NSW

On Thursday 15 January 2026, the Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt, announced the Federal Government's decision to list the Lower Murray River System as being of Critically Endangered conservation status pursuant to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth). Minister Watt's statement together with early statements from National Farmers' Federation and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW demonstrate some of the points of difference over this contentious decision.

Members of the public have rescued two swimmers struggling in a rip in the Illawarra on Monday night, with the help of a rescue tube affixed to the Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) Emergency Response Beacon (ERB) located at the unpatrolled Coniston Beach, just south of WIN Stadium. 

Denice Barnes. The dumping of Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch as Shadow Minister for the Central Coast has resulted in a public backlash, forcing newly-appointed NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane to defend the decision. Mr Crouch lost his role as Shadow Minister for the Central Coast in the recent reshuffle of the NSW Shadow Cabinet.

Barham's state-of-the-art bowls greens have drawn bowlers from all over the world in recent months, but at Christmas, it was our chance to export some. Four intrepid adventurers from the Barham Bowling Club, President Steve Wilson, Glenn Faul, Damien Paterson and Dave 'Harry' Potter competed on the world stage at the 2025 Tin Ding Sin China Lawn Bowls Open in Qiantang district, Hangzhou, China.

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June 1994. Most great ideas begin the same way…within a thought bubble: in the case of your local newspaper - with a cold beer, a colder winter’s day, and someone saying something they probably shouldn’t have ... “Is there anyone here silly enough to move to a warm climate and start a community newspaper in a town called Yamba?”

Eurobodalla District Show Society

Love it, hate it or don’t even understand it, Bendigo Bank’s multi-million dollar “Better Big Bank” marketing campaign has raised a lot of questions since its launch seven years ago ... A review of the “last bank out” of regional towns across Australia since 2020 has revealed that Bendigo has left more communities without banking services than all four big banks put together.

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WaterNSW has issued a Red Alert warning for high levels of potentially toxic blue-green algae at Toonumbar Dam, about 30 km west of Kyogle. The Red Alert warning applies only to untreated water at the dam.

The fully refurbished John Houston Memorial Swimming Pool is more than a safe place to swim. It is more than being the largest capital project in Council history. In her official address during the opening ceremony on December 19, Hay Mayor, Carol Oataway said the pool complex was a community hub, a place where families gather, friendships are forged, and active, healthy lifestyles are encouraged.

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While growers are wishing for the perfect weather conditions to push the size of their pumpkins to the max, festival organisers are preparing for Saturday, January 17 — the day of the Giant Pumpkin and Watermelon Festival. If you’ve never been before you are in for a treat.

In a marathon pre-Christmas session that stretched into the early hours of December 24, 2025, the NSW Parliament passed the most significant tightening of firearm legislation since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 was fast-tracked by the Minns Government following the horrific Bondi Beach terrorist attack earlier that month.

Ian Hutton. Throughout 2025, the Lord Howe Historical Society has been working on a project to enhance the Island cultural history – a Place Names Map. Since the Island's discovery in 1788, a few place names have remained constant whilst others have changed depending on the era.

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Narrandera mayor Neville Kschenka has returned from a visit to the site of the Western Sydney International Airport convinced that while regional shires struggle to receive funding for important road infrastructure to provide access to markets and ports, city projects appear to have almost unlimited funding ... "Premier Chris Minns spoke about affordable housing, but the conversation was mainly centred around Sydney and suburbs. He did not take any questions on the day," Cr Kschenka said.