Business

Gabrielle Duykers. In the latest addition to her many accolades, Cath Kidman of Wynns Coonawarra Estate has been crowned Viticulturist of the Year at the recent 2021 Women in Wine and Spirits Awards. Ms Kidman was one of 50 finalists to win one of the 18 award categories, with recipients spanning across 12 countries and regions around the globe.

Under the framework, biodiversity, unlike traditional farm commodities which are delivered to a buyer, will need to be maintained and/or established within the farm boundaries, much like carbon sequestration in vegetation and soil. There will be an ongoing relationship between the supplier (farmer) and purchaser to manage and report the status.

A bill to create the legal framework for a national voluntary agriculture biodiversity stewardship market has been introduced in Parliament ... “The Bill will create a biodiversity certificate, which will be tradeable. This will mean biodiversity outcomes can be purchased, transferred, claimed, or used" : Minister Littleproud.

East Gippsland in the far SE corner of Australia, has long been seen as the stronghold of many natural values including old growth and rainforests and remarkable wildlife species that evolved with and still depend on these healthy, intact habitats.

The adorable Greater Glider is in trouble. It is threatened by fire and logging and its population has crashed by over 80% this century ... VicForests – a logging company owned by the government – wants to clear much of what’s left of the Greater Glider’s habitat.

Patricia Gill. Osborne Road residents Denise and William Legge stayed put on Saturday believing their farm was ‘in a reasonably defensible position’. This did not stop the couple from experiencing fire raging on all sides of their property that day but with the help of five heavy-duty fire brigade appliances their home and sheds were saved.

A female shearer is encouraging young people to consider taking up the profession as the country continues to face a shortage spurred on by the pandemic ... While Ms Doll had never expected to spend her working life in a shearing shed, the 29-year-old now couldn’t imagine her life being any different.

The hard-working team of artists from Apparition Media have completed the final artwork on the Narrandera Water Tower. This impressive new addition was completed in just four days adding to the already popular attraction overlooking Narrandera.

Over 30 attendees turned out for the land reclassification public hearing on February 3. Lot 1 DP1267277, Gonn Road, Barham is the proposed site for Barham’s new micro-abattoir ... While the hearing was focused on the land reclassification, topics raised by speakers were broad, from the benefits of the development to those who felt a lack of consultation and concerns over the process.

GrainCorp has a vast geographical footprint, with operations not only in Australia but in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the Americas, south-east Asia and China ... "I’m very proud that GrainCorp China has made great progress over the past five years. The sales of Australian commodities have gained high reputation among our Chinese customers": David Cui.

Charles Sturt University has contracted with Iberdrola Australia to supply renewable grid electricity for its large market sites from the Bodangora Wind Farm. The contract, established with support from energy consultant World Kinect Energy Services, will account for more than 95 per cent of Charles Sturt’s total grid electricity consumption.

The transformation of the 83-year-old art deco water tower in South Casino has been a long time coming. Richmond Valley Council put forward several mural designs for the community to decide which one was best for the tower.

Erin Mooney-Smith will serve your dog a puppiccino while you have a drink at the Commercial Hotel in Casino ... When publican Marnie Macdonald posted on Facebook that dogs on leads were welcome in the beer garden of the pub, someone asked about puppiccinos for the pooches.

Responding to the oil spill at the Port of Devonport has been a mammoth task, but years of planning and preparation meant multiple agencies were able to act quickly to contain the spill. The Environment Protection Authority, TasPorts, BridgePro, Tasmanian Divers Group, Marine and Safety Tasmania, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have all have worked in unison since a commercial vessel collided with two tugboats on January 28, causing fuel and oil to spill into the Mersey River.

Regular passenger flights between Hobart and two Bass Strait Islands will be extended following the success of the Sharp Airline services that were introduced in September 2020 ... The services have been a roaring success, and have given more Tasmanians the ability to explore these unique parts of our special Island State.

A damning report into the workplace culture of Rio Tinto has revealed that almost half of the miner’s global workforce have been bullied, harassed, or racially discriminated against. Alarmingly, more than 30 per cent of Indigenous employees that responded to the independent review reported being confronted with racist behaviour in the workplace, and almost 30 per cent of women reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment.

Australia’s agricultural sector is set for another profitable year ahead, with the gross value of agricultural production on track for a fourth consecutive year of growth in 2021/22, Rabobank says in a newly-released industry report.

A massive, stunningly beautiful former grazing property will soon belong to Queenslanders as the state’s newest national park. “The Lakes”, north of Hughenden, will increase Queensland’s protected area estate by 35,300 hectares, with the Palaszczuk Government now finalising the multi-million-dollar purchase.

The NSW Government has partnered with Ironman Australia to bring the prestigious Ultra Trail Mont Blanc (UTMB) World Series to Mt Kosciuszko in December this year.

Tennant Creek IGA has thanked its freight drivers for trekking more than 1,000 km extra to supply food to the region after the recent floods blocked roads into the Territory ... “Francis travelled 3,500 km to get here and there were other trucks going another 500 km to get to Alice Springs" : IRAM CEO John Kop.