Politics

The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) met in Sydney ... to finalise a response to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review, issuing a sneak peek. "The balance has been struck when it comes to sharing water, with three-decades of reforms shrinking the share for farmers by one-third," said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien.

Hancock Prospecting. In a move to recognise a national crisis and national disgrace, Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is contributing $200m to buy properties to help Australia’s homeless veterans and war heroes, the biggest ever private commitment for Australian veterans. 

The latest in the list of varied and engaging productions by Castlemaine Theatre Company is about to hit the stage, offering a rare glimpse into a singular place and time. Set at the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility during the Covid-19 pandemic, Camp Darwin brings together a diverse group of Australian characters who are trying to return home.

The economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East is and will continue to have wide ranging impacts on all facets of Australian society with costs increasing due to the nation’s reliance on trucks and diesel ... 71 years later, current owner Robert Blanchard said the industry is facing its toughest times in decades and his first diesel delivery since the Middle East crisis erupted was $68,000 more than in early March.

With a rare combination of extensive oil reserves and local refining capabilities, the small Outback town of Eromanga (population under 50) is emerging as one of the strongest contenders to help ease Australia’s fuel supply issues onshore.

...the Government is releasing draft legislation to regulate the cash distribution sector to ensure it continues to serve the needs of Australians. This is about strengthening the cash distribution system, which is essential for the many Australians and businesses that rely on cash.

Under the Albanese Government’s new Strategic Reserve powers, a further 200 million litres of additional diesel for Australia has been secured, and work has commenced with leading fertiliser companies to secure more supply at this critical time in the growing season.

Narrandera’s koala population is contributing to a major scientific study, with researchers from the Koala Sentinel Program back in the Riverina for its final round of fieldwork ... Researchers are investigating factors such as health, disease, genetics, nutrition, habitat, and ecology across six very different landscapes...

Patrick Tucker. Farmers across the region are preparing for a series of VicGrid visits to properties in the coming weeks, as part of ongoing efforts to conduct ecological studies linked to the proposed VNI West transmission project ... "This is the second attempt from VicGrid to get access to our properties to do the ecological study," he said.

Hugh Schuitemaker. The announcement of a "worst-case" water allocation scenario for SA River Murray irrigators – the first in five years – is set to compound the region's economic struggles, according to a senior irrigation figure, and a Riverland politician. The DEW last week announced South Australian River Murray irrigators were projected to receive minimum opening water allocations of 62 per cent for the 2026-27 water year.

"They can stay, they can study, and they can succeed - right here in their own community." These were the words spoken by Mayor Carol Oataway during her address at last Wednesday's official opening of Hay Community Universities Centre (CUC).

National Seniors Australia’s campaign to Keep Cash is working and cash is making a comeback as demonstrated by the RBA’s 2025 Consumer Payments Survey that shows cash usage is on the rise. The survey reveals cash usage has increased by number of transactions (15 per cent in 2025 compared to 13 per cent in 2022) and by the total value of transactions.

Clean water will return to Narrandera under a new commitment made by The Nationals’ candidate for Farrer, Brad Robertson, and Liberal candidate, Raissa Butkowski. We will invest $16 million towards the construction of a new water treatment plant to provide a permanent solution to unacceptable water quality outcomes.

Norco, Australia’s oldest and last operating 100 per cent farmer-owned dairy co-operative, has announced a five cent per litre increase to its farmgate milk price from May 2026, while calling on the wider industry to step up and better support farmers as soaring input costs intensify pressure across the sector.

The Finocchiaro CLP Government is delivering stronger, more reliable power for Alice Springs and Katherine, with an $82.1 million investment in battery energy storage. Territory Generation has awarded Pacific Energy a contract to deliver the next phase of the battery energy storage system (BESS) program.

Nationals Member for Central Wheatbelt, Lachlan Hunter MP, has slammed the Cook Labor Government for its lack of understanding of regional Western Australia, as the fuel crisis continues to bite across the Wheatbelt.

Victoria’s peak farming body has released a sweeping 20-point plan that demands all major parties commit to the strongest farmland protections in Australia ahead of the Victorian state election in November. The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF)’s Victorian Farmland Protection Plan calls for a fundamental reset in the way Victoria safeguards its agricultural land.

Winter is normally the season that outback NSW towns look forward to most. The tourists arrive, the caravan parks fill up ... This year, the question being asked by operators from Broken Hill to White Cliffs to Menindee is whether that migration is actually going to happen.

The shortages caused by attacks on Iran by Israel and the US have massively increased interest in the Territory’s huge gas reserves as well as several minerals. This is clearly the main talking point at the Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES) this week in Alice Springs which may become the base for a major mine.