Ros Scotney among aggrieved group
Former Toowoomba Region Councillor and Pittsworth Shire Mayor Ros Scotney OAM has expressed her disappointment at the direction things have taken since the amalgamation of 8 local governments on the Darling Downs created Toowoomba Regional Council. Ms Scotney is part of the committee agitating for change.
Call for more care with burns
Patricia Gill. Five motions will be raised at the September 30 Denmark Shire Council meeting which call on the State Government to take more responsibility for prescribed burns. The motions to be put to the September 30 council meeting were drawn up at the special electors meeting held in the Denmark Civic Centre on September 11. Almost 100 people attended the meeting which the Friends of Harewood called for after delivering a 340-signature petition to the Shire.
Naracoorte on the rise
That’s the message from Spendmapp by Geografia, which has singled out the Naracoorte Lucindale Council for its economic momentum and community-first approach ... The latest data shows local spending is climbing, visitor dollars are growing, online shopping is rising, and even ‘escape spend’ is up — a sign of household confidence and prosperity circulating across the Limestone Coast.
Live4life Macedon Ranges passes important milestone — over 10,000 young people and adults in the community have now been trained in evidence-based mental health...
Innovative youth mental health and suicide prevention program, Live4Life, was first conceived and developed in the Macedon Ranges in 2010 — a groundbreaking response to a reported increase in anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide amongst young people in the rural communities of the shire.
Bloomfest 2025: A spring celebration where wildflowers meet the stars
Dalgarno Street, Coonabarabran, will burst into life on Saturday 20 September 2025, as Warrumbungle Bloomfest returns with an evening of light, music, food, and community spirit under the night skies of Australia’s only Dark Sky Park. Now in its second year, Bloomfest is completely free and family-friendly, making it one of the most accessible festivals in regional NSW.
City’s first running festival is a marathon feat
Fun-runners and athletes alike will be putting their best feet forward when the inaugural Horsham Running Festival gets underway on Sunday 14 September. Top of the bill will be a full marathon – 42.2 kilometres – comprising four laps of a picturesque circuit on the banks of the Wimmera River.
Safe and sound
A hydrology report has indicated the proposed Jane Eliza Development will have minimal impact on water levels in the event of future flooding in Renmark and surrounding areas. Renmark Paringa Council has today released the hydrology report, which showcases a range of modelled situations, including the 186 gigalitres (GL) recorded in the 2022 flood, a higher 250GL event, and the 1956 flood level of 341GL.
Homeless camp ends after MP refuses meeting
Chels Hood Withey. A week-long homeless camp outside Minister for Recovery, Small Business and the North Coast, Janelle Saffin’s Lismore office ended after the MP refused meeting with housing advocates, and called police on constituents seeking help with the homelessness crisis. The camp was established by community members made homeless by recent NSW Reconstruction Authority evictions, skyhigh rents, and unaffordable homes.
Algal bloom delegation meets PM
Yorke Peninsula Council has taken its algal bloom advocacy all the way to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Acting Mayor Richard Carruthers was part of a delegation of SA mayors, industry leaders and marine experts that travelled to Canberra to seek more bloom support ...
Damian Callinan returns to the Gannawarra with Hall Stories
Renowned Australian comedian and actor, Damian Callinan returns to the Gannawarra next month as part of his tour celebrating the iconic community icon – the town hall. As part of his Hall Stories tour, the creator of the hit Netflix movie, The Merger will celebrate the importance of the Lake Charm and Murrabit halls with each community during two shows supported by Gannawarra Shire Council.
Phillip Island is the place to be in October with the return of the MotoGP™
Phillip Island is revving up for an action-packed month of October, packed with marquee events across Bass Coast, including the Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island, the Australian SUP Titles, and the headlining MotoGP™ from 17 October to 19 October 2025 at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Hindmarsh councillors tour industrial estate
Donald’s booming industrial precinct has caught the eye of Hindmarsh Shire Council, with Mayor Ron Ismay and five councillors touring the estate last week, alongside Economic Development Manager Mark Fletcher. The group, led by Ismay – a respected businessman from Rainbow – was on a fact-finding mission to explore how Donald’s model of small business growth could be replicated in Hindmarsh.
Asta Hill is the Mayor of Alice Springs
Asta Hill, the top scorer in primary votes both for the mayoral and councillor local government polls, has triumphed in the preferential count and is the new Mayor of Alice Springs. Ms Hill received 4544 votes ahead of Eli Melky with 4488 votes.
New community piano to hit all the right notes
Mildura has been selected as one of just 19 towns across Australia to receive a community piano through the ABC’s Pop-Up Piano initiative. To mark the Year of the Piano, and the launch of ABC iView series The Piano, the ABC put a call out for communities to apply for the gift of a pre-loved instrument.
River ‘staircases’ to help our fish stocks climb
A fin-tastic new project is set to bring more fish swimming into Sunshine Coast rivers ... Two new fishways will be installed on Petrie Creek, providing vital passage for a variety of native fish.
Big Sky celebrates 20 years with star studded line-up
It wouldn’t be a 20 year celebration of the Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival without a stellar line-up of special guests and an exciting programme to match! With this year’s theme “A Celebration of Stories”, special guests include multi-award winning actress, author and former Geraldton local Tasma Walton, novelists Catherine Greer and Stefanie Koens, musician and crime author Dave Warner, and so many more.
Coprice’s sudden Coleambally mill closure
Murrumbidgee Council Mayor Ruth McRae OAM has expressed deep disappointment at the closure of Coprice's Coleambally facility from 1 September 2025. Cr McRae described the news as devastating for the community and said it was disappointing to see the withdrawal of a business, particularly one that has helped drive the region's agricultural sector.
Funding vital for Haydays
Haydays retirement hostel is facing an imminent crisis, due to the building’s ageing infrastructure. The centre, which first opened in 1968, is just two or three years away from closing, unless vital refurbishments can be undertaken, to ensure the facility is compliant with all Aged Care Commission regulations, according to the Haydays Management Board.
It’s a business decision and not for ‘a lack of heart or connection to Casino’, Primex director says
Primex director Bruce Wright has signed an agreement between Primex Field Days and the Lismore Showgrounds to hold the Primex ag event in Lismore starting next year ... “What a significant coup to secure this premier event for Lismore and for it to be based at our much loved Lismore Showgrounds,” Ms Saffin said.
Tobruk Fig Tree planting to preserve the local legacy of the Rats of Tobruk
On Monday, 8 September at 11.30am, a special ceremony will be held at the Port Lincoln War Memorial in Eyre Park to plant a Fig Tree of Tobruk—a living symbol of remembrance and resilience that not only honours the legacy of Australian soldiers who served in the Siege of Tobruk during World War II, but also commemorates the enduring significance of the tree itself, which once offered shelter and solace to troops in the harsh desert conditions of Libya.
Indigenous community and Bendigo’s last remote bank on hit list
Bendigo Bank closed its last remaining banking service in an Aboriginal community 27 days before celebrating the launch of its Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan. The Aurukun agency in far north Queensland was one of 27 to be closed in 2022-2023 under the eye of the bank’s now chief executive Richard Fennell when he was in charge of the consumer banking division.
Gallery? Museum? We’ve finally got to get it right
Alex Nelson. This week marks the 34th anniversary of the official opening of the Commonwealth's Jock Nelson Centre in August 1991. This is the splendid Commonwealth building I suggested ought to be re-purposed as the permanent home of the Museum of Central Australia during my presentation at the Friends of the Strehlow Research Centre Symposium in April 2018.
