Business

“What a difference a year makes,” said Naracoorte Lucindale mayor Patrick Ross, reflecting on his first 12 months as a civic leader. Tough economic conditions are gouging deep into the lives of many – a direct contrast to that leading up to last year’s November 10 SA local government elections.

The ‘precautionary principle’ is not included in the code of Tasmanian Forest Practices Code, where a more pragmatic approach manages any threatened species, according to a senior Tasmanian forestry expert ... Dr Peter Volker said the system had been in place for more than 30 years and had stood the test of time. “We have been able to harvest, reforest and protect threatened species in a sustainable manner.”

The best of Queensland beef has been showcased in Shanghai at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world’s largest import trade fair. Choice cuts were prepared for canapes, sirloin beef rolls and mini wagyu burgers by world class chefs for close to 80 guests...

A report released by ABARES this week has highlighted that weeds and pests are costing farmers $5.3 billion a year through management and production loss ... The sector has told the Government its key concern with the new producer Levy is the apparent abandonment of a Container Levy policy on importers.  

After a number of delays caused by bad weather and unforseen impediments, work re-commenced on the Corryong streetscape project yesterday ... "Our top priority is to ensure a seamless and organised site for the Christmas period": Vilfred Correa, project manager.

Recent changes to the proposed corridor for the 500kv Victorian New South Wales interconnector have placed additional stress on some of the region’s families as they now find themselves in the firing line ... The Bennett’s property sits between the majestic floodplain jewels, the Edward River and Billabong Creek, but now, the altered VNI West puts their generations of tranquillity in jeopardy.

The Classic Australian Wooden Power Boat Association returned to Narrandera’s Lake Talbot Tourist Park for its 2023 Annual General Meeting again this year, upholding a tradition lasting more than 20 years. The club said Narrandera was a great central point for the meeting of its national membership.

The 2023 financial year was another significant one in the Bendigo Bank Narrandera branch (Narrandera District Investments) history of the company, both operationally and financially. Chairman Jack Langley said the year ended 2023 saw a substantial rise in margins due to increased rates.

The Victorian government’s regulation of timber harvesting, which has led to the impending closure of Gippsland’s native forest industry in January, directly contradicts the joint national-state approach to ensure biodiversity alongside a timber industry over the previous 30 years, analysis shows ... When setting up the National Forest Policy Statement in the 1990s, the JANIS working group – conservation scientists and planners from all states and the CSIRO – drew up the criteria to form a CAR (comprehensive, adequate and representative) reserve system.

This week, 14 premium Tasmanian food and beverage producers will be showcased at the annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai. China is the largest import market in the world and remains Tasmania’s top export destination, valued at $1.35 billion per year.

An online petition has been launched calling for a fair deal for Clarence River prawn trawler operators after the government offered a paltry $133 per share to buy back their trawling entitlements, leaving them without a business and a small payback for their life’s work.

In an innovative initiative to boost business, created by the Yamba Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Clarence Valley Council, both Hot Rodders and the public are invited to participate in the inaugural Hot Rod Trail this weekend with more than $2000 in prizes to be won.

Last week members of the community attended an information evening convened by John Deckert at the Nhill Noske Silo ... The following is a short summary of Chan Uoy’s presentation on the night – "Nhill Silo Heritage Centre’s mission is to become an Australian cultural icon and community asset by creating a world-standard facility.

The Tasmanian Government received a letter from Federal Labor Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, relating to potential action taken against salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour ... Premier Rockliff said any decision to halt operations by Tanya Plibersek would put 350+ jobs at risk in communities right across Tasmania.

Today’s Optus mass outage is a timely reminder as to why banks need to remain open in times of emergency, so people can access cash to pay for essentials, said Queensland LNP Senators Gerard Rennick and Matt Canavan. Senator Rennick said the outages affecting more than 10 million Australians brings the digital weakness into focus. “Unless people had cash on hand how many of our small businesses missed out on sales this morning?” Senator Rennick said.

Blake Lee. From fashions to food, friends and family to fun, the iconic Elders Mt. Wycheproof Cup Day offered something for all 4,000 in attendance ... Wycheproof may only be home to 600 residents; however, it surely knows how to attract large crowds to its vibrant events...

Some locals want to set up a community cooperative to lease the Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange in Casino. Residents ... have written a letter asking Richmond Valley Council to slow its tender process for leasing out the NRLX. The group wants to keep the saleyards in local hands and not have it run by a corporation.

The council has taken the step of publicly declaring it has received no proposals for an energy from waste facility, called an EfW or incinerator, in Casino. The statement from Richmond Valley Council comes in response to what it calls “widespread misinformation”.

Patrick Goldsmith. Warooka's art will come alive when augmented reality takes a hold of a new art project called Moving Murals, next year. Through the project, augmented reality enabled murals will be painted on easily accessible walls and structures in Warooka and further south, in a bid to extend the growth of regional art tourism trails on southern Yorke Peninsula and attract people to the town.

Imagine filling up the farm fuel tanks for harvest if the price hit, say, $3 or $4 a litre, or worse, you were rationed to half the fuel you brought last November/December as a result of a supply shock. It’s a real risk, something I wrote about three years ago when I suggested the solution was to increase the level of domestic reserve storage of refined diesel and petrol by encouraging farmers and miners to keep 12 months of storage on their properties.

"Our connected solution, PestConnect, collates and analyses emerging trends through millions of data points crunched by machine learning algorithms, identifying patterns and correlations that human observation alone might miss, which enables us to map and predict pest activity more effectively and then control pest activity sustainably": Andrew Stone, Rentokil Initial MD.