Business

The April school holidays are almost here, and with it brings the return of the Critter Trail on Chapman: an interactive experience for young detectives. Coordinated by the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery (GRAG), the Critter Trail is a series of art pieces along the CBD portion of Chapman Road depicting critters that have ‘borrowed’ art from the City’s Collection.

Rio Tinto’s Indigenous Employment and Development team are gearing up for another jam-packed year of programs, activities and events across Cape York ... Weipa operations general manager Shona Markham said she was impressed by what the team offered.

A man as been fined $15,000 by the Cooktown Magistrates Court over the felling of 113 old-growth trees in the Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park. In 2020, a timber export company entered into an agreement to log Cooktown Ironwood trees (erythrophleum chlorostachys) on two Cape York stations that border the national park.

Australia signs an historic trade agreement with India, the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, that will further strengthen our relationship while making Australian exports to India cheaper and creating huge new opportunities for workers and businesses.

The state’s farmers are disappointed the federal government has failed to crack down on unfair contract terms. A Bill aimed at delivering fairness for small business by making UCTs unlawful was introduced in early February – but has not been progressed by the federal government.

When it comes to the big-ticket items for Tasmania the federal budget doesn’t meet Tasmania’s needs for agriculture. The infrastructure spend on water and roads only provides small change for Tasmania. Water is 0.18% of national spending and roads are 0.55%.

Racegoers were treated to a wonderful day of perfect weather and family fun. We had Country Racing Icon, Col Hodges calling the race, our grounds were beautiful and green, the race track carefully maintained and our new under cover betting area further improved our annual Tulli Race Meet.

Congratulations to David Berkman and the team of Rockfest for putting on a great show for the Island this year.

The Minister for Remote Housing and Town Camps, Chansey Paech, visited a number of homelands at Utopia recently where housing works are rolling out ... In remote communities across the Barkly, there are 74 new homes either completed or underway with dozens more planned.

Maldon’s annual Town-Wide Garage Sale made for a busy Saturday in and across town. With just shy of 70 households opening their gates and putting their unwanted treasures out for sale, the cash was flowing, and visitors and locals alike enjoyed wandering amongst the diverse collection of stuff on show.

The NSW government has announced a draft declaration of the South-West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), supporting greater investment in solar, wind and storage projects. The recently published draft would see a fifth formal REZ established in an effort to replace the state’s dependence on coal, this time across NSW’s regional towns of Balranald, Buronga and Hay.

Australia's largest irrigated cotton property, Cubbie Station, is back in local hands after Chinese textile giant Shandong Ruyi sold its remaining stake to co-owner Macquarie Asset Management. Cubbie Station is responsible for around 10% of the country’s cotton output and is now entirely held by the Sydney-based company.

Sheryl Lowe. Successful Robe business, Transmutation, is owned and operated by Brad and Narelle Scott and has just received national recognition by being announced winners in the Australian Small Business Championship Awards (2021) ... Naming the business Transmutation, is a clever play on words for the award-winning business which is based, like the meaning of the word, on changing the form of plastic bread tags into sought-after retail items.

Narrandera Shire Council's plans to construct a skywalk at Lake Talbot may literally be ‘up in the air’ following Tuesday night’s public meeting at which some members of the community voiced their disapproval of the project ... “We’ll take what has happened at this meeting on board and it will give us something to think about": Mayor Kschenka.

The Hive Narrandera is a hub of creativity, bringing together an art gallery, retail space and opportunities for creative classes ... “I’m new to the area. This is my third year in Narrandera and I have seen so many talented people! My idea was to have an art gallery in the front, because it is such a big space and showcase local, regional and rural NSW art”: Melissa Horrell.

The Emu Plume Trek which started in Narrandera last weekend is now in the latter stages of its journey to Wagga Wagga after visiting Grong Grong, Ganmain, Coolamon and other villages along the route to Wagga Wagga.

Joan de Bondt. The inaugural Kerang Air Show held last weekend was the brainchild of Barry Wood, president of the Murray Valley Flying Club. His vision was to involve the public in celebrating a weekend of aviation, with the addition of motorcycles, military vehicles, the SES, tractors and vintage cars.

Kirstin Nicholson. The expansion and upgrade of the Cohuna Airport has moved a step closer with the announcement of a $2.57 million grant from the federal government’s Community Development Fund. Initially announced as an election promise in 2019, the grant has now been confirmed by Anne Webster MP and former deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack at a presentation at the airport on March 18.

The Territory Labor Government will introduce legislation this week to facilitate the $30 billion Sun Cable Australia-Asia PowerLink project ... The Solar Project (Australia-Asia Power Link) (Special Provisions) Bill 2022 will provide certainty that key commitments in the Territory’s Project Development Agreement with Sun Cable will be met. The legislation will clarify and streamline existing processes, increase project certainty, and support Sun Cable to secure project financing.

Emma Pritchard. The Grafton Greyhound Racing Club will host several races in a new feature series worth more than $200000 following a stunning announcement by Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW). Set to become the world’s richest race over a short distance course, The Thunderbolt series will include qualifying heats held at eight regional venues, a semi-final and final.