Media Release

A derelict building filled with pigeons, broken windows and damp, rotting timber isn’t usually the definition of Art Deco beauty. When that building is scored for an astonishing $1 though and revived, its transformation is just one of many putting Leeton on the map as the Art Deco capital of regional Australia.

Our First Nations heritage met our digital world head-on today (April 29), with the launch of a brand new virtual reality experience and app, which will transport users to a day before European settlement at Bankfoot House. The unique immersive and interactive experiences were launched today at the Bankfoot House Heritage Precinct, during Sunshine Coast Council’s 2021 Heritage Symposium.

The biennial Cornish Festival will be held 17th to 23rd May and will welcome thousands of visitors to Australia’s Little Cornwall to celebrate our unique heritage and culture ... There is something for everyone including heritage, entertainment, Cornish food, Maypole and Furry Dancing, Classic Cavalcade of Cars and Motor Cycles, Art Prize, a street party, concerts, ceremonies, window displays, markets and parades.

Agriculture is the next frontier for space tech, with billion-dollar opportunities to super-charge technology adoption for farmers, fishers and foresters over the next five to ten years. That’s according to a new report by AgriFutures Australia, commissioned to give producers awareness of the depth and breadth of available space technologies, the potential uses and insights into what is coming over the next decade.

Researchers at The University of Western Australia have identified the cause of the devastating faba bean gall disease for the first time, a disease that causes significant destruction of bean crops in Ethiopia and China ... Faba bean is of critical importance for food security in Ethiopia, and faba bean gall disease is especially devastating for this East African community ... Australia is the world’s leading exporter of faba bean, producing up to 500 thousand tonnes annually and supplying one-third of faba bean traded internationally.

Granular Products, in collaboration with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), have launched the new Regain 750WG herbicide for control of Prickly Acacia and other woody weeds - with the new formulation providing graziers with an option to manage infestations as they arise, while using existing spray equipment and their previous knowledge of spray chemicals.

With seeding ramping up across many parts of the southern region, growers are being reminded of the importance of monitoring and maintaining soil phosphorus levels in order to maximise yield and profit.

The results for the 2021 London Wine Competition were announced earlier this month and the prestigious Wine of the Year award went to Lévrier Wines’ Anubis Cabernet Sauvignon. The competition, in its 4th year, is unique in that each wine is judged on quality, value and package. The 2021 edition saw entries from 36 countries. Congratulations to Jo Irvine for taking top spot in the whole competition.

Qantas will add more flights to the Bendigo to Sydney route and has made tickets more flexible to accommodate changing COVID-19 restrictions across Australia. Qantas have announced that from May 24 it will increase to a two flight a day return service. This means there will be two flights a day leaving Bendigo and two flights arriving from Sydney.

Greater Shepparton City Council has undertaken a trial of incorporating recycled glass and reclaimed asphalt pavement to renew part of Kialla Lakes Drive, Shepparton ... “Incorporating recycled glass sand into the base layer makes sense, using a waste product, recycling it to renew a road it’s better for the environment. We are very keen to explore every option we have to increase recycling and reuse of waste products that would otherwise go to landfill it just make sense and is something we will expand,” Greater Shepparton City Council Director Infrastructure Phil Hoare said.

NSW Farmers Vice President and Liverpool Plains farmer Xavier Martin said the agreement ends 13 years of uncertainty for the region’s farmers. “It was the wrong mine in the wrong place,” Mr Martin said. “This area has some of the best soils and water in Australia and as a nation, short term energy extraction gains should never compromise long term food and fibre production goals.” Mr Martin said the Shenhua project also had an “unmanageable risk” factor on the quality and quantity of groundwater resources.

The National Farmers’ Federation welcomes today’s announcement to end plans for the development of the proposed Shenhua coal mine on the Liverpool Plains. "After more than 13 long years, farmers and the Liverpool Plains community can almost breathe a sigh of relief that this process has finally ended," President and Liverpool Plains farmer Fiona Simson said. "The fertile black soil of the Liverpool Plains is some of the best farm land in Australia. It is a region of national significance.

Sheep Producers Australia and WoolProducers Australia have today released the world first Australian Sheep Sustainability Framework (SSF). The SSF was initiated by Australia’s sheep industry leaders to demonstrate our sustainable practices, identify areas for improvement, and better communicate with customers and consumers. The framework lists 21 priorities across the four themes - Caring for our Sheep; Enhancing the Environment and Climate; Looking after our People, our Customers and the Community and Ensuring a Financially Resilient Industry.

Forestry Corporation of NSW is halfway through the delivery of 25,000 koala food tree seedlings to Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for their annual koala food tree giveaway program ... The seedlings were grown at Forestry Corporation’s Grafton nursery and have had an exceptional start with the perfect growing conditions and look extremely healthy and luscious, said Forestry Corporation’s Partnerships Leader, Sandra Madeley.

Emergency management teams are often required to work under considerable pressure and heavy workloads, during times of stress and fatigue. Researchers have developed two new tools that help support and enhance individual and team capabilities during emergencies.

Despite the global economic shocks like those produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural sectors and economies overall are better off when exposed to international trade, the latest ABARES research paper shows. The research report, Understanding effects of supply disruptions on globally and locally focused economies, examines the effects of exposure to the global market on supply chains, and the risks and shocks of this exposure.

Researchers at UniSA have developed a cost-effective technique that could deliver safe drinking water to millions of vulnerable people using cheap, sustainable materials and sunlight ... A team led by Associate Professor Haolan Xu has refined a technique to derive freshwater from seawater, brackish water, or contaminated water, through highly efficient solar evaporation, delivering enough daily fresh drinking water for a family of four from just one square metre of source water.

Innovative Australian food and agri startups have the opportunity to showcase their businesses on the world stage by applying for a spot on this year’s international FoodBytes! Pitch program. FoodBytes! is global agribusiness bank Rabobank’s food and agriculture innovation platform – designed to drive collaboration between startups, corporate leaders, investors and farmers as part of a major international program to help address food system challenges.