Business

From 23 September the community in Byron Shire is the first in NSW to have a legally enforceable means to regulate holiday letting beyond the State caps. After a decade of campaigning Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) in Byron Shire is capped at 60 days for un-hosted holiday lets in most of the Shire.

Serrated trailing edges have broken off wind turbines endangering CFA volunteers, farmers and livestock in the vicinity of the infrastructure. Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur raised this issue in the Parliament citing it as dangerous and reckless. “My question for the Minister for Agriculture concerns news that turbines at the brand new Golden Plains wind farm are falling to pieces."

Surfing became the obsession of a legion of bored and restless teenagers in 1960s Australia, kids looking for adventure and freedom from the stultifying norms and expectations of their straight 1950s upbringing ... The arrival of the exciting new phenomenon and its far-reaching impact are recorded in a thrilling documentary film showing at the Byron Bay Film Festival in October.

“The most profitable farms were those that spent more time working on their business than in their business,” Professor Ross Kingwell said in his presentation at BCG’s Main Field Day at Nullawil last week ... Professor Kingwell’s presentation was a highlight for many of the 400 growers and advisers who attended the event.

Maldon Museum and Historic Archives is hosting a Victorian Goldfields World Heritage bid (VGWHB) information display as part of the World Heritage Bid Roadshow ... You may be aware of the bid for the Victorian Goldfields to become World Heritage listed.

I was recently facilitating a leadership workshop where one of the participants raised the question if we are losing the art of civility and respect in our society. The context was how we handle a divergence of views in a work or community setting. It seems nowadays the default political discord is to assume our view is right and your view is wrong, rather than respectfully listening to and exploring differing views.

Gavin Butcher. Forest sustainability has taken on different meanings in Western Australia – changing depending on the audience. In one corner the Minister for Forestry, Jackie Jarvis, has repeatedly claimed the closure of the native forest industry was necessary because it was unsustainable. In the other corner is Stuart West, the General Manager of the Minister’s agency, the Forest Products Commission, overseeing harvesting operations in the jarrah and karri forests which have been independently certified as being sustainable.

Banks should ensure rural South Australians – like those living in the South East – have access to cash, a state MP says. One Nation’s Sarah Game introduced a bill to SA Parliament last week to protect the right of South Australians to pay cash for all government services, including council fees and charges.

The Miles Labor Government is backing Central Queensland’s sustainable future by investing in a new gas-to-electricity power project that will reduce mining emissions by more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide. The project will expand the underground mine’s drainage system to capture more fugitive gas, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.

AFL officials were pleased to see a large increase in the crowd for this year’s Riverina League grand final at the Narrandera Sportsground on Sunday. What was described as the biggest Riverina League grand final crowd post COVID turned out to watch Collingullie-Wagga upset the previously undefeated Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong.

Sean Cunningham. Agvision Yanco took place last week to promote agricultural careers to hundreds of students from throughout the Riverina-Murray region. It is the biggest regional NSW interactive event which promotes careers in agriculture.

In its latest update, Snowy Hydro has advised that a new tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be deployed to help keep the Snowy 2.0 project on its delivery timeline. New ground testing techniques have provided a better understanding of the full extent of a complex fault zone on the route of the 17km tunnel that will connect Snowy 2.0’s upper reservoir to its underground power station.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) is this month celebrating 60-years of service from its Mount Isa base. Established in 1964, the Mount Isa Base covers a waiting room of more than 800,000 square kilometres, connecting the residents of this significant north-west Queensland region to leading, and often lifesaving, health services ... ARR.News found out more from RFDS Mount Isa Base Support Manager, Ducky Jeacocke.

MAKS Caravan Centre apprentice Zackary Tozer, from Westbrook, is a finalist at the 2024 TAFE Queensland – SkillsTech CSQ Apprentice Awards. The Apprentice Awards has run since 2018 and identifies top apprentices in a range of categories, with only 14 winners on the night out of more than 12,000 eligible apprentices, thanks to a raft of sponsors led by Construction Skills Queensland.

The earlier than usual start to the series of Upper Murray Farmers Markets was well received with many locals and visitors getting out and about on Saturday morning. There was plenty of variety on offer with 17 stalls operating and the live entertainment provided by talented musician Riff added to the carnival atmosphere.

At the recent GrainCorp awards, Nhill’s Ellie Murden was named Victoria’s Employee of the Year. GrainCorp praised Ellie for her outstanding performance as Site Manager, noting her dedication and ability to consistently exceed expectations ... Last harvest, Ellie helped the Nhill site break multiple records, including processing 19,000 tonnes in a single day.

Increased attendance and exhibitor numbers, along with ideal weather, all combined for a successful 2024 Riverland Field Days last weekend. With more than 12,000 people attending across the two days and 256 exhibitors filling the event’s grounds, Riverland Field Days executive manager Emma Gwiazda said that weekend revealed "fantastic results overall".

Today, we are pleased to announce negotiations on the Australia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have concluded. The UAE is an important partner, and Australia's largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East with two-way trade worth $9.9 billion in 2023.

Despite a good start, Australian table grape exports have declined for the 2024 season, off the back of lower demand from China, which has been consistently decreasing its imports, according to new industry research. In its just-released Table Grape Update 2024, agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank said Australian exports of table grapes were down 19 per cent for the 2024 season.