Business

Rodney Stevens. They’re the eyes in the sky saving lives – drones – and Yamba Surf Lifesaving Club is fortunate to have some of the latest technology and highly skilled pilots controlling these amazing aircraft. Chances are, if you went to Yamba’s Main Beach or the Yamba Ocean Swim over the holidays, you would have seen a drone, monitoring swimmers’ safety and alerting lifesavers to any problems.

Taj's Small Fries presented by Board.Store concluded in emphatic fashion yesterday in Yallingup, with eight champions crowned in classic summer conditions in Yallingup marking the end of three days of amazing surfing at WA's biggest, best and most prestigious junior surfing tournament.

Cook Shire Council worked with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, local businesses and wholesale suppliers to coordinate delivery of essential supplies to the regional land-locked community of Coen, the Shire’s second largest township, and northern-most hub.

The future of fashion is transparent. One of the global leaders in traceability technologies, FibreTrace ®, are set to release a free digital traceability solution to the textile industry, which maps the global textile supply chain from fibre to retail.

Public houses built in South Australia must use products manufactured in this state, under ground-breaking mandates introduced by the Malinauskas Government ... From now, South-Australian manufactured products must be used on public housing construction and maintenance programs, where available.

Fortescue’s decarbonisation journey has taken a major step forward with WAE Technologies (WAE) completing and delivering to Australia the largest battery of its kind, ready to be installed in a prototype zero-emission battery electric mining haul truck that Fortescue it is developing with Liebherr. The state-of-the-art 1.4MWh prototype power system sets the pace for ground-breaking innovation in heavy industry and is a bespoke design intended for integration into a 240-tonne mining haul truck.

The estimated annual cost of energy is already approximately $5.85 billion for the Australian agricultural sector, but this is set to soar as electricity prices double by 2024, according to a recent federal government forecast ... AgriFutures Australia has recently published a series of short reports specifically for primary producers, outlining the methodology of eight ready-for-market renewable energy solutions with a step-by-step guide on how to begin the process of integration into on-farm practices.

Mrs McArthur said Labor’s Federal position on nuclear submarines further changes the energy landscape, with the Liberal Party federally adopting nuclear as a potential energy solution ... “If the Victorian Government really thinks it is Australia’s most progressive jurisdiction – then it should be brave enough and big enough to drop the moratorium and get real about the energy solution staring us in the face,” Mrs McArthur said.

State-of-the-art colourised laser technology has been added to Fire and Rescue NSW’s (FRNSW) fleet of drones, giving firefighters the ability to more accurately identify bushfire threats. Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke said the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors will help firefighters to better manage fuel loads by mapping bushland density.

Who would have thought that 34 years after the collapse of communism in the USSR and 43 years after the Hawke-Keating government started the process of dismantling Australia’s prices and income regulatory system, that Australia would be back reintroducing a Soviet style price control mechanism that caps gas and coal wholesale prices. Someone has not been reading their economic history. There are no lack of lessons from the past  that point to the unintended consequences of governments intervening in markets in an attempt to address short term political problems.

The Australian Government welcomes the entry of a new airline into the Australian market, with Bonza today being granted its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) following a rigorous assessment process. This is a significant milestone for Australian aviation, marking the first new high-capacity entrant into the Australian market since the launch of Tiger Airways over 15 years ago.

Savour the flavours of the Moyne region and celebrate vineyards, breweries, shop fronts and farm gates on the Moyne Shire Taste Trail. The Taste Trail is a self-drive tour through the rolling greenery of the Moyne Shire, from Macarthur, Port Fairy, Koroit, Killarney, Mortlake, Mepunga and Allansford while sampling food and beverages from the region’s makers, growers and producers.

They say justice never takes a holiday, neither does crime it seems. Sadly, our sleepy safe community has been rocked by a wave of burglaries and vandalism. The not so jolly criminals appeared to get the jump on Santa with an early morning shop visit to Barham IGA before Christmas.

Totally Renewable Denmark members attended a workshop last month in Bridgetown for community renewable energy groups from regional and urban WA ... The workshop was the inaugural meeting of CREATE Community Energy, a network of community groups which are driving local energy initiatives.

Patricia Gill. Eighty shared e-scooters began operation in Denmark this month to a mixed response about safety concerns. Over the Christmas/New Year holidays residents reported on social media about young people riding the scooters at night and on roads disregarding road rules.

Rodney Stevens. The Yamba Ocean Swim kicked off 2023 with a splash as a record number of entrants hit the water across all age groups, cheered on by a crowd of hundreds on a stunning summer’s day ... “We had 397 entrants this year which is well up on our previous best of 354 in 2013,” said Yamba Surf Club Surf Sports Director and Race Organiser Jim Dougherty.

Rodney Stevens. The Clarence Valley’s reputation of being a premier holiday destination, but an even better place to live, has seen tourists and locals taking an active interest in the real estate market and holiday letting almost at capacity during the Christmas holidays. On the back of Yamba being named in real-estate.com.au Hottest 100 suburbs for 2023, agents are reporting steady sales and solid inquiries.

Rockmans clothing store in Casino has closed. The shop at the Woolworths shopping complex is empty ... mannequins, stripped of the clothes they wore, lean on boxes on the shop floor.

Michael and Karen Schill have set up a shop in the most unlikely place. A few kilometres along Long Gully Rd is the Drake Community Store ... Long Gully Rd is a winding scenic road following the path of Rocky River. Tourists come to pan for gold in the river.

The National Farmers’ Federation says an agreement struck in the US allowing farmers the right to repair their own farm equipment will place Aussie farmers at a disadvantage unless similar steps are taken here. The right to repair allows farmers to take their equipment to a dealer of their choice to fix a problem or repair the machine themselves.

Trade between Ukraine and Australia is actively developing. The total sales of Australian goods and services are growing faster than Ukrainian ones. Australian farmers are also increasing sales faster than Ukrainian farmers. However, this was not always the case. 2023 may strengthen the position of Ukrainian farmers.

Excitement  is building as  Western Australia’s biggest, best and most prestigious junior  surfing tournament prepares for a start next week, with Taj's Small Fries set to  splash down in Yallingup  for the 18th consecutive year. First run in 2006, Taj's Small Fries has become a rite of passage for many of the Australia's best young surfers, launching the careers of numerous surfing stars since it's  inception.