News

Geoff Helisma. Everyone loves a success story, especially if it’s someone they’ve known or with whom they’ve brushed elbows - the Lower Clarence’s Ry X, who is on the cover of the June 17 French Rolling Stone magazine, is one of those success stories and, potentially, he might soon become a global name on the lips of music lovers, as well as makers and shakers clamouring for a piece of the action.

“Comparing soil health in sugarcane growing districts to soil health in pasture, horticulture and cropping regions shows just how unique those sugarcane soil systems are. Many cane growers may not have measured their soil health before but with commodity prices remaining strong in this regulated market, we’re seeing cane growers becoming increasingly interested in soil health" : Rob Dwyer, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers agronomist.

Geoff Helisma. The NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (Aboriginal Land) 2019 aims “to provide for development delivery plans for areas of land owned by local Aboriginal land councils [LALC]” and “to declare specified development carried out on land owned by LALCs to be regionally significant development” - last Saturday June 25 the Yaegl Traditional Owners Corporation (YTOC) held a gathering at Hickey Island to recognise and promote another step towards self determination.

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Moves by governments to restrict exports only exacerbate price rises and increase food insecurity, according to the latest Insights report from ABARES. Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said there were lessons to be learnt from the 2007-08 food crisis.

Maintaining the state’s transport network will be safer, less disruptive and more cost effective, thanks to new cutting edge drone technology ... Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said Transport for NSW is the first government agency in Australia to secure the next generation technology as part of its first dedicated bridge drone inspection program that will revolutionise how assets are maintained across the network.

Sunraysia is about to play host to the region’s largest annual event, the Hattah Desert Race, attracting competitors and support crews from the length and breadth of the country ... “The Hattah Desert Race is an absolute juggernaut in terms of major events, this year attracting 465 senior riders and 360 juniors that’s well over 800 in total,” Cr Eckel said.

Mithaka traditional owner Joshua Gorringe said the freehold ownership of about 97 hectares of land in Betoota, about 140km east of Birdsville, would be an important base for future generations ... Resources Minister Scott Stewart said the Queensland Government had transferred more than 6.24 million hectares of land under Queensland’s Aboriginal Land Act and Torres Strait Islander Land Act.

Tom Zaunmayr, National Indigenous Times. When  Jingili Elder Pompey Raymond reflects on the Northern Territory’s oil and gas industry, he sees careers for young people, education, community infrastructure and a pathway to protect his country. A senior ceremony man born on Beetaloo Station, Mr Raymond believes the debate around industry is often hijacked by those who should not be speaking for the region.

Landcare Australia has announced the 2022 National Landcare Conference is going bigger and better than ever ... The 2022 conference will feature the latest from experts on environmental and climate action, cultural land management, sustainable farming, emerging environmental markets, and much more.

A campaign has been launched to make an iconic Cape York bird the face of the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. The endangered palm cockatoo has been nominated by Birds Queensland as the mascot of the 2032 Games.

Member for Cook Cynthia Lui says she is thrilled that Cape York received its fair share in the 2022-23 state budget ... “In this year’s budget we are making record investments in health, education, jobs, renewables, and community services like police, fire and emergency services,” Ms Lui said.

Cape York Peninsula’s biggest annual event, the Laura rodeo and races, roared back to life over the weekend. The tiny town of Laura, with a normal population of 200, swelled to around 3000 as thousands came from far and wide to be a part of what was once an annual event.

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The Gallery is very excited to be participating in the national tour of Patricia Piccinini’s  Skywhales  by hosting a Ballarat launch of these enormous floating sculptures on Saturday 9 July at sunrise. We recently announced that the venue for the launch will be Ballarat’s historic Eastern Oval.

In episodes 5  and 6  from the second season of the award winning short radio and podcast series  From the Embers,  we check in with two different communities on their resilience journeys. Episode 5, 'Right Fire Wrong Fire'  goes to the  South Coast of NSW where  the mega fires of 2019/20 destroyed 1.5m hectares of Yuin Country, killing countless animals, plants, and insect species.

Australia and England will play for a new trophy when the two nations face off in next month’s eToro England Series; the Ella-Mobbs Cup named after two iconic Rugby figures from each nation. Mark Ella is a Wallabies legend. The first indigenous Captain of the Wallabies, the Fly Half is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted players in Australian Rugby history.  

I reckon the Monty Python team would have been jealous of the creative genius behind NSW’s Koala Strategy. It would be hilarious except for the $200 million price tag to save an irruptive species which is in much greater numbers across a much wider area than before the European ‘invasion’. Apart from Strzelecki, no explorer saw any koalas because they didn’t live in the grassy valleys occupied by Aborigines and sought by pastoralists.

A $600,000 investment to support an Aboriginal koala habitat conservation project is being delivered as one of the first actions in the NSW Koala Strategy. Minister for Environment James Griffin said the project with the Gumbaynggirr community applies cultural lessons from traditional owners. “The traditional custodians of this land intrinsically understand how to care for their Country,” Mr Griffin said ... ARR.News has some questions for the Minister.

A statewide emergency order has been issued to control the movement of bees across NSW and stop the spread of varroa mite ... “After the first detection of varroa mite at the Port of Newcastle on Friday, DPI is investigating potentially contaminated hives outside the initial 50 kilometre biosecurity zone,” Minister Saunders said.

Archaeologists are assessing a railway turntable unearthed near the Beaudesert Railway Station during works as part of the Town Centre Revitalisation project. The exact location and condition of the turntable could not be determined by Council prior to works commencing for the Beaudesert Town Centre Revitalisation project.