Media Release

High-tech sensors which can predict and detect fires and clean energy solutions for bush fire-affected communities are among five innovative ideas being piloted under a landmark NSW Government research and development (R&D) program. Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology Alister Henskens said the Bushfire Technology Pilots Program, a total of $6 million over four years, will support trials of field-ready bush fire technology developed by NSW businesses.

After several years testing equipment for companies in a range of industries, from fabrication and chemical plants to aviation, Dirk De Beer used his redundancy payment to settle in Kalgoorlie and realise his dream of owning his own business. A 28 year-old single man, Mr De Beer set up a desk in his home garage and invested in tools and a converted telecoms service ute.

A tour guide, hotel concierge and bar attendant are among the working holiday makers to secure jobs after jetting Down Under as part of the South Australian Tourism Commission’s ‘£10 flight’ campaign. Launched in April, the campaign attracted global attention as it offered young travellers in the United Kingdom and Ireland return flights to Adelaide for just £10...

The community of Lord Howe Island is now better prepared for emergencies and natural disasters following the installation of backup NBN Sky Muster satellite services at the Lord Howe Island State Emergency Service unit ... The satellite will mean that services are more resilient during natural disasters.

The Victorian Labor Government’s promise of jobs with a transition from native forests to plantation forests, announced last week, does not add up, said Forest & Wood Communities Australia (FWCA). As it takes at least 15 years for trees to grow to the minimum harvest age, and the government plans to end native forestry in eight years, timber towns face ruin, with Orbost set to lose 37% of its full-time jobs.

The new gallery, Djaa Djuwima, which means to ‘show, share Country’, will become a permanent branded space at the Bendigo Visitor Centre. Djaa Djuwima is an exciting and important cultural step in reconciliation, to better understand, recognise and respect the living culture and creativity of our Traditional Custodians of the land.

Finance Sector Union national secretary Julia Angrisano said the union is calling on the Federal Government to inquire into the provision of local banking services, particularly in regional areas and supported calls for a moratorium on regional bank closures.

Tweed Shire Council is urging Tweed River floodplain landowners to seek Council assistance in projects that can improve water quality, after recent testing detected acid-affected water in the river and red spot disease in local fish ... Recent testing has indicated acid sulfate soil (ASS)-related runoff from floodplain drains is affecting water quality in the Tweed River, with indications this is severely impacting fish health.

Rex said it had bold plans to grow and transform its latest acquisition into Australia’s premier Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) operator and signalled a major expansion into Queensland and the Northern Territory. This follows the completion of the purchase of National Jet Express (NJE), the Regional Services arm of Cobham Aviation Services Australia, focusing on FIFO activities.

Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney has announced the Labor Government is investing $120 million – the single largest investment in plantation establishment in the state’s history – in an agreement with Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP), planting an extra 16 million trees in a new estate.

The Regional Banking Taskforce came together for meetings in Sydney, Orange, Mildura and Canberra to hear and discuss how bank branch closures have impacted individuals and regional communities, and to work collaboratively to identify possible solutions ... The Taskforce’s final report made 7 recommendations ...

Sustainable land management in Western Australia has been boosted by a ground-breaking initiative that has more accurately calculated the extent of salinity in the agricultural region to support new approaches to conserving natural assets and agricultural productivity. The 'Mapping salt-affected land in the South-West of Western Australia using satellite remote sensing' report by the national science agency, CSIRO, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) was released at a forum in Perth.

The Albanese Government welcomes the Council of Financial Regulators’ paper on potential policy responses to address the problem of de-banking in Australia. De-banking, where a bank declines to offer or withdraws banking services to a customer, can have a devastating impact on businesses and individuals. It can also put a handbrake on competition and innovation in emerging sectors of the economy.

South Australian pastoralists inside the Dog Fence will continue to benefit from the services of wild dog trappers, with funding for the trapper program guaranteed for the next four years ... The wild dog trapping program is open to landowners or managers inside the Dog Fence who have baited and still experience impacts from wild dog attacks.

The impact of a series of major landslips caused by recent weather events has been assessed with a dozen Sunshine Coast roads now facing significant repairs. Heavy rain hit the region between February and May with the worst affected areas being Bald Knob, Wootha (west of Maleny), Glenview, Eudlo, Coolum, Peachester, Montville and Towen Mountain.

World Cassowary Day has arrived at a significant moment for the Ipima Ikaya Traditional Owner clans with the news that at least 10 Wadthuuny (cassowaries) have been discovered living on their Country in the remote section of the Cape York Northern Area Peninsula. The findings are part of the first formal Wadthuuny survey to be conducted on Gudang Yadhaykenu Country in the Ussher Point section of the newly renamed Apudthama National Park.

Commodity markets are pondering the risk of a recession, especially in the EU-27+UK, where inflation and monetary tightening are combining with a looming winter energy crisis. A recession could weaken the demand side for a number of energy and luxury commodities.

The report highlights the complexities of water management and notes that each Basin government holds information about rules, entitlements, allocations, and environmental water - there is no single source of information. This is something the Inspector-General has noticed as part of a trend, with states operating under their individual jurisdictional powers.

NSW Minister for Environment James Griffin said the landmark program is restoring koala habitat on private land, increasing biodiversity and providing an additional revenue stream for landholders through carbon farming ... ARR.News has asked a question of the Minister.

The NSW Government has launched two new groundbreaking projects to encourage landholders and farmers to invest in sustainable timber production as part of their land management practices. The Forest Stewardship Program and Farm Forestry Certification Pilot are the first of their kind in Australia and mark a new era in sustainably managed forestry on private land in NSW.

Farmers and landholders in the Riverina are having their say on Inland Rail, according to NSW Farmers. NSW Farmers Treasurer and Inland Rail Taskforce chair Peter Wilson said there must be benefit for landowners and the broader farming community if railway lines were to cut properties in half.