Business

The media releases from the police spin doctors are frequently short of salient information and phone calls from journalists to fill in the yawning gaps are not returned. Law-and-order problems go right to the top, says Independent MLA for Araluen, Robyn Lambley, referring to the “backflipping on a monumental scale” about curfews by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Chansey Paech.

Reto and Heike Bodenburg have been through a lot to get to the point where they are stable, have a thriving cafe, and are part of the Coraki community ... All that is on hold, with an immigration tribunal looming and the threat of Heike being forced to return to Switzerland and leave all they have built behind.

The National Farmers’ Federation welcomes the interim report reviewing the adequacy of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct, saying the recommendations would help give the Code the teeth it needs. NFF President David Jochinke said the report backed farmers’ call for the Code to be made mandatory and be bolstered with greater penalties for breaches.

The NFF Horticulture Council strongly supports the key recommendations detailed in the interim Independent Review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct ... The Council is particularly encouraged to see recommendations for the enforcement of the mandatory code, and the possibility of increased fines reaching up to 10 per cent of turnover, potentially amounting to billions.

"Today we have released the interim report of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct independent review, commissioned by the Albanese Government. We want a fair go for families and a fair go for farmers. This work is all about making our supermarkets as competitive as they can be so Australians get the best prices possible": Jim Chalmers, Andrew Leigh.

I’ve read a number of books that delve into issues surrounding Australian food production and it’s fair to say that I found Jill Griffiths’ book What’s For Dinner? the easiest one to digest (pun intended). Jill is a biologist and journalist who’s been writing about the environment and agriculture for more than three decades and her book is a blend of science, history and lived experience.

Quill and Alyssa. In the lead-up to the Easter long weekend, social media pages lit up with notices from tractor pulling teams starting out their journeys towards the 46th annual Australian Tractor Pull Championships, held at Quambatook on Easter Saturday.

The Member for Barkly has called out the corporate ANZ company for its lack of stable banking facilities in Tennant Creek. A number of customers who had been waiting outside the local branch since its 9.30am opening time on Tuesday were frustrated by its closure. Barkly MLA Steve Edgington highlighted the plight of residents without keycards ...

The 2024 Coonawarra Vintage was declared open in smashing fashion ... with a crowd of over 60 people gathering at the iconic Coonawarra Siding to herald in the new season. The Vintage Launch Ceremony saw Coonawarra and district community members, wine industry stakeholders and dignitaries come together to acknowledge and celebrate this significant time in the region.

Di Michalk. Still Water is a beautiful, sprawling country garden built around towering natural red gums. Designed by Mary Skene-Kidman in 1959, the older parts of the garden strongly reflect her design, plant selections and colour schemes with Edna Walling influences at play in The Shrubbery.

Gannawarra Shire Council has made the difficult decision to permanently cease providing the service of issuing building permits, which are required for all major projects, including new homes, home extensions, garages and commercial projects. Council announced last month it had suspended accepting building permit applications, whilst reviewing its Building department’s current level of service.

When I started as a young forester in the late 1980s, I yearned for the opportunity to work in our native forests. While assessing a coupe to plan for a tree harvesting operation, I knew I was inheriting a forest structure that benefited from silvicultural practices adopted by foresters a few generations before me. Foresters aim to make the forest more productive by applying scientific principles to aid in the regeneration of the next crop of trees and to encourage the best growth of the retained trees. My responsibility was to continue that tradition for foresters a few generations ahead of me.

Eighty-three events and activations (making up a combined total of 1025 days) will be on offer at this year’s 75th anniversary Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. The Carnival is taking place over four weekends in Spring from 13 September to 7 October.

Hodgson Vale man Josh Poynter, the inventor of the Eazy Stay, an innovative fence strainer post, is the beneficiary of a grant totalling close to $100,000 ... The Eazy Stay is a multi-functional fencing aid, manufactured in South-East Queensland and is constructed from solid steel and galvanised, making it durable and sturdy.

Preparations are in full swing for this year’s Man From Snowy River Bush Festival (April 11th-14th) which is expected to be one of the best attended and most successful in its 29-year history. "We are genuinely excited with what we have in front of us in delivering the 2024 festival," said festival chairman, Cameron Jackson.

Local CFA brigades attended a fire at Walkers sawmill in Corryong on Friday night which destroyed electrical equipment, necessary for the production of kindling. Two on-site mill workers heard a series of popping noises, similar to gunshots, around 10.30pm before noticing flames coming from the main processing area.

Farmers, community members and potential investors gathered at cluBarham this week to learn more about an exciting opportunity for the region. Attendees listened to how the growing, processing and value-adding of industrial hemp could provide great opportunities to producers, in employment and provide a boost to the local economy. 

The expansion of one of the Clarence Valley’s largest timber factories, Big River Group is a huge boost to the local economy and sets the bar high in supplying the sustainable manufacturing of high-quality specialist technical timber products across the State. The upgrade includes the installation of state-of-the-art machinery that will substantially increase Big River’s output enabling them to supply an unprecedented volume of timber products.

A mandatory code of conduct is urgently needed to protect chicken meat farmers from market power abuse at the hands of processors, an industry report has found ... “The message from poultry farmers was clear: there is little to no choice in processors, growing contract terms are unfair, and there is a deliberate undermining of collective bargaining efforts within the supply chain”: NSW Farmers Poultry Meat Manager David Banham.

Patricia Gill. Business developer and founder of Denmark-based Acare WA Marie Redman has proposed that the Shire of Denmark buildings be vacated to make way for seniors’ accommodation. Her suggestion, which would involve the Shire moving into the site of Supa IGA and a new big supermarket being built elsewhere, was met with applause at last Thursday’s meeting at the Riverside Club.