NSW

NSW is set to attract more than $37 billion in investment while slashing  emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, under updated projections and objectives released as part of the  Net Zero: Stage 1 Implementation Update.  Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state’s new objective of halving emissions by 2030 – up from 35 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 – shows that NSW is serious about setting itself up for the future while helping the world decarbonise.

A gutsy victory by Fantastic Baby in the Stowe Australia Port Macquarie Cup Prelude on Sunday has propelled the Adam Duggan trained gelding into serious calculations for the club’s feature race in early October.

Thousands of jobs are up for grabs as the South Australian agricultural industry braces for a bumper harvest. The jobs, based in regional South Australia, are typically filled by interstate or overseas workers, but due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, companies, like bulk grain handler Viterra, are calling on locals to fill these roles.

Continuing COVID border restrictions are making life difficult for farmers and harvest workers at the start of a bumper season. For the second year in a row, farmers are scratching their heads on how to harvest fields full of crops with limited access to workers and COVID testing facilities that have limited hours of operation. NSW Farmers Grains Committee Chair Justin Everitt said there needed to be a coordinated effort from governments to make sure the season wasn’t wasted.  

Community consultation has begun on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2021 after Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson received the final draft from Independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich.

The NSW Government has announced the opening of nominations to identify and protect Areas of Outstanding Biodiversity Value (AOBVs) on both private and public lands across NSW.

More than 200 farmers, industry and government representatives have united to chart a way forward against a spring surge in mice activity as the state looks to reap the benefits of a record harvest. Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said it was invaluable to have all stakeholders together for the latest updates and to discuss key issues with farmers ... Listen to the recording.

A strengthening Bureau of Meteorology forecast of between 50 and 100mm of rain starting mid–next week has prompted the Murray–Darling Basin Authority to increase releases from Hume Dam to create more airspace. Releases will be stepped up today ahead of what is expected to be a sustained wet–weather event spanning several days from next Wednesday.

A family-owned engineering company based in Port Macquarie has been awarded an $8.47 million contract to deliver the Australian Defence Force’s next generation rough terrain vehicle fleet, providing a boost to the local economy.

With the benefit of a recent spell resumption in the Hopkins Livermore Cup at Taree under his belt, Ready by Design is poised for success in the $34,000 Stowe Australia Port Macquarie Cup Prelude at the circuit on Sunday 26 September.

A new exhibition by one of Australia’s most recognisable artists, Ken Done AM, titled  Up to 80  will be on display at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre from Friday 1 October to Sunday 28 November 2021, COVID-19 restrictions permitting.

The Pattisons, from 'Minmi' at Burraboi, market their beef directly through the Pattison Pastoral brand, tapping into consumer demand for sustainably raised beef with provenance. Hayley is excited by the opportunities the new micro abattoir will bring. “It will do wonders for my brand to have local processing ... With my paddock to plate business, the welfare of the animals is so important."

Kendall Jennings. With recreation placed on hold due to New South Wales and Victorian restrictions, sport in the area has either been put on hold or cancelled. Local forest closures and watering have also hindered social riding of motorcycles, making the Koondrook Ride Park the place to be last weekend.

The Club Motor Inn has been sold for $4.5 million, nearly 18 months after owners the Narrabri Bowling Club entered into voluntary administration ... Narrabri lies in the heart of the Namoi Valley, around six hours’ drive and 568 kilometres north west of Sydney, in what is an agricultural and administrative centre that is being transformed into one of the state’s largest gas mining regions.

Fund manager Gunn Agri Partners has picked up an avocado orchard in northern NSW, looking ahead to higher retail prices for the popular fruit after this year’s massive harvest. The group has paid $11 million for the orchard despite avocado prices plunge from as much as $4 to just $1 each this year as strong seasonal conditions in Western Australia particularly created a bumper crop ... Gunn Agri bought the asset for a European institution with a mandate to invest in permanent Australian crops assets.

High cattle prices and the housing crisis have led to changes at the casino Food Co-op. Shifts have been reduced and the co-operative plans to build worker cottages on site. Chief executive Simon Stahl said the price of cattle was too high for the meat processing plant.

There have been several house fires in the past two weeks – in Casino, Mallanganee, Deep Creek and Cawongla ... RFS crews from Mallanganee, Mummulgum and Tabulam brigades as well as Fire and Rescue NSW assisted at the Deep Creek farmhouse fire ... On Monday, two bushfires were under control by RFS.

Congratulations, Casino Cougars. The junior outfit has been named the NSW Rugby League Grassroots Club of the Year. The club has grown from 130 players in 2012 to 340 in 2021.

Geoff Helisma. It wasn’t too long ago, Dheran Young was kicking a football around a vacant lot in Young Street, Wooloweyah, along with a lot of other kids from the neighbourhood – on Saturday September 11, Mr Young, 33, was elected to the Northern Territory Government as the Member for Daly.