Federal politics

As discussions on the Yes or No debate for the Australian Indigenous Voice referendum heat up, an elected district council mayor has cautioned the public not to take the issue lightly. Naracoorte-Lucindale mayor Patrick Ross told The [Naracoorte Community] News that a referendum was a “very serious matter”, and that it was vitally important that the population was very clear on the actual question being asked.

Tony Pasin MP. On July 25th more than 200 people attended a community forum ... hosted by the Radiation Treatment Limestone Coast Working Party ... without the 16,000 signatures, the Parliamentary committee, or the media attention the campaign has garnered, the State Government and by extension the Limestone Coast Local Health Network would not have shifted their position from where it stood six months ago.

Pharmacies in regional, rural and remote Australia with average script volumes equalling dispensing income of under $1 million in the 12 months to April 1, 2023 will be eligible to receive a new Regional Pharmacy Transition Allowance (RPTA). However, Narrandera pharmacist Mel Close has warned that while that information made it look pretty rosy, the additional funding was based on the number of prescriptions dispensed per year and was not what it seems.

Oscar Tamsen. Australians are losing more than $1 billion a year to debit and credit card scammers and electronic thieves, causing more and more Clarence Valley ratepayers and others to ask why the Federal Government is urging the country towards a cashless society. Research undertaken by the CV Independent has revealed that many Clarence Valley bank card holders cannot understand why this "convenient banking" is being favoured while it continues to be open slather to criminals’ intent on stealing their hard-earned monetary assets.

Southern Riverina Irrigators said Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek’s determination to deliver the Basin Plan in full shows just how out of touch with reality the minister really is ... To date, 83 per cent of water recovered has already come from the southern basin and SRI is urging NSW water minister Rose Jackson to follow Victoria’s lead and put a line through future buybacks ... Despite the devastation caused by the MDBA in the southern basin, MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said most communities are in support of the plan’s implementation. 

The Shires Administrator Bob Stewart reported on a meeting he had with the NSW Minister for Local Government, Hon. Ron Hoenig and the Minister for Water, the Hon. Rose Jackson. Bob reported that the Minister is keen to bring the Shire out of Administration however he also understands the challenges faced by Council in a number of areas, including day-today operations and financial sustainability.