Concerns for giants brings logging to a halt
For months protesters have been fighting for logging to be halted in Doubleduke State Forest in Bungawalbin. NSW Environmental Authority announced the decision to stop logging on April 16 ... “The inspection identified that Forestry Corporation of NSW had not mapped two giant trees in accordance with the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval and Protocols,” EPA regulatory operations director Steve Orr said.
Opening night success and winners honoured in first weekend of the 2023 Kangaroo Island Easter Art Exhibition
The opening weekend of the Kangaroo Island Easter Art Exhibition has been a resounding success with higher-than expected visitors, increased artist participation and healthy sales. Lori Smith winning the esteemed the Diana Keir Art Award with her oil portrait of a local Islander, called Staring at the Sun.
Small bar proposed for Yanchep shopping centre
There is an opportunity for residents and stakeholders to comment on a proposal for a small bar at the Yanchep Central Shopping Centre. But before the bar proposed for the site previously occupied by the Full Flava café can be approved the City of Wanneroo needs to approve the proposed change of use to unlisted use (small bar) at tenancies 23 and 24, 1 Peony Blvd.
Long distance relationships for Buloke’s police officers
Jesse Wray-McCann. When a 200-kilometre drive from one end of your policing patch to the other is the same distance as travelling a quarter of the way across Victoria, it pays to be close to your community and your colleagues. The 10 police officers across six stations – Donald, Charlton, Wycheproof, Culgoa, Sea Lake and Birchip – that make up the Buloke Shire cluster make it their mission to keep connected with everyone around them.
New WA facility to demonstrate turning waste into fuel: Bowen, Punch, Hanns
An innovative solution to waste management that will see household rubbish and biomass turned into useful products instead of ending up in landfill is set to be demonstrated in Western Australia ... The plant, which was built using a patented design and uses technology developed in WA by Renergi, is the first of its kind and positions Collie as a pioneer in the negative-emission bio-based circular economy.
Queensland’s new largest gold mine officially opens: Stewart
Works have finished and production has ramped up at Queensland’s new largest gold mine, creating nearly 400 good jobs and supporting 1000 contractors in the process. Resources Minister Scott Stewart congratulated Ravenswood Gold on the $350 million expansion of their mine about 130 km southwest of Townsville.
Ecological thinning – WA Government manages to wedge itself: Gavin Butcher
Gavin Butcher. When the WA Premier announced it was changing direction in the management of native forests to one guided by improving forest health and climate resilience he was on a potential winner ... Here was a unique opportunity to end the forest wars and set up a sustainable future for all. Alas the government has fluffed it.
Barmah Choke trade opportunity for new irrigation year: MDBA
The Barmah Choke water trade balance to start the 2023–24 water year will deliver a solid trade opportunity for irrigators. MDBA Executive Director of River Management Andrew Reynolds, said the water available to trade downstream of the Barmah Choke on 1 July 2023 would be about 60.6 gigalitres (GL).
Query on wheat prices
This newspaper [The Buloke Times], in the past, has queried the government’s decision to take away the single desk for export from the Australian Wheat Board, an organisation which evened out the returns to growers, and was generally respected by the industry. Now there are claims that the good seasonal conditions have not been reflected in the returns to growers in recent years, and some companies with a larger share of the export trade have acted in “monopolistic” ways.
Goodbye Stawell: Bendigo Bank agency closure marks the end for community banking
Residents of Stawell and surrounding towns have been deserted for the greener pastures of the digital realm, with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank suggesting that an investment shift toward phone and internet banking services is behind a decision to permanently close the Bendigo Bank Agency located at Fosters Mensland in Stawell ... With an aging demographic, many residents in Northern Grampians Shire rely on consistent face-to-face interaction and prefer to bank with representatives they know and trust.
A fair to remember
The Maldon Easter Fair has once again drawn thousands of visitors to the enchanting town, leaving everyone in awe of its remarkable community. The 146th event had it all; an ambitious celebration of the humble scone, a genuine back street billy cart race and a vividly picturesque street parade.
Solving air travel’s emissions dilemma: Canegrowers
CANEGROWERS has welcomed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s recent public vote of confidence in the sugarcane industry’s ability to supply the feedstock for a biofuels revolution in Queensland ... “With more than 1500 domestic flights in Australia every day, the aviation industry burns through an awful lot of highly polluting jet fuel”: CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens.
Eyes in the skies – what it’s like to be a spotter pilot
Helping spot fires is the job of dreams for Parks and Wildlife Service Senior Spotter Pilot Bronwen Prinsloo. This Manjimup-based pilot loves taking to the skies to spot and report on fires, monitor prescribed burns and do her bit to help keep our communities safe.
For the love of cars
The people who love cars are like a family, of sorts. “Once you’ve been bitten by the bug,” said Greg, “it stays with you for life.” And for Greg, Leanne, and Andrew, this love of cars has been the driving factor in them deciding to host Charlton’s very own (and very first) Show ‘N’ Shine, coming up on April 29-30.
Rain and cold didn’t deter fans from the pull of Quamby
Despite the rain and arctic conditions, Tractor Pull enthusiasts headed to the birthplace of Tractor Pulling in Australia, Quambatook, for the Annual Easter Tractor Pull. With two lanes available at Quambatook, a mini sled was held on one side for smaller vehicles, while the other hosted the executioner sled for the larger vehicles.
Northern Grampians Shire Council submits a firm response to energy transmission report
Northern Grampians Shire Council has called on governments and energy agencies to respond directly to the concerns of farmers and local landowners before it develops new power transmission infrastructure ... "At the forum most of these questions were left unanswered. Rather than decide and defend, the government needs to ensure that meaningful consultation and direct negotiation is offered": Cr Kevin Erwin.
Community rally as agency to close
Community members across Murray River and Gannawarra local government areas continue to express their dismay at the Bendigo Bank’s decision to close the Barham, Cohuna and Pyramid Hill agencies. The bank claims the closures, along with 13 others, are due to the number and value of over-the-counter transactions falling as more customers choose to do their banking online ... This week, a meeting was held between Bendigo Bank executives, Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh and a representative of the Gannawarra Shire Council.
Housing expectations killing the bush
Despite the cheap price of land in the Wheatbelt, and the abundance of jobs, country towns are not being bowled over by ï¬rst home buyers, so what’s going on? ... We are following the route that the rust belt States across America have experienced for the past 50 years as cities like Detroit has collapsed from 1.7m people in the 1950s to 700,000 today ... for the beneï¬t of the National Party, Liberals and Labor if listening, here is a policy idea which you could run with at the next election.
Honey exporters to benefit from digital reforms: DAFF
Australian honey exporters will benefit from new digital reforms that streamline the export certification process to Great Britain and the EU. On 30 March 2023, certification for honey and apiculture exports for human consumption became available via NEXDOC for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and the European Union.
Festival moves with the times
This year’s Man From Snowy River Bush Festival may well be the most successful in terms of numbers judging by the early arrivals in town this week. "We have managed to overcome several turbulent years to be genuinely excited with what we have in front of us in delivering the 2023 festival," said board chair, Cameron Jackson.
Wild dog data kept securely
Pastoralists and land managers can have complete confidence the information they record about wild dog activity, control and livestock attacks entered on FeralScan ® (including WildDogScan ®) is kept confidential and managed securely.
VNI West and Western Renewables Link: VFF
“The Victorian Government must answer questions why it is fast-tracking a project experts say could triple electricity transmission costs, whilst steam rolling our state’s farmers in the process ... The Victorian Government must explain to farmers why they are being forced to endure needless anxiety and fear over having their land carved up by power lines that may provide no benefit to the state": VFF President, Emma Germano.
