When money changes hands, independence is out the window
At a media event to release the latest Regional Movers Index data, Commonwealth Bank representative Paul Fowler and Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Ritchie were asked three times why the branch was closing the same day as the Sunshine Coast was being celebrated as a rapidly-growing centre ... In 2021, acting RAI CEO Kim Houghton put in a submission to a taskforce that had more bankers on it than MPs but there was nothing from Ms Ritchie during the recent senate inquiry ...
In sight, in mind stimulates memories
Wayne Hawthorne. “Out of sight, out of mind” it is said, yet this idiom can be transformed to “seeing is believing” when visiting museums ... Naracoorte Men’s Probus Club members recently visited two lesser-known gems of the South East. The Nangwarry Forestry Museum and the Kalangadoo Railway Station Museum.
Maldon in Winter
Michelle Dorian. The temperature is dropping but the anticipation is rising: the Maldon in Winter Festival is coming to town! With the theme of ‘Let There Be Light,’ this year’s festival is shining a spotlight on many of Maldon’s hidden gems for both visitors and locals.
Newstead Racecourse Recreation Reserve
Kerry Cain. The Newstead Racecourse Recreation Reserve covers approximately 80 acres and is owned by the State Government. The NRRR has a volunteer committee that manages, maintains, and enhances the land ... The NRRR now has a park section used as a camping area.
Native forest policy, WA style: Jack Bradshaw
Jack Bradshaw. Having killed off the native forest timber industry by edict, the WA government is now taking the next step to cement its hypocrisy in legislation. Reece Whitby, the Minister for the Environment has recently introduced an amendment to the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (WA) to “lock in this Labor government’s historic decision to stop the unsustainable practice of commercial native logging”.
Name and shame the worst roads
Across the state, unroadworthy roads are putting people’s lives at risk but now RACQ is giving drivers the chance to nominate the roads in their communities that are in desperate need of an upgrade.
Horses, history power our top senior
Serena Kirby. This year’s senior citizen of the year, Louise Swan, has put her love of horses to good use since retiring and moving to Denmark nearly a decade ago. Louise said horses had been her passion since she was five years old and when she discovered there was a local HorsePower centre, she wasted no time in volunteering to help.
Community focus for Abbie’s ‘amazing’ festival
Patricia Gill. A return to a community focus drew 380 artists at the Denmark Festival of Voice packing seven venues for 55 acts over the recent long weekend. First-time festival director Abbie Pedersen was honoured to be part of a long legacy established by previous directors.
CWA International Food Fair goes from strength to strength
CWA Narrandera Evening Branch is celebrating another huge success with their International Food Fair on Saturday ... "There were over 30 food and market stalls on offer, again a further increase on last year’s stall numbers": CWA President Beryl Brain ... Free children’s activities included a jumping castle, face painting and fun activities provided by Fusion.
Uarah bred golden perch fingerlings bound for China
Uarah Fisheries at Grong Grong is attempting to establish an export market for live golden perch in China. The aquaculture farm will export tens of thousands of native golden perch fingerlings to China as demand grows for Australian fish.
Plibersek’s propaganda exposed in $12 million ad campaign
The Albanese Government's legislation change to allow additional water buybacks shocked farming communities that rely on this precious resource ... To add insult to injury, the recent $12 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign used fake computer-generated images of death and destruction in the basin, along with emotive language that only fuels misunderstanding through the misinformation campaign.
Childcare access worst in the country
Joanna Tucker. A study by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute has found childcare accessibility in the federal electorate of Grey to be the worst in Australia ... Kadina Child Care Centre director Caren Hammerstein said the centre has 105 children on its waiting list.
Live sheep exports – House of Representatives Standing Committee public hearing: NFF
Today the House of Representatives, Standing Committee is holding the first of two public hearings on the legislation to end live sheep exports by sea ... From the moment this policy was inadvertently announced via an animal activist organisation just two weeks from the Federal Election, the process has been a farce, and the hard-working people of our industry have been treated with absolute contempt.
Know the risks
Many portable devices today are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. These types of batteries pose a higher risk of fire than others. Lithium-ion batteries are popular because they are lightweight and long lasting compared to other rechargeable batteries.
Kan’iv a op shop? Yes you can!
Kerryn Dyer. At last after a journey of some 6 months of preparation of both stock, venue and administration compliance, we opened our doors at 10am on Thursday 6th June. The hall was warm and ready, the urn was hot and the food was good!
We will miss you ferry much
For close to 130 years, it united rural communities on either side of the Clarence River. It provided a safe, time-saving, and cost-effective connection for countless residents, tourists, local businesses, employees, and industries, emergency services, and primary producers, who are now forced to travel almost 80km every time they need to cross the wide, open waterway.
Thundering towards semi-finals in Grafton
Three littermates were amongst the 32 greyhounds who jumped from the boxes at the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club during the running of the last regional heats of the Thunderbolt series on June 9 with brothers Hit The Switch and Cash On Delivery scoring tenacious wins over 350m in Heat 1 and Heat 2 respectively to qualify for the semi-finals this weekend.
“It’s just not good enough” – Telstra outage wipes out all three local councils
Stephanie Thompson. Telstra is “sincerely sorry” for the impact of a cloud service crash last week that continues to “cripple” all three local councils. The outage is continuing to impact Loxton Waikerie, Berri Barmera and Renmark Paringa councils, rendering them unable to complete almost all core functions.
A woolly good weekend in Barmera
The Barmera Sheep Dog Trials concluded on Sunday, with “particularly good crowds” over the weekend. Around 40 dogs competed over the five days, with 440 sheep coming from around the Riverland ... Highlights over the five days included the iconic ‘Running of the Sheep’ event down Barwell Avenue
Riverland hosts paddling marathon
Marathon paddlers from around the nation converged on the Murray River last weekend for South Australia’s premier long-distance event, the Riverland Paddling Marathon (RPM). Run by the Marathon Canoe over the June long weekend each year, the RPM has become a staple of the marathon calendar since its inception in 1988.
Budget blues – YP on the outer
Michelle Daw. Yorke Peninsula again missed out on major spending in the 2024-25 State Budget, which was handed down last Thursday, June 6. There was little in the way of new funding specifically for the region ... "Despite throwing an extra $7.1b at the health system, critical areas in our regions remain neglected — such as the need for workforce incentives to attract and retain doctors and nurses in regional areas, investment in mental health and psychosocial services and regionally based radiotherapy services": Opposition regional health spokesperson Penny Pratt.
Australia and Japan to strengthen horticulture ties: Hort Innovation
Efforts are underway to continue to grow the important trade relationship between Australia and Japan, with exports from Australia to Japan valued at $154 million annually, through a series of inbound and outbound trade activities ... the program will enable Australian and Japanese horticulture industry representatives to build relationships, expand networks, exchange knowledge, and explore commercial and research opportunities.
