Land & environment

The VFF says new federal environment laws have made it much harder for farmers to manage their own land, with many now facing confusing rules, costly assessments and the risk of severe penalties for everyday farming activities ... The new rules are unworkable for agriculture and place an unfair burden on farmers.

Hayley Primmer & Seth Carter. The Shire of Gingin held a special meeting to discuss urgent business relating to coastal erosion on parts of the Lancelin foreshore this evening. Last year, as well as April of this year, $150,000 of emergency funding was spent on sand renourishment projects, only for it to be washed away within the span of a few months...

The release of the landmark CSIRO Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative report must mark a turning point in how governments approach flood resilience across the Northern Rivers, with State Nationals MP for Clarence Richie Williamson calling for urgent action to ensure its findings are translated into real outcomes for communities.

New water trade arrangements under Schedule D of the Murray–Darling Basin Agreement will come into effect from 1 July 2026, following the completion of the Schedule D review and approval by Ministerial Council.

Patrick Tucker. An independent public hearing into two proposed floodplain restoration projects near Gunbower and Koondrook is underway. At the same time, roadside signs displaying the letters "VMFRP" are prompting questions across the district ... The report also states construction would require the removal of up to 604 large and very large trees in Gunbower National Park and up to 727 large and very large trees in the Guttrum and Benwell forests.

Merilyn Vale. IPART has announced the maximum prices that Central Coast Council can charge for water and wastewater services from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. A typical household's yearly bill for water and wastewater services will increase by 5.5 per cent.

After years of waiting, Donald's long-anticipated flood levee project has reached completion, with construction of the town's second demountable flood barrier recently finished by Eco Infrastructure. The second wall, located on the town side of the Richardson River, has been under construction since April 13. It completes Donald's pair of demountable flood barriers designed to protect the township from future flooding.

I subscribe to Greg Ibendahl's Agricultural Economics Substack. Greg is with the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University and regularly produces practical, data-driven analyses of broadacre farming from an American perspective. His latest article ... shows we are not alone facing rising input which can turn what appeared to be a profitable wheat crop into a financial disaster. It also serves as a timely reminder that while American farmers face many of the same seasonal and economic pressures as Australian growers...

Today’s opening water allocations reflect mixed conditions across NSW, with most licence holders having access to good volumes of water, though availability varies across some inland regions. Critically, all high priority uses, including town water, environmental and domestic and stock, have received full opening allocations, securing water where it is needed most. 

Cicada Innovations, Australia’s leading deep tech incubator, has announced the 23 ventures that will feature at Cicada x Tech23 2026, a showcase of Australia’s next great innovations. Despite ongoing uncertainty around government support for commercialising and scaling innovation, the pipeline for Australian deep tech is bursting.

Farmers and landholders across regional NSW can now access free and independent dispute resolution through the Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON). From 1 July 2026, customers of NSW’s five statutory irrigation corporations including Coleambally Irrigation Co-operative, Jemalong Irrigation, Murray Irrigation, Murrumbidgee Irrigation, and Western Murray Irrigation, can lodge complaints with EWON for independent review at no cost.

A cold winter's morning didn't deter competitors from the 2026 Renmark Rowing Club's Wharf to Woolshed Long Row marathon on Saturday, June 20 ... Just over 300 people made the journey to Renmark for the 2026 Wharf to Woolshed Long Row, up from over 200 in 2025, proving the popularity of the event, and the appeal of the region.

Residents and visitors of Kaniva will now enjoy a fully treated drinking water supply straight from the tap, marking a significant milestone for the West Wimmera community. Previously the largest town in Victoria without a drinking water supply, Kaniva’s new connection means residents no longer need to rely on rainwater tanks or packaged water for drinking and food preparation, providing greater convenience and peace of mind.

The final report of the CSIRO team behind the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative has been delivered, Scenario testing and recommendations for future flood mitigation activities in the Richmond River catchment in the Northern Rivers region, NSW, Australia. NSW Greens MP and spokesperson for the North Coast, Sue Higginson and Kevin Hogan, Federal Minister for Page, respond notably differently to the Report's findings and recommendations.

An alpine ash forest is a sight to behold ... Mainland alpine ash forests are now formally listed as endangered. This is because bushfires are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, which threatens to wipe out some of these forests. In our new study, we examined how alpine ash forests would change under different climate scenarios, and found that difficult choices likely lie ahead.

The Coalition will lodge a Notice of Motion in the Senate and House of Representatives to stop Labor’s new carbon credit approval, which will lock up land and destroy regional jobs. The Coalition has moved to disallow the Carbon Credits Methodology Determination 2026, to stop Labor from paying state governments to permanently cease commercial timber harvesting across entire Regional Forest Agreement areas, in exchange for ‘carbon credits’.

Farming regions such as Yorke Peninsula may need to return large areas of farmland to native vegetation if Australia is to prevent accelerating species loss and meet international biodiversity targets, according to new research.

A new study has found yellowtail kingfish travel much further offshore than previously thought, with some fish migrating long distances and diving hundreds of metres below the surface. The project began as a collaboration between staff from Lord Howe Island Marine Park and researchers from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.

Tweed Shire Council welcomes the release of CSIRO’s Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative flood mitigation report, focused on detailed flood modelling and mitigation scenarios for the Richmond River catchment around Lismore.

Minister Shing announced that desalinated water is now flowing into Cardinia Reservoir, as Melbourne’s storage falls below 64 per cent - the lowest metropolitan storage levels in more than six years ... Without a connection to Melbourne’s water supplies, which are bolstered by the Desalination Plant, Geelong water storages would be under 10 per cent full right now - with severe water restrictions.

New Application Engineering & Digital Systems division and Experience Hub will generate globally relevant insights to advance pivot irrigation science, engineering, and decision-making. Following the successful launch of the Komet Experience Hub in Brazil, Komet is expanding its investment in Irrigation Intelligence to help close one of agriculture's biggest data gaps.