Media Release

The Miles Labor Government is backing Central Queensland’s sustainable future by investing in a new gas-to-electricity power project that will reduce mining emissions by more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide. The project will expand the underground mine’s drainage system to capture more fugitive gas, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) is this month celebrating 60-years of service from its Mount Isa base. Established in 1964, the Mount Isa Base covers a waiting room of more than 800,000 square kilometres, connecting the residents of this significant north-west Queensland region to leading, and often lifesaving, health services ... ARR.News found out more from RFDS Mount Isa Base Support Manager, Ducky Jeacocke.

Today, we are pleased to announce negotiations on the Australia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have concluded. The UAE is an important partner, and Australia's largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East with two-way trade worth $9.9 billion in 2023.

Despite a good start, Australian table grape exports have declined for the 2024 season, off the back of lower demand from China, which has been consistently decreasing its imports, according to new industry research. In its just-released Table Grape Update 2024, agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank said Australian exports of table grapes were down 19 per cent for the 2024 season.

Number 8 Bio has successfully raised $7 million in its seed round, marking a significant milestone in its mission to dramatically reduce methane emissions in the livestock sector. ARR.News asked some questions of Dr Tom Williams, CEO and Co-Founder of Number 8 about 90 per cent reductions in stock emissions and, goodness, even carbon negative cattle.

An independent audit into the Federal Government’s compliance with the Basin Plan 2012 and water resource plans has exposed significant shortcomings in its systems and processes, according to the National Farmers’ Federation. NFF Water Committee Chair Malcolm Holm said the audit into the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water's (DCCEEW) confirmed concerns about the Government’s ability to manage Basin resources effectively.

Bumble bees in Tasmania are being geared up with micro radio transmitters and cameras to help scientists uncover their environmental impact and crucial role in crop pollination. Delivered through Hort Innovation’s Frontiers investment program and led by Western Sydney University, the $3.3M initiative will produce a comprehensive large-scale study of the Buff-tailed Bumble bee.

Confidence has returned to Australia’s farming sector following a mid-year dip in sentiment, as more favourable livestock markets and beneficial rain in some cropping areas fuel renewed optimism. The quarter three Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey ... found sentiment among the country’s agricultural producers had rallied heading into spring, although farm sector confidence remained just shy of net ‘positive’ levels...

GrainGrowers has made it easier for growers to understand greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the release of a report today that compares available carbon calculators.  GrainGrowers’ General Manager Major Projects and Thought Leadership, Sarah Hyland, said the report was designed to improve carbon literacy among grain growers.  

Australia's most promising  paraders  of dairy cattle have been announced by Agricultural Shows Australia as eligible to compete in the national finals of the prestigious annual competition to be judged this month at Melbourne Royal Show. The winner of the dairy cattle young  paraders  competition will be determined by who has best prepared, presented and paraded their animal before a judge.

The State Government will invest $250,000, in partnership with the South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) to launch a new forest and timber industries career campaign, titled ‘This Is Wood Work’. Wood Work is a powerful tool promoting the broad diversity of career pathways and job options within the forest and timber industries...

Leaders from eleven community groups across Australia have shared their stories about the projects their communities embarked on in the depths of the drought that affected so much of Australia over the last decade. The stories can be heard on FRRR’s new Tackling Tough Times Together podcast.

The live export of dairy heifers – particularly to China – has been a lucrative market for Australian dairy farmers in recent years, offering significant trade opportunities and attractive prices for dairy cattle. But with Chinese demand for dairy heifers waning … and trade risks around Australia’s live export policy, the future prospects for the sector are far less certain, according to a new industry report by Rabobank.

The Global Methane Budget 2024 ... highlights methane emissions from human activities have increased by 20 per cent in the past two decades.  Methane is one of three core greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. It lasts in the atmosphere for just a few decades, which is shorter when compared to its counterparts, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.

Phillip Island is revving up for an action-packed month of October, packed with marquee events across Bass Coast, including the  Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island, the  Tour of Gippsland, the  Australian SUP Titles, and the headlining MotoGPâ„¢ ... The  MotoGPâ„¢ Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2024  will once again bring tens of thousands of fans to the island for three exhilarating days of racing, live music, and family-friendly entertainment.

Rural Bank’s Australian Agricultural Exports Report 2023/24 has found that the value of Australian agricultural exports fell by -8.5 per cent to $72.4 billion or $6.7 billion lower than the record high achieved in 2022/23. States with large cropping industries saw the most significant declines, with Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia most impacted by the dip in this sector.

Today more than 2,000 farmers and their supporters stood on the lawns in front of Parliament House in Canberra to send a powerful message to the people who determine the policies that impact farmers’ livelihoods. They told them, farmers do not feel like they're being listened to, that their voices are being drowned out by activists with anti-farming agendas ... "there is a very simple thing we have to say: No farmers, no food": David Jochinke, NFF President.

Australia’s most trusted rural charity has thrown its support behind the National Farmer Rally in Canberra today (Tuesday, September 10) to stand up for the future of agriculture. Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said ... the National Farmer Rally will highlight the many challenges farmers face on a daily basis.

Tweed-based Wiradjuri artist  Hannah Lange has been awarded the top prize in the 2024 Wollumbin Art Award (WAA) with a stunning painting paying tribute to traditional First Nations weaving entitled Weaving by the River. The artist also wins a two-week residency at the Gallery’s Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio.

Construction of a flood protection levee along Gunbower Parade at Koondrook will occur after Gannawarra Shire Council successfully received Federal Government funding. The National Emergency Management Agency announced in late August that the Federal Government would invest $851,774 in the project, which is the first in a series of planned stages to construct a levee network to mitigate the risk of riverine flooding in the Koondrook township.

Greater Shepparton City Council, in partnership with the Victorian State Government and FReezA, is excited to announce a BMX, skate, and scoot competition and art workshop as part of Greater Shepparton Youth Fest 2024. These events will take place on Sunday 29 September 2024 at the Shepparton Skate Park.