NSW

As she prepares to head overseas to represent her country as the newly crowned 2023 Rodeo Queen of Australia, Grafton resident Jessica Hicks, reveals it all still feels like a dream ... Ms Hicks will travel to Canada and the USA next month ... representing Australia alongside other rodeo queens from around the world at the Calgary Stampede and then following up events in Dallas, Texas over a fiveweek period.

“I was ready to repaint the mural three days after it got hit, but the process has taken nine months to get to this stage ... I chose this image because he just had a bit more of a grin on his face ... I thought it was quite suitable too, to come back with a bit of a grinning smile saying you paint over me, and I’ve come back with a vengeance this time with a warrior ochre": NITSUA .

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Australian Winter crop production is forecast to fall from record highs due to below average rainfall for winter and spring. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the Australian Crop Report forecasts total Australian winter crop production to fall by 34% to 44.9 million tonnes in 2023–24 following three consecutive record production years.

Richmond Valley Council has welcomed the release of the draft Resilient Lands Strategy by the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation. The strategy has identified Fairy Hill as a flood-safe housing opportunity.

Where can we build new housing that doesn’t flood? The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation has identified 22 sites across the Northern Rivers that are suitable for flood-free housing development. Of these sites, 15 are ready for “immediate investigation”.

Farmers are calling on the Federal Government to implement competition reforms that will tackle cost of living pressures. NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle said the ACCC had made a number of recommendations in its 2020 Perishable Agricultural Goods Inquiry that would bring food prices down for consumers, but so far they had been largely ignored.

An industry-led, wide-scale search through previously mined and discarded rock and earth could help boost Australia’s global position as a clean energy powerhouse ... Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said the new Atlas of Australian Mine Waste, could provide industry with additional opportunities to extract valuable resources from previously mined rock and earth.

A new survey has just been launched to gather community support to better understand the prevalence, impacts and perception of feral deer in the Northern Rivers. Tweed Shire Council, in partnership with Kyogle and Byron Shire councils, has launched a survey to understand the community’s perception of feral deer, the impacts of feral deer, the presence or absence of feral deer in the Northern Rivers and the need to control them.

As government policies lead to soaring energy prices, the Victorian Government is changing the preferred route and accelerating works on the 500 kilovolt double-circuit overhead transmission line between Victoria and New South Wales ... According to the AEMO report, councils have indicated there is a broader social licence for VNI West crossing the Murray River north of Kerang (option 5a) instead of the Echuca route, and therefore more likelihood of timely implementation.  

Not everyone can say their dog has saved lives, but for the owners of our local blood donor dogs, they can rightly shout it from the rooftop. Chocolate Pudding, known as ‘Pud’, has saved at least 13 sick local dogs, but the time has come to retire from his blood donor days.  

Lockhart's Jackson Strong became the most dominant rider in Moto X Best Trick History after winning at the X Games at Chiba, Japan, last month ... "Everyone’s been riding amazing tonight. I’m glad I was able to get the trick I’ve been practising...": Jackson Strong.

Australian pharmacies pleas to scrap the 60-day dispensing policy have fallen on deaf ears with the proposal confirmed in the recent budget release. The 60 day dispensing reform will mean that patients will be able to claim double the amount of medication with one script at no extra cost.

A record 1.28 million Murray Cod have been produced and stocked in the Narrandera Fisheries Centre during the past year. Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, said a record number of fingerlings had now been released at more than 50 sites across the State, including Blowering, Burrendong and Copeton dams, as part of the NSW Government’s Native Fish Stocking Program.

Surf Life Saving NSW will trial the use of specialised long-range drones which could greatly enhance coastal safety and improve how we respond to emergency situations or natural disasters.  With support from the NSW Government through the Department of Primary Industries, Surf Life Saving NSW currently provides the largest coastal uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance program in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson is continuing his push for greater local control and decision making in TAFE campuses across the New England Northwest. Mr Anderson said the community and local teachers had raised concerns with the lack of local control and the local decision-making process in our region, with local businesses expressing frustration with the disconnect between class offerings and the needs of the business community.

Jenn Lavers. In April, the Adrift Lab team returned to Lord Howe Island ... While Lord Howe Island is the world’s single largest population of Flesh-footed Shearwaters, this same iconic species also breeds throughout the Recherche Archipelago off the coast of Esperance.

Suzie Christensen, LHIB. It’s that time of year when young Shearwater birds emerge from their burrows on LHI ... Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Ardeena carneipes) and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (Ardeena pacificus) breeding grounds are intersected by the Island roads, increasing the risk of juveniles being run over by cars and bikes.