Land & environment

WATER Northern Rivers Alliance calls on Rous County Council and state water planners to respect the wishes of Widjabul Wia-bal people who have voiced their opposition to the proposed Dunoon Dam. The dam would obliterate important cultural heritage ancient burial sites. Yesterday John Roberts, a senior Elder of the Widjabul Wia-bal stated that when he and other traditional custodians were consulted about the dam in 2011 they made it clear that no level of disturbance was acceptable.

Australia has had hundreds of inquiries into natural hazards, but how can policy makers ensure that lessons from the past are not forgotten?

There will be no risk to public health as a result of water from a lagoon adjacent to a sewerage plant being pumped into Weipa’s Mission River, Rio Tinto says. Last week, the mining company notified local residents that it would be releasing water from the lagoon next to the Awonga Point Sewerage Treatment Plant into the Mission River following heavy rainfall.

A proposal to build a large battery to store excess energy from the grid prompted 80 residents to attend an information session at McKees Hill Hall on Wednesday evening. The mood in the hall was tense as Maoneng’s director for Australia Allison Hawke faced a torrent of questions from residents who said they had been kept in the dark about the proposal.

Malcolm Prowse. World leading mariculture expert, Dr Brian Von Herzen has just been granted a special talent visa to Australia and has set up his organisation's focus of operations in South East Queensland.

The NFF’s climate policy is clear: farming and agriculture cannot be worse off going forward with any carbon commitments or emissions reduction schemes. The NFF has a clear climate change policy that supports an economy-wide NCZ 2050 target with two clear caveats – that there is an economically viable pathway forward and agriculture is not worse off.

Rosedale is no stranger to bushfire. In 2019, a summer blaze to the south of the pastoral Wellington Shire town saw over 12,000 hectares lost. Its economy took a hit and it left a tangible impact on the people of the area. But the town is bouncing back and local artists Sue Coppock and Shane Priestley have recently completed murals in the central Prince Street Reserve that form part of Rosedale’s Bushfire Recovery Project.

Roper Gulf Regional Council would like to congratulate the Ngukurr community, for winning the 2020 Tidy Towns Sustainable Community Award for Water Conservation. The town’s water conservation success has been a result of Power and Water Corporation’s Ngukurr Leak Reduction Project, a joint project with the Department of Local Government, Housing and Community Development (DLGHCD) that located and repaired water leaks in Ngukurr. Through its not-for-profit subsidiary Indigenous Essential Services, this project enabled Power and Water to provide sustainable water supply to the Ngukurr community and support continual community growth.

A $32 million hydro-powered battery project to be located near Albury will be Australia’s first, following approval by the NSW Government. Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the hydro-powered battery will be charged by the nearby Hume Hydro Power Station that already provides power to 40,000 homes.

Explore close to home and be blown away. I am close to the sky. The breeze in the thick canopy that covers the hillsides makes the mountains look like they're moving. The landscape is more ocean than forest – even though I stand 110km from the sea. This is Pinnacle Lookout in the Border Ranges where the peak of Wollumbin-Mt Warning shouts its presence by protruding from the waves of green.

Ticks carrying the disease Ehrlichiosis have been detected in northern South Australia for the first time. Ehrlichiosis is a disease of dogs that causes fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, abnormal bleeding, pain and weight loss. If not treated properly, it can result in death.

Western Australian grain growers will explore strategies for making their industry carbon neutral as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Grains Research Update in Perth on February 22 and 23.

... Crossings at the Wenlock, Archer and Laura rivers are impassable, while the Myall Creek near Weipa is also in full flood. Sections of the PDR have also been damaged, with sections of bitumen near the Hann River Roadhouse ripped to shreds by floodwater ...

... Minister Kean was incredibly excited by the community-led progression towards renewable energy, and our efforts to provide energy security and insulation from fuel price shocks ... There was much discussion regarding the opportunities and the appetite for the Island to explore a transition to 100% renewable energy ...

The Victorian Farmers Federation is calling for the Commonwealth Minister for Water Resources to keep his word and stop on-farm water acquisition to meet the 450GL up-water target in addition to the Murray Darling Basin Plan. VFF Water Council Chair Richard Anderson said he was disappointed the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water is continuing to pursue on-farm water recovery despite the Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt’s promise not to do so.