Land & environment

Bird flu in Esperance? All of the latest from Fiona L Fox from ARR, plus we catch up with Sam Starcevich from Esperance for the latest news on FAB (Farmers Across Borders), and all of your farming weather for the week with Super Jess (Jessica Lingard from the BOM).

As H5 bird flu has spread around the world the wild birds most affected have included waterfowl, shorebirds, seabirds and birds of prey or scavengers. H5 bird flu has also been detected in domestic pets including cats and dogs, farm animals including dairy cows and sporadically pigs, sheep and goats, marine mammals including dolphins and seals and wild animals including foxes and polar bears.

The Cook Labor Government is responding to the confirmed detection ... of H5 bird flu in a single wild seabird found in the remote Cape Le Grand area, east of Esperance. Testing by CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has now confirmed Australia's first case of the highly infectious bird flu in a brown skua, a subantarctic species rarely found on the WA south coast.

Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) has confirmed H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a brown skua in Western Australia. This is the highly pathogenic strain of concern that has been circulating globally, and is the first detection in Australia.  

The Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation (RAMJO) has condemned the Federal Government’s latest Murray-Darling Basin water purchase, saying the reported buyback of almost 86 gigalitres for more than $430 million is another blow to food-producing communities across southern New South Wales.

For communities across Lismore, recovery is no longer just something being planned - it’s being felt, as Lismore City Council reaches a milestone 150 projects now complete. Across the Local Government Area, works completed since the 2022 disasters include reopened and repaired roads, restored community buildings and sporting facilities, and enhanced flood pump infrastructure.

The Albanese Labor Government’s latest $430m Murray-Darling Basin water buyback will take more productive water out of agriculture and put more pressure on families already struggling with grocery prices, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said today. The deal involves the Commonwealth buying almost 86GL of water entitlements for environmental use at a cost of more than $430m.

A link has been made between the pine trees planted at the Showgrounds, the planting of the trees for celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria in 1897, and the planting of the trees in 'Mayoral Row' in 1905. In fact, they were planted on three separate occasions ... It is not known if the Aleppo pine tree which blew down in William Street last Thursday night has any connection with the above tree plantings.

Nearly 85 per cent of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan’s environmental water target has now been achieved ... over 380GL of water has now been recovered towards the 450GL target, through a combination of federally-funded water-efficiency infrastructure projects and voluntary water purchasing.

Regional Cities NSW (RCNSW) has called on the Minns Government to prioritise regional water policy and investment after the release of the NSW Auditor-General’s Water management and regulation in NSW report on Monday. RCNSW Chair, and Mayor of Lismore, Cr Steve Krieg said the Auditor-General’s report highlighted the state’s water framework remains complex, fragmented and constrained by poor data and unclear responsibilities.

The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board is urging the Riverland community to report deer sightings following the detection of a sambar deer in an orchard near Loxton North, captured on a remote trail camera. Sambar deer are a large species, reaching up to 1.6 metres tall and 300 kg, and can pose risks to people, road users and horticultural operations.

The MCi Carbon plant takes carbon dioxide captured from ammonia production and turns it into materials used in concrete, plasterboard, glass and paper. 

Australia’s first dedicated central hub for algal bloom research has opened in Adelaide. The $3.2 million Office for Algal Bloom Research has been established within the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), placing Adelaide at the forefront of algal bloom management and research.

The Finocchiaro CLP Government has marked World Crocodile Day with the opening of a new “Croc Squad” headquarters in Palmerston for the rangers who keep the Territory’s waterways safe for locals and visitors. Parks and Wildlife rangers removed 240 crocodiles across the Territory, including 199 from designated crocodile management zones and 41 from outside those areas, between 1 July 2025 and 31 May 2026.

Newly elected Member for Farrer David Farley used his debut parliamentary question time to quiz Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles about the nation's water. Rather than directing his opening questions to the Environment or Agriculture ministers, Farley targeted the Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

The NSW Reconstruction Authority has begun rolling out a new series of targeted information and industry sessions to help flood-impacted residents in the Northern Rivers move from the planning phase into active construction and relocation. This comes in the wake of the NSW Auditor-General's scathing report on the performance of the $880m Resilient Homes Program and...

Buyback homes and temporary home pods will be part of a housing reuse initiative by NSW Reconstruction Authority and Homes NSW. The homes will be offered for affordable, social, transitional, crisis or key worker housing, or as community spaces.

Caitlin Menadue. Price is celebrating its bird wildlife through an interactive display, made possible by a Grassroots Grant from Landscapes SA Northern and Yorke. Championed by the Price Progress Association and Yorke Peninsula locals, the interactive wingspan display is located near the playground and features large-scale local bird species.

NRWH. One of our most extraordinary patients this month was a spotted-tailed quoll, a species listed as threatened in NSW and endangered nationally. The quoll was first discovered by a Pimlico resident who believed they had found a wild cat trapped in their chicken coop!

The Albanese and Crisafulli Governments have partnered with the City of Gold Coast to deliver Australia’s first council-managed Conserved Area.

It’s all smiles and melted hearts as three baby bilbies emerge from their mothers’ pouches at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Under the careful watch of Alice Springs Desert Park staff and researchers, the three bilby joeys will remain with their mothers on display in the Nocturnal House, just in time for the school holidays.

Carwyn has an idea that could stop shark attacks in their tracks. Plus your weekly farming weather and your regional news with Fiona L Fox from ARR.News.