Politics

Victorians are being encouraged to highlight the worst potholes in the state through a new competition to put more pressure on the Allan Labor Government to fix our appalling roads. The Nationals and Liberals are running a statewide photo competition, with the worst potholes to feature in a 2025 "Potholes for All Seasons" calendar…

Hay Shire Council is continuing its efforts in attracting medical staff to Hay with a commitment to the Bush Bursary program.  Current recipients are Zali Beuzeville and Charlie Jackson, pictured with Lyla Quinn during their placement at Japp’s Pharmacy last week.  

Christine Webster. A Waikerie pet owner is calling on Loxton Waikerie council to review its use of scare guns to control corellas after her dog went missing for several hours when becoming startled by noise ... a canoeist contacted police after noticing a dog on a ledge of a cliff, upstream from the Waikerie ferry.

Rachel Hagan. An icon of Port Vincent is staying afloat, after insurance costs threatened to dismantle the town’s summer fun. Small towns across the state have been forced to remove their pontoons because insurance companies are unwilling to provide cover for public liability.

Rachel Hagan. Local residents are up in arms after the dunes at trending Yorke Peninsula camp spot, Wauraltee Beach, were left covered in rubbish and human waste ... NSW resident Stephanie Ramirez, who was visiting Yorke Peninsula for the first time, said she saw Wauraltee Beach on social media, and her family decided they had to stop on their way to Esperance, especially before camping was banned.

All agricultural land in Victoria should be mapped and strategic land use planning established to protect farmland in major areas such as Gippsland, according to a landmark report by a Victorian parliamentary committee. This was one of 33 recommendations and 29 findings in a report ‘Securing Victoria’s Food Supply’ by the Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee.

The Department of Transport has clarified what kind of fishing is allowed in the Two Rocks marina. A department spokesman said the placement of crab pots and floats had always been prohibited within all Department of Transport marinas, to ensure safe navigation of vessels.

In August 2024, the NSW Government announced the appointment of an expert panel to lead consultation on a Forestry Industry Action Plan. The final report of the Independent Forestry Panel has been provided to the NSW Government. Whether the report will be made publicly available and the shape of the future Forestry Industry Action Plan is a matter for the Government.

The ever-increasing number of stories of the difficulties faced by landowners when dealing with transmission network builder, TransGrid, points to an organisation with no knowledge of, and no interest in learning about, the land, and the peoples living on that land, through which they are building those networks.

Labor Government’s Environment Minister Penny Sharp’s tenuous grip on scientific truth has finally been broken. Now allowing real, scientific based research to reveal what political agendas have long suppressed in the fight over koala populations and sustainable forestry in NSW.    

Farmers are urged to take part in a trial of Farm Fire Units in NSW as unprecedented bushfires continue to burn in the United States. Under a NSW Government trial in place until 31 March, private farm vehicles used for firefighting purposes known as Farm Fire Units – or Farm Fire Fighting Vehicles (FFFVs) – can be used unregistered under certain conditions.

WA desperately needs a unified biosecurity authority, one that merges the resources and expertise of DPIRD and DBCA under a single, competent Minister. Such an authority would eliminate bureaucratic overlap, create a cohesive strategy, and launch the kind of public education campaign sorely needed to tackle threats like the shot-hole borer.

Take out the hype and Beetaloo gas is a pretty thin project. The sub-basin, 900 km north of Alice Springs, is “estimated” to contain 500 trillion cubic feet of gas. The NT Government  refers  to this estimate as being “by industry”.

Southern Downs Regional Council has appointed highly experienced local government leader Rachel Brophy as the new Chief Executive Officer to lead the region towards a vibrant and sustainable future. With extensive networks across all levels of government, Ms Brophy has a proven track record as a strategic leader in delivering innovative solutions and fostering collaboration.

A boat, a BBQ, a swag and the mighty Murray to Murrabit were the order of the day. With a meagre 5,700 megalitres a day flowing past Barham, we set off for Murrabit.

Conservation group Denmark Nannas for Native Forests found a bleak aftermath of a 1123ha prescribed burn in November of Sheepwash North in Mt Lindesay National Park. They were shocked to see big areas of tree canopy defoliated and most of the remaining canopy scorched.

In this timely piece, John O'Donnell reviews the state of bushfire preparedness in New South Wales in light of the NSW Rural Fire Service 2023/2024 Annual Report.

Hay Shire Council and Hay Lions Football and Netball Club joined forces once again for their much-anticipated annual native fish restocking event in the Murrumbidgee River at Hay late last month. Around 6600 Murray Cod fingerlings were released near Sandy Point, marking another significant step in enhancing the local aquatic ecosystem.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Senior Riverland politicians have questioned the potential benefits of a multi-million dollar environmental plan to use treated wastewater – rather than Murray River water – to water public areas and “to supply some industries”. The Federal and State Governments last month announced $20.9m in funding to build infrastructure allowing local governments to substitute Murray River water with storm water, treated wastewater or other alterna-tive water sources.

My journalistic work in the Territory began early on Christmas Day 1974, looking down from the aircraft of Deputy Prime Minister Jim Cairns onto the Northern Territory capital that had been all but annihilated by Cyclone Tracy.