CATEGORY

News

Rain and volunteers brighten the week

...Pictured is one of Kathy Koop’s amazing sunrises, captured during the week. National Volunteer Week is being celebrated this week, with the 2026 theme, Your Year To Volunteer.

Volunteers take the spotlight in Hindmarsh

National Volunteer Week will be celebrated across Hindmarsh Shire from 18 to 24 May, with a series of local activities recognising the people who give their time, skills and energy to the community. This year’s theme, Your Year to Volunteer, encourages people to think about the role volunteering plays in building connection, purpose and stronger communities.

Boy and Bear to headline The Reef Trail across two epic concerts: QMF

Turquoise waters, wide open skies and live music in unexpected locations define one of Queensland’s most striking regional music experiences as Qld Music Trails arrives in the Whitsundays with The Reef Trail.

Fingerboards mine proposal triggers nuclear action provisions: Mine Free Glenaladale

Robyn Grant from Mine Free Glenaladale said, “There was some disappointment in the community that the Minister did not reject this proposal outright, because of the serious environmental impacts it poses to Matters of National Environmental Significance in the region."

Murray Pioneer, 20 May 2026

Out now! Subscribe here!

The Naracoorte News, 20 May 2026

Out now!Buy here! I Subscribe here!

Labor’s inadequate bushfire housing response far too late and too little says Lovell

Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has slammed the Allan Labor Government for the unacceptable delay in providing housing support for people affected by the 2025-26 summer bushfires. Ms Lovell spoke in parliament last week to demand that the Minister for Natural Disaster Recovery take immediate action to provide proper housing support to those affected by the fires.

The 2025 Animal Health in Australia Annual Report and System Report (Second Edition) are out now: AHiA

The Animal Health in Australia (AHiA) Annual Report 2025 and the Animal Health in Australia System Report (Second Edition) are now available.

Further streamlining and strengthening the foreign investment framework: Chalmers

This second round of foreign investment reforms is all about making more improvements so the regime is much stronger where risks are high and much faster where risks are low ... These reforms will increase certainty for investors and will lead to faster and fewer approvals, reduced regulatory burden, and improved tools to address high-risk investment. 

Northern Territory strengthens investment ties with Taiwan: Cahill

As part of the Finocchiaro CLP Government’s year of Growth, Certainty and Security, Minister for Trade, Business and Asian Relations Robyn Cahill is leading a targeted government delegation to Taiwan this week, advancing the Territory’s position as a trusted and competitive partner for one of our most important trading partners.

Queensland’s Fuel Security Plan – Crisafulli Government puts Queensland’s fuel security and energy plan on the global agenda: Last

The Crisafulli Government will detail its energy and fuel security plan to an international audience, with Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last travelling to Adelaide this week for the Australian Energy Producers Conference. The Australian Energy Producers Conference and Exhibition is one of the country’s premier energy forums...

Cook Labor Government delays Albany gas decommissioning: Sanderson, Whitby

Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has secured a delay to the decommissioning of the Albany Gas Distribution System, giving the community more time to navigate the transition. Provider ATCO has decided to exit the market in Albany, with the three-year decommissioning process originally set to begin in the second half of 2026.

Opening trade balance set for Barmah Narrows in 2026–27: MDBA

The Barmah Narrows trade provision will start the 2026–27 water year with around 24 gigalitres (GL) available for downstream trade. A restriction on the trade of water downstream of The Narrows (previously referred to as the Barmah Choke) has been active since 2014 to protect water delivery to existing entitlement holders and to maintain the local river environment.

Win for grain producers in mouse plague fight: GPA

Grain Producers Australia (GPA) has secured a national emergency permit allowing grain growers to access stronger mouse bait as significant mouse numbers plague several states. Australian grain growers have been desperately calling for permits to access stronger mouse bait to tackle the growing problem, with the standard available bait proving inadequate. 

YP IT business named Australia’s best

For Pit Stop Technologies founder Plato Lagoudakis, the win still feels a little surreal. "Starting a business in a country town comes with its share of pressures and doubts. Being recognised on a national stage tells us we got it right, by staying true to who we are and where we're from."

AI rewriting history – don’t get me started

Harry Gumboot. It was ANZAC Day when the algorithm suggested I watch an AI generated documentary on Australian troops in Vietnam. It concerned the way Diggers had a far better success rate in the jungle than the Yanks*, due to factors that included moving slowly, using hand signals rather than speech, and failing to use aftershave (sic). Pretty basic stuff if you want to avoid alerting the enemy. The thing that irked me was the diggers appeared to be wearing WWI vintage French helmets.

Good vibes at Mardigrass26

Michael Balderstone. There was a good vibe at MardiGrass everyone agreed, but what does that mean? People were smiling, there were no altercations, or very few, people were happy, and even the police agreed it was a "good vibe". The vibe of thousands of people getting high together, that's what it was.

SYP Show pauses to plan future

Ned Thomas. The Southern Yorke Peninsula Show will pause in 2026 as organisers restructure the growing event behind the scenes and prepare for a more sustainable future. After several years of rapid expansion following the show's 2022 rebrand, SYP Agricultural Society president Kristy May said the workload had become too large for a small volunteer committee to manage sustainably.

All categories