Media Release

This week, 14 premium Tasmanian food and beverage producers will be showcased at the annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai. China is the largest import market in the world and remains Tasmania’s top export destination, valued at $1.35 billion per year.

The Tasmanian Government received a letter from Federal Labor Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, relating to potential action taken against salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour ... Premier Rockliff said any decision to halt operations by Tanya Plibersek would put 350+ jobs at risk in communities right across Tasmania.

Pests and weeds are costing farmers a combined $5.3 billion a year in both management and production loss ... ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the latest ABARES report, Cost of established pest animals and weeds to Australian agricultural producers, was an eye-opening reminder of the immense task of managing pests and weeds.

Renewed focus on weed biocontrol through a collaborative initiative is set to deliver benefits to land managers and the environment in the fight against weeds. The initial phase of implementing the National Weed Biocontrol Pipeline Strategy includes the drafting of a national priority list of candidate weeds for biological control.

Today’s Optus mass outage is a timely reminder as to why banks need to remain open in times of emergency, so people can access cash to pay for essentials, said Queensland LNP Senators Gerard Rennick and Matt Canavan. Senator Rennick said the outages affecting more than 10 million Australians brings the digital weakness into focus. “Unless people had cash on hand how many of our small businesses missed out on sales this morning?” Senator Rennick said.

“At the same time we have seen these shocking declines in volunteer numbers, without any genuine attempt to stem the flow, Labor governments have embarked on a land lock-up spree that has seen National Park size in Queensland increase from around 6.6 million ha in 2002 to more than 7 million ha in 2022 ... Then we have the Prime Minister running around the country saying he will protect 30 per cent of lands, meanwhile what is currently under lock and key are poorly-managed, ecological wastelands that raise the nation’s bushfire risk": Traeger MP Robbie Katter.

The critically endangered southern purple-spotted gudgeon will be reintroduced to River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari ... The gudgeons have been a missing part of the river system for over a century, and are being reintroduced to the Breakout Creek / Purruna Pari section, which has progressively been restored from an artificial channel to a more natural waterway.

This December, RADIANCE illuminates the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens ... Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor Tony Williams said RADIANCE is an event the whole family can enjoy as the Botanic Gardens awaken nightly with a spectacular Christmas-themed sound and light experience.

Scientists are developing a vaccine-like solution to arm Aussie citrus growers with an effective way to combat citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a significant challenge for the Australian citrus industry ... The impact of CTV on citrus crops can vary from no effect to 100 per cent tree death, depending on the variant.

Despite low mouse activity reported around Australia, grain growers are being asked to remain vigilant and harvest cleanly to enhance future baiting effectiveness and increase on-farm profitability. Leading mouse experts recently spoke at the National Mouse Group Meeting supported by Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investment, where the link between harvest losses and baiting effectiveness was discussed.

Proving age is no barrier regarding charitable acts, Lachlan Baker, in Year 6 at Trinity Anglican School (TAS) Kewarra Beach campus hosted a dinner and trivia event, raising $1255 for local charity COUCH. Lachlan tells ARR.News about his first, and very successful, fundraising experience.

"Our connected solution, PestConnect, collates and analyses emerging trends through millions of data points crunched by machine learning algorithms, identifying patterns and correlations that human observation alone might miss, which enables us to map and predict pest activity more effectively and then control pest activity sustainably": Andrew Stone, Rentokil Initial MD.

Eighteen Aboriginal leaders from across the Territory addressed the highest level of Government at a special Cabinet meeting ... The Aboriginal leaders, eight women and ten men, offered advice and guidance on policies, projects and initiatives that impact on Aboriginal Territorians and remote communities.

Opportunities for young people in rural communities to gain training and practical skills to make them more employable have been increased as a result of the Queensland Government’s Western Queensland Regional Community Forum, which meets for the last time for 2023 at Longreach.

Surf Life Saving NSW’s flagship educational program,  Beach to Bush, has hit the road again for 2023, with nearly 50 volunteer lifesavers heading inland to promote surf safety to primary school students across regional and rural NSW ... more than 11,000 students will attend an  Ingenia Holiday Parks Beach to Bush  session...

Spaghetti Circus have been on a very special tour. As part of the company’s outreach program their Junior Performance Troupe performed in five pre-schools and four aged care facilities across the Byron Shire last week to foster connection and joy across generations.

The third $10,000 red-tagged barra of Million Dollar Fish Season 9 has been caught just five weeks into the season. The season runs from 1 October 2023 until 31 March 2024 ... This season someone is guaranteed to win a million dollars.  

AEGIC’s oat noodles and oat ‘rice’ are destined for supermarket shelves, with a Western Australian based company set to begin producing the innovative foods. AEGIC’s oat scientists developed manufacturing processes for 100% whole grain noodles and a ‘rice’ product that can be eaten like regular rice.

A potential new non-lethal and ethical approach to control invasive mammal pests was showcased at a briefing held at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide ... Hosted by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions and the University of Adelaide, the briefing introduced guests to a world-first breakthrough in gene drive technology.

BirdLife Australia, leaders for bird conservation in Australia, reveal the preliminary results for the Aussie Bird Count. With more than 420,000 counted, the colourful Rainbow Lorikeet once again comes out on top, beating the Noisy Miner with nearly 220,000 and the iconic Australian Magpie with around 154,000 counted.