Business

The owner-operator of the Union Hill Gold Mine and nearby gold processing plant, Kaiser Reef Ltd, held an information session for Maldon residents ... to advise of current and future works planned for its Maldon sites. ... Kaiser Reef Ltd, which is listed on the ASX, has operated in Maldon since 2021 after an acquisition agreement with Golden River Resources Pty Ltd.

The Department of Health has confirmed the first detection of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in mosquitoes for the 2025–26 season. The virus was found in a mosquito trap in the Horsham Rural City Council area, as part of Victoria's Arbovirus Disease Control Program.

WFI Insurance today shared concerning rural crime statistics in conjunction with the University of New England Centre for Rural Criminology, revealing 90 per cent of NSW farmers have experienced crime on farms, with around 30 per cent victimised 7 or more times. The crime statistics from UNE’s National Rural Crime Survey were highlighted on a special WFI rural crime podcast which aims to help farmers reduce their risk of being targeted by criminals.

Terry Collins. It's been a huge week for Gosford, with the opening of the long-awaited Archibald Precinct on the site of the former Union Hotel and a hugely successful open day at the new Gosford campus of The University of Newcastle, which is set to open next year. Business NSW Central Coast Regional Director Scott Goold said with more major developments in the CBD well underway, the longed-for reactivation of the regional capital was finally becoming a reality.

An early morning storm combined with less promotion than in previous years probably contributed to the smaller crowd of spectators at the Greenmount Billycart Challenge on Saturday but the enthusiasm of the competitors was as strong as ever. 

Snowy Hydro continues to strengthen its critical role underpinning reliability while enabling Australia's renewable energy transition with the signing of major energy contracts with Aula Energy and TagEnergy, securing new capacity in wind generation and grid-scale battery storage. The long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Aula Energy will see Snowy Hydro procure 120MW of renewable energy from the Carmody's Hill Wind Farm in South Australia.

Gus van Hart. For Kerang operator Michael Sommerville, a four-day visit to Samoa in November showed how a small, family-run business in northern Victoria could build deep ties with Pacific workers and end up advising the nation's Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Fuimaono Maiava Tito Asafo.

Will social media still exist? Will mobile phones still be hand-held? Does anyone carry cash? Will people be catching fast trains from Maroochydore to Brisbane? What did the world make of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games? The best ever? A snapshot of life on the Sunshine Coast in 2025 is captured in time - to be revealed in 25 years - when a time capsule will be re-opened.

Major-brand supermarkets and fuel retailers in bankless towns could be eligible for exemptions from the Federal Government’s proposed cash mandate regulations under exceptional circumstances provisions, an official from Treasury confirmed today during Senate Estimates hearings. The information was obtained by WA Senator Tyron Whitten in a series of questions about regional banking services.

Painting of a new art installation at GrainCorp's Serviceton site has now finished, marking a major milestone for the town and its place on the Wimmera Mallee's growing network of silo art installations. Adelaide-based artist Jack Fran spent about two weeks painting the mural, which tells the story of the South Australia–Victoria border dispute and features historical surveyors Henry Wade and Edward White.

With only two intensive care paramedics (ICPs) working on shift to cover the entire Clarence Valley, staff at Grafton Ambulance Station were joined by Member for Clarence Richie Williamson last week to officially launch an e-Petition, calling on the NSW Government to prioritise increasing staffing across the region.

Adavale Resources Limited (ASX:ADD) has commenced high-conviction Phase 2 drilling at its London-Victoria Gold Mine, a key site within the Company’s Parkes Gold-Copper Project in the Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales. Phase 2 comprises an approximately 10-hole, ~2,300m reverse circulation (RC) drilling program designed to test a series of growth targets in the southern portion of the 1.5km-long open pit at the site.

Remote, rural and regional communities across Australia will share $981,100 in grants through FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program, empowering them to create vibrant and sustainable places to live, work and thrive. This funding will support 78 locally-led projects that foster resilience, social connection and greater capacity in regional communities.

Leader of The Nationals WA Shane Love MLA has called out the Cook Labor Government for its failure to provide clear answers or decisive action following revelations that asbestos has been discovered in the lift brake pads of wind turbines imported into Australia from China.

Caitlin Menadue. The long-awaited response to the Yorke Peninsula health services inquiry has landed, with SA Health tabling its position in state parliament on November 26. SA Health has accepted all 16 recommendations from the Economic and Finance Committee's Inquiry into the Delivery of Health Services on the Yorke Peninsula.

Australia’s combined agriculture, fisheries and forestry production is on track to reach a record-breaking $106.4 billion in 2025–26, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) December quarter reports.

HMAS Canberra visited Lord Howe Island on the 18th and 19th of November. The sailors came ashore in shifts to enjoy the Island, and our school children went aboard the ship to take a glimpse at shipboard life ... Throughout the two-day visit, Navy personnel spent time on the Island and were warmly received by the community.

Carey Brennan. District farmers are resolute in their intention to deny access to Vicgrid and TCV employees trying to access their privately owned farm land along the VNI West 500 KV transmission line corridor. In the last two weeks, TCV badged employees have asked landowners for permission to enter farmland at Bungaluke, Glenloth, Teddywaddy, Wooroonook, Greens Creek, Wallaloo, Gre Gre and Normanville. All claim the right to access under Section 93 of the Essential Services Act but they are still required to have landowner permission to enter.

The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland MP, has criticised the Allan Labor Government for designing the Metro Tunnel around Melbourne priorities while leaving regional Victorians to battle difficult, impractical connections.

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has secured a Federal Government commitment to extend Right to Repair reforms to agricultural machinery, hailing it a historic win for farmers and a direct result of years of advocacy from the farm sector.