Destruction of nature for transmission infrastructure proves biodiversity offsets are nature negative: Higginson
Labor Premier Chris Minns and Environment Minister Penny Sharpe are facing criticism from multiple sides of politics over their handling of the Central West Orana REZ following revelations that scores of native vegetation had been cleared to make way for a renewable energy project. An estimated 670 trees have been cleared, including critically endangered hollow bearing trees which make up habitat for koalas, glossy black cockatoos, little eagles, squirrel gliders and eastern pygmy possums.
Australia’s first River Repair Boat set to launch in Ballina: OzFish
OzFish, Australia’s only fish habitat restoration charity, is set to launch the nation’s first dedicated River Repair Boat at a special public event at Faulks Reserve Boat Ramp, Ballina, at 3 pm on Friday, 5 December 2025.
New Practice Note – Capability maturity: assessments and targets for severe to catastrophic disasters
Organisations with emergency management responsibilities must be capable of preparing and managing severe to catastrophic disasters. Practice Note 3: Capability maturity: assessments and targets for severe to catastrophic disasters presents a capability assessment tool that organisations can use to assess their capability maturity to adequately prepare for and manage severe to catastrophic disasters.
Farmers unite: Access denied
Carey Brennan. District farmers are resolute in their intention to deny access to Vicgrid and TCV employees trying to access their privately owned farm land along the VNI West 500 KV transmission line corridor. In the last two weeks, TCV badged employees have asked landowners for permission to enter farmland at Bungaluke, Glenloth, Teddywaddy, Wooroonook, Greens Creek, Wallaloo, Gre Gre and Normanville. All claim the right to access under Section 93 of the Essential Services Act but they are still required to have landowner permission to enter.
Warning on state’s hidden fire danger: NSW Farmers Association
Farmers have warned the state’s national parks have become ticking time bombs for bushfires this summer. As authorities continued to confiscate large swathes of land to form national parks, NSW Farmers’ President Xavier Martin said vital resources to properly manage bushfire risks on public land had failed to follow.
Sand mining kills trees
Big, healthy eucalypt trees in Roe Creek are falling victim to sand mining, according to two members of the public who have contacted the Alice Springs News. The mines are either side of the Temple Bar Gap, south of the Ilparpa Road.
Rock lobster whites active with run to ramp up any day
Rock lobsters are active now in waters off Two Rocks with the annual whites run expected to ramp up any day now. Earlier this week Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) scientists predicted the annual whites run of three-and-a-half to four-year-old western rock lobsters would occur at the usual time from about Friday, November 28.
Letter to the Editor: Mine Free Glenaladale responds to Gippsland Critical Minerals
Mine Free Glenaladale ... A spokesperson for Mine Free Glenaladale, Ms Robyn Grant, said she was surprised at Mr Harrington’s comments ... “He is simply parroting the same unscientific misinformation and spin that the community has been asked to swallow for the past 12 months, as the failed Kalbar project is rescoped."
Statement on EPBC: NFF
Hamish McIntyre. Farmers have been left bitterly disappointed by the deal between the Government and the Greens on environmental reform ... the NFF has supported genuine reform, but not this deal. Our key concern is the announcement of ‘closer controls’ of ‘high risk land clearing’. The specifics of this remain unclear, and we are urgently calling for clarity.
Albanese Government to pass historic environmental reforms: Albanese, Watt
The Albanese Government’s landmark environmental law reforms will pass the Parliament this week, heralding a new era for the environment and productivity in Australia. More than five years after Professor Graeme Samuel handed down his independent review into the nation’s 25-year-old environmental laws, the Government’s Environment Protection Reform Bill will be passed with the support of the Greens in the Senate.
Preparing for a hotter, drier Basin: MDBA
The Murray–Darling Basin is virtually certain to become hotter, rainfall likely to become more variable, and droughts very likely to become more frequent and severe, a new publication from the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has found. The MDBA ... released the 2025 Murray–Darling Basin Outlook — a forward-looking assessment...
Farms could be our secret climate weapon, QUT-led study finds: QUT
The world’s farms could become one of the most powerful tools in the fight against climate change according to a new international study led by QUT. Published in Plant Physiology, the paper lays out a framework to assess how plant agriculture and synthetic biology innovations can help mitigate climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon storage.
Making a big stink: Local dung beetles turn crap into gold for WA’s wheatbelt farmers
A concerned conversation on flies spoiling glasses of Chardonnay in WA’s world-renowned Margaret River wine region has unexpectedly inspired a ground-breaking soil health project hundreds of kilometres away - and the results are already reshaping how WA’s wheatbelt landholders/farmers manage their landscapes.
Farmers unite to protect a family legacy
In the David vs Goliath battle of farmers and industrial renewables, Colin Fenton didn't mince his words in a showdown with a Transmission Company Victoria attempting to gain access to the family's 102-year family farming legacy at Dingwell. "We've been through wars, floods and fire, by hell we're a bloody resilient group," stated Colin, who, in his 80s, stood firm with his wife Mary and a group of supporters, who had rushed to their side for one of two attempted property entries this week.
Fish for the future, not for votes
Western Australians love two things: arguing about politics and arguing about fishing — and not necessarily in that order ...
Farmers gearing up for fight: NSW Farmers Association
NSW Farmers Acting CEO Mike Guerin – who led a successful legal challenge against the federal government and mining giant Glencore in Queensland – said he was “getting the band back together” to fight Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project ... “The people who depend on the Great Artesian Basin for their water are living in fear that this project will go ahead and go wrong, like many of them do, creating tens of thousands of water refugees and forcing farmers to abandon half the continent because it’s been contaminated forever.
Council vote in support of: timber industry employees
A Notice of Motion (NoM) put forward by Clarence Valley Councillor Allison Bryant last week which called for the local government body to formally oppose the Minns Government’s September 7 announcement to end native forest harvesting and establish the Great Koala National Park during the Monthly Ordinary Meeting of Clarence Valley Council (CVC) was carried 7-2.
Seaweed industry update with the Australian Sustainable Seaweed Alliance
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry recently announced the delivery of an $8 million grant program to support industry to scale up production of Asparagopsis, the red seaweed known for its significant methane-reducing qualities when fed to livestock. ARR.News asked Professor Catriona Macleod, ASSA Chair, for an update on the state of industry in Australia.
Food & Fibre Great South Coast annual report underscores robust regional growth and deep community engagement
Food & Fibre Great South Coast (FFGSC) announced the release of its 2024-2025 Annual Report, showcasing a year of unprecedented growth, innovation, and strengthened community bonds across the Great South Coast region. The report highlights FFGSC's unwavering commitment to championing a thriving, resilient, and sustainable food...
Changes desperately needed so we can fish for the future
Michelle Daw. Gulf St Vincent should be used to trial new approaches to managing commercial and recreational fishing, says YP Country Times fishing columnist Greg James. In the wake of new fishing restrictions introduced in response to the algal bloom, Mr James said the crisis presented an opportunity to move beyond bag and boat limits, to help ensure sustainable fish stocks for the future.
Housing, aviation and water security top agenda at Macquarie Street talks: Regional Cities NSW
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.
Native mammals ‘taking back’ Australia’s desert ecosystems from the cats
The ambitious trial to reintroduce native marsupial species into Sturt National Park is on track, say Wild Deserts conservationists. Western quolls, bilbies and golden bandicoots are slowly taking back a ‘low-cat’ area of the desert – the massive Wild Training Zone of more than 100km2 in Sturt National Park in NSW.

