Tantanoola gymnasium relocation plan
Sheryl Lowe. The small regional community of Tantanoola in the South East of South Australia has big plans to move their almost one-million-dollar school gymnasium a few hundred metres across a couple of country roads to the town’s sporting complex. We have the skills in our community to do this, Tantanoola local Mr. Peter Altschwager told The News, we just need permission ... Local students were educated at the once vibrant school for 139 years but with recent declining numbers, the Education Minister John Gardner decided to close the school in 2020.
Better use of water for the environment – not more buybacks: Pitt, Ley, Davey
“Increasing the capacity of the existing channel escapes will mean environmental water can fill wetlands and creeks that would otherwise only get wet during large over bank flows ... We put an end to buybacks because of the damage they have done to regions like this – stretching beyond the individual farmgate and impacting on the efficiency or whole irrigation networks”: Keith Pitt, Minister for Resources and Water.
Forty local jobs up for grabs at Rookwood Weir
Central Queensland workers stand to benefit with a number of jobs soon to be up for grabs as part of the $367.2 million Rookwood Weir project ... Water from the weir will be available for sale later this year as part of the second stage of the tender process.
Housing hot on agenda of Entsch’s highway visit
Housing continues to be a major sore point for Cape York communities as the region struggles to keep up with the demands of the population. Both the Hope Vale and Cook Shire councils were quick to voice their concerns to Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch when he visited their communities last week.
Calls for federal govt to drop excise tax on fuel
Hitting the pause button on a fuel excise tax would provide instant relief for motorists as the federal government faces pressure to act on soaring prices ... Queensland LNP Senator Susan McDonald said the government had to do something, and the fuel excise was the “bluntest instrument” available.
$45 million recycling plant opens in Albury
“The Circular Plastics Australia joint venture between Pact Group Holdings Ltd, Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners was born out of our first ever national plastics summit, and it is wonderful to see it come to fruition in Albury today”: Minister Ley.
Yanchep editor gives evidence at inquiry into regional newspapers
Yanchep News Online gave evidence at the Inquiry into Australia’s regional newspapers on Tuesday, March 1 speaking as a regional representative from the Public Interest Publishers Alliance.
The countdown begins: who will be our next MP?
There are 67 days until this year’s likely federal election date and Cape York voters are likely to play a big role in deciding who will be the next Member for Leichhardt.
Issues affecting women integral to genuine representation in Riverina: Pennie Scott
For International Women's Day, Pennie Scott, independent candidate for the federal seat of Riverina, outlines her policies on key issues affecting women and answers some questions on this from Australian Rural & Regional News.
Snapshot illustrates agriculture’s evolution and growth: ABARES
ABARES Executive Director Jared Greenville said the latest ABARES Insights report: Snapshot of Australian Agriculture 2022 demonstrated that while there have been fluctuations, the agriculture sector was still on an upward trajectory.
Supercharging Australia’s role in global battery supply chain
The Morrison Government has granted Major Project Status to a $560 million cobalt project near Broken Hill. Cobalt Blue Holdings’ Broken Hill Cobalt Project will produce 16,700 tonnes of high purity cobalt sulphate per year – a highly sought after form of this critical mineral, used in the manufacture of lithium ion batteries.
Japanese encephalitis detected in Eastern Australia
“JEV is a mosquito-borne viral disease that mostly occurs in pigs and horses, but can cause disease in people and rarely other animals. Animals and people become infected through the bite of infected mosquitoes. It cannot be caught through eating pork or pig products. The disease is not transmitted from person to person”: DAWE.
Gas drilling in Gulf?
A patch of underwater land in the Gulf of Carpentaria could hold several trillion cubic feet of natural gas or hundreds of millions of barrels of oil – at least that’s what a company with the rights to drill it for exploration is saying.
National Landcare Program released
The Australian Government has released the final report of the review into the second phase of the $1.1 billion National Landcare Program (NLP). Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud and Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the NLP is achieving positive outcomes for Australia’s unique environment and natural resources while supporting jobs in Australia’s agriculture sector.
Tick of approval for Urannah Dam bilateral approval
Urannah Dam is a step closer to reality, with the Australian and Queensland governments signing a bilateral agreement to progress the project ... “The proposed dam and hydro-electric scheme are located in the Broken River Valley (within the Burdekin Basin) approximately 86 km southeast of Collinsville and 80 km west of Mackay in Central Queensland” : Qld Minister for Water, Glenn Butcher.
A closer look at the upper Darling River region: Pitt, Toole, Coulton
Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt has announced that new light will be shed on the potential for additional groundwater resources in the upper Darling River region ... Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the NSW Government, will commence an airborne electromagnetic survey across this section of north-west NSW to better understand the location of groundwater resources and their movement beneath the floodplain and its surrounds.
Sneaky plan to hand out Floodplain Harvesting Licences could be illegal and expose Govt to billions in compensation: Faehrmann
Moves by Water Minister Kevin Anderson to pave the way for the handing out of licences for floodplain harvesting as early as this week are likely in breach of the Commonwealth Water Act and could set up a future government to have to fork out billions of dollars in compensation, says Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and water spokesperson and chair of the recent NSW Upper House Committee into Floodplain Harvesting.
Union call to scrap Ag Visa ‘shortsighted’: NSW Farmers
The state’s peak agricultural body has criticised union calls to scrap the Ag Visa, saying it will only lead to further disruption in food supply chains. The Australian Workers Union waded into the political chaos this week claiming the Ag Visa had failed to attract workers to farms, ignoring the impact of COVID on international travel.
TSRA gives up control of Native Title in the Strait
Traditional Owners and Prescribed Body Corporates will take control in delivering all Native Title services in the Torres Strait from July 1 when Gur A Baradharaw Kod Torres Strait Sea and Land Council (GBK) is recognised as the Native Title service provider. The Torres Strait Regional Authority will cease being the Native Title Representative Body and stop providing Native Title services on June 30. Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said it was the right time to transfer Native Title services.
$86 million on offer to grow Australia’s plantation estate in Cowper: Conaghan
“This is the largest direct investment of any Australian Government in plantation establishment for more than 30 years. We want to partner with NSW to grow this renewable, sustainable industry so that it can continue to create jobs in Cowper and deliver quality, Australian-made products to markets": Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan
Have your say on domestic organics regulation
Public consultation is now open on Australia’s domestic organic regulatory framework, including how to support industry growth and build consumer confidence ... “This is a growing part of the agriculture sector and we are keen to seek a wide range of views": DAWE
Threatened species strategy action plan – Questions for Minister Ley and the Department’s response
Australian Rural & Regional News sought clarification from Minister Ley on a number of points, including consultation with and the role of farmers and landowners generally, and received a response, required to be attributed to a spokesperson (unnamed) from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
