Wave of cash and hope for flooded Northern Rivers homeowners
There will be opportunities to repair, retrofit, raise or have the Government buy your home if you were impacted by the devastating floods earlier this year under a massive new Australian and NSW Government program announced by Premier Dom Perrottet, PM Anthony Albanese, Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis and others in Lismore on Friday ... The Resilient Homes Program will offer voluntary buybacks to residents located in the Northern Rivers’ most vulnerable areas, where major flooding would pose a catastrophic risk to life.
Littleproud’s Budget reaction
The Nationals leader and member for Maranoa David Littleproud says Labor has broken the hearts of Maranoa locals in its first Budget ... "in Labor’s first Budget, Maranoa locals have been held back and left behind in three key areas - cost of living, childcare and infrastructure.
Water management killing the Darling-Baaka
New research published by the University of NSW confirms that it is the over extraction and mismanagement of water that is causing most of the damage to the Darling-Baaka River, not climate change. NSW Nature Conservation Council calls for the Federal Water Minister to stand firm on the timelines for water recovery in the Basin Plan, and restore the voluntary, open tender water buy back process.
Tackling the growing food security issue: NSW Farmers
Food security is a growing problem for Australian families, according to a new state government report, with remote communities the worst affected. The Food production and supply in NSW report, from the NSW Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Environment and Planning, found food supply disruption was a driver of food insecurity, and that remote communities were unfairly burdened by the problem.
Hume Dam releases increased to manage airspace: MDBA
Releases from Hume Dam have today increased to 75 gigalitres (GL) per day, up from 50 GL per day yesterday in response to overnight inflows that peaked at 100 GL a day. Further increases are likely with a renewed inflow peak expected later today. Combined with inflows from the Kiewa River – downstream of Hume Dam – the Murray River is expected to approach or possibly exceed the major flood level at Albury in coming days.
Scrapping global agricultural subsidies and tariffs reduces emissions, improves food security: ABARES
Improving food security, promoting global growth and cutting emissions can be achieved through the removal of agricultural subsidies and tariffs, according to the latest ABARES Insights report. Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said the global community needed to find a way for agriculture to reduce emissions while also feeding the world’s population.
Great Western Highway upgrade
The Hartley District Progress Association (HDPA) and the community of Hartley welcome the Federal Government’s decision to pause funding on the NSW State Government’s proposed Great Western Highway “upgrade” from Katoomba to Lithgow. Stopping the “upgrade” provides a critical opportunity to reconsider how best to improve travel times across the Blue Mountains and how best to direct infrastructure funding.
Flood damaged culvert replaced with concrete bridge
Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg and Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier Gurmesh Singh have opened the new Keerrong Road Bridge ... specialist Bridge Crew replaced the damaged culvert with a new 16.1m x 7.2m single span concrete structure. This new structure founded on steel driven piles has been designed and constructed to achieve a 100-year design life while improving its flood immunity and safety for local farmers and truck drivers.
Business Information Paper – mobile phone tower
Suzie Christensen. Lord Howe Island is not currently serviced by a mobile phone network due to its remoteness. In recognition, Telstra has identified a need to provide coverage to the Island and granted funding as part of the Federal Government’s Mobile Blackspot program round 5 ... While the granting of owner’s consent for this development does not require a Development Application, nor public notification, the Board is aware that there is a diverse range of views regarding the proposal, and is therefore putting the paper on public exhibition and inviting feedback over a 4-week period.
A vision splendid for the Central West and Western Tablelands: from a Bells Expressway
From a Concerned Citizen: Messers Toole and Farraway are vocal proponents of the so-called “upgrade” of the Great Western Highway from Katoomba to Lithgow. ... The project does not deliver an expressway to Sydney - it leaves the Central West and Western Tablelands the only region in NSW without an expressway to Sydney ... The vision that should be adopted and made a reality is a standalone expressway between Western Sydney and Lithgow: the Bells Expressway.
APRA’s clean-up of bank data errors leaves statistics in chaos
Australia's banking regulator has been significantly over-stating regional branch numbers for decades due to false reporting by banking institutions. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) became aware of the errors in May 2021 and has been quietly correcting the hundreds of instances where banks have claimed they are providing full branch services – including the face-to-face provision of cash – but have not been.
Calls to raise dams walls
Recent rainfall and flooding has resulted in further calls to raise the Wyangala and Burrinjuck Dams walls. Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has reaffirmed his support for raising the Wyangala Dam wall after the Prime Minister and NSW Premier visited Forbes last week.
Murray-Darling Basin Authority communique, 24 October 2022
When viewed together the 30 major dams across the Murray-Darling Basin are currently at 101% capacity and hold an unprecedented volume of water in storage ... At the Authority’s invitation, the South Australian River Murray Commissioner, Mr Richard Beasley SC, attended the meeting. He provided an update on his appointment to advocate for the health of the River Murray, Lower Lakes and Coorong.
Widespread flooding raises risk of water quality issues in the Murray–Darling Basin: MDBA
The Murray–Darling Basin continues to experience widespread flooding in some areas, prompting an increased risk of water quality issues like low-oxygen blackwater as temperatures increase. Governments and water authorities are working together to monitor the unfolding conditions which may see low-oxygen blackwater and blue-green algae emerge that can lead to fish deaths and increased water treatment.
Albanese and King – throwing rural communities down the drain – literally
For rural and regional communities, especially those crying out for dams for flood and drought mitigation for decades, Budget Paper Number 2 from the Commonwealth 2022-2023 Budget makes depressing reading.
Regional Budget Statement: King
I am very pleased to the deliver the Regional Budget Statement on behalf of the Government ... This Budget delivers on our election commitments and provides funds for the Government’s purposeful and targeted approach to investing in regional Australia. It contains more than 760 initiatives which the Government is delivering to boost regional communities and industries.
Regulator’s inconsistent approach to data law puts it on shaky ground
Australia's banking regulator is picking and choosing which banks it is allowing to get away with breaking the law by misreporting whether their sites offer cash service provided by a teller. Errors in hundreds of minor and foreign bank sites included in the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s points of presence data for years, even decades, have been corrected over the past 17 months after being exposed by The Regional in May 2021.
Undera – the community left to take responsibility
As at 26 October, the flooding continues at Undera and, with no authority prepared to take responsibility for the levees, it's left to the community - somehow, sometime - to repair the multiple levee breaks.
When Green idealism fails to yield
In 1971 the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Butz spoke wisely and bluntly about the perils of organic farming. “Before we go back to organic agriculture in this country, somebody must decide which 50 million Americans we are going to let starve or go hungry.”
Securing Tasmania’s renewable energy future through historic partnership: Rockliff, Barnett
The Tasmanian Government has signed a Partnership with the Australian Government under its Rewiring the Nation initiative to take the next steps in a Tasmanian energy package comprising of Marinus Link, the North West Transmission Development and Battery of the Nation.
FMD Biosecurity Response Zone extended to June 2023: DAFF
The Biosecurity (Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Biosecurity Response Zone) Determination 2022 covering relevant international airports has been extended to 30 June 2023 ... "Australia is currently free of FMD and we want to keep it that way. Extending this determination is a key part of our response": Director of Biosecurity and Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Andrew Metcalfe AO.
Statement on Australia signing the Methane Pledge: NFF
Farmers have been given assurances there will be no new taxes or regulation on livestock methane, and no reduction to agricultural production nor livestock numbers. This commitment recognises agriculture’s existing achievement, future plans and dedication to ongoing partnership with government to develop technology-led solutions and associated innovation. We are confident Australian agriculture and farmers will retain a seat at the table as the conversation continues and this dialog with government is open and dynamic.
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