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The Murray–Darling Basin Authority’s 2025 assurance report on the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism (SDLAM) has found that significant work remains to deliver a number of outstanding SDLAM projects, and many projects will not be delivered in time or at all. The SDLAM has a strict deadline of 31 December 2026 under the Basin Plan, and for any projects to be counted they must be complete and operational.

The Victorian Farmers Federation has welcomed the Victorian Government’s decision to freeze the Emergency Services Volunteer Levy for a further 2 years and increase the property value threshold for volunteer exemptions from $5m to $10m.

Gippsland Critical Minerals (GCM) will commence work on its Mining and Rehabilitation Demonstration Pit (MRDP) in early 2026 with the workplan formally approved by Resources Victoria, marking an important step forward in progressing the redesigned project ... “It is exciting to get the go ahead to commence this work which will give the community some real insight into our mining methods and how the project has changed”: GCM CEO Michelle Wood.

Allora’s Wikner Ford Special is on the highway heading south to Maroubra – not to surf but to be a headline act at huge celebrations ... The Vintage Car Club of Australia is celebrating the Centenary of the opening event at the infamous Maroubra Olympic Speedway in 1925. Of that initial event only one racing car remains as it raced that day, Doug’s Wikner Ford Special.

Quill. Tuesday's mid-week meeting at Donald and District Race Club was one that reminded me of the perks of my job as the local race reporter; what a glorious day ... There was a buzz of excitement around the grounds with Harry Coffey's win total sitting at 997 prior to the first of his eight races on the day.

The owner-operator of the Union Hill Gold Mine and nearby gold processing plant, Kaiser Reef Ltd, held an information session for Maldon residents ... to advise of current and future works planned for its Maldon sites. ... Kaiser Reef Ltd, which is listed on the ASX, has operated in Maldon since 2021 after an acquisition agreement with Golden River Resources Pty Ltd.

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The Cook Government’s demersal “reform” package is not fisheries management. It’s fishing for votes at the expense of the two and a half million West Aussies who never step onto a sports-fishing boat loaded with the latest eco sounders. And, like most of this Government’s environmental crusades, the rhetoric is heroic, the delivery is sloppy, and the consequences fall squarely on the people who don’t have a big boat parked in their driveway.

The Department of Health has confirmed the first detection of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in mosquitoes for the 2025–26 season. The virus was found in a mosquito trap in the Horsham Rural City Council area, as part of Victoria's Arbovirus Disease Control Program.

WFI Insurance today shared concerning rural crime statistics in conjunction with the University of New England Centre for Rural Criminology, revealing 90 per cent of NSW farmers have experienced crime on farms, with around 30 per cent victimised 7 or more times. The crime statistics from UNE’s National Rural Crime Survey were highlighted on a special WFI rural crime podcast which aims to help farmers reduce their risk of being targeted by criminals.

Terry Collins. It's been a huge week for Gosford, with the opening of the long-awaited Archibald Precinct on the site of the former Union Hotel and a hugely successful open day at the new Gosford campus of The University of Newcastle, which is set to open next year. Business NSW Central Coast Regional Director Scott Goold said with more major developments in the CBD well underway, the longed-for reactivation of the regional capital was finally becoming a reality.

The Horse Riding Clubs Association of Victoria (HRCAV) staged its annual awards on 15 November in Melbourne, celebrating standout achievements from the 2024–25 competition season. Among the evening's major honours was the Level 2 Overall Champion Rider award, claimed by Narrandera Adult Riding president and founding member, NSW competitor Erin Anderson and her horse "Adventures of Grand Rock".

An early morning storm combined with less promotion than in previous years probably contributed to the smaller crowd of spectators at the Greenmount Billycart Challenge on Saturday but the enthusiasm of the competitors was as strong as ever. 

Snowy Hydro continues to strengthen its critical role underpinning reliability while enabling Australia's renewable energy transition with the signing of major energy contracts with Aula Energy and TagEnergy, securing new capacity in wind generation and grid-scale battery storage. The long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Aula Energy will see Snowy Hydro procure 120MW of renewable energy from the Carmody's Hill Wind Farm in South Australia.

Gus van Hart. For Kerang operator Michael Sommerville, a four-day visit to Samoa in November showed how a small, family-run business in northern Victoria could build deep ties with Pacific workers and end up advising the nation's Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Fuimaono Maiava Tito Asafo.

Will social media still exist? Will mobile phones still be hand-held? Does anyone carry cash? Will people be catching fast trains from Maroochydore to Brisbane? What did the world make of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games? The best ever? A snapshot of life on the Sunshine Coast in 2025 is captured in time - to be revealed in 25 years - when a time capsule will be re-opened.

Major-brand supermarkets and fuel retailers in bankless towns could be eligible for exemptions from the Federal Government’s proposed cash mandate regulations under exceptional circumstances provisions, an official from Treasury confirmed today during Senate Estimates hearings. The information was obtained by WA Senator Tyron Whitten in a series of questions about regional banking services.

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