Business

Today’s publication of the Wood Volumes Analysis indicates Australia has reliable access to structural forest and wood products to meet future demand. The report provides an analysis of the long-run supply of and domestic demand for wood products in Australia, particularly those used in construction.

The official opening of the ‘Clarkie" statue in Ganmain was held last Saturday in conjunction with the Ganmain Historical Museum’s open day. Renowned artist Andrew Whitehead designed and constructed the statue, which is named after Ganmain identity the late Kelvin ‘Clarkie’ Clarke as a tribute to the farmers and farm labourers who worked in Ganmain’s sheath hay industry.

New outdoor spaces created specifically for Aboriginal patients, staff and visitors have been completed at Narrandera District Hospital. Featuring a mural by Narrandera-based Wiradjuri artist Uncle Owen Lyons, the project included the creation of a yarning circle and Sorry Business area.

Steven as a Service (SaaS) offers two game changing apps that can help you navigate your way to a competitive energy plan comparison and bill calculation - PowerBill™ and Compare.

Last week, Nhill's own Ava returned home to a very special moment—ringing the bell to mark the end of her cancer treatment for the second time in four years. It was a hard-won milestone, celebrated with love and emotion at the Royal Children's Hospital, where staff gathered to honour her incredible bravery.

Hay Grains storage facility in east Hay has changed hands, after JEK Rural Investments purchased the depot. Deniliquin-based Paul and Jenny Fellows have owned the business for the past seven years and say they have enjoyed their time as part of the business community.

Jason Perrin. I refer to Andrew Weeks’ article in last week’s Murray Pioneer ... The article is negative, does a disservice to growers, and has glaring inaccuracies, and unless corrected, adds confusion to things we are lobbying for on behalf of growers.

Sebastian Calderon. A large mural was recently completed at Yates Menswear, in Renmark, painted by local artist Jarrod Loxton, and portraying SA entrepreneur R.M. Williams.

Sebastian Calderon. A well-known Riverlander will test his mental and physical limits as part of a popular reality TV series, premiering today ... “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really find your limits and we don’t get that opportunity often": Ben Grieger.

Household cost-of-living measures were front and centre of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ pre-election Budget ... but the government has failed to deliver initiatives that would improve business productivity, innovation and growth. CPA Australia Chief Executive Officer Chris Freeland AM said: “Businesses and their advisers will find little in the federal Budget that will help offset the pain all-too-many small businesses have been experiencing.

...Federal Budget underscores just how critical the upcoming election will be to deliver the key investments needed to secure and grow Australian agriculture in an increasingly uncertain environment. National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke said this was a chance for the Federal Government to back Australian agriculture and give the economy a much-needed shot in the arm.

The Federal Budget for 2025-26 is a mixed bag for rural, regional and remote Australia in terms of funding for healthcare. While certain aspects of the budget benefit rural populations, there is a lack of a targeted strategy to address the unique health challenges these communities face.

...statement from the chief executive of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), Melina Morrison, on the Federal Budget ... “The significant expansion of aged care and housing policies unveiled in the Federal Budget will ensure many Australians can now rightly expect a better quality of life.

Mentoring to transform ideas into real solutions is one of the key offerings of a new program launched today by Hort Frontiers. The new program – Australian-Grown Innovation, developed in partnership with Startupbootcamp and Cluster Connect - is designed to drive innovation that will tackle the most pressing challenges in horticulture.  

The steam engine at Donald Lions Train Park received a much-needed preparatory wash on the weekend from CFA members of the Donald Fire Brigade. The train is scheduled for a facelift and required washing prior to being painted by Geoff Blake.

A 1000 megawatt nuclear power station using South Korean expertise could be built in the Latrobe Valley in seven years, with a fleet possibly in 11 years, at an estimated cost of $10 billion each, according to an Australian nuclear expert, Robert Parker.

A major study after the devastating 2019/20 wildfires in Victoria and New South Wales found that prescribed burning dramatically reduced the intensity of the fires, according to a bushfire expert. Dr Tony Bartlett, a winner of the Australian Fire Service Medal (ATSM), said after 2019/20, a major study was undertaken to test the effectiveness of prescribed (fuel reduction) burning at a landscape scale in terms of reducing the severity of the wildfire in a wide range of forest ecosystems.

Lakes Blue Energy is increasingly confident that within a few months, its 21-year struggle to get a new big onshore gas field in South Gippsland up and running, will come to fruition. The company, previously Lakes Oil, has submitted plans to the state government for the Wombat 5 gas well, located a few kilometres west of Seaspray.

Sarah Herrmann. A fight for justice has begun after revelations that neither ElectraNet nor SA Power Networks are required to compensate customers for the up to 20-hour power and telecommunications outages that hit Yorke Peninsula on Friday, March 14. Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis told the South Australian Parliament on Tuesday, March 18 there is no regulated compensation scheme for transmission network failures...

When does a bank cease to be a bank? ... As of March 2025, ANZ is just a handful of branches away from the majority of its banks in the most populated areas of Australia being cashless ... Regional Australia ... has lost 20 branches to cashlessness ...

The Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) ... welcomes the ACCC recommendation which calls on the Government to support better prices and competition for Australian shoppers especially in regional and remote areas through measures to incentivise more community owned and co-operative stores.