Business

Land dwellers may have asked what the hovering helicopters were doing flying above Maldon ... Powercor has been conducting inspections for its vegetation and tree-cutting program ... The work is necessary in order to prevent power outages and fires.

Well the ABC came a-knocking yesterday, asking Yours Truly about my new role at Barkly Regional Council ... yes I am indeed the new Media and Communications Officer at Barkly Regional Council.

The long awaited Kurrajong Facility in East Street Narrandera officially opened its doors at a ceremony led by Kurrajong Executive Officer Ray Carroll from Wagga last Thursday ... This new building provides a modern environment to support Kurrajong’s lifestyle choices services and includes a spacious kitchen designed for group cooking programs and specific spaces for living skill training and activities.

Community water and sewer systems across north-east Victoria are now more resilient to the growing impacts of climate change and natural disasters ... John Day, General Manager Environment, Systems and Operations, said ‘behind the meter’ power systems will help keep water and sewer infrastructure operating in emergency situations.

The loss of power in the Upper Murray region during and after the 2019/2020 bushfires placed an additional strain on communities and emergency services but the shortfall has now been addressed by boosting systems on critical sites. Under the Upper Murray Place Based Power Plan - Energy Resilience and Reliability Project, a combination of solar, battery and generator systems have been supplied and installed across 23 sites in the region.

The South West Timber Hub 2023 Carbon & Framing Conference on 7 March 2023 is essential for farmers and the agricultural industry to understand the impact carbon will have on their business. Speakers (including Trevor Whittington, CEO WAFarmers) will discuss the global picture and how international factors will impact your farm, what is driving the change and potential solutions that make sense in reducing your carbon footprint

Toowoomba Catholic Schools (TCS) has released the plans for its new school, St Francis Catholic College at Westbrook, and there’s an opportunity for locals to have a say on the project ... Covering nearly 10 hectares of land, TCS plans for the college to include educational, cultural and sporting facilities and to become a hub for community use outside of school hours.

Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) has announced a long-term national partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). This major national partnership will assist with delivering better health outcomes to Australians living beyond the reach of mainstream medical services, through financial support and the provision of a fleet of Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X vehicles.

Regional Express Holdings Limited (‘Rex’) announced an after-tax loss of A$16.5 million (M) for the six months ended 31 December 2022 (1HFY23), an improvement of 55% over the prior corresponding period. This loss includes a negative impact of A$23M related to mark-to-market valuation of the Convertible Note and Warrant facility entered into with PAG in 2020.

Space companies from the United Kingdom have landed in Adelaide on a mission to explore why more global companies are investing in South Australia’s cutting-edge space sector ... The contingent follows recent announcements that global companies Airbus, SSTL and Equatorial Launch Australia will all establish bases in South Australia.

The Aussie Invader - World Land Speed Record Challenger was transported by the Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc and stopped at Kaniva on Friday for young and old to have a look ... The Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc headed from Karratha to Perth in preparation for carrying the Aussie Invader - World Land Speed Record Challenger to the Australian International Airshow in Avalon, Victoria!

Maclean can now proudly boast that they have one of the world’s best supermarkets right on their doorstep, after Ritchies IGA Maclean received international acclaim, winning the coveted title of IGA International Retailer of the Year. The award was presented to James Cameron, Peter Lee and Matthew Saunders from Ritchies Stores, at the international IGA conference in Las Vegas, USA.

A proposed development application was submitted to the Southern Downs Regional Council late last year by the Allora & District Historical Society, for the relocation of two buildings on the original museum site on Drayton Street to the site of the old Shire Hall on Warwick Street Allora.

Baked cheesecake, fruit tarts, apple strudel with vanilla sauce served with a bowl of gelato – it’s enough to make your mouth water. Heike and Reto Bodenburg will be serving Swiss and German cakes at their cafe in Coraki opening this Saturday, March 4.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the 437,394 hectare site between Tibooburra and Bourke will become the third largest national park in NSW and a major new tourism drawcard for the region. “This is the largest ever single parcel of land to be acquired for the national park estate in NSW,” Mr Perrottet said.

NSW Farmers Energy Transition Working Group chair Reg Kidd said the Government had to explain why it was allowing Transgrid to build more overhead power lines when there was compelling evidence they increased the risk of bushfires.

Families from across the Snowy Monaro will benefit from enhanced maternity facilities with the Minister for Regional Health and Women Bronnie Taylor and Member for Monaro Nichole Overall joining local health workers to officially open the new Maternity Department at Cooma Hospital ... “The new maternity unit boasts high-quality, modern facilities in well-equipped rooms, filled with natural light. One of the two new birthing rooms includes a new birthing bath which will provide women with more choice during the delivery of their baby”: Mrs Taylor.

Today we learned three things: the Banking Code of Practice isn’t worth the paper it is written on, the format for emailing Westpac executives directly and that Anna Bligh’s Australian Banking Association will only engage with journalists who give them an easy run.

The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government has declared the fifth Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in the Illawarra ... The Illawarra REZ runs down the coastline from Wollongong to Shellharbour and around to Dapto capturing existing infrastructure such as Port Kembla, Dapto Substation and the Tallawarra Power Station.

The liquid ‘drinking’ milk market remains of key importance to Australia’s dairy sector – with improved domestic retail pricing and opportunities for further export growth – Rabobank says in a newly-released industry report.

The North East NSW Forestry Hub has posted a report prepared by Ernst & Young into the economic significance of the NSW hardwood industry to the NSW and Commonwealth economies ... the report shows the critical importance of the industry to the Northern NSW economy, contributing $1.8 billion in revenue, adding $700 million to NSW GDP and employing 5,700 people in the region.