Koala research team visits
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has a team visiting Narrandera this week to conduct aspects of koala research in the Narrandera Reserve ... Dr Joanne Connolly from Charles Sturt University's proposed research will involve further steps in the research proposal to establish a koala research centre in Narrandera and will complement and build further on the data being collected by the team from the Koalas Biodiversity and Ecological Health Branch of NPWS.
Council’s concerns raised at National General Assembly
Rodney Stevens. As Clarence Valley Council's only delegate to attend this month's National General Assembly in Canberra, Councillor Allison Whaites ensured the valley's concerns were heard, while inviting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit ... "I invited Minister Watt and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to come to the Clarence Valley to see what we are actually talking about."
Export restrictions contribute to global food price pressure
Moves by governments to restrict exports only exacerbate price rises and increase food insecurity, according to the latest Insights report from ABARES. Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said there were lessons to be learnt from the 2007-08 food crisis.
Moreton Bay: Minister and McBride seek updates
Chris Oldfield. State health and wellbeing minister Chris Picton is seeking regular updates on the care and safety standards at Moreton Bay House, as well as its staffing. His intervention follows Commonwealth sanctions placed against the 41 bed aged care facility.
Male youths lose their support crew
Funding has ended for two male youth worker positions in Evans Head. The positions were funded by the Federal Government’s Safer Communities program ... “Unfortunately, we have had to say goodbye to Josh, Toby and the Mobile Youth Van service, this decision was not ours, the program was sadly no longer funded.”
Hand to mouth biosecurity funding must end, as farmers stare down Foot and Mouth Disease and Lumpy Skin Disease: NFF
A long term, sustainable biosecurity funding pipeline to help protect agriculture, communities, the economy and the environment must be a top priority for the new Federal Government. This was the message delivered by the NFF to new Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister, Senator Murray Watt at the first industry Ministerial roundtable in Canberra.
Farm finances boom but costs forecast to bite : ABARES
Good rainfall and high commodity prices have driven strong farm financial performance for 2021-22. Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said cropping farms had reported higher than average cash incomes over the last year.
WAFarmers, CEO update
Trevor Whittington. The new Leader of the Federal National Party and Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Hon David Littleproud met with WAFarmers President, John Hassell and Livestock Council President, Geoff Pearson ... area of discussion was the huge amount of effort and funding invested by the federal government into biosecurity aimed to keep out pests and diseases like lumpy skin (LSD) and foot and mouth (FMD) ... from what we heard in the meeting, it is concerning that the state governments including WA have failed to follow suit on increasing biosecurity funding ...
Key food industry associations join forces to address Australia’s domestic food security issues
An alliance between food industry associations across the food supply chain, from paddock to plate, has been formed to address key issues associated with ensuring reliable and affordable access to food for all Australians during this unprecedented time of supply chain disruption ... The Alliance includes: Independent Food Distributors Australia (IFDA), The National Farmers Federation (NFF), Australian Meat Industry Council, (AMIC), Master Grocers Australia (MGA) & Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS).
Pasin praises safety commission for elderly
Chris Oldfield. Member for Barker Tony Pasin has praised the federal authority that sanctioned the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) over its management of Naracoorte’s Moreton Bay House. The Commonwealth Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission ruled on May 24 “there is an immediate and severe risk to the safety, health or wellbeing” of residents as reported last week by The News.
River Murray water allocations open at 100 per cent: Close
South Australian River Murray water users will start the water year with 100 per cent of their allocation due to good inflows over the past three months ... "I also look forward to working with the Albanese Government to deliver the Murray Darling Basin Plan in full, including delivering the final 450GL which federal Labor has also committed to" : Susan Close, SA Minister for Climate, Environment and Water.
Commonwealth sanctions against Moreton Bay House
Chris Oldfield. The Commonwealth Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has imposed sanctions on Naracoorte’s Moreton Bay House stating “there is an immediate and severe risk to the safety, health or wellbeing” of residents. Following an audit, Moreton Bay House failed 19 of 42 requirements listed under the Commonwealth’s eight industry standards for aged care and safety.
Provider fails 19 requirements for Moreton Bay residents
Chris Oldfield. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission found 19 failures as its reasons to impose a “sanction or notice to agree” against the provider of care for Moreton Bay House.
We must meet our climate challenges head on, together: MDBA
Delegates at the River reflections annual water conference heard about the challenges we all face due to climate change and how we must work together to make the Murray–Darling Basin ready for a more variable, drier and hotter future. In his address, The future of the Murray–Darling Basin, Murray–Darling Basin Authority Chair Sir Angus Houston said we must adjust our approach based on what we have learnt and continue in partnership with experts, communities and First Nations People.
Sand slug strikes again
What has caused this estimated 20 million cubic metres of sand in the riverbed between Yarrawonga and Picnic Point to be such a problem now? .... Why did gold mining centuries ago only raise a problem now? How did the sand from the upper reaches get through the settling pond of Lake Mulwala constructed in 1939? And even more alarming, where have the beaches gone around Cobram and surrounds in the last 12 years?
REX-IT from Grafton
Emma Pritchard. Regional Express (REX) has announced the withdrawal of services from several regional centres, including Grafton, with flights to cease from June 30 ... Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan and Clarence Valley Council (CVC) Mayor Ian Tiley have called on the Labor Government to extend the RANS program which has enabled REX to continue operating within the local area.
New Agriculture Minister gets on-farm as new figures show bumper year ahead
New Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt will undertake his first farm visit as Minister today, to hear first hand from farmers and other industry representatives about the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. Minister Watt will spend the day in the Emerald region in Central Queensland, visiting cattle saleyards, a cotton farm, cotton gin and leading ag tech developer SwarmFarm Robotics.
Why a university hub will be brilliant for Cooktown
Duncan Taylor can’t wait for the Cooktown university hub to open and for local people to realise its potential ... Mr Taylor said there were many challenges that regional Australians faced that were different to their city counterparts and having a university hub in Cooktown would help the local community.
NFF ready to engage with new Albanese ministry
National Farmers’ Federation President Fiona Simson has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of Senator Murray Watt as Australia’s new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ... ARR.News has a question for NFF.
We do not need this recipe for division and bitterness
It is often in the apparently passing statements or actions by which one can tell the make-up of a politician. And so it is with Anthony Albanese ... Mr. Albanese wishes us all to believe that he has a mandate for policies never discussed during the Federal Election Campaign. He doesn’t.
Feral pests targeted
The region’s landscape board is hoping to minimise the feral deer population with the help of a cash injection from the Federal Government. The Limestone Coast Landscape Board (LCLB) has received $344,000 to build on its existing deer control initiatives through the Supporting Communities Manage Pests and Weeds program.
Sand slug choking the Murray River could impact water delivery within 10 years: MDBA
Delegates at the River reflections annual water conference today heard about the impacts of the massive sand slug in the Barmah-Millewa reach of the Murray River and the consequences to water users, the environment and local community if no action is taken to address it.
