Infrastructure

Eight units are under construction at 115 Centre St in Casino through Momentum Collective ... Across the region, there is a chronic shortage of affordable housing, said Mark Edwards from Momentum Collective. “This is a positive move to support local people and key workers who may not be able to access safe, affordable housing.”

The Shire of Derby/West Kimberley is delighted at the announcement today that local flights linking Derby and Broome will be available three times per week by Aviair from 16 August 2021 for a 12-month trial. Shire President Geoff Haerewa has welcomed the news as it has been a long-term priority for the Shire to have affordable and accessible flights from Derby to Perth.

A political decision to build a kidney transplant unit at Townsville instead of Cairns has riled medical experts in the Far North. The state government held bids from both Cairns and Townsville hospitals for the new renal transplant unit, but opted for the more southern hospital, despite evidence suggesting more patients would benefit if it was in Cairns.

The Tennant Creek Local Post Office operations will be taken over by Australia Post next Tuesday. “We look forward to continuity of services for the Tennant Creek community and to servicing our valued customers there,” a spokesperson said. The move comes after former manager Rebecca Liebelt and her husband Greg Liebelt, who are jointly accused of money laundering appeared in court mid-May.

A new emergency services centre with the capacity for an incident control centre if there is a major bushfire in the area is being built in Gingin. The Gingin Volunteer Fire & Rescue and Gingin South Bushfire Brigade will share the Gingin Emergency Services Centre ... Emergency Services Minister Reece Whitby said volunteer firefighters in the Gingin area had been in the thick of bushfire fighting responses this year, including the Red Gully and Wooroloo bushfires.

Thousands of new jobs and significant infrastructure builds in regional NSW will be delivered through the 2021-22 NSW Budget, supporting the recovery and future prosperity of regional communities following drought, bushfires, floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently the mice plague.

Geoff Helisma. Clarence Valley Council (CVC) is a step closer towards meeting its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy targets ... the '100% Renewables' report was re-engaged “to undertake a preliminary investigation into a mid-scale solar farm on a site located at the Grafton Regional Landfill & Resource Recovery Facility,” the report to the June 22 CVC meeting stated.

Weipa's future continues to be in limbo as Rio Tinto refuses to make a commitment to hand over the keys to the town ... Rio Tinto says it is open to the idea of normalisation, but refuses to make any kind of commitment ... Deputy Premier Steven Miles is also the state’s Local Government Minister and hasn’t even visited Weipa to discuss the issue ... Member for Cook Cythia Lui has also remained silent, despite hearing the concerns from the community during her last visit.

Horizon Power has demonstrated the Onslow microgrid's full capacity after successfully powering the Pilbara town for a total of 80 minutes. Electricity was powered by 700 kilowatts of customer generated solar and 600 kilowatts of utility solar, while supported by battery technology.

Queensland is one step closer to building its next passenger train fleet after shortlisting three leading train manufacturers to enter the next phase of the Rollingstock Expansion Program (REP). Train manufacturers Alstom, CAF and Downer Rail have been shortlisted to manufacture the first 20 trains of the new fleet in a purpose-built Maryborough manufacturing facility following an extensive Expression of Interest process run by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

The Territory Government is creating investment opportunities for the resources sector with today’s announcement of a new acreage release for onshore petroleum exploration. Applications and submissions for an exploration permit are now invited over two areas in the southern Georgina Basin, on the Northern Territory/Queensland border.

The NSW Government will pursue establishing a Regional Job Precinct in line with the announcement of a brand new film studio at Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour, the NSW Deputy Premier, the NSW Treasurer and the Member for Coffs Harbour announced today ... “The proposal, which also includes a boutique hotel, a state-of-the-art film school, an indigenous art gallery and an Olympic and film memorabilia museum, would provide an exciting new industry for the region,” said Deputy Premier John Barilaro.

Nan Nicholson. The Dunoon Dam koalas are even more important than first thought. They can help other koala populations to recover robust genetics. New information has been revealed about the local population of koalas which would be impacted by the proposed 15ML dam at Dunoon.

Lismore MP Janelle Saffin has called on NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro, who leads the Nationals in Government, to reverse the NSW Government's policy of 'gifting' private power poles to farmers and rural landholders. Ms Saffin has moved a motion in Parliament condemning the policy where the corporatised Essential Energy shifts the legal and cost burden of fixing faulty private poles and overhead lines to thousands of country people across NSW.

In the long-term Mitchell Fwy could extend to the Military Rd and Indian Ocean Dr intersection in the Shire of Gingin, according to Main Roads WA ... “Main Roads recognises Military Rd as an important local link and the access it provides to the Gravity Discovery Centre and Observatory."

The Shire of Ashburton is pleased to welcome PHI International to Onslow Airport. PHI International are leaders in high quality helicopter services and boast an advanced and varied fleet of helicopters that supports a range of international businesses across Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Ghana, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia.

A total of 25 civil and $7.2 million in residential and commercial projects in the Narrandera Shire have given employment and service providers a massive boost. The civil projects undertaken with government and Council funds include: the Narrandera sportsground, the Narrandera sports stadium, Narrandera Destination and Discovery Hub and the realignment of Kamarah Road.

Water extraction from the Nymboida River is on track to see Shannon Creek Dam reach its maximum storage capacity ... “Frequent heavy rainfall events in the Nymboida catchment throughout the summer continued to cause issues with river water quality and delayed the refilling of Shannon Creek Dam. We also experienced issues with extraction infrastructure which further limited the amount of clean water which could be taken from the Nymboida River to replenish water levels in the dam,” says Greg Mashiah, Manager for Water Cycle at Clarence Valley Council.

The Queensland Minister for Main Roads and Transport, Mark Bailey, says he is blown away with the progress of the Lockhart River community every time he visits the place. “What they are doing there is absolutely trailblazing,” he said on Friday after his visit. “They are the leading community in the Cape in what they are doing in terms of having a vision and getting it done.”

A report to be considered by the City of Ballarat Council this month will recommend the commencement of works to extend Ballarat Airport’s north south runway. The report to the 23 June ordinary meeting of Council will also recommend a commercially focused board be appointed to oversee the management of the Airport, with Council retaining ownership of the facility.