Business

SOURCE Hydropanel technology is bringing reliable drinking water to the underserved community, Irrkerlantye (White Gate), in the Northern Territory. Children’s Ground – a First Nations community-led organisation – is working in partnership with SOURCE to improve drinking water access in remote communities.

A new handbook released by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, will guide businesses – including farmers, forest growers, mining companies and non-governmental organisations – on how to report and account for their natural assets to better protect our environment. Much of the value and growth from our economy is drawn from natural resources as a variety of industries depend on, and profit, from them.

In a major boost for domestic tourism,  Bonza  has revealed Darwin and Alice Springs as the airline’s newest destinations. The airline will add 12 new flights per week to and from the NT with three new routes - Sunshine Coast to Darwin, Gold Coast to Darwin and Melbourne to Alice Springs.

The ability of the Australian grains industry to compete internationally is being seriously hampered by supply chain inefficiencies, with recent record harvests highlighting a need for more capacity in the current network, a GrainGrowers commissioned report has found.  The ‘Connecting the Dots: Improving Australian Grain Supply Chain Efficiency’ report was compiled by independent global strategy consultancy LEK.  

An interesting way to spend a few hours is to visit the big white Historical Museum on the corner of Forde and Warwick Streets, Allora. This building was the old Shire Hall and has special displays and reading facilities.

The Clarence Valley timber industry is still uncertain how many jobs could be lost due to the suspension of logging in the proposed Great Koala National Park as the NSW Government assesses the impact on the endangered marsupials and timber industry jobs ... “They still haven’t actually said what the areas are that they are going to not harvest in and where the actual koala hubs are, so it’s really hard to work out what the ramifications are going to be”: Donna Layton, Marshall Notaras Hardwoods GM and VP of Timber NSW.

One of the oldest and most iconic watering holes in the Lower Clarence, Maclean’s majestic Argyle Hotel has been listed for sale following extensive renovations. Listed with Gold Coast based Republik Property Partners, the Argyle Hotel encapsulates history, charm and investment potential, with expressions of interest being taken for the freehold site at 205 River Street, Maclean.

The proposed redevelopment of the historic Grafton Brewery is in doubt after council posed over 100 conditions on the business including restrictive operating hours ... But Mr Firth said the development may never be realised due to the onerous and duplicitous requirements that make the development potentially unworkable.

Last week, the Lions Free Skin Cancer Screening Unit was stationed in Nhill for three days. The team ... are all to be congratulated on their service throughout the three very busy days of screening. A few statistics ... show ... the obvious need for such a service in our area.

Agriculture Victoria’s Horsham SmartFarm recently provided local students hands-on experience of climate action research, with a focus on preserving important grains and plants for the future. The visit was by a group of students who are currently studying Agricultural and Horticultural Science at Goroke P-12 College.

Young car joyriders likened the adrenalin rush from car theft to the effects of drug or alcohol use. Some noted, yet often disregarded, fears of death or injury as the result of a car accident. And the prospect of gaining, or losing, a job is a stronger motivator than incarceration for joyriders.

On page 15 of North-Central League’s giant-sized grand final “Recorder”, distributed at Boort on Saturday, is a list of 25 people who, since the resumption of football after World War II, have given outstanding service to the development of the game in this part of the State. Among them is Donald’s Frank O’Shea, widely recognized for his coaching of junior teams, and for his newspaper reporting of North-Central football.

The NRLX-agent dispute will be a big topic at the Richmond Valley Council meeting at 6pm, Tuesday, September 19. The Casino Auctioneers Association Incorporated (CAAI) released a statement about the council meeting.

Enjoy live music, food and drink and brightly lit displays of the tulips which offer a wonderfully different perspective to the day time tulip time garden display ... It’s a lovely community vibe which will also have a number of visitors to the Southern Highlands region due to the Festival being held over the long weekend.  

This is the 20th year that we have enjoyed seeing stunning tulips bloom in Bendigo! Our Parks staff have again created a beautiful display  that features an assortment of colours and sizes, with around 25 varieties on show.

The removal of tariffs on Australian barley by Chinese authorities has seen barley prices trend higher since the start of August, according to NAB’s September Rural Commodities Wrap. The NAB Rural Commodities Index* fell 1.6% in August and is now 30.7% lower compared to when Australian rural commodity prices peaked in June 2022.

The state’s peak farming body has welcomed a new Parliamentary Committee to re-examine underground transmission lines following strong community outrage. A recent government-dominated review into undergrounding high-voltage transmission lines ignored community concerns and strong opposition from the farming sector, recommending enormous above-ground towers and powerlines...

The Minns Government’s proposed Great Koala National Park is not an extinction panacea for koalas, says the President of Forestry Australia, Dr Michelle Freeman ... "it is simplistic to suggest that locking away forests is the great panacea for saving koalas from extinction ... In fact, experience shows us that declaring a National Park does not equal koala population growth."  

Maldon Cycling Group has just published a book with information about 16 local bike rides ... Peter Strang, one of the team who produced the book said, “There are some great rides around Maldon.  Hopefully, this book will help some locals and visitors explore the area by bike”.  

Mount Isa will next month host a first of its kind, community-led event discussing Australia’s energy future, with a particular focus on nuclear power technology. The Mount Isa Nuclear Power Forum: “What if we went nuclear?” is being staged by Katter’s Australian Party Leader (KAP) and Traeger MP Robbie Katter, who has promised a “frank discussion around the possibilities of nuclear power production in outback Australia”.

Australian research project, Farming for the Future releases preliminary findings. In a study of global significance and at a scale never previously undertaken, Phase 2 of the Farming for the Future research program has collected financial, ecological and social data from 130 Australian grazing and cropping enterprises...