into the community and being sent to custody.

The annual Rainbow on the Plains Festival is set to return to Hay from Thursday, November 13th to Sunday, November 16th, 2025, operating under the theme of "Transition" ... The festival, which celebrates the LGBTIQA+ community and rural inclusion, has become a key date on the Riverina's events calendar...

White Cliffs dugouts are some of the most unique homes in the country, but the underground residents say the stress of ongoing ownership issues is affecting their health and stifling new businesses ... The ongoing land tenure dispute at White Cliffs, NSW, is a deeply complex problem, but behind the Native Title legalities are real people, and decades of frustrated community expectations. As expected, when homes and businesses are threatened, emotions run high.

From 29 August 2025, the NSW Government will commence negotiations with landowners to secure flood easements along the Murrumbidgee River, between Darlington Point and Balranald, under its Reconnecting River Country Program ... “If landowners fail to negotiate an easement interest, their land could be compulsorily acquired": Bobbie Pannowitz.

Transgrid says it has unveiled one of the biggest and most sophisticated substations in the Southern Hemisphere, with the completion of the Buronga substation. The completion occurred as powerlines from the new powerline from Buronga to Wagga Wagga were strung across the Cobb Highway between Hay and Deniliquin ...

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP asked questions in the most recent sitting of NSW Parliament, regarding future plans and budgets for the purchase of lands for National Parks and the average price being paid in his far west electorate.

I’ve had the annual White Cliffs Camel Cup and Bikehana in my calendar for many weeks, and as life got busier and busier, I found myself yearning to hit the road and head north ... as coffee brewed and bacon sizzled, we heard the unmistakeable buzz of the motorbikes, warming up, ready for the bikehana.

Iluka Resources is involved in a dispute over unpaid dues, relating to the construction of a mine camp at their $600 million Balranald project, according to The West Australian newspaper. Iluka Resources is currently in a legal dispute with the contractor, MCC Mining Camps Pty Ltd, who is responsible for the facility, which includes a kitchen, dining area, and laundry.