Media Release

Statements from the Hon. Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, regarding releasing up to 20 per cent of the baseline Minimum Stockholding Obligation for petrol and diesel and temporarily amending Australia's fuel quality standards to allow higher sulfur levels for the next 60 days.

As more Australians are choosing to repair not replace, a renewed pride in practical skills is reshaping how we care for the things we own. From small household fixes to ambitious restorations, repair culture is gaining momentum as people look to save money, develop skills, reduce waste and extend the life of well-loved items.

One of outback NSW's most beloved events is just around the corner, and this year's Lightning Ridge Easter Festival is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. The program is now available online, so you can start planning your long weekend before you even pack the car.

Rochester will come alive with colour, creativity and community spirit this March as Campaspe Shire Council presents a week of artistic activity as part of Ripple Fest in partnership with Rochester Mural Festival. From 25-28 March, locals and visitors are invited to take part...

A new independent study has confirmed what the Tweed community already knows – the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre is one of regional Australia’s most remarkable cultural assets, contributing almost $20 million each year to the local economy.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has lodged a major submission calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the National Construction Code (NCC), warning that excessive regulation and complexity is slowing the delivery of new homes across Australia.

Right now across regional Western Australia something deeply concerning is unfolding. Farmers are being told their diesel deliveries have stopped. Some have been warned supply may not resume for weeks. Others cannot lock in deliveries at all. In some cases, operations have already ground to a halt simply because there is no fuel to run the machinery. This should alarm every Western Australian.

The Nationals are today taking another major step toward preserving Australia’s food security with the tabling of proposed laws to ban federal funding of projects that diminish prime agricultural land, or place it under foreign ownership.

Pack your curiosity, leave the textbooks behind, and experience an unforgettable adventure where breakthroughs are built one LEGO® brick at a time! Created by LEGO® Certified Professional Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught and his team, CURIOSITY explores scientific knowledge, engineering feats, mathematical puzzles and more, brought to life in spectacular detail with the wonders of LEGO® bricks.

TasFarmers has warned “without fuel there is no food”, calling on governments to guarantee diesel supplies for agriculture and freight as global tensions push fuel prices sharply higher. Diesel prices in parts of Tasmania have risen from about $1.87 to more than $2.17 per litre in the past week, creating uncertainty for farmers, contractors and freight operators across the state.

With the Margaret River Library temporarily closed for building works, many locals have found themselves missing their regular library fix ... Augusta Library has plenty to offer, including a stunning art exhibition now on display.

New research has revealed past land clearing is increasing the vulnerability of native Australian forests to the invasive myrtle rust disease — with regrowth forests emerging as hotspots for impact.

The world’s first glue laminated timber made from Australian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus), processed in Warrnambool, Victoria, has been unveiled at Mount Gambier’s new Forestry Centre of Excellence, marking a major breakthrough for plantation forestry and the communities that depend on it.

“There is fuel, but it is being kept for the city, a short-sighted approach that will have huge flow-on effects throughout regional areas and right back into the city. Planting is about to start across the electorate of Parkes and elsewhere but without diesel, it won’t happen. And how do farmers get their livestock to market?": Jamie Chaffey.

"Every empty truck on the road right now is burning diesel the country doesn't have to spare. We’ve 25 days of diesel reserves, 28,000 unfilled driver positions and a third of our trucks running empty. The maths doesn't work. The simplest thing any driver can do right now is stop driving empty": said Matt Barrie, Chief Executive of Loadshift.

"When fuel swings, manual systems fail. We need to change how we view carriers. They aren’t just ‘capacity,’ they are small businesses under immense pressure. The future of the industry depends on accelerated cash flow and intelligent route planning that slashes unnecessary fuel burn": Dean Newman, COO, Ofload.

When the final siren sounds at Barossa Park on Saturday, 11 April, the party is just getting started as Tanunda’s main street transforms into the ultimate post-match destination with food, wine and entertainment. A hallmark event on the Festival of Footy calendar, the Barossa Food & Wine Village, returns for Gather Round 2026, reimagined on a bigger scale.

Gannawarra Shire Council has held discussions with the Victorian Minister for Climate Action, Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio MP and VicGrid representatives about its concerns regarding the construction of VNI West ... the project involves the construction of a 500-kilovolt double circuit transmission line that will connect the Victorian and New South Wales electricity networks.

Following the successful completion of last week’s flood barrier installation exercise in Rochester, Campaspe Shire Council is reinforcing the importance of maintaining strong flood preparedness measures to protect critical community assets in the town’s civic precinct. The exercise ... involved the full deployment and pack-down of the AquaFence flood barrier system around the Town Hall, Community House, Council service centre and library.

Western Australian grain growers are urged to check their paddocks for signs of mouse activity in the lead up to seeding, with reports of high activity in the northern and southern agricultural regions. Growers north of Geraldton are reporting numbers as high as 40 mouse burrows per 100 square metres. Two or three burrows per 100 square metres would be cause for concern.

A controversial proposal from an anti-farming environmental group risks handing control of private land to government under the guise of conservation. NSW Farmers’ Conservation and Resource Management Committee Chair Bronwyn Petrie said the Wentworth Group of Scientists’ “Blueprint for a Healthy Country and Thriving Regions” to farmers was deeply disingenuous.