Media Release

A dangerous incident at the Lakes Creek Road Waste Management Facility last week has reignited the importance of proper battery disposal. While loading household recyclables on a truck bound for the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), a lithium-ion battery ignited within the load.

BeeHero's updated sensing solution, already in use worldwide, enables first-of-its-kind, high resolution heat mapping of bee activity, and features improved sensing and pollinator monitoring capabilities that enable predictive models for pollination success. ARR.News found out more about PIP 2.0 from Yuval Regev, Co-founder and CTO of BeeHero.

The Senate’s Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Reference Committee ... called for a delay in the shutdown of Telstra and Optus’ 3G networks until more is done to work out how many devices could be impacted by the shutdown (including non-phone devices). The committee has heard from a variety of different stakeholders about the impact the shutdown will have on devices that hadn’t been considered when the decision was made, including medical devices, emergency phones in elevators, and even surveying equipment.

Forestry Corporation firefighters on the North Coast are preparing for the bushfire season refreshing skills and planning for the fire season they will face in spring and summer ... North Coast and Far North Coast firefighters have attended preseason fire days near Grafton for training refreshers on equipment, fireground procedure, command, control, communications and safety.

Increases in the price of wheat and lamb helped lift the NAB Rural Commodities Index* for the third consecutive month, rising by 0.4 per cent in June. NAB’s July Rural Commodities Wrap … reports while the wheat price rally slowed in June, prices continued to rise, increasing 3.5 per cent on average over the month.

Forestry Australia is leading an Australian initiative to expand Australia’s carbon credits across all native forest tenures, including State forests, private native forests, forests managed by Traditional Owners, national parks and conservation reserves. The Forestry Australia  ‘Enhancing Native Forest Resilience’  proposal is a forest-sector-led submission to the Australian Government’s Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee EOI process for Australian Carbon Credits Units (ACCU) Scheme methods.

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...