Media Release

Applications are now open for 10 new Regional University Study Hubs to be established around Australia, giving more students from the bush access to tertiary education ... In response to the Universities Accord Interim Report, the Government will establish up to 20 additional Regional University Study Hubs, and up to 14 new Suburban University Study Hubs.

Australia's most promising young beef cattle judges have been announced by Agricultural Shows Australia as eligible to compete in the national finals of the prestigious annual competition to be judged next month ... Hayden Hanson, 19, from Gin Gin will be representing Queensland in the beef cattle young judges competition.

Rockhampton Regional Council are pleased to welcome the Singapore Armed Forces to the region for Exercise Wallaby with more than 2000 personnel expected to visit the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens and Zoo ... Exercise Wallaby is a major military activity in the Rockhampton and Shoalwater Bay Area, conducted by the Republic of Singapore.

Level 2 water restrictions will be introduced in Nimbin, effective from Thursday, 28 September 2023. Lismore City Council Acting Manager Water and Wastewater William Lee said the restrictions were necessary as the water level in Mulgum Creek continued to fall.

Residents in the remote community of Milingimbi in East Arnhem can look forward to improved wellbeing and reduced overcrowding ... A $16 million tender has been awarded to WTD Constructions over 3 years to build 32 new homes and extend a further 32 existing homes for the around 1,200 people living in Milingimbi.

Forestry Corporation has taken delivery of three new fire tankers to ensure New South Wales communities are safeguarded from bushfires. The state-of-the-art category one tankers have been supplied by the Rural Fire Service, as part of its new build program, to bolster the state’s firefighting arsenal.

Frogs are in trouble. While many of the world's animal species are now at risk from habitat loss, climate change and other human pressures, it is frogs that are particularly at risk ... "Farm dams, often overlooked in the conservation context, have emerged as potential lifelines for numerous species during dry spells, including frogs": Dr Martino Malerba.

Australia’s inaugural National Bushfire Preparedness Summit is a timely reminder that being bushfire ready is a 365-day a year job, the President of Forestry Australia Dr Michelle Freeman said. “It’s great to see the national spotlight on the critically important issue of bushfire preparedness, but this must be more than just a two-day flash in the pan,” Dr Freeman said.

Western Australia's prized western rock lobsters will be even more readily available to WA seafood lovers, with a major boost approved for direct Back-of-Boat lobster sales this 2023-24 fishing season. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has increased the landing limit for back-of-boat sales from 200 to 999 lobsters per fishing trip.

A new book launched by the Henty Machinery Field Days traces six decades of history from its early days to a grass roots event driven by farmers to its position as a global agricultural phenomenon. The 84-page coffee table style book was written by Henty Machinery Days Media Manager Kim Woods and launched at the official opening of the 60th anniversary event...

Brace yourselves for the triumphant return of the Indigenous Australian Datathon (IAD) as it gears up for its third consecutive year in Cairns, from the 3rd to the 5th of November 2023. Spearheaded by KJR in collaboration with James Cook University (JCU), tech pioneers and communities, IAD is set to create waves of innovation uniting Traditional Owners, technologists, data professionals, start-ups, and students in an extraordinary quest to revolutionise the future of Australian communities.

GWMWater, in partnership with Pyrenees Shire Council, has been investigating the feasibility of extending the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline to provide water to rural properties in parts of the Pyrenees, Northern Grampians and Central Goldfields Shires.

Residents of Wagga Wagga and surrounds are urged to save the date and head down to the city centre for the Australian Army Band Kapooka’s Freedom of Entry to the City Parade on Sunday 15 October 2023 ... “The Freedom of Entry to the City is a symbolic presentation which represents the highest honour a city can confer on an individual or a Military Unit": Dallas Tout, Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) will call on water from the Menindee Lakes in the coming week to meet demands in the River Murray system.

Construction of the new Legana Primary School is well underway, with steel and timber framing for the general learning area buildings largely completed and preparation of the slab for the administration building now in progress ... “The new school is expected to open its doors in 2025 to students from the Legana and Grindelwald areas": Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Roger Jaensch.

New analysis from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has led to the European Commission’s recognition of the Australian canola industry’s low-emissions credentials for the second time, enabling local canola growers continued access to lucrative international markets.  Australia is a major supplier of canola to the European Union (EU) biodiesel market, with over 1.8 million tonnes exported annually to European countries.

The Moah Creek Wind Farm project has recently reached two development milestones. Firstly, it has been granted planning approval from the Queensland State Assessment and Referral Agency ... consent from the Queensland Government under the Planning Act 2016 for the construction of the wind farm and its associated vegetation clearing.

“The Australian Musical Theatre Festival was developed to bring a cultural festival to our state’s north during winter, and it is now an established feature of our annual events calendar,” Minister  Street said.

NSW Farmers says the federal government must force importers to pay for the biosecurity threats they create. The calls came after authorities admitted defeat on eradicating Varroa mite after more than a year of fighting the invasive pest.