Mixed messages on deforestation
Two conflicting reports on land clearing during the last week are likely to leave Queensland residents confused over the issue and make it difficult to decide as to what is fact, bias or just propaganda. The Queensland Minister for Resources and Critical Minerals, Scott Stewart said the latest Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (SLATS) report and accompanying vegetation management analysis shows Queensland’s vegetation management laws continue to protect native ecosystems ... In the same week the Queensland Conservation Council used the same SLATS report but put forward its concerns over the report’s findings.
Whale carcass removed from Greys Beach
An operation to remove an estimated 20 tonne whale carcass from Greys Beach was successfully completed ... City of Greater Geraldton CEO Ross McKim said it was the most difficult removal the City has undertaken in more than a decade.
Alliance prepares for fire season
The Softwoods Working Group has engaged major stakeholders to develop a strategy to safeguard the softwood forestry industry in the Murray Region Hub ahead of the upcoming bushfire season. A $13M forestry funding package from the NSW government is aimed at protecting essential timber supplies in the region and will support key fire prevention, detection and response initiatives.
Australian seafood industry hooked on better management: UniSA
New research from the University of South Australia shows that the Australian seafood industry has become more resilient to food shocks – a good sign, with Australians eating more seafood now than ever before. Shocks are a sudden and dramatic loss in food production and can impact food security, as well as local industries and livelihoods.
Fisheries expert shares UK lessons on how offshore wind and fishing can co-exist: BMM
Australia’s fledgling offshore wind farm sector can learn from the successes and mistakes of the UK, says an expert with a quarter century of hands-on experience in fishing and the last dozen advising offshore oil, gas and renewables industries. John Watt, Brown and May Marine’s Senior Fisheries Expert, was invited as a keynote speaker at this month’s Offshore Windtech Summit1 in Melbourne, the Asia Pacific’s largest wind energy gathering.
Murrumbidgee Council launches investigation into fuel spill
It is believed Murrumbidgee Council has launched an investigation into the alleged fuel spill at Gundaline Station, which was revealed in an exclusive report in The Riverine Grazier. Anne Lyons, Murrumbidgee Council’s Media and Communications Officer responded to enquiries for updates, following the NSW Environmental Protection Authority stating local Councils are the regulatory agencies for such incidents, under the Act.
Powerhouse burns in 1920
John Whitehead. These photos were taken by Henry James Mercer Hobday, manager of the Bank of Victoria, who was stationed in Nhill from 1913 until 1921. Photography was his hobby so he developed and printed his photos at home in the bank.
Forestry fire specialists answer the call in Canada: Forestry Corporation of NSW
Four fire specialists from Forestry Corporation are serving as part of a New South Wales deployment of firefighters assisting authorities in Canada to tackle the country’s wildfires. A contingent of firefighters and incident management specialists have departed for Canada after AFAC, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services received a request for assistance from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Surviving shark attacks
Surfers are calling for improved safety at Yorke Peninsula beaches to help limit the number of shark fatalities. The push comes after Elliston Council on Eyre Peninsula installed shark bite first-aid kits at four popular beaches following several attacks last year, including two fatal ones, in the region.
Not just tall tails
Whales have been dropping into Yorke Peninsula waters in the past month seemingly unbeknown to authorities. There have been no reports to the state’s dedicated whale-watch page of the huge mammals in the YP region so far this whale season — which starts in May and goes to October — despite at least two confirmed sightings locally.
Second release set to boost the future of the Murray crayfish in South Australia: Landscape SA
An additional 80 Murray crayfish have been released into the River Murray as part of an ongoing project to re-establish this iconic species in South Australia. The crayfish were released into the river at a secret location to protect the community in its infancy.
Shark advice for Sovereign Park, north of Two Rocks
A shark advice has been issued due to a whale carcass on the beach just south of the Sovereign Park foreshore access. On July 20 Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said the whale carcass – at WN42 Sovereign Park BEN sign – had been reported by a member of the public.
Huge, costly flaw revealed in Labor’s buybacks system leaving local growers hamstrung: Centofanti
Struggling South Australian growers could be forced to wait almost a year for compensation after selling water to the Albanese Labor Government to meet its target of 450GL for the Murray-Darling Basin. Labor has released its Restoring Our Rivers - Trading Strategy which outlines its approach to the destructive water buybacks model over the next year, claiming: “The intent of these rules is to ensure that persons or organisations with prior knowledge of market sensitive information that will be publicly announced, do not have an unfair market advantage over other water market participants”.
“Wind farm living”
Lyn Lenehan. It's hard explaining to city people why wind farms are so bad and why they destroy lives and livelihoods. There is a list of reasons, but one stands out the most – the loss of enjoyment of one's land ... What happens when the reason for living in a special place is ripped away?
NFF calls out Federal Government’s failure to protect the Great Artesian Basin
The National Farmers’ Federation has expressed profound disappointment and frustration at the Federal Government's ongoing neglect in safeguarding the Great Artesian Basin (GAB), one of Australia's most vital groundwater resources. As AgForce prepares to bring its case before the Federal Court next month, the Government has questioned the agricultural organisation's right to take legal action.
Enough is enough says Murrumbidgee Council Mayor
Councillor Ruth McRae OAM, Murrumbidgee Council Mayor. Enough is enough...things you all should know. Crippling water buybacks will see many communities, currently with their back to the wall, disappear, and the shiny trinkets offered by the Federal Government as compensation are $300 million. The Federal Government plans to buy back up to 450GL of water which, at our estimates, will cost them $8 billion. No surprises, there is an undisclosed amount in the Federal Budget to buy water ...
Buybacks begin for political plan
Buybacks have begun as the Federal Government seeks to add to the huge volumes of held environmental water ... The plan appears to have moved past the noble intention of a balanced plan with a triple bottom line. Now fuelled by political motives, the political plan risks the viability of irrigation companies, food-producing industries, and locks many young Australians out of the chance to be an irrigation farmer.
Water security bolstered
Toowoomba Regional Council's (TRC) $40 million major upgrades to the Mt Kynoch water treatment plant were officially opened on Monday, supporting water needs into the next decade. Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said TRC had invested $40 million in the Stage 4 upgrade to implement modern water treatment processes.
‘Our gardens are like ticking time bombs’
Experts warn a lack of regulation in the garden industry is seeing weedy plants, that can easily be bought in nurseries or online, ‘suffocate’ our native waterways and bushland, with urgent calls for action to prevent more irreversible damage ... Invasive Species Council Advocacy Director Jack Gough said an incredible three-quarters of all listed weeds in Australia are escaped garden plants and every year the problem gets worse.
Firewood theft cripples parks and forests
The silent and devastating toll of people stealing wood from Victoria’s forests and parks has been revealed as public land authorities announce a crackdown on escalating illegal firewood take and habitat destruction threatening the survival of native wildlife and Aboriginal cultural heritage. In 2023 alone, firewood thieves damaged or destroyed more than 9,200 native trees or cleared roughly 462 hectares of public land in Victoria ...
Renewed deal to deliver water south of the Barmah Choke: MDBA
A renewed agreement between WaterNSW and Murray Irrigation Limited (MIL) will help to move water around the Barmah Choke for the 2024–25 water year. MDBA Senior Director River Modernisation Joe Davis said the arrangement with MIL would ensure water delivery to downstream users whilst protecting the river environment and community values.
Toad-ally awesome project halts cane toad invasion: Deakin University
Stopping cane toads with a Toad Containment Zone (TCZ) before they reach the Pilbara in Western Australia will protect 27 million hectares of sensitive habitat, significant Aboriginal cultural heritage, and a trove of native Australian animals from population decline … the TCZ was created to halt a toad invasion with a landscape level strategy – effectively, a ‘toad-break’ - on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert.
