Media Release

Senators Matthew Canavan and Slade Brockman, have expressed their disgust in the cowardly decision of the National Australia Bank to close its Waroona branch just one week after a Senate inquiry on regional banking was in the region. NAB has announced that they will be closing their Waroona branch on 17 November this year, leaving the town without a bank.

Farmers have rallied against reckless renewables outside Queensland Parliament House, urging Labor to rethink its plans to destroy prime agricultural land and pristine rainforest and animal habitat throughout Queensland ... Federal Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor’s reckless race to achieve 82 per cent renewables by 2030 needed a Senate Inquiry.

Rural Aid has been delivering water tank refills to registered primary producing families for a number of years ... Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said dry times have hit early and hit hard. “Farmers around the country have been unsettled by how quickly the rain ‘tap’ has been turned off,” Mr Warlters said ... Victorian dairy farmer Mark Laity said the water tank he received from Rural Aid was a huge boost.

Australia’s iconic grass-trees – aka yaccas – are hardy, drought-tolerant, and strikingly beautiful. Now, new research has revealed another, far more important, feature: their ability to protect wildlife from deadly weather extremes.

Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) has refined the 5km to 50km VNI West area of interest into a draft corridor for the VNI West project ... Each landholder will be appointed a landholder liaison, who will be their key contact and able to help answer questions on important issues...

DAFF has opened consultation ... “The amount producers are being asked to contribute is equivalent to 6 per cent of Commonwealth biosecurity funding in 2024–25 ... By comparison, importers will contribute around 48 per cent and the taxpayer will contribute around 44 per cent ... From 1 July this year, the government increased cost recovery for delivering biosecurity activities for risk creators and importers, representing an average price increase of 28 per cent across biosecurity fees and charges" : Dr Chris Locke.

The abolition of the popular $250 travel card for seniors living in regional areas at the same time as the Labor Government is lavishing Gold Opal Cards on Sydney seniors is unforgiveable ... Richie Williamson says ... analysis showed just how much worse off senior motorists in regional NSW have become under Labor.

Their actions have saved countless native wildlife and where they go, the cameras follow. Conservation dogs are back on the Sunshine Coast, with up-and-coming canine Cooper taking the lead and his protégé Hakka in tow.

The sparse and lonely outback may be the only beacon of hope left for Queensland communities and residents besieged by youth crime, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) MPs have said. The North Queensland-based party has released a 16-page document stating their case for change...

Allan Marshall recently published an excellent article outlining the important role live sheep exports play in delivering multiple benefits, especially improved animal welfare and global food security ... So why does this closure of the live sheep trade concern Grain Producers Australia?

With the global sesame seed market expected to reach A$26 billion by 2025, the Australian sesame industry has been identified as a high-growth potential emerging industry. To capatilise on this growth, a new national Sesame Central Research and Innovation Hub has been launched...

Oaten hay is more than a simple source of fodder fibre, and new research is backing up this well-known theory. A study from the University of Melbourne has shown that high-quality oaten hay could improve animal production, especially in dairies and feedlots, and support the sustainable development of dairy production both in Australia and overseas.

Researchers at Charles Sturt University are preparing to visit Lord Howe Island for the last time as part of a study on the impacts of a rodent eradication project on two native bird species. The study, ‘Effects of an island-wide rodent eradication programme on two threatened bird species’, was recently published after years of research both on and off the island.

NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin says it’s time for Australia to stop bending to European demands that would cripple food and fibre production. The latest broadside on Australian agriculture came in the form of a motion to Labor’s federal conference – inspired by European laws – that would directly limit what farmers were able to do on their properties.

Introduced foxes, dogs, cats, rats, and other predators kill millions of native animals every year, but what if they were conditioned to associate this prey with food that made them ill? A team of international researchers have shown the potential to do just that, burying baits containing capsules of levamisole, a chemical that induces nausea and vomiting when consumed by predators.

Fitness fans are in for a treat when the Redback MTB Stage Race and Run Larapinta Stage Race return to Central Australia this month. The mountain biking and running events will test the fitness and mettle of even the toughest competitors as they race against the stunning backdrop of the MacDonnell Ranges.

Gaining premiums from the processor, maximising genetic improvement and the latest in sheep handling technology will be on show for lamb producers at the Pepperton Farms information day on September 6. Hosted by the Trewick family, Pepperton Poll Dorsets and White Suffolks at Elmore from 10am to 3pm...

Biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of fire ants into NSW are being ramped up ... NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty visited the Tweed Heads region to discuss a cross-border task force with biosecurity compliance experts ... Ms Moriarty said the enhanced task force would ensure a coordinated approach between both jurisdictions.

Sunshine Coast Council’s Environment and Liveability Portfolio Councillor Maria Suarez thanked the photographer for reporting the koala sighting at Palmview Forest through the Queensland Government’s QWildlife app and is calling on others to do the same. “There are some amazing images of Sunshine Coast koalas being uploaded to QWildlife”: Councillor Maria Suarez.

Port Pirie Regional Council is thrilled to announce a captivating commemorative project that will breathe life into the military history of the region. South Australian artist Sam Brooks, renowned for his extensive portfolio of public art, has partnered with his assistant Mark Harding to create a stunning mural on the side of the last remaining WW2 Belmont Hangar at Port Pirie Aerodrome.

New homes in key growth areas will be built quicker and approvals fast-tracked in the latest Malinauskas Government measure to tackle the housing crisis. South Australians building in greenfield areas will no longer require planning approval for new homes...