Land & environment

A new ABARES report today confirms agriculture has been one of the Australian economy’s standout performers in recent decades. Snapshot of Australian Agriculture 2021 has found that the gross value of agricultural, fisheries and forestry production has risen over the past 20 years and, despite recent droughts, reached $67 billion in 2019–20.

The knowledge of the Rainbow Serpent has been told in a new documentary – The Serpent’s Tale – in an effort to highlight the importance of protecting the Kimberley region’s Martuwarra or Fitzroy River.

Speak Up Campaign chair Lachlan Marshall said removing policy makers out of regional centres and locating them in city offices has resulted in isolated decision making, where local knowledge is disregarded. He described the Snowy Hydro Scheme as “a great example of the disconnect between the southern food bowl and the city decision-makers”, and is concerned that under the latest water strategy the NSW Murray would “miss out again”.

Mary took photos of the devastation and has collated the images into two books that are available at the Casino Library. The books are a chronicle of how the fire disrupted their lives. She photographed the twisted metal and remains of their home, the misshapen cutlery burned into a mass, the black sewing machine and the burnt-out cars Danny was fixing.

About 100 people were stranded for five days last week at Green Pigeon by the floodwaters of Fawcetts Creek. The usual wooden bridge access was gone. Matthews Bridge, known as Burgess Bridge by locals, was pulled down because Kyogle Council was building a new one in its place.

Geoff Helisma. It was a particularly sad day for Brooms Head resident Steve Otton when he discovered an emu he had been following and photographing had been killed crossing Brooms Head Road at about 6pm on February 19 near Tailem Drive ... "On top of this, not one but three NPWS Emu warning signs have been yet again ripped from their stakes overnight ... After finding the signs down late Saturday I then spotted, with delight and horror, a pair of emus about to cross the road. I waved down this red car as to the action ahead as the pair of emus tip-toed across the road at the 'Emu Crossing' half way along the horror 100km overtaking straight."

The University of Newcastle has released an economic impact assessment and environmental benefit analysis of the Great Koala National Park proposed for the mid north coast of New South Wales. ARR.News has received a critical analysis of the report to which the University has responded. Over to you.

Federal government of both sides have presided over a plan to save the Murray Darling Basin. It is the biggest water reform since Federation, based on political deception, ignorance, scientific perjury, greed, corruption and the raping of our countryside. And all this is from the information publicly available. The Darling, the Murray, the Murrumbidgee, all a mess, but for very different reasons ...

Forestry Corporation of NSW is recommencing timber harvesting on the South Coast and Eden with additional environmental safeguards and restates our commitment to ecologically sustainable forest management which ensures good environmental outcomes.

Coal miners, farmers, and steel and iron workers hold the majority of the 653,600 jobs which could be destroyed by the adoption of a net zero emissions target in Australia, according to new research released by free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs.

The Tackling Mosquitos Together campaign is a co-operative effort of seven councils located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales - Tweed Shire Council, Ballina Shire Council, Byron Shire Council, Kyogle Council, Clarence Valley Council, Richmond Valley Council, and Lismore City Council - supported by the Department of Local Government.

In its first meeting for 2021, Ballina Shire Council has voted to support further investigation into the Dunoon Dam in an effort to revive the proposal and secure the region’s future water supply.

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.