Politics

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill warned that Europe was sleepwalking into danger. Across the chamber, Neville Chamberlain insisted all would be well. “Peace in our time,” he said—a comforting line, right up until Hitler crossed into Poland. We are seeing a modern version of that same delusion play out today.

State MP Janelle Saffin visited Mallanganee on Friday, April 24 to present local writer and online editor of IndyNR.com Susanna Freymark with her Lismore Electorate Local Woman of the Year Award.

In response to months of improved beach conditions and latest monitoring trends, the State Government is now in a position to adjust some of its Algal Bloom Summer Plan response measures. Water testing results show the vast majority of South Australia’s coastline continues to record zero or low levels of the Karenia algae species, building on the encouraging monitoring data over the past three months.

A striking patch of native Garland lilies has been found flowering on a Travelling Stock Reserve north of Deniliquin, discovered by a NSW Government Murray Local Land Services staff member during routine work in the area. The lilies, known scientifically as Calostemma purpureum and also referred to as Wilcannia lilies, are a native species...

A national gun buyback scheme introduced in the wake of a terrorist attack at Bondi Beach has stalled, with a majority of Australian states and territories declining to join the program by the March 2026 deadline set by the federal government. The buyback was announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in December 2025, days after a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach...

Work has begun at the Fingerboards Project Mining and Rehabilitation Demonstration Pit (MRDP), following local contractors successfully completing site mobilisation and pre-start inspections. Six additional East Gippsland businesses have now been engaged to support activities at the MRDP, with more than 20 local contractors sharing in procurement contracts now valued at more than $1.4 million.

At the recent East Gippsland Field Days the many hundreds of people spoken to and attending the Mine Free Glenaladale stand expressed their frustration that the Government had given the former Kalbar Resources, now rebranded as Gippsland Critical Minerals, the opportunity to rescope the failed Kalbar project ... Mine Free Glenaladale also questions the authenticity of GCM claims relating to the test pit.

Lismore Regional Gallery presents a major exhibition by acclaimed Australian artist Marian Tubbs, bringing together a dynamic body of work that interrogates the intersections of digital culture, materiality and ecological thought, from 8 May until 9 August 2026.

The Shire of Broome has wrapped up a successful Youth Week 2026, with hundreds of local young people taking part in a series of free activities designed to encourage participation, build confidence and celebrate youth in the community. Across the week, skateboard and scooter workshops at the BRAC Skatepark provided structured sessions for all skill levels...

As the last of the smoke drifted from the Buddy’s Fire Burnout pad, the lights on Quay Street’s drag strip flicked green one final time, and cars were carefully loaded onto trailers, the curtain officially closed on a record-breaking Rare Spares and Repco Rockynats 06, which saw a staggering 65,000 people through the gates across the weekend.

The Cook Labor Government is entering an agreement to purchase an additional 8 million litres of diesel for Western Australia's strategic stockpile.

The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) met in Sydney ... to finalise a response to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review, issuing a sneak peek. "The balance has been struck when it comes to sharing water, with three-decades of reforms shrinking the share for farmers by one-third," said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien.

Hancock Prospecting. In a move to recognise a national crisis and national disgrace, Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is contributing $200m to buy properties to help Australia’s homeless veterans and war heroes, the biggest ever private commitment for Australian veterans. 

The latest in the list of varied and engaging productions by Castlemaine Theatre Company is about to hit the stage, offering a rare glimpse into a singular place and time. Set at the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility during the Covid-19 pandemic, Camp Darwin brings together a diverse group of Australian characters who are trying to return home.

The economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East is and will continue to have wide ranging impacts on all facets of Australian society with costs increasing due to the nation’s reliance on trucks and diesel ... 71 years later, current owner Robert Blanchard said the industry is facing its toughest times in decades and his first diesel delivery since the Middle East crisis erupted was $68,000 more than in early March.

With a rare combination of extensive oil reserves and local refining capabilities, the small Outback town of Eromanga (population under 50) is emerging as one of the strongest contenders to help ease Australia’s fuel supply issues onshore.

...the Government is releasing draft legislation to regulate the cash distribution sector to ensure it continues to serve the needs of Australians. This is about strengthening the cash distribution system, which is essential for the many Australians and businesses that rely on cash.

Under the Albanese Government’s new Strategic Reserve powers, a further 200 million litres of additional diesel for Australia has been secured, and work has commenced with leading fertiliser companies to secure more supply at this critical time in the growing season.

Narrandera’s koala population is contributing to a major scientific study, with researchers from the Koala Sentinel Program back in the Riverina for its final round of fieldwork ... Researchers are investigating factors such as health, disease, genetics, nutrition, habitat, and ecology across six very different landscapes...

Patrick Tucker. Farmers across the region are preparing for a series of VicGrid visits to properties in the coming weeks, as part of ongoing efforts to conduct ecological studies linked to the proposed VNI West transmission project ... "This is the second attempt from VicGrid to get access to our properties to do the ecological study," he said.

Hugh Schuitemaker. The announcement of a "worst-case" water allocation scenario for SA River Murray irrigators – the first in five years – is set to compound the region's economic struggles, according to a senior irrigation figure, and a Riverland politician. The DEW last week announced South Australian River Murray irrigators were projected to receive minimum opening water allocations of 62 per cent for the 2026-27 water year.

"They can stay, they can study, and they can succeed - right here in their own community." These were the words spoken by Mayor Carol Oataway during her address at last Wednesday's official opening of Hay Community Universities Centre (CUC).