Land & environment

We had a crack at livestreaming and noticed a lot of green at chateau Blundell. Looking great!

The Malinauskas Government stands ready to respond to any potential H5 bird flu outbreak, backed by an arsenal of specialised resources including a mobile diagnostic laboratory, rapid response units and decontamination facilities.

The Australian Government's "Improved Forest Management in Multiple-use Public Native Forests method" incentivises state governments to cease certain native forest harvesting purportedly to reduce Australia's carbon emissions. The Department's announcement and the response from the industry body, Forest & Wood Communities Australia may be the start of much debate over a contentious scheme.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) must now reveal what it intends to recommend after their recent release of the 2026 ‘What we heard’ report failed to outline the next steps. VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said the report accurately reflected the fact that communities hold differing views on issues such as water buybacks, but it fails to answer the most important question.

A 30-year professional fisherman who grew up surfing and spearfishing says he’s too worried about the shark numbers he sees in the ocean every week to paddle out at his favourite break ... Ben Hay spoke to the Clarence Valley Independent about the explosion in shark numbers he has seen during his career, what has contributed to this population increase, and possible remedies to the current problem.

A spate of shark attacks around Australia in the first half of 2026, including four fatalities and a recent local incident has seen calls for protections on sharks to be lifted or a cull to occur. This year the attacks began on January 18, at Sydney Harbour’s Shark Beach at Vaucluse, when a 12-year-old boy was killed by a suspected Bull shark.

With winter officially here, Australians across the country are turning off air conditioners and relying on heaters to stay warm, but while temperatures may be dropping, the risk of house fires increases during the colder months. ARR.News asked Jackson Holt from Brooks Australia about particular risks faced and specific advice for people in rural and regional Australia.

South Australia has recorded its first confirmed case of H5 bird flu in a vagrant migratory seabird found on a beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The confirmed case - a southern giant petrel - was found by a wildlife welfare organisation on 14 June at Knights Beach, Port Elliot.

...South Australia has recorded its first confirmed case of H5 bird flu in a vagrant migratory seabird found on a beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The confirmed case, a Southern Giant Petrel, was found by a wildlife welfare organisation on 14 June on Knights Beach at Port Elliot in a debilitated condition and taken into care.

The 2026-27 Budget delivers lower debt, $73.5 billion lower than it would have been under Labor, based on MYFER 24-25, by 2029-30, and delivers a surplus in 2029-30. 

The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) welcomes the Queensland Government’s reintroduced Regional Planning Interests (Condamine Alluvium) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 (the Bill), which has adopted the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee in full.

It's the start of the ‘Seal-ly season' on the Central Coast, says marine mammal specialist Ronny Ling. Mr Ling, of Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast, said winter doesn't highlight only the migration north of some whales; it also triggers some seals to head up the coast as well.

Labor's announcement of yet another massive Southern Murray-Darling Basin water buyback is a direct attack on Australian families already buckling under the cost of living, according to One Nation Member for Farrer David Farley ... Mr Farley said that if the 2007 Water Act review, the 2026 Basin review and the national food security work were not being set up as foregone conclusions, Labor would have waited for their findings instead of rushing into another buyback that struggling families and farmers will pay for.

Today’s publication of the ‘What we Heard’ Report following public consultation on the Basin Plan Review shows a clear united message: priorities have shifted, move on from “just adding water”.

The MDBA today released the What we heard report, reflecting the key themes and perspectives raised during the public consultation on the 2026 Basin Plan Review. MDBA Chief Executive, Andrew McConville said people have plenty of different views about how water should be managed, but there was a clear message underneath it all: the Basin Plan matters, and people want it to work better.

The statement of the Minister for Regional NSW and responses from Regional Cities NSW and the Member for Oxley highlight the NSW Budget 2026-27 measures aimed at rural and regional NSW, and the strengths and shortcomings of those measures.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has delivered its long-awaited regulatory decision on the herbicides paraquat, and diquat. The APVMA announcement of the decision, together with the responses collected here, from Grain Producers Australia, Parkinson's Australia, Graingrowers and NSW Farmers, show that the decision has been neither universally approved nor condemned.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says Victoria’s $25b dollar agriculture sector must not be forgotten in the face of a rapidly expanding data centre infrastructure boom sweeping the state. The VFF has today released an issues paper outlining the scale of potential development and competition for resources like land, water and energy. 

Wildlife and livestock surveillance activities are underway in South Australia following the detection of H5 bird flu in two vagrant migratory seabirds in Western Australia. Ground-based surveillance and drone surveys are being undertaken at sea lion breeding sites along the state’s west and far west coasts, as part of a coordinated response to the ongoing risk of H5 bird flu spreading to SA.

Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) and Bushfires NT (BFNT) have declared a Fire Danger Period across parts of the Top End from 22 June to 4 October 2026, marking the commencement of the 2026 Top End bushfire season.

Forest & Wood Communities Australia (FWCA) has written to Macquarie University researcher Dr Carmen da Silva seeking clarification regarding comments made during a recent ABC Sydney Radio interview in which she stated that Australians need to "try to stop native forest logging" in order to help protect native bees.