Minister visits flood impacted North West: Furner
The Minister met with locals, community leaders and primary producers in Burketown and Doomadgee who have been impacted by severe flooding, and inspected damage to properties and businesses ... Further assessments are currently underway to determine if higher levels of funding activations are required.
Local boat building industry now anchored in the heart of Geraldton: Saffioti
Ports Minister Rita Saffioti has officially opened a new boat building facility in the Geraldton Fishing Boat Harbour. The facility will be the new home of local boat building firm Dongara Marine and will form part of a new precinct within the harbour.
Flinders forges AUKUS partnerships in nuclear science and technology to deliver South Australia’s future workforce: Malinauskas
South Australia will become a home for international nuclear expertise ahead of AUKUS submarine construction, with Flinders University striking agreements with leading nuclear science and technology universities in the United Kingdom and United States ... These historic partnerships enable Flinders University to deliver a comprehensive suite of the world’s best nuclear education in South Australia as early as 2023...
Award-winning maps promote accessible tourism
A clever project that makes it easier for people of all abilities to get out and enjoy the Sunshine Coast way of life, is being expanded ... “The project provides a clear solution for those with disabilities to plan and map their routes and is a comfort to travellers and visitors to our region with mobility issues in identifying where they can get to with ease": Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson.
Students enjoy work experience
Donald High School. After a two-year break, Year 11 students undertook a week’s work experience last week. Fifteen students travelled to Ballarat to work at a variety of workplaces, and two students stayed in Donald. Students worked in the fields of aged care, education, hairdressing, fitness, tourism, civil engineering, accountancy, building and construction, steel fabrication, and agriculture.
Productivity Inquiry sets out priorities to advance prosperity
If Australia is to continue to grow its economy and increase individual prosperity, productivity policy should focus on key emerging trends like the shift towards service industries, according to the final report of the Productivity Commission’s 5-year Productivity Inquiry ... “Concentrating on five key themes can make a real difference”: Productivity Commission Chair, Michael Brennan.
From Metropolitan Munich to the Buloke Bushlands
To be more precise, the two young ladies, both nineteen, are from Furstenfeldbruck, within the Munich (now Munchen) area of Germany. In their Travellers Autobarn camper van, they have motored down Australia’s east coast, arriving at the Donald caravan park in time for the out-of-town Esoteric Festival.
Business and services want action to deter youth vandalism
The Memo Club Manager has called for action after the windows of the Club’s courtesy bus were smashed by youths throwing huge rocks, for the third time in months. Now the Memo has no choice but to halt its popular bus service out of safety of its staff and patrons and is now looking at the expense of installing plexiglass over the windows.
Nutritional menu proves a hit at primary school
Catherine Grimley. For those who do not know, the canteen runs a daily meal program which supplies students with breakfast, recess and lunch each day. The menu is on a three-week rotation and almost everything is made in the canteen by Merrin and her three wonderful assistants.
Mandy Connell talks all things Folk and Roots
Treasured Australian singer-songwriter and Maldon local Mandy Connell is the face behind a monthly mini-festival at the Kangaroo Hotel in Maldon. The event, called Goldfields Folk & Roots: Roo Fest, offers a curated afternoon of folk and roots music celebrating local and invited musicians.
Concerns about commodity prices, interest rates and re-emergence of drought weighing on farmer outlook: Rabobank
Australian farmers continue to ride the rollercoaster of seasons, commodity prices and economic factors, with rural sentiment at the start of 2023 dipping to its lowest level reported since late 2018. The latest quarterly Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released on 16 March 2023, found after rallying late last year, sentiment in the rural sector had fallen again this quarter as farmers continue to navigate a range of economic and financial uncertainties.
Action-packed Active Games
Titilua Ikenasio. Active Farmers in Coleambally held their second ‘Active Games’ event over the weekend. The event garnered 180 participants from Coleambally and other areas where Active Farmers’ regular classes run including Wagga, Griffith, Sydney and Bridgewater (Vic).
Lockhart residents warned to prepare for noise from energy project
Energyconnect will be constructing a worker accommodation camp ... to house workers during main construction activities as part of Transgrid’s construction of 700 kilometres of new power lines from the SA border to the regional energy hub of Wagga Wagga ... Crews will be working daily as required, Monday to Sunday 7am to 7pm in approved Out of Hours Work ... Workers will also be accessing water during the construction of the access point and will be using the existing water fill point ...
New real estate agency for Allora
Well known local Clint Kenny will operate Properties Ruhle from their new location at 46 Herbert Street (formerly El Cabalo). Clint is looking forward to having a base in Allora where he can meet with clients from around the region. However houses are difficult to buy as very few come onto the market.
Mayor Tiley gags himself after radio interviews
Clarence Valley Council Mayor Ian Tiley says he will no longer discuss council meetings in radio interviews after admitting he disclosed confidential information in two separate interviews in December. Addressing the February Clarence Valley Council meeting, Cr Tiley said a code of conduct complaint had been made about disclosures he made about passenger services for Grafton Regional Airport.
Allora welcomes back the Heavy Horse Festival
Two full days of Activities, Displays and Demonstrations. You’ll be amazed by the gentle giants such as Clydesdales, Percherons, Shires, Australian Draught Horses and Belgians. This year sees 120 magniï¬cent horses displaying their versatility in Breed Led Classes, Working horses and Ridden events including hack, dressage and barrel races.
Act Belong Commit Darkan Sheepfest – A show that is good for a town
Act Belong Commit Darkan Sheepfest is now more than a sheep and wool show. The event is a testament to the cultural and economic value that a show can provide to a community and town.
Esoteric a sellout success
Seven years in the making and interrupted by a Covid cancellation, Donald’s 2023 Esoteric festival, “Wild Wastelands”, proved to be a sell-out, with a gathering of 7,500 paying patrons converging on the site, just north of Donald for the five day event. Local promoter, Sam Goldsmith, has invested heavily in the continued development of the location, spending months upgrading infrastructure for this year’s event.
Farmers reach agreement with Inland Rail builder: NSW Farmers
Landholders can expect better treatment during the construction of Inland Rail thanks to a landmark agreement between NSW Farmers and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). Inland Rail and NSW Farmers have worked together to develop a joint information pack that acknowledges and addresses issues of concern to property owners...
Doesn’t look much but will set you back $10,000
Geoscience Australia Geophysical Survey Using magneto telluric (MT) technology ... the program is about contributing to a sustainable, long-term future for Australia through an improved understanding of the nation’s groundwater, mineral and energy resource potential.
Rural Bank Monthly Insights – A dry start and falling prices for Autumn
Rural Bank has released its March 2023 Insights report, with commentary on production and pricing trends for Australian agriculture: cattle, cropping, dairy, horticulture, sheep and wool.
Digitised greenhouse gas calculator launched for producers: MLA
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has launched an online, web-based greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator based on the Sheep and Beef Greenhouse Accounting Framework (SB-GAF) tool for Australian sheep and beef producers. The digitised version of the SB-GAF tool is based off the freely available excel version of the tool available on the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre (PICCC) website to ensure consistency across the sector.
