Federal politics

Water buybacks were blamed for 3261 job losses across the economies of 40 southern Murray-Darling Basin communities, according to Murray-Darling Basin Authority modelling by the NSW Irrigation Council ... "Across the southern Basin States, 648 lost jobs (21 per cent of FTE jobs losses) in the profiled NSW communities profiled were attributed to water recovery, 1684 (30 per cent) in northern Victoria and 929 (45 per cent) in South Australia, mostly in its Riverland horticultural centres": NSWIC CEO, Claire Miller.

A fisherman who has been trawling the Clarence River all his life is behind a legal class action hoping to compensate fishermen who haven’t had any income since February due to a White Spot control order preventing the harvesting of uncooked prawns ... "We are on our asses, we’ve had no compensation, the only compensation we were given by the Department of Primary Industries was a one-third reduction in our management fees, which is nothing": Bruce Clark.

Northern Grampians Shire Council has issued a harsh rebuke of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), citing its abject failure to answer local landowners' questions about controversial power transmission infrastructure. Mayor, Cr Kevin Erwin said there was absolutely no justification whatsoever that the legitimate concerns of landowners remained unanswered at this stage of the project. “We are talking about one of the biggest rural energy infrastructure projects built in the past 60 years, and the government’s planner can’t confirm how it will operate on the easement,” Cr Erwin said.

The provision of these services has been an important part of the Buloke Shire Council’s operations for nearing 40 years; however, with the comprehensive changes to be introduced as the Commonwealth Government progressively reforms the national aged care system, Buloke, like many other Councils, has reviewed its position and decided to exit service.

The Barmah Choke water trade balance to start the 2023–24 water year will deliver a solid trade opportunity for irrigators. MDBA Executive Director of River Management Andrew Reynolds, said the water available to trade downstream of the Barmah Choke on 1 July 2023 would be about 60.6 gigalitres (GL).

This newspaper [The Buloke Times], in the past, has queried the government’s decision to take away the single desk for export from the Australian Wheat Board, an organisation which evened out the returns to growers, and was generally respected by the industry. Now there are claims that the good seasonal conditions have not been reflected in the returns to growers in recent years, and some companies with a larger share of the export trade have acted in “monopolistic” ways.

Community members across Murray River and Gannawarra local government areas continue to express their dismay at the Bendigo Bank’s decision to close the Barham, Cohuna and Pyramid Hill agencies. The bank claims the closures, along with 13 others, are due to the number and value of over-the-counter transactions falling as more customers choose to do their banking online ... This week, a meeting was held between Bendigo Bank executives, Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh and a representative of the Gannawarra Shire Council.

The federal, state, and local governments have a role to play in curbing the housing crisis in Naracoorte and its surrounding towns. That’s the word from Shadow Minister for Regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti, who revealed a state migration strategy was being developed to tackle the housing crisis in the regional towns. Ms Centofanti told The News that the strategy would be made public once it was ready.