International

More than 75 pilots competed in the recent Corryong Cup Hang Gliding competition on Mt Elliot including entrants from all over Australia and some from Norway, America, England and Ireland ... "So much fun was had that it is likely to become a regular event!"

In the dusty yards of a local feedlot, on a horse twice her size, Mikaela Hurst effortlessly moves cattle under the unrelenting Australian summer sun. But beneath the wide-brimmed hat and even wider smile lies a specialised skill set that is rare.

Barham's state-of-the-art bowls greens have drawn bowlers from all over the world in recent months, but at Christmas, it was our chance to export some. Four intrepid adventurers from the Barham Bowling Club, President Steve Wilson, Glenn Faul, Damien Paterson and Dave 'Harry' Potter competed on the world stage at the 2025 Tin Ding Sin China Lawn Bowls Open in Qiantang district, Hangzhou, China.

For most of the modern era, the story of food was scarcity. More people meant more demand, higher prices, and ever-expanding markets for farmers. That part of human history has now come to an end. For the first time, global population growth is slowing sharply at the same time as global food production continues to rise.

On today's episode of NDF, all the details of a 770KG rodeo bull escaping into a NZ crowd plus Ben from Lake Grace gives us a harvest report plus his recipe for Thai Green Curry.

For its 250-year history, the United States has been the largest immigration centre in the world. As of 2024, the country was home to 52,375,047 immigrants ... The concentration of illegal immigrants in the agricultural sector in some states is so high that it raises the question, "Are authorities truly combating illegal immigration, or is illegal immigration officially encouraged as a supplement to legal immigration?"

International tourists have descended on WA in nation-leading numbers, with the State out-performing the rest of Australia for growth in overseas visitors. The latest visitor data has WA on track for full recovery to pre-pandemic international visitor numbers by the end of 2025, with the State achieving 99.5 per cent of 2019 numbers in the year ending September 2025.

The peak body for Tasmanian farmers, TasFarmers, is today calling for an inquiry and full analysis of Australia’s food supply chain, from farm gate to supermarket shelf, after revealing that fresh produce is now cheaper in London than in Launceston.

There may have been no wheel or cheese, or the 'flipper', but by god, there was some first-class bowling action for the World Bowls Series Finals in Barham. 24 of the world's best bowlers from eight countries showed us, mere mortals, why they play on the world stage.

Rosie for Hindmarsh. On Tuesday evening a number of community members and Hindmarsh Shire Councillors attended the premiere of Shared Table: Regional Heroes at Hoyts Melbourne Central. This powerful documentary, created by CALD Community Voices, shines a light on regional stories of refugee settlement — including those from Nhill.

Energy Estate Digital is developing state of the art subsea data cable networks between Australia and New Zealand and key global hubs including California, Japan and India. These new networks are designed to support the growth of the AI economy and connect global hubs with new regions with access to the abundant land, energy and water resources.

Australia’s almond sector is entering a new era, as it begins large-scale orchard replanting to enable future growth and satisfy increasing local and global appetite for the popular nut, Rabobank says in a newly-released report. In its Australian Almond Outlook: Replanting for growth beyond 2030, the specialist agribusiness bank’s RaboResearch division says the Australian almond industry is "entering a pivotal transition phase"...

Austinn Lane. A new missile manufacturing facility at Proof Range, south of Port Wakefield, is the only site outside the US authorised to produce the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System ... The facility marks a major step forward in Australia's missile capability, creating around 20 on-site manufacturing jobs and supporting hundreds more ...

The safety of workers and the integrity of renewable energy projects across the state has been called into question last week, after a nationwide audit was launched following the discovery of asbestos in wind turbine components. The finding points to a lapse in compliance with Australian import laws, and has raised concerns the future of planned energy project development in the Hay and Balranald region.

Gus van Hart. For Kerang operator Michael Sommerville, a four-day visit to Samoa in November showed how a small, family-run business in northern Victoria could build deep ties with Pacific workers and end up advising the nation's Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Fuimaono Maiava Tito Asafo.

Leader of The Nationals WA Shane Love MLA has called out the Cook Labor Government for its failure to provide clear answers or decisive action following revelations that asbestos has been discovered in the lift brake pads of wind turbines imported into Australia from China.

A century divides the Roaring Twenties from today’s so-called Turbulent Twenties, yet the distance feels strangely compressed. As we limp toward the midpoint of our own decade, the parallels grow sharper and harder to ignore — reminders that our present upheavals are rarely as unique as we like to believe. Historians are rightly suspicious of neat analogies, but here the similarities are too blunt to dismiss.

The Albanese Government has signed a landmark tax treaty with Croatia – the first ever between our two nations – marking a major step forward in our growing bilateral relationship. Once in force, the agreement will make it easier for Australian and Croatian businesses to trade, invest and innovate together.

...There are now 18 volunteers contributing to the work of running the Op Shop, each person has unique skills and creative talents to contribute ... Overseas donations have been sent to Indonesia, supporting a child who has been able to attend school and receive helpful items, and to Ukraine and Niger with boxes of jumpers, beanies, scarves, bandages.

Seasonal legal and illegal labour migration in agriculture compete with each other despite serving the same goals. These goals are increasing food availability and agricultural efficiency. This competition arises because villagers and politicians prefer different paths to achieving these goals. These different paths magnify the impact of seasonal labour migration.