Media Release

Councils from across Western Queensland are calling on governments to do everything possible to ensure Rex Airlines continues to service its regional routes in Queensland. We are alarmed at the current situation and what this could mean for the vital service Rex flights provide for our remote and rural areas ... These flights are fundamental to residents in our part of the world, and we need these services to be maintained.

Overnight it was announced that Regional Express Holdings and a number of its subsidiaries have entered voluntary administration. Samuel Freeman, Justin Walsh and Adam Nikitins of Ernst & Young Australia (EY Australia) have been appointed Joint and Several Voluntary Administrators by the Rex Group’s respective Boards of Directors.  

Today RACV has released the results of its My Country Road survey, with more than 7,000 Victorians providing important data on the safety of regional roads across the state. Potholes and poor road condition were the top issues identified, with an overwhelming 64 per cent of participants identifying these as the primary safety issue; up from 46 per cent in 2021.

Port Pirie Regional Council is thrilled to announce that Port Pirie SALA Winter Festival 2024 is coming together beautifully, thanks to our generous sponsors ... The event promises an extraordinary celebration of arts and community spirit.

The festival is just over one week away! For those who haven't yet joined us, or perhaps are curious about what a day at Byron Writers Festival holds, we extend a warm invitation. Each year the Byron Writers Festival is where a community of readers and inquisitive minds gather.

The NFF Horticulture Council welcomes Prime Minister Albanese’s appointment of the Hon Julie Collins MP as the new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Small Business. Council Chair Jolyon Burnett said having a minister from a state where primary industries remained a significant contributor to the local economy should ensure a keener ear would be given to the needs of the sector.  

Land managers across the Murraylands and Riverland are invited to attend a free workshop to find how biochar can be used to improve soil health. The event will be held on-farm at Lameroo ... and include live demonstration of a biochar kiln, weather permitting. Operated by Maccy Biochar, the kiln will be used to burn organic, on-farm waste at a high temperature in a low oxygen environment.

The Territory Government and Mereenie and Palm Valley joint ventures have signed a six year gas supply deal commencing from 2025. The agreements will provide energy security to the Territory until the end of 2030 ... The Mereenie and Palm Valley Fields are the largest onshore gas production fields in the Territory and have been secure energy sources for over 40 years.

Rockhampton Regional Council and Advance Rockhampton are celebrating a fantastic weekend with thousands of people attending the 10th Annual Rockhampton River Festival.

Sea cucumbers, small marine animals found on the seafloor, are characterised by elongated, soft bodies and a leathery texture, resembling the shape of a cucumber. These cucumber-shaped animals are highly valued in some cultures, particularly in Asian cuisine, where they are often dried and consumed as a delicacy known as bêche-de-mer.

The Shark Bay World Heritage Site and the lagoons of Venice might seem like they are worlds apart, but Italian-Australian artist, Sabrina Dowling Giudici endeavours to show what unites these two unique regions in her latest glass-art collection SALTWATERS, which she is presenting at the prestigious The Venice Glass Week ... Glassmakers from all over the world will exhibit in the lagoon city...

The Sunshine Coast will soon be home to an Australia-first blue carbon project creating a thriving mangrove ecosystem, a healthier Maroochy River for everyone to enjoy and the potential for future income streams for landholders. The Australian Government’s Clean Energy Regulator has formally registered the nation’s first Blue Carbon project in the Sunshine Coast’s Blue Heart, on the lower Maroochy River floodplain, following a rigorous research and application process.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has welcomed the partnership between Agriculture Victoria and Halter in trialling the use of virtual fencing technology at the government’s Ellinbank Smartfarm. VFF President Emma Germano said the move was a forward step towards making the technology accessible to Victorian farmers.

Powerful, enlightening and entertaining,  My Cousin Frank  is a storytelling experience with one of Australia’s greatest artistic and cultural leaders, Rhoda Roberts AO. Join Rhoda in a special evening as she shares  tales of her first cousin Frank Roberts, a boxing champion who was the first Aboriginal Olympian.  

ABARES is about to embark on its annual farm survey program collecting data from hard working producers across Australia. The information collected each year is integral in supporting decision-making about the future of Australian agriculture.

Wild dogs, shortening daylight saving and improving the renewable energy rollout were just some of agriculture’s hot topics up for debate as NSW Farmers returned for the final day of its 2024 Annual Conference yesterday. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said while Australia needed strong farms to feed the future, the sector was facing a wide range of challenges that delegates were keen to address...

Understanding the "basics of emissions" is becoming increasingly important for Australia’s farmers as the sector faces growing expectations to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farm … In a new guide produced for its farming clients ... Rabobank says as large corporations – including food and agribusiness companies – become more active in managing climate impact across their full supply chain, this is expected to have increasing market access implications for farmers.

An operation to remove an estimated 20 tonne whale carcass from Greys Beach was successfully completed ... City of Greater Geraldton CEO Ross McKim said it was the most difficult removal the City has undertaken in more than a decade.

New research from the University of South Australia shows that the Australian seafood industry has become more resilient to food shocks – a good sign, with Australians eating more seafood now than ever before. Shocks are a sudden and dramatic loss in food production and can impact food security, as well as local industries and livelihoods.