Business

The Member for Central Wheatbelt and Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food, Lachlan Hunter MP, says the Cook Labor Government is failing to manage the fuel crisis, with the town of Dowerin left without diesel for eight days. Mr Hunter said the situation exposes the growing gap between what the Government is saying and what is happening across regional Western Australia.

The State Opposition is calling for greater scrutiny of fuel retailers who appear to be using global events as an excuse to over-inflate prices. The RAA says unleaded pump prices are between 15 and 20 cents per litre higher than wholesale prices, which compares to margins of between eight and 13 cents per litre before the Middle East conflict began.

Gather Round is much more than a footy festival, with the Malinauskas Labor Government hosting more than 120 interstate investors looking for business opportunities in SA. The State Government is leveraging the event’s popularity to connect South Australian businesses with capital and investment opportunities that will support growth, innovation, and job creation.

FWCA Chair Steve Dobbyns warns hidden cost pressures are overwhelming regional industries. Forest & Wood Communities Australia (FWCA) is warning that recent fuel relief measures are failing to deliver meaningful impact for regional industries, as underlying diesel costs continue to rise sharply across the supply chain.

An entirely different High Country experience will soon be available for locals and visitors alike to learn more about our region through the writings of one Australia's most famous poets. The Banjo Paterson High Country Trail will connect the landscapes that inspired the poet's iconic verse in the Victorian High Country such as The Man from Snowy River.

Timber Towns Victoria (TTV) the peak body representing the local councils whose communities depend on forest industries, has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to list Alpine Ash and White Ash forests as endangered, warning the listing rewards ideology over evidence and risks making the forest management that these ecosystems most urgently need harder, slower, and more dangerous.

In CFA's 75th year supporting the Good Friday Appeal, the generosity of Victorians right across the state has exceeded expectations, helping us raise an incredible $2,150,000 for The Royal Children's Hospital. Once again, CFA volunteers were out in force both on their fire trucks and on foot, making their way around local streets rattling tins all morning to raise vital funds in their communities for a much-loved and well-respected cause.

The current fuel crisis failed to hinder hundreds of motor vehicle enthusiasts descending on Narrandera over the Easter long weekend for the annual Narrandera Rod Run. Although many visitors had to pay high prices for fuel to travel to the event, the situation did not put a dampener on an amazing weekend of incredible vintage vehicles taking to the streets.

Patricia Gill. Bernard Wong hopes to inspire a shared custodial ownership of the submarine world at Greens Pool. "When people have a strong, intimate connection with a place, they will work hard to look after it," he says. Since 1990 he has observed the movement of rays and their flotilla of cleaner fish, giant blue groper, camouflaged wobbegongs, conspiring old wives and much more submerged among the granite pillars.

A cut in fuel excise to make petrol more affordable and a push for more Victorians to use public transport instead of driving are welcome measures to help navigate the fuel crisis, according to Rural Councils Victoria. The 50 per cent excise cut will mean immediate relief at the bowser for rural residents and business operators including farmers.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Department of Home Affairs’ Australian Border Force (ABF) have ramped up their compliance efforts across South Australia’s wine regions, conducting coordinated unannounced inspections targeting vineyard owners and labour hire providers.

Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW) says the Minns Government’s final Budget before the election is a defining moment to address the growing inequity facing regional communities, inequity now being accelerated by the growing national fuel crisis ... RCNSW’s 2026–27 Pre-Budget Submission highlights a widening gap between rapid regional population growth and the infrastructure needed to support it.

A simple but powerful reminder that real leadership isn’t built through theory alone, but through the cycle of seeing, doing, and ultimately teaching others to create true competence, confidence, and accountability.

Council has welcomed the Queensland Government’s plans for a cutting-edge biofuel plantation near Emerald. Mayor Janice Moriarty joined state government, education, business and industry representatives at an initial tree planting of 16,000 Pongamia trees recently to mark the commencement of the project. 

The White Cliffs Power Station is the first commercially operated solar thermal power station in NSW and one of the earliest of its kind in the world ... It is a popular tourist attraction and "tourism is an important economic driver for our small communities." The Heritage Council of NSW is thinking about putting the power station on the State Heritage register.

A young Nhill girl who has endured repeated rounds of cancer treatment, major surgery and life-threatening complications is now marking a year in remission, with her family using her story to highlight the importance of the Good Friday Appeal and work of the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital.

A Riverland school has become the first in the region to introduce Virtual Reality (VR) education into the classroom, allowing students to now completely immerse themselves in their learning – whether that includes being launched into space, walking through ancient civilizations, or exploring a world of their own digital creation.

As Australians grapple with current fuel price hikes and supply challenges, a new report highlights the key role the nation’s canola could play as a biofuel in future energy transition and fuel security.

In a stunning act of betrayal, the Liberal and National parties have back-flipped on a commitment made in the Senate just seven days earlier and voted with Labor to scuttle a motion that would have relegated the Government’s problematic cash mandate regulations to history ... Senator Michaelia Cash stood up last Tuesday and, speaking for both the Liberals and National parties, ridiculed the proposal and accused One Nation of trying to “ban cash”.