Business

The Cook Labor Government is entering an agreement to purchase an additional 8 million litres of diesel for Western Australia's strategic stockpile.

Hancock Prospecting. In a move to recognise a national crisis and national disgrace, Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is contributing $200m to buy properties to help Australia’s homeless veterans and war heroes, the biggest ever private commitment for Australian veterans. 

The economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East is and will continue to have wide ranging impacts on all facets of Australian society with costs increasing due to the nation’s reliance on trucks and diesel ... 71 years later, current owner Robert Blanchard said the industry is facing its toughest times in decades and his first diesel delivery since the Middle East crisis erupted was $68,000 more than in early March.

With a rare combination of extensive oil reserves and local refining capabilities, the small Outback town of Eromanga (population under 50) is emerging as one of the strongest contenders to help ease Australia’s fuel supply issues onshore.

...the Government is releasing draft legislation to regulate the cash distribution sector to ensure it continues to serve the needs of Australians. This is about strengthening the cash distribution system, which is essential for the many Australians and businesses that rely on cash.

Under the Albanese Government’s new Strategic Reserve powers, a further 200 million litres of additional diesel for Australia has been secured, and work has commenced with leading fertiliser companies to secure more supply at this critical time in the growing season.

A highly anticipated project in Donald's industrial estate is nearing completion, with the new factory for Kooka's Country Cookies entering a transitional phase between the old location and the new. The impressive facility has been under construction since 2021, with international specialists engaged to install equipment along the production line.

The undoubted highlight of the Man From Snowy River Bush Festival was the performance of Emma Webb in the Ladies Challenge whose victory gave her a 10th title ... Despite the current fuel crisis, crowds were comparable to previous years and once again, camping on the Corryong golf course and nearby properties was booked out.

Patrick Tucker. Farmers across the region are preparing for a series of VicGrid visits to properties in the coming weeks, as part of ongoing efforts to conduct ecological studies linked to the proposed VNI West transmission project ... "This is the second attempt from VicGrid to get access to our properties to do the ecological study," he said.

The BAAKA Board is very pleased to announce the appointment of Liane Wendt as the new Executive Director of the BAAKA Cultural & Arts Centre. Liane comes to Wilcannia from Derby in WA, where she led the Mowanjum Arts and Cultural Centre.

This year marked a turning point for the Origami Folding Art and Sound Festival, held at the Japanese Gardens at Gosford Regional Gallery ... Playful, surreal and grounded all at once, the event fostered a shared sense of wonder created in real time.

Naracoorte's iconic Kincraig Hotel has officially come back to life, reopening its doors on April 14 after 18 months of extensive restoration by new owners, the Dean Group. The multimillion-dollar, five-star redevelopment delivers a fresh, family-focused venue for the town, featuring 24 modern accommodation rooms, corporate meeting spaces, an open bar, and a dining area complete with a children's play space.

Ned Thomas. The biennial Yorke Peninsula Saltwater Classic returned to Stansbury and Port Vincent across the weekend, April 17 to 19, delivering a high-energy celebration of boating in all its forms — sail, steam, electric and human-powered. Classic cars and coastal culture also helped lure the crowds who rolled in from across South Australia and interstate.

A free community event in Armidale next month will look at a question becoming increasingly important for regional Australia: what happens to renewable energy infrastructure when it reaches the end of its useful life? The event will explore the recycling, reuse and responsible disposal of renewable energy infrastructure, with a focus on rooftop solar panels, large-scale solar farms and, to a lesser extent, wind farm components.

National Seniors Australia’s campaign to Keep Cash is working and cash is making a comeback as demonstrated by the RBA’s 2025 Consumer Payments Survey that shows cash usage is on the rise. The survey reveals cash usage has increased by number of transactions (15 per cent in 2025 compared to 13 per cent in 2022) and by the total value of transactions.

The global fertiliser market faces a prolonged period of tight supply, weak affordability and heightened price risk and, even if current geopolitical tensions ease soon, "normalisation will be slow", according to a recently-released industry report. In its latest Semi-annual Fertiliser Outlook, global agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank says the international fertiliser market ended the first quarter of the year under severe strain.

Collagen from sheep skin and lungs can support wound closure and tissue regeneration in people, opening the door for new wound care materials made from traditionally underutilised red meat processing byproducts ... "Wound healing is a complex process requiring the coordinated interaction of cells, growth factors and extracellular matrix components.

Queensland company MaxSil is converting waste glass destined for landfill into ultrafine silica that improves plant uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium helping farmers do more with the fertiliser they have. ARR.News found out more from MaxSil founder David Archer and Oscar Ledlin, co-founder of parent company Sustainable Concrete Group.

Norco, Australia’s oldest and last operating 100 per cent farmer-owned dairy co-operative, has announced a five cent per litre increase to its farmgate milk price from May 2026, while calling on the wider industry to step up and better support farmers as soaring input costs intensify pressure across the sector.

The Finocchiaro CLP Government is delivering stronger, more reliable power for Alice Springs and Katherine, with an $82.1 million investment in battery energy storage. Territory Generation has awarded Pacific Energy a contract to deliver the next phase of the battery energy storage system (BESS) program.