“Wind farm living”
Lyn Lenehan. It's hard explaining to city people why wind farms are so bad and why they destroy lives and livelihoods. There is a list of reasons, but one stands out the most – the loss of enjoyment of one's land ... What happens when the reason for living in a special place is ripped away?
Take a trip to Allora
This weekend you can enjoy the attractions and hospitality of Allora. It’s just an easy 15 minute drive north of Warwick and you’ve arrived at the Best little Town on the Downs.
More new homes for Elliott residents
Pompey Raymond is one of Elliott’s favourite characters, so there were plenty of cheers when he moved into a brand new home a couple of weeks ago. Pompey will be living in North Camp with his daughter Rosemary and grandchildren. Labor candidate for Barkly Lizzie Hogan was in Elliott to congratulate the Raymond family. “That old man was so happy,” she said.
NFF calls out Federal Government’s failure to protect the Great Artesian Basin
The National Farmers’ Federation has expressed profound disappointment and frustration at the Federal Government's ongoing neglect in safeguarding the Great Artesian Basin (GAB), one of Australia's most vital groundwater resources. As AgForce prepares to bring its case before the Federal Court next month, the Government has questioned the agricultural organisation's right to take legal action.
Families hold the nation’s sporting hopes in their hands at Barellan
Families from around the Riverina converged on Barellan sportsground to don a white glove and hold one of the nation’s most iconic sporting trophies, the Lexus Melbourne Cup. The tiny town with no racecourse was the final NSW leg of a global and Australian tour of 39 destinations for the $750,000, 18 carat gold and 3.85kg Lexus Melbourne Cup.
RDA welcomes new Riverina board members
Regional Development Australia (Riverina) is now officially halfway through the year and the first half was filled with exciting opportunities for the Riverina with momentum only increasing for the rest of the year. An Economic Development Officers Forum was recently held in Narrandera.
Melbourne firm awarded Koondrook’s $500,000 transition fund
Gannawarra Shire Council staff have awarded the $500,000 State Government’s Community Development Fund to Melbourne based Urban Enterprises. The $500,000 grant from the Victorian Labor Government was in response to the Andrews – Allan Government’s decision to end over 150 years of native forestry in the state. Urban Enterprises edged out three rival bids for the contract, two being Barham-based and from Bendigo.
Positive six month outlook for Australian ag
The Rural Bank has predicted that the 6-month outlook for Australian Agriculture is broadly supportive thanks to strong export demand and favourable price forecasts while challenges from a consumer spending perspective remain, with a dry seasonal outlook also a concern for some regions.
Deeper reforms needed as Fed Govt celebrates biosecurity cost win: GPA
These fees and charges, largely applying to importers and travellers entering and leaving the country, had remained unchanged for the best part of a decade until July 2023 and have since brought in an additional $47.1 million. Grain Producers Australia Chair Barry Large said having fees and charges for these activities match the actual costs of managing these processes, whether it be for inspections and assessments or potential incident management, was commonsense.
Firewood theft cripples parks and forests
The silent and devastating toll of people stealing wood from Victoria’s forests and parks has been revealed as public land authorities announce a crackdown on escalating illegal firewood take and habitat destruction threatening the survival of native wildlife and Aboriginal cultural heritage. In 2023 alone, firewood thieves damaged or destroyed more than 9,200 native trees or cleared roughly 462 hectares of public land in Victoria ...
Renmark icon’s restoration
Madison Estmond. “Around 10 months ago, a 5kg concrete slab fell off the building’s soffit onto the road,” Hotel Renmark general manager Darren Baker said ... With the project approved by Stage Heritage and the hotel’s community board, Hotel Renmark will also be painted.
Load shedding leaves 24,500 in the dark
Northern Rivers politicians have slammed Transgrid, the high voltage electricity transmission network operator and manager, and the Australian Energy Market Operator after more than 24,000 customers across the region were left with power last week for more than 3 hours on one of the coldest nights of the year. Power went out as people were cooking dinner at 6.20pm on July 8, in a large area from Mullumbimby to Ballina and Alstonville, and west to Lismore, Casino, and Kyogle, and didn’t return to some homes until almost 11pm.
Toyota bids farewell to country favourite
Toyota is bidding farewell to one of the iconic symbols of the wide brown outback – the V8 Landcruiser. Often the butt of well-meaning ribbing thanks to the over accessorising of the popular ute, the announcement by Toyota will end an era of motoring across rural Australia.
Kick in the guts
Michelle Daw. Yorke Peninsula commercial fishers say they are being discriminated against by a new fees regime that took effect this month, which has been described as a "kick in the guts" that could send them out of business. The fees are based on a quota system aimed at making fishers pay the full cost of government management for King George whiting, garfish and calamari, in Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf only.
Wallumbilla’s new community precinct breaks ground: Chisholm, Taylor, Kennedy-Clark
Construction works on Wallumbilla’s new community precinct has officially begun with Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm joining Maranoa Regional Council representatives to turn the first sod on the new $4.85 million facility (in south-west Queensland). The precinct upgrade will feature a new community centre, library, visitor information centre and professional service spaces.
Farmers welcome fairer biosecurity funding: NSW Farmers
Farmers have welcomed a $47.1 million dollar boost to the nation’s biosecurity system thanks to the Australian Government’s new fees and charges system for importers. NSW Farmers Biosecurity Committee Chair Ian McColl said the new cost recovery mechanism was a strong step towards better biosecurity funding for the future, with the proposed biosecurity tax on farmers now defeated in the Senate.
Can drones provide farmers with early warning?
Tristan Steventon. Finding time to scout for weeds or monitor paddocks after a spray application is almost impossible as growers are typically managing larger cropping areas than ever before. Tristan Steventon, StevTech drone and data specialist says ultra-high-resolution cameras on drones provide a practical way to rapidly and remotely collect weed data for spray jobs and to monitor changes over time.
Spiritual cleansing for Wallaroo Hospital
Sarah Herrmann. An Aboriginal traditional healer has performed a spiritual cleansing at Wallaroo Hospital after Indigenous patients reported feeling uncomfortable while receiving health services there. The Yorke and Northern Local Health Network invited traditional healer, or Ngangkari, Debbie Watson, from the APY Lands in northern South Australia, to help cleanse Wallaroo Hospital and the Wallaroo Community Health Building last week.
Juliet Grist – The economist and the village
“It used to be all about supply and demand; about economic growth. In some ways it still is but in the last decade or so many countries have come to the realisation that just because you're getting economic growth doesn't mean your population is actually benefiting. One of the new schools of thought - and one I’m trying to focus on - is not what the numbers say about economic growth but what’s actually happening at the community level."
Five employability skills for our next generation: Number 4 – adaptability
Charles Darwin was right when he said: "It is not the strongest nor most intelligent of the species that survives, but the one that is most adaptable to change!" The ability to adapt is just as important for a business as it is for staff. History is littered with organisations that failed to adapt ...
Birchip embraces skilled migration
Birchip has a strong connection with Sri Lanka that began when Laki Wijethilake serendipitously came to Birchip to work as a chef in the Birchip Hotel in 2013. Laki developed a great relationship with the Birchip people and a Birchip contingent attended Laki and Hansi’s wedding in Sri Lanka in 2016.
Corporate buyers may end family cattle industry
How come the value of cattle stations is skyrocketing? The bar of the Centralian Beef Breeders Association was a good place for a pub test ... The [Alice Springs] News spoke to several of the bar’s patrons on the condition of not naming them, about what is clearly a historic switch from a 150 years old family-based industry to investment opportunities for big companies, some from overseas, and superannuation firms.
