Land & environment

John Williams. "The black clouds had been building up all day. It was going to be a dry storm and the air was full of heat and electricity. The rolling clouds tumbled over a solid layer of still air. You could hear the pods of the desert banksias popping as the temperature soared to 42 degrees ..."

A crowd of more than 50 concerned residents gathered near the intersection of Golding and Miles Streets to hear deputations from 6 local residents to the Land and Environment Court on site Conciliation conference last Friday. The conference was in relation to case 2024/00279190 Garrard Building Pty Ltd v Clarence Valley Council...

Hugh Schuitemaker. A well-known Loxton man is the second Riverland beekeeper to recently claim his bees died due to poisoning by PIRSA. Loxton-based apiarist Ian Cass claims 12 of his beehives were killed due to adverse impacts from PIRSA’s spraying program, aimed at eradicating fruit fly from the Riverland.

“If it’s good enough for the cricketers to have a drink on the ground on a hot day, why can’t I?” ... On this occasion, Maggie has spotted an uncoupled hose, and is making the most of a free drink, courtesy of Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water.

Andrew George. Three years after the catastrophic 2022 floods and the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) are finally getting into the swing of their Resilient Homes Program (RHP) … Pine Street in North Lismore has become a niche of human adaptation in our climate and bureaucracy deranged world. Seven of eight of the houses at the cul-de-sac end of Pine Street are buybacks.

A week before parts of Yorke Peninsula soared above 40 degrees, the Bureau of Meteorology released its official record of Australia’s climate, water and significant weather events for 2024. The report ... revealed South Australia recorded its second hottest year on record, being on average 1.6 degrees warmer than previous years.

Professor David Lindenmayer’s response fails to engage with the key points I raised. The core argument in my piece is that the peer-reviewed studies claiming logging increases fire severity often rely on unknown or poorly defined methodologies, selective data, weak correlations, or literature reviews rather than empirical fire behaviour analysis.

By now, most farmers will have heard that the State Labor Government is “flying the kite” on taking back ownership of WA’s rail network. For some, particularly the Tier 3 romantics, the idea of reviving a government-run rail system is a dream come true.

Join this special February Hazardous Webinar to discuss the lessons we can take so far from the devastating Los Angeles (LA) bushfires and what they mean for Australia. The webinar is bought to you by Natural Hazards Research Australia and AFAC.

Legal action taken by MLDRIN, a Confederation of First Nations from the southern half of the Murray-Darling Basin, has led to the Federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek conceding she made a mistake in accrediting the NSW Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan.

Farmers have warned the march of a destructive cactus through NSW could be only the beginning of the state’s weed woes unless ongoing funding for weed control is secured. NSW Farmers’ Croppa Creek and North Star Branch Chair Richard Doyle said farmers in the north of the state have reported a drastic surge in harrisia cactus infestations as the destructive cactus continues to spread south from the Queensland border.

Two Queensland businesses have been convicted of breaching biosecurity regulations that are in place to protect NSW from red imported fire ants. The businesses were ordered by the NSW Local Court to pay $60,000.

“I do not feel the RA (Reconstruction Authority) has actively aided or helped me in any aspect through the entire event. Rather, they have prolonged and complicated every detail” - Luke O'Driscoll.

“We will not spend another dollar on activists and economic vandals and their disruptive agendas.” This is how Joshua Burgoyne, NT Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment, announced that his government has axed its $100,000 annual grant for the Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC), Central Australia’s peak environmental organisation for over 40 years and with 400 members.

Members of the South East Timber Association respectfully disagree with many of the assertions made by David Lindenmayer and have a few observations and questions relating to Professor Lindenmayer’s opinion. Kosciuszko State Park was established in 1944. Areas of the original dedication, now in Kosciuszko National Park (KNP), were either never harvested or last harvested more than 80 years ago ...

The District Council of Robe is excited to announce the successful receipt of funding through the 2024-25 Coast Protection Grant Program for two critical coastal protection initiatives: the annual Sand Replenishment Program at Hoopers Beach and Fox Beach, as well as the Fox Beach Coastal Protection Project, which includes investigations and design work to address ongoing coastal erosion.

Toowoomba Regional Council has requested support of up to $200 million for the Cressbrook Dam Safety Improvement Project (CDSIP) as its single highest priority in budget submissions to the State and Federal Governments. Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said water security is critical for the Region and a key focus of Council.

The Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, has dismissed the Allan Labor government’s response to the flood inquiry as a callous example of a citycentric government which “couldn’t care less about regional Victoria and regional Victorians”.

"A healthy working forest where native species can flourish, and where local communities can connect and co-manage the forest for future generations" ... Over the past few months, various locations within the KP Forest have been sampled for native and exotic fish abundance and biomass, as part of the annual monitoring program. This sampling has involved a combination of fyke netting...

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the damage across Harden and Murrumburrah from severe storms on Monday varies from businesses who were dealing with up to two inches of water in their stores, to nearby farmers and wildlife. “We’re seeing trees that are down, fences that have gone into creeks, the bird life has been impacted and most importantly, pastures have been shredded.”

The NSW Government has been urged to show its commitment to regional NSW by backing a feasibility study into a community-supported water-saving project. Narrandera resident David Farley, who has spent time abroad developing water management strategies that support both the environment and agriculture, is calling on NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson to back a $1 million feasibility study for the Lake Coolah project.

The Clarence Valley water supply, which is currently chlorinated and has lime added to reduce its acidity, will be filtered within the next 10 years at a current estimated cost of $83 million as part of the second stage of a planned upgrade. But filtration won’t significantly improve the water that comes out of the tap in the Lower Clarence said Council’s Greg Mashiah at a public meeting at Yamba’s Wooli Street Hall...