News

Emma Pritchard. The delicious smell of sizzling sausages, fried eggs and fresh bread attracted a long queue of people to the 2GF and The Independent free breakfast in Grafton’s Market Square last week. One of the most popular events on the Jacaranda Festival program, the free breakfast is traditionally held on Jacaranda Thursday and serves plenty of community spirit, as well as yummy food.

Geoff Helisma. Last week, Clarence Valley Council (CVC) issued a media release stating that the Clarence Valley is amidst a building boom, based on development applications (DA) approved in the 2020/21 financial year. Clarence Valley Council’s director of environment and planning Adam Cameron said the upward trend had continued into the current financial year, with benefits being seen beyond the building industry.

Council recently hosted two timely disaster preparedness operations, firstly with the Local Disaster Management Group to test preparedness for potential flooding, and secondly with Community Disaster Volunteers from across the Scenic Rim.

Australian farmers are predicting the “magic combination” of high commodity prices, low interest rates and good seasonal conditions will continue in the year ahead – sustaining a continued high level of confidence across the sector.

Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and the NSW Rural Fire Service have released Australia’s most advanced model for predicting the speed and behaviour of eucalypt forest fires, helping to save lives and property during bushfires.

Allowing people to “safely” experience a raging bushfire from a 3D headset has exposed some harsh truths about Australians living in high-risk fire zones: most are woefully unprepared. By replicating a computer-generated bushfire using virtual reality, University of South Australia researchers studied the responses of 400 people in an Australian-first experiment, with some interesting results.

“This idea is so ludicrous, that when it was first floated locals didn’t take it seriously – they simply didn’t believe it was for real. Unfortunately, they now know how crazy and contemptuous it is, so much so that 4000 people have signed a petition to stop it happening,” Mrs McArthur said.

Victorian Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Martin Pakula congratulated Hanwha Defense Australia on its successful bid to deliver the Commonwealth’s LAND 8116 program in Victoria, strengthening the state’s defence capabilities and creating 300 highly skilled local jobs in design, engineering and manufacturing.

The Morrison Government has announced a $1 billion defence contract for new Self-Propelled Howitzers for the Australian Army has been awarded to Hanwha Defense Australia. The contract signing was witnessed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea. Based in Greater Geelong, the contract will procure Self-Propelled Howitzers and Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles, under the LAND 8116 Phase 1 project.

The Museum of the Riverina is showcasing the link between artists and regenerative farmers in a new exhibition at the Museum’s Historic Council Chambers site. Earth Canvas touring exhibition explores the creative experiences of both regenerative farmers and artists, their respective engagement with the land, and their vision for a healthier world.

Taxpayers will fund the costly relocation of unvaccinated teachers to Cape York over the school holidays, despite the fact they will be unable to work when students return in 2022 ... According to the Queensland Teachers’ Union, teachers and school staff, have until January 7 to provide the department with evidence that they have received at least the first dose.

Lieutenant Sebastian Jingle has become the first known Indigenous Australian from the western Cape to commission as an officer in the Australian Army Reserve. The proud Traditional Owner from the Yupangathi and Teppethiggi lands graduated in November through the Army Part-Time Officer Commissioning Program.

Jack Bradshaw. Exposing the hypocrisy of the WA government in banning sustainable timber harvesting in native forest but supporting the strip mining of the same forest.

The last consultation period on new Emissions Reduction Fund rules to enhance monitoring of pest and weed management in ERF projects and manage impacts on agricultural production and regional communities has opened. The rules will give the Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud, the power to prevent certain types of large ERF native vegetation projects ... from going ahead where there is evidence that the project would have an adverse impact on agricultural production or communities.

Carbon Count has announced that its flagship soil carbon project management software has concluded its beta testing phase and is now available to soil carbon project managers across the globe ... the Australian owned and designed SaaS platform streamlines the entire process of running a soil carbon project into a clear and simple workflow; facilitating the trade of soil carbon credits for agricultural consultancies and their landholder clients.

The Limestone Coast Food and Agribusiness was officially launched at Farmer’s Leap ... The Limestone Coast is SA's most diverse food and beverage producing region, the only region in SA that grows and processes meat (beef and lamb), dairy, horticulture and grapes within the region, generating $1,123m of agricultural output, 18% of the State’s agricultural production from 2% of SA’s geographic area.