Media Release

Today many in the Euroa community are celebrating a win for all who value the heritage and the broader history of their town.  Just as importantly the Euroa Community has again proven the strength of a strong community voice in dealing with a large uncaring corporation.  

MacDonnell Regional Council township of Ntaria (Hermannsburg) has won the 2023 Northern Territory Sustainable Community Tidy Town accolade announced in Katherine ... where multiple remote Territory communities were recognised for their efforts in improving the wellbeing of their homes.

Meeting in London, Global Sugar Alliance members celebrated the sugarcane industry’s positive contribution to sustainable global food and energy security, acknowledged the role of ethanol, derived from sugarcane, as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels  and renewed their call for all countries to fix the World Trade Organization (WTO).

NSW Farmers is aware that there has been a detection of Red Imported Fire Ants in South Murwillumbah. This incursion is a threat to agricultural production and to the landscape of NSW ... Authorities must act quickly to eradicate this population of Red Imported Fire Ants.

The Albanese Government and Australian Greens have agreed to strengthen the Restoring Our Rivers Bill ... “We’re talking about the largest inland river system in Australia, supporting threatened plants and animals and delivering drinking water for 3 million Australians. We have to get this right": Plibersek ... “As part of this agreement, the Greens have secured an independent audit of water in the basin to stop the rorts, inject integrity and restore trust after a decade of mismanagement from vested interests": Hanson-Young.

A proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) project that would see liquified carbon dioxide injected into a water producing aquifer (the Precipice Sandstone) within the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) has industry and community alarm bells ringing, not only in Queensland, but across the nation.

Southern hemisphere beef-producing nations – including Australia – are continuing to increase production volumes, despite a global trend of production decline, Rabobank says in its recently-released Q4 Global Beef Quarterly report ... "we forecast that 2024 will play out in a similar fashion": Rabobank.

The state’s largest farming organisation is warning government against introducing more red tape for farmers with a new review into stock and domestic water rights getting underway.

Construction on Australia’s newest major water infrastructure asset is now complete. The $568.9 million Rookwood Weir, west of Rockhampton, will yield 86,000 megalitres each year to boost economic growth, agricultural production and industry in Central Queensland.

GrainGrowers has welcomed the Federal Government's commitment to increase the Roads to Recovery funding program ... GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said last year’s repeated flood events and persistent and unprecedented rainfall has deteriorated critical road infrastructure across Australia’s grain-growing regions and exacerbated systemic underfunding of the regional road network.  

The National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed news the Federal Government will double the Roads to Recovery funding program, providing a much needed shot in the arm to dilapidated regional roads ... NFF President David Jochinke said this increased funding would provide key resources to local government to maintain local road networks.  

A renewables future is one step closer for the Tiwi Islands, with construction underway at the Wurrumiyanga Solar Infill and Energy Storage Pilot Project. Wurrumiyanga is home to over 2000 people, and soon it will be powered by 50 per cent renewable energy.

A new research project by AgriFutures Australia and the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) is set to examine the wild-harvest buffalo supply chain in the Northern Territory (NT). The first-of-its-kind project … aims to identify the barriers and potential opportunities to ensure the industry’s sustainable growth.

A $10.4 million industry with 275,000 mature trees the potential of pomegranates is largely untapped. AgriFutures Australia has funded the latest literature review and industry consultation into the sector, captured in the newly released  Australian Pomegranate Management Guide.

Australian chickpea, dairy and lamb prices recorded notable increases in October, partially offsetting the downward pressure on the NAB Rural Commodities Index* from declining cattle prices ... NAB’s November Rural Commodities Wrap reports the Index fell 1.8 per cent in October...

Nearly 3,000 students across Queensland and Northern NSW are enrolled in this years’ Beyond the Broncos program, an initiative of the Brisbane Broncos to inspire, empower and assist with educational opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students ... Sarah Dodd, Beyond the Broncos Student Support Officer at Dalby State High School, is proud to provide emotional and academic support within a culturally safe space in the school.

The latest livestock products data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that Australia has entered a destocking phase for cattle and sheep, according to MLA ... Mr Bignell said the latest ABS statistics for the September quarter showed a 5.7 percent increase in red meat production, with cattle slaughter increased by 10.5 per cent to 1.9 million head…

The decision by the European Union to extend approval for the use of glyphosate is welcome news for Australian farmers.  GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said the decision followed an earlier assessment by the European Food Safety Authority that found no critical areas of concern.  

A collaborative research project led by Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie has the potential to improve the health and care services for people living with Parkinson’s disease in rural, regional, and remote Australia ... Parkinson’s disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder globally, after Alzheimer’s disease...

This story of a 72-year-old widow, who has spent the last six years entangled in a bureaucratic nightmare with two local councils – Mitchell Shire Council and Yarra Ranges Shire Council – serves as a reminder to all councils of why the most basic hallmarks of good complaint handling are important, says Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass.