Infrastructure

Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, and Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster says Friday afternoon’s quiet shelving of Labor’s proposed default speed limit reduction is a victory for Coalition advocacy and common sense.

Regional Cities NSW (RCNSW) has led a delegation to Sydney to progress joint solutions to the most pressing issues facing regional cities across the state. With talks centred on housing, infrastructure, regional aviation and water security, the delegation sought to strengthen its partnership with the Minns Government to ensure regional cities continue to grow and prosper.

Member for Central Wheatbelt, Lachlan Hunter MP, has slammed the Cook Labor Government for signing off on the controversial Perth waste dump planned for York. He says this is one of the most blatant betrayals of a regional community in recent memory. “After years of sustained community backlash, countless submissions, rallies, petitions and meetings, Labor has arrogantly pushed ahead with turning York into a dumping ground for Perth’s rubbish,” Mr Hunter said.

The Western Queensland Alliance of Councils (WQAC) has called on the Australian Government to reject proposals to reduce the default speed limit on unsigned roads outside of built-up areas, warning that such a change would impose unnecessary costs, undermine regional productivity and fail to address the real causes of road trauma in rural and remote Queensland.

Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster has released the views of over 5,300 Mallee voters showing strong opposition to Labor’s energy policies and highlighting that her advocacy is consistently in harmony with what Mallee voters believe ... Mallee’s Biggest Survey was circulated within Mallee to every letterbox and online in the wake of the May election and took months to receive, manually process and analyse over 5,300 responses.

This summer, everyone — young, old or less mobile — will have a chance to enjoy the sparkling waters of Naracoorte Swimming Lake, thanks to a community-driven project that has transformed accessibility at one of the town’s most beloved landmarks.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is calling on Victorians to pledge their support to grow and protect the State’s prime farmland by signing a new petition as part of the new ‘Help protect Victorian farmland’ campaign. VFF President Brett Hosking said Victoria’s farmland represents a huge asset that needs protecting.  

Extensive flood resilience works to protect communities in Mount Sylvia and Woodbine from future flood damage are now complete. The $1.8 million rehabilitation project, led by Resilient Rivers SEQ, involved major creek bank stabilisation and revegetation works at three priority sites along Blackfellow Creek, and was officially unveiled today.

It was always going to be a difficult decision. Councillors had to vote for or against the current development application for the Kyogle Memorial Rec Centre. Sounds simple — it was anything but. Approving the current DA meant the Youthie building would be demolished to make way for the new rec centre. Not approving it puts the $4.5million government funding in peril.

Terry Collins. The NSW Government has come in for strong criticism for allowing just three days extra for public comment on its controversial Draft Central Coast Strategic Conservation Plan ... "The Plan proposes 14,000 new residential lots; it outlines how our unique biodiversity will be managed for the next 30 years and it describes how the NSW Government will deliver its housing targets by unlocking new lands for development": Acting Mayor John Mouland.

The Victorian Government should pilot a recycled drinking water facility as a pathway to boost water security and improve consumer understanding, the state’s independent infrastructure advisor finds. Manufactured water created from recycled wastewater can help meet growing demand for water and offset the impacts of climate change.

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has welcomed the release of the terms of reference for two inquiries into regional aviation. The first, a Productivity Commission inquiry into the key factors that determine regional airfares. The second, a Senate committee inquiry into the state of Australia’s aviation sector and its ability to deliver reliable and affordable services to rural, regional and remote communities.

A new Federation University study has revealed farmers and communities are buckling under the mental health strain posed by energy and mining developments in the Wimmera and Southern Mallee regions ... “Tragically an Australian farmer dies by suicide every 10 days. That’s more than twice the rate of other working Australians.”

Long-suffering readers know my refrain: Western Australia can build stadiums, museums and Metronet tunnels, yet still cannot build a permanent home for its agriculture department. Call it DPIRD or the old Ag Department, or—as I prefer—the Department of People, Inclusion, Re-education and Diversity. Titles change, logos change, ministers change. The reality stays the same.

“This facility sits within a few hundred metres of the proposed Avonbank Heavy Mineral Sands Project. It is dependent on a constant and reliable supply of production from Victoria’s potato growers, who are currently at risk of having their production impacted by the proposed VNI West transmission project”: VFF President Brett Hosking.

The Tasmanian Government’s significant investment in health, education, housing, and law and order has been outlined in today’s 2025-26 interim Budget. This is a fiscally responsible budget that will continue to deliver the services that Tasmanians expect and deserve.

Shadow Minister for Communications, Melissa McIntosh said, “we’ve seen job cuts, price increases and reduced mail delivery but eight executives have taken home a whopping $6.8 million in bonuses and that’s on top of their $7.8 million in salaries.”

Steel power poles are being trialled in part of Yanchep with their installation expected to be completed at the end of October, according to Western Power. This week a Western Power spokeswoman said the trial of steel poles was aimed at increasing network resilience.

...The Nationals are announcing an all-energy approach, to deliver the lowest possible electricity prices for Australian households and businesses, while maintaining reliability and lowering emissions. ??Australia can’t afford Labor’s Net Zero plan, which Labor cannot achieve anyway.

A small number of local stakeholders were invited by Parks Victoria to climb the scaffolding around Maldon’s Beehive Chimney and inspect the remedial works project on Monday 27 October. It was terrifying and informative, but some members of the community took the opportunity to express discontentment about how the process has been communicated.

The Murray Region Forestry Hub recently hosted its managers, representatives from relevant government agencies and industry groups at a conference. A number of items were listed for discussion as well as a packed field trip including the Visy Pulp and Paper Mill, Hyne Timber, Fire impacted plantation regrowth sites and a trip to Ardrossan to see first hand some of the fire infrastructure investment.