Media Release

Murray River Group of Councils is taking its “PushbackBuybacks” message to Canberra after accepting an invitation to participate in a public hearing being conducted by the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for the Inquiry into the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023.

Students from years 9 through 12 across Sydney will have the opportunity to experience drone flight in an exhilarating setting next month, with the University of NSW’s School of Aviation and the Australian Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle Service (AUAVS) teaming up for a Drone Racing Day in Moore Park ... "The launch of the Bachelor of Aviation majoring in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems represents a significant step forward in aviation education": AUAVS Manager, Paul Hardy.  

Kangaroo Island has been named one of the world’s top destinations to visit – and is the only Australian destination to make the list. Ranked as #2 by global travel authority, Lonely Planet, in its 2024 Top Regions Hotlist, Kangaroo Island is recognised as a premier eco-tourism destination which offers distinct local produce, abundant native wildlife, natural experiences, and some of the nation’s most pristine beaches.

An unprecedented campaign against anti-farming policies has been launched by new NFF President David Jochinke in his first day in the role. Speaking in Canberra at the National Farmers’ Federation National Conference, Mr Jochinke called on parliamentarians to stand up against policies which threaten to slash billions from farm production.

A rotten free trade deal with Europe would be a cheap photo opportunity that sells out farmers and rural communities, a peak body warns. Murray River farmer and NSW Farmers Board member Chris Stillard said there were grave concerns the Albanese Government would ignore the agriculture sector and sign up to a bad trade deal with Europe...

CleanCo is partnering with Central Queensland Power to progress the development of the Moah Creek Wind Farm … This investment puts CleanCo on a path to supercharging its current portfolio of publicly owned generation assets connected via the state’s renewable energy backbone, the Queensland SuperGrid.

Publicly owned energy company Stanwell Corporation has signed a 15-year, 380-Megawatt Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ACCIONA Energía to purchase 100 per cent of the output from its planned Aldoga Solar Farm, 20 km north-west of Gladstone ... Stanwell plans to supply output from the Aldoga Solar Farm PPA to the proposed Central Queensland Hydrogen (CQ-H2) Project ... ARR.News has asked some questions of the companies.

The Cook Government has approved a 1,012 square-metre land transfer to support a growing early childhood learning centre located on McNeill Street, Dalwallinu. The site will be transferred to the Shire of Dalwallinu with conditional freehold, in recognition of the immediate and long-term benefits for the Dalwallinu community.

Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister David Littleproud is calling on Labor to release the findings of an Independent Panel Report into the ban of live sheep exports ... “Minister Watt didn’t have the courage to travel with the panel and look farmers in the eye himself to say he was stopping the trade – so the least he can do is release the report”: Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.

The Territory Labor government is backing mining in the Barkly Region, with another milestone reached by Avenira Limited. Avenira Limited’s Mining Management Plan (MMP) has been approved under the Mining Management Act 2001, authorising mining to commence at the company’s Wonarah Phosphate Project.

The Palaszczuk Government has taken the next steps to enshrine the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan into law, with a commitment to legislate renewable energy targets, and guarantee the financial security of workers. Following months of consultation, the Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Bill 2023 was introduced to Parliament after receiving overwhelming support from the community and industry.

Citizen scientists are being called to swap their backyards for a local waterway by joining a wave of volunteers across the Murray–Darling Basin to help with conservation efforts. The spring sampling season of the Great Australian Wildlife Search, delivered by Odonata Foundation, has started.

“The Albanese Government has proven to have no understanding of the expense and effort that farmers go through to protect biosecurity on their farms. Farmers are being expected to pay through the nose for something government should be doing as core business”: VFF President, Emma Germano.

Forestry Australia has released three new and highly topical Position Statements to share its evidence-based positions on important issues relating to the management of forests across Australia ... “Now more than ever we need to ensure that there is evidence-based and balanced information readily available, given we live in an era of information overload, misinformation and disinformation”: Forestry Australia President, Dr Michelle Freeman.

After extreme market volatility and record-high prices in recent years, global fertiliser prices are expected to settle in 2024, despite uncertainty posed by the Israel-Hamas conflict as it currently stands, Rabobank says in a new report. In its just-released Semi Annual Fertiliser Outlook, titled What is next?, the agribusiness banking specialist says while the Israel-Hamas conflict creates some uncertainty in the outlook for fertiliser markets, the current impact for the food and agri sectors is manageable.

The Australian Lot Feeders’ Association is urging the Australian Government to stay firm on securing a substantial increase in market access for beef via the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement (A-EU FTA) negotiations ... “We need the Australian Government to correct the imbalance of our meat trade with Europe and secure comparable FTA outcomes achieved by our competitors”: ALFA President, Barb Madden.

A recently awarded remote housing contract supplements a pipeline of works across Central Australia worth $256 million. The building blitz is rolling out across 33 communities and town camps in Alice Springs. The most recent contract for $30 million was awarded to Pedersen NT to build more than 20 new homes across Luritja Pintubi country.

The Liberal Opposition has hosted a forum and invited the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to discuss the proposed new GP payroll tax – with fears the new patient tax will force doctors to raise fees or even close their practices, driving more people to our already stretched emergency departments.

The State Government has released key policy positions that will form the basis for the Fitzroy water allocation plan, as part of its ongoing commitment to protecting the Fitzroy River while supporting economic development. The  Water allocation planning in the Fitzroy – Policy position paper  reaffirms the State's commitment not to dam the Fitzroy River and its tributaries.

Organisers of the all-new Bundanoon Folk Festival this November 24-26 say it’s heart-warming to see the village community rally to lend their time and skills to bring the Festival to life ... The vision is to build an annual Folk Festival unique to Bundanoon, that connects and showcases the village, supports local businesses, and creates gigs for regional artists along with crowd-pleasing national talent. Among fun live performances will be music, song and spoken word.