Business

Catherine and Neil Tait are opening their gates to the public and all the proceeds will be donated to Regional Community Vet Clinic (RCVC). The gorgeous garden at ‘Stringy Bark Hill’ in McKenzie Hill (between Castlemaine and Muckleford) is offered as part of the Castlemaine and District Festival of Gardens ...

Pioneering Adelaide Hills cheese producer, Udder Delights, has released a special cheese to help fundraise for the health and wellbeing of farmers and advancement of the agricultural industry. Stocked in Coles and selected independants nationally, 20 cents of the specially labelled Udder Delights Double Cream Brie is donated to the National Centre for Farmer Health...

While overall headline inflation eased in the latest quarter, the annual rate of food price inflation held fast at 3.3 per cent, the latest quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, has shown. The September 2024 quarter data … saw overall annual food price inflation – comparing prices with the September 2023 quarter…

The facade of Leeton’s Roxy Theatre was damaged by a driver who lost control on the nearby roundabout last week. The historic building is in the middle of extensive renovations. CCTV footage shows the vehicle being driven at speed and going into an apparently deliberate slide or "drift" before hitting the building and being driven away.

Six beautiful gardens were generously opened for viewing for the Narrandera Town and Country Open Garden Day event ... A variety of gardens were on offer for visitors to explore - from large farm, and semi-rural, to small suburban gardens.

Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) today released the preferred easement for the Victorian section of the VNI West transmission project ... The process to refine the initial 50km wide area of interest to a 2km draft corridor and now a 70m preferred easement has been shaped by 18 months of consultation with communities and individual landholders, along with field studies and technical and engineering assessments.

The Kaniva and District Progress Association’s Wiregrass Heritage Trail project is progressing well, combining art, history, and community input to bring Australian social history to life. The project launched in July 2023 with an initial community meeting to gather local input, followed by the start of video storytelling, capturing the community’s connection to the trail’s history.

A community-owned Riverland hotel’s restaurant was cemented among the best culinary destinations in the state at a recent major industry award event. Hotel Renmark’s Temperance restaurant last week won the best country restaurant award at the 2024 Australian Hotels Association SA Awards for Excellence, with executive chef Hugh Hazelwood also being named Chef of the Year.

Four transmission towers have been erected as the clean-up starts after the huge storms that have left the city in darkness ... Once all seven towers are up, the conductors will be strung and once they are clipped in and it is safe to do so, the towers will be energised, according to the Transgrid spokesman...

Born and raised in the Clarence Valley, Alice Jabour, 30, grew up admiring the Grafton Jacaranda Festival and the proud traditions it holds within the local community. As a student at St Joseph’s Primary School in South Grafton, she recalls feeling inspired to nominate as a Jacaranda candidate after a former Jacaranda Royal Party visited her and her classmates.

The NFF Horticulture Council ... confirmed it cannot support an updated Food and Grocery Code of Conduct that resembles the draft recently shared for comment. Chair of the Council, Jolyon Burnett said ... the core concerns of the fresh produce industry remained ignored ... "despite the time available and keen public interest, neither Dr Emerson or the Treasury appear to have been interested in understanding how fresh produce supply chains work and how best to protect vulnerable suppliers."

The Sunshine Coast’s passion for innovation, growth and commitment to community has been highlighted with three major international awards. Sunshine Coast Council won three Gold awards at the 2024 International Economic Development Council (IEDC) awards ceremony held in Denver, Colorado, in the United States.

Rachel Hagan. Viterra's proposed purchase of the Maitland AWB Grainflow site, along with two other facilities, has been reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission by T-Ports. The proposed acquisition of Grainflow sites at Maitland and Crystal Brook, and Cargill’s mobile shiploader at Port Adelaide, has caused backlash from T-Ports…

Let’s be clear, any team environment must be emotionally safe, respectful, inclusive, and welcoming. This should be a “do not pass go” expectation of any team in any setting. But do not confuse being nice with a winning mindset ... "Good, better, best" mindset is a key attribute of a wining culture.

...the administrators for Rex Airlines have advised the sale of Pel-Air, part of the Rex business, to Helicorp Pty Ltd, part of Toll Aviation. Pel-Air is the contractor supplying ambulance services to Ambulance Victoria and NSW Ambulance, along with specially-modified aircraft for international and domestic aeromedical transfers.  

Farmers have called on telecommunications providers to ensure farming communities don’t lose connectivity as the 3G network is shut down ... Telstra and Optus commenced the process of switching  off their 3G networks as they transitioned to 4G and 5G networks across Australia.  

GrainGrowers today launched a comprehensive report shedding light on the significant implications of the upcoming United States presidential election for Australian grain growers … the report, Navigating Uncertainty: What the United States Election Means for Australia's Grain Industry addresses concerns about increasing trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions.

Birrang Enterprise Development Company is bringing its Driver Licence Access Program (DLAP) to the back country, in the final outreach services for 2024. The program will be available in Wilcannia ... and Balranald … a free program providing support to people in NSW who face extra challenges in getting a licence.

Amidst changes to regulations and community engagement requirements, the Queensland Government is seeking feedback on its approach to renewable energy projects ... From over 1,000 conversations during the REZ readiness assessment for the anticipated Callide Renewable Energy Zone in Central Queensland, locals showed that regional communities want greater engagement, accessible advice, real choices, clearer information...

A local businessman is calling for more police presence in the town, particularly at night. Multicultural grocery store BWD Trading on McRae Street was broken into last Friday night—twice in two months, sustaining alleged losses and damage of about $30,000.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has completed a timber testing trial investigating the best ways to implement technologies verifying claims of species and harvest origin of regulated timber and timber products ... Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Matt Lowe said globally, it has been estimated that about 15-30 per cent of all wood traded is a product of illegal logging and illicit wood.