Business

Kalyx Australia, a national agricultural business, announced it has completed its acquisition of Staphyt Research Limited’s New Zealand business; a move that sees the company grow its presence for the first time beyond Australian shores. For over two decades now, Kalyx has been leading independent agricultural research in Australia with their national presence and operational excellence.

The Nationals leader and member for Maranoa David Littleproud says Labor has broken the hearts of Maranoa locals in its first Budget ... "in Labor’s first Budget, Maranoa locals have been held back and left behind in three key areas - cost of living, childcare and infrastructure.

Emma Pritchard. A member of the LGBTIQA+ community and a proud Indigenous woman from Gubbi Gubbi Country, Amanda Daffey is the first candidate to assume the title of Jacaranda Ambassador in the 88-year history of the Grafton Jacaranda Festival after the Jacaranda Festival Committee announced in February that Australia’s oldest floral festival would become a gender-neutral event in 2022.

Emma Pritchard. An exuberant crowd turned back the clock to the 1950s and 1960s at Market Square on October 30 as Retrofest 2022 rocked Grafton’s popular recreational area beneath the blossoming jacaranda trees. A vivid celebration of vintage fashions, classic cars and all things rock ‘n’ roll, the annual event is one of the most popular festivities during the Grafton Jacaranda Festival...

Casino’s largest business has plenty to celebrate. The Casino Food Co-op is the winner of the Northern Rivers 2022 Regional Business of the Year ... The win for the Co-op wasn’t only about the meat industry. Earlier this month, the Co‐op launched a Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.

Sarah Martin. It was a hot and frustrating week for Cape York residents and Ergon Energy crews, with record temperatures and multiple power outages impacting the region. At Weipa, the mercury hit 40 degrees on Saturday for the first time in recorded history, with gauges measuring 40.4 at both the airport and RAAF Scherger.

The Hartley District Progress Association (HDPA) and the community of Hartley welcome the Federal Government’s decision to pause funding on the NSW State Government’s proposed Great Western Highway “upgrade” from Katoomba to Lithgow. Stopping the “upgrade” provides a critical opportunity to reconsider how best to improve travel times across the Blue Mountains and how best to direct infrastructure funding.

Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg and Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier Gurmesh Singh have opened the new Keerrong Road Bridge ... specialist Bridge Crew replaced the damaged culvert with a new 16.1m x 7.2m single span concrete structure. This new structure founded on steel driven piles has been designed and constructed to achieve a 100-year design life while improving its flood immunity and safety for local farmers and truck drivers.

Explore TV ... Trevor Cochrane and the crew of Guru Productions filmed an entire episode on Lord Howe Island ... The crew had a great time on the island in early October meeting local businesses and constantly finding more stories to include in the show ... Melissa Leong ... Australian Traveller ... Qantas Magazine ...

As Queensland celebrates World Teacher’s Day ... the University of Southern Queensland is demonstrating its commitment to shaping the next generation of leaders in rural and remote classrooms. In 2021 92 per cent of USQ graduates in the School of Education Alternative Context Project chose to start their career in classrooms outside of metropolitan areas ... Taylah Hoffman travelled to Quilpie for one of several placements ...

"World Teachers’ Day seems an opportune time to reflect on both the challenges facing the profession and the myriad reasons it is great to be a teacher ... People are still drawn to teaching for a fulfilling and rewarding career that really makes a difference. More career-changers than ever are pivoting to teacher education to prepare for careers as teachers": CSU's Associate Professor Will Letts.

Jamie-Lee Oldfield. An improved clearance and record high average proved prime lamb producers were keen to put Janmac genetics into their flocks. The Hausler family of Janmac Poll Dorsets and White Suffolks held their 18th annual on-property sale at Goroke, Victoria, on Wednesday, selling rams to a top of $7000.

Australia's banking regulator has been significantly over-stating regional branch numbers for decades due to false reporting by banking institutions. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) became aware of the errors in May 2021 and has been quietly correcting the hundreds of instances where banks have claimed they are providing full branch services – including the face-to-face provision of cash – but have not been.

I am very pleased to the deliver the Regional Budget Statement on behalf of the Government ... This Budget delivers on our election commitments and provides funds for the Government’s purposeful and targeted approach to investing in regional Australia. It contains more than 760 initiatives which the Government is delivering to boost regional communities and industries.

Previously it’s been hit by Covid and heavy rain but the popular Weekend still survives. Already plans are underway for the 2023 Allora Heritage Weekend to be held on 28th and 29th January. Visitors come from all over to enjoy a weekend in Allora and spend time browsing around the old machinery, vintage cars, trucks and bikes at the Showgrounds.

A local lizard lover has been keeping a watchful eye on a lounge of Cunningham Skinks in Muir Street at Allora. These lizards will remain safe from any harm as they disappear in a flash if danger comes close. So look but don’t try to touch!

Australia's banking regulator is picking and choosing which banks it is allowing to get away with breaking the law by misreporting whether their sites offer cash service provided by a teller. Errors in hundreds of minor and foreign bank sites included in the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s points of presence data for years, even decades, have been corrected over the past 17 months after being exposed by The Regional in May 2021.

Emma Pritchard. As vibrant explosions of mauve and lilac blossoms engulf the streets in a collage of colour each spring, we know the jacaranda season has arrived, and as a community, we come together to celebrate the Grafton Jacaranda Festival.  An esteemed annual event, rich in local history, culture and tradition, the oldest floral festival in Australia draws people from across the country, and the world, to the Clarence Valley each year.

On the night of October 2nd, 66 citizen scientists surveyed for endangered Greater Gliders in native forest across Victoria. The state government has either released these areas of forest for logging in the current Timber Release Plan or plans to release them under the proposed Timber Release Plan (TRP). Surveys were carried out in six locations across the state: Toolangi, Black Range (near Taggerty), Warburton, Wombat, Alberton West, and Colquhuon forest, East Gippsland ... ARR.News ask KFF a few questions.

Tom Zaunmayr, National Indigenous Times. It may be hard to believe for outsiders conditioned by years of negative national headlines, but Sean-Paul Stephens is adamant the Pilbara town of Ieramagadu (Roebourne) is one of the safest, most beautiful communities he has lived in.

NSW landowners who host electricity transmission lines are set to benefit from a new Strategic Benefit Payments Scheme designed by the NSW Government to support the rollout of a modern electricity grid. Under the scheme, private landowners in NSW will receive $200,000 per kilometre of new transmission infrastructure hosted on their land, paid out in annual instalments over 20 years, indexed to CPI.