Federal politics

On 21 October 2025, a Sale and Implementation Deed to purchase Regional Express Holdings Limited (Rex) was entered into by US corporation Air T, Inc. (Air T) and the Rex Voluntary Administrators. The Australian Government welcomes these announcements, which mark a positive step towards bringing Rex out of voluntary administration.  

The National Aerial Firefighting Fleet is now in position and ready to respond when disasters hit, as Australia gears up for the 2025-26 Higher Risk Weather Season ... These aircraft are primarily used for firefighting, but can also contribute to supporting Australian communities across the country...

Aboriginal communities across NSW are working with Forestry Corporation to integrate cultural burning into government bushfire management frameworks. These local partnerships, under the Federal Government-funded program Fire, Country and People, aim to strengthen community resilience to major bushfire events and improve land management practices across traditional Aboriginal lands.  

Country Mayors Association of NSW Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM has commended Westpac Bank for opening a new Regional Service Centre in Moree, in north-west NSW and for what appears to be a vastly improved attitude towards servicing country NSW communities.

Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump this morning signed a USD$100m equity investment in the Arafura Nolans rare earths project at Aileron, 135 km north of Alice Springs. "Once operational, this project will produce 5 per cent of global rare earths - essential for energy security and defence," says a statement from the Prime Minister.

White Cliffs dugouts are some of the most unique homes in the country, but the underground residents say the stress of ongoing ownership issues is affecting their health and stifling new businesses ... The ongoing land tenure dispute at White Cliffs, NSW, is a deeply complex problem, but behind the Native Title legalities are real people, and decades of frustrated community expectations. As expected, when homes and businesses are threatened, emotions run high.

Matt Canavan’s exposé at the recent Senate Estimates, which had the Department of Agriculture’s executives sweating in their seats, deserves wide circulation ... “There’s lots of talk about the need to increase reforestation—effectively, the conversion of agricultural land to forests ..." ... If Matt Canavan is the Senate’s zealot hunter, then Western Australia’s Senator Matthew O’Sullivan is its Maremma the Sheepdog that protects its flock ... In committee, O’Sullivan’s questioning tore open the government’s $139.8 million Sheep Industry Transition Assistance Package ...

Supply Nation ... announced a new national milestone with members recording a total of over $5.83 billion in procurement spend with verified Indigenous-owned businesses in the 2024-25 financial year ... Supply Nation’s recently released report The Sleeping Giant Rises found that for every dollar of revenue produced by Indigenous-owned businesses, $3.66 of positive economic and social value was generated into the Australian economy.

Northern Rivers Preschools join Day of Action, calling on the Minns government to fix preschool funding. The state government has announced a plan for community preschools to extend operating hours, open more days, and cater for children from birth through to school age, however declined to provide any funding for wages or staff costs.

Whether the risks posed by imports from Australia's trading partners are being sufficiently assessed and addressed, whether we really need to or should import certain products at all, and whether Australia is becoming complacent, resigned, or courting disaster for political Brownie points - such questions are being asked more often. ... This last week, Australia's biosecurity around beef and banana imports was called into question by David Littleproud, Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister. ARR.News sought a response from Julie Collins, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ...

A new Cancer Care Centre under construction at Mount Gambier Hospital has been inspected by the region’s radiotherapy working group ... Although still many weeks from completion, and it lacked radiotherapy, Naracoorte's Lachlan Haynes was pleased that improved cancer care would soon be available for South Easterners.

A record number of beaches along the metropolitan and southern coast will have seven-day Surf Life Saving patrols this summer, giving South Australians confidence they can safely swim between the flags amid the algal bloom. The ‘Between the Flags’ patrols will be funded through a partnership with Surf Life Saving SA and the State and Federal governments, as part of the Algal Bloom Summer Plan.

News the Federal Government will overhaul its proposed superannuation tax has come as a win for farming families in NSW. On Monday Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced his plans to introduce a new super tax would no longer include a tax on unrealised gains.

Australian farmers have claimed a monumental win ... with the Federal Government set to revise its proposed ‘Super Tax’ following strong and united advocacy from the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and its members. NFF President David Jochinke said the Government’s decision to revisit the tax was the right one.

Balranald Shire Mayor Louie Zaffina is actively balancing regional advocacy with local infrastructure progress. The Mayor recently toured the regional meeting circuit to tackle challenging policy issues while simultaneously overseeing significant developments across the Shire. ... The Bidgee Haven Retirement Hostel received a new wheelchair-enabled van ....

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has welcomed the Federal Government's significant amendments to its proposed superannuation tax, describing the changes as a substantial improvement that will protect thousands of farming families from the worst impacts of the original policy.

...We are boosting the low-income superannuation tax offset (LISTO) and making a number of important changes to better target superannuation concessions for large balances ... We are also making a number of practical changes to the design and implementation of our policy to better target superannuation concessions ...

The Australia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) entered into force on 1 October. CEPA is Australia’s first free trade agreement in the Middle East and first trade agreement with a dedicated chapter covering First Nations trade.

The Albanese Labor Government is delivering new opportunities for Australia’s blueberry producers with a new agreement securing market access to export the fruit to Vietnam, with trade expected to be worth approximately $22 million over 5 years. The agreement, which came into effect this week, is another major win for Australian producers and will also create access to Vietnamese pomelos for Australian consumers.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor has no plan or explanation why farmers applying for Labor’s assistance grant will be forced to find up to $75,000 of their own money as a co-contribution before Christmas, in order to obtain financial help.

Rainforest Reserves Australia (RRA) has released a detailed and interactive Australian Renewable Energy map, created by conservationist Steven Nowakowski in collaboration with RRA, which it says "reveals the true scale of industrial renewable energy projects across the nation". It has elicited unsurprisingly contrasting responses from Labor and The Nationals.