Interview

"Every project a surveyor is supposed to work on will be delayed if they are unable to upgrade in time.   Notably that would be infrastructure such as bridges, roads and rail.   But also housing developments in regional and rural areas.   If the 4 and 5G coverage doesn’t take in all the areas formerly covered by 3G then there will be new blackspots.": Michelle Blicavs, CEO Surveyors Australia.

Sixty five thousand years. The world’s oldest living culture. One of the things that make Australia great. Aboriginal people and the tourism industry are clearly made for each other. Well, no.

How come the value of cattle stations is skyrocketing? The bar of the Centralian Beef Breeders Association was a good place for a pub test ... The  [Alice Springs] News  spoke to several of the bar’s patrons on the condition of not naming them, about what is clearly a historic switch from a 150 years old family-based industry to investment opportunities for big companies, some from overseas, and superannuation firms.

Naracoorte’s Stacey Windsor is on a mission to change mindsets on pole dancing and promote the popular artform in town. Also known as Dee-Dee, Stacey is opening a new pole dancing studio in Naracoorte ... The Naracoorte News recently caught up with Stacey and spoke to her about why a pole dancing studio in Naracoorte.

Australian drone operator Ninox Robotics has boosted its capability for capturing aerial intelligence to be used for conservation efforts with the acquisition of the Sierra-Olympia Vayu HD longwave infrared (LWIR) camera. Ninox Robotics will put this high resolution compact camera to the test for the first time this month in the second phase of its koala spotting program ... ARR.News asked Daniel Vogelnest of Ninox Robotics more about drone monitoring of koalas.

Susannah Begbie grew up in Eden Monaro, practises as a rural doctor, and has written a prize-winning debut novel, The Deed, set in the Riverina. Australian Rural & Regional News contributor, Aedeen Cremin, strongly recommends The Deed, which she concludes is "ultimately a morality tale - a highly enjoyable one" and was able to quiz Susannah about her work, her characters and some plot choices.

The man who developed ANTagonistPRO rapid response large-area treatment, David Priddy, says he is perplexed that used and proven Australian solutions, formulated for Australian conditions, have been largely overlooked to date within the National Fire Ant Eradication programme in favour of slower imported solutions ... David Priddy speaks to Australian Rural & Regional News.

Author Jill Griffiths describes her debut book, 'What's For Dinner?' as “an exploration of the food on the table and the farming that puts it there and what it all means for people who grow food and those who eat it”. Australian Regional & Rural News reporter, Serena Kirby, spoke with Jill recently to learn more about her background, how the book came about and some of the fascinating things she discovered in the process.

Having read Pip Fioretti's Bone Lands in a sitting and finding it an "extraordinary work", Australian Rural & Regional News contributor, Dr Aedeen Cremin was keen to find out more about this "cracker of a book", its origins and its author.

Salt River Road, by WA award winning author Molly Schmidt, is definitely a book with a difference.   Written with a mixture of prose and poetry, it tells the story of the rurally-based Tetley family in the aftermath of the loss of their mother ... Australian Regional and Rural News interviewer, Serena Kirby, chatted with Molly to find out more about the unique and beautiful techniques she used in the book and the personal experiences that shaped her writing.  

Diana Thurgood’s first novel Second Chance started its life as a short story back in 2011. After years of the story sitting silently to one side Diana later expanded on the original manuscript and submitted it to a publishing house for consideration.   To her delight she was offered a publishing deal ... From her property in the Blue Mountains, Diana spoke with Australian Rural and Regional News contributor, Serena Kirby about the process of turning her 14-year-old story into a published book.

Asta Hill, with a decade of front line work both as a prosecutor and as a defence lawyer, is a leading figure in creating a policy for the Greens to deal with the noxious crime rate in Alice Springs. Another local woman, Cherisse Buzzacott, is thinking about launching herself into the political arena, also with crime as the main concern, viewing it from the vantage point of health management.  

A good dentist is a valuable asset, especially outside the big cities. It's encouraging to learn that there are bright young dentists in Australia that have discovered that a country practice can offer benefits, professional and personal, over work in the city. Australian Rural & Regional News  asked Dr Parshad Sankey, now in Clare, and Dr Michael Dimitrov, in Gladstone, about their country experience.

Insufficient globalisation of the world economy is holding back the development of amateur gardening around the world. Ukraine is a clear example of this. Gardeners cannot purchase the plants they like or are forced to do so at inflated prices. But everything can change if globalisation wins.

For those of you who have never spent the day at a picnic races in country Australia, if you make your first foray the Bong Bong Picnic Races at Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands, the odds are you'll be hooked. Simply everyone is happy to be there.

Two local teenagers have spent time overseas honing their netball skills and developing friendships. Maddy Black and Evie Mackenzie participated in netball tours to the UK and New Zealand respectively, and both have said their trips developed their netball skills as well as wider personal development.

Will the electorate of Mackillop give Nick McBride another chance in 2026? If they do, what would this mean for them and for Mr McBride, and will he, as an independent member, be able to put Mackillop on the map for all the decision-makers in Adelaide ... The Naracoorte Community News caught up with the local politician ...

What has your experience been of returning to Wilcannia in 2023? It was a delight to see many of my dear friends. One of my white friends wrote about my visit on social media and 90 people responded to it. It was a shock!

Why is our general practitioner system broken, and how do we fix it? Rural communities in the South East continue to face GP shortages, and the closure of many small-town medical clinics because of our failure to attract and retain specialist doctors is putting rural patients at risk.

Scott Duxbury from YF.TV discusses the challenges and opportunities in achieving sustainable food production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions with Matthew Harrison, lead author of the research report 'Clarifying confusions over carbon conclusions' from the University of Tasmania. The discussion explores strategies such as soil carbon sequestration, regenerative agriculture, and reducing food waste that can help us move towards a more sustainable and equitable food system.