Community

The new One Nation MP for Farrer has blindsided families and farmers, by voting with the Teals and Greens in Parliament House against Australian regional jobs and communities. The amendment, moved by a Teal MP, demanded the Labor government cap the fuel tax credit – a scheme which allows for a rebate to businesses that use heavy machinery for the fuel tax they pay.

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.

Madison Eastmond. A Waikerie ballerina has become the most recent Riverlander to join one of the state’s most renowned youth ballet companies, now part of a dancing trio of local talent selected by the prestigious institution. 

More than 90 community members, partners, students and supporters gathered to celebrate the opening of the Portraits of Belonging Exhibition as part of Refugee Week 2026, in an event marked by reflection, gratitude and community spirit.

The much-anticipated Inverloch to Wonthaggi Trail, is now available for use and already proving a hit, with more than 600 riders setting off from both towns and meeting in the middle for a community celebration.

A small blue motorbike on a stand out the front of a cafe in Barker Street, Casino was getting a lot of attention today, Sunday, June 21. The Blue Motorcycle Project president Heck McGregor said it’s a conversation starter.

Ready, Set, Esky: Scenic Rim Eat Local Month’s much-loved Winter Harvest Festival returns to Kalbar on Saturday 27 June, bringing together the region’s farmers, growers, producers, Food Ambassador chefs and artisans for one unforgettable day of food, farming and country hospitality. 

Newstead Cricket Club’s latest fundraiser involves a clever combination of resources, skills and time, all working together to support the community club. Committee member Adam Sewell says that locals have teamed up to create some highly desirable prizes for an upcoming online raffle: firewood.

Carey Brennan. Tuesday night’s VicGrid Community Reference Group meeting of impacted farmers, council officers and VicGrid employees was disrupted by around 60 farmers and concerned community members at Charlton Park. Claire Flanagan-Smith, of RMG Consulting, chairing the meeting, called a halt to proceedings and refused to let it continue with the farmers present.

Patricia Gill. Renowned Denmark photographer Nic Duncan and Menang – Gnudju Elder and WA Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, Aunty Carol Pettersen, had a brilliant idea while camping two years ago. At the time, expressions of interest were called for projects to mark Albany’s bicentenary of white settlement.

Toowoomba Hospital’s Geriatric, Adult Rehabilitation and Stroke Service (GARSS) has celebrated a major achievement during a special reunion with a former stroke patient. GARSS was recently awarded its third World Stroke Organization (WSO) Angels Gold Award, after first achieving gold status in 2025.

Co-founder and director of The Youth Regiment, Ryan Fox said the organisation was presently preparing the next Fortified Futures program, a fully immersive nine-day youth development experience designed to act as a circuit breaker for young people and families who feel they are running out of options.

Energy Minister Penny Sharpe has cut the ribbon on Australia's first eight-hour battery near Balranald, with RWE's Limondale storage system promising steadier power, local jobs and money back into the community. A property on the outskirts of Balranald is now home to a national first.

The much-loved LisAmore Italian Festival is set to return in 2026, bringing a vibrant celebration of Italian culture, food and music to the Northern Rivers. This year's event will be held on Sunday, 5 July 2026, with an exciting new home at the Lismore Showgrounds, reflecting the festival's continued growth and popularity.

Krissy Barrett. When I became AFP Commissioner last year, I said I would have candid conversations with Australians to inform them about the threats they face ... But parents and caregivers now need to be aware of entrenched and emerging criminal threats because of rapidly-evolving technology.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) CEO Heather Cook will help spearhead new tech partnerships and AI solutions at a meeting with Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group (FELEG) agencies in London this week, amid growing online threats seriously impacting youth and vulnerable communities.

Some of us, in the aftermath of the Covid crisis, were subjected to a deep dive into the music tastes of preteens, which included a song about the lockdown experience called 'I'm Good?' by the Hilltop Hoods ... It's a neat echo of the experience of many people whose canine family member joined them through an adoption program or from the pound, shelter or foster system.

Thousands of people from around the region descended on Maclean for three-day Clarence Harvest Celebration embracing the beef, sugar cane, and seafood industries of the valley. The premier weekend of the 2026 celebration followed the Clarence Kids Colour Run and Crowning Carnival and the Cane Harvest Ball, held in the preceding weeks.

Shari and Wes Hughes have been shocked by the brazen robbery, saying it's unprecedented for the small community of Greenmount. The offender was clad in a cardigan and beanie, with a torch and an accomplice in the form of a very well behaved dog.

At most emergencies in the Upper Murray in the past 40 years you would find Mary Hoodless, pitching in to help wherever it was needed. The Jingellic resident's lifelong commitment to the wellbeing of her community has now been recognised with an award in the King's Birthday Honours List.

The highly anticipated Barham Lakes lifestyle resort has officially received Development Approval from Murray River Council and is now one step closer to becoming a reality. The CluBarham Riverina project, a 236-home over-55s land lease community in collaboration with Villawood Properties, will offer resort living unmatched for its pristine lake systems, proximity to the Murray River and range of facilities on offer.