Politics

Condamine candidates Pat Weir (LNP) and Elissa Parker (Greens) addressed an audience at an “Energy Done Right” Forum facilitated by the Darling Downs Environmental Council at The Irish Club in Toowoomba last week ... Questions focused on issues such as the expansion of coal seam gas into the Cecil Plains district.

After rocky progress over the past four years, rehabilitation of the Bluff Falls tourism area at Cudgewa North following the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires is almost complete. In June last year, a residents’ action group was formed to progress the recovery project and it sought the support of the community to get the tourism site re-opened.

Queensland’s agriculture sector and local councils have united in a powerful call-to-action, urging the state government to prioritise biosecurity. With growing biosecurity risks on the horizon, industry and community leaders have called on the government to work with agriculture to develop and implement an effective plan, backed by an investment commitment, that will safeguard the future of our farms, environment, and economy.

The Cohuna Fire Brigade has a new appliance that will improve the services the brigade provides to the district. The new Hino rescue appliance was delivered and presented to brigade members on September 19 and replaces the Isuzu appliance that has been in use locally for seven years.

...Gympie Bypass has opened to traffic, a significant improvement for residents with heavy vehicles no longer needing to travel through Gympie ... cuts travel times, improves motorist safety, access and flood immunity. The project has constructed a new 26-kilometres, four-lane divided highway between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum, just south of Gympie, and Curra.

Hugh Schuitemaker. A State Government plan to utilise satellite imagery in assessing frost damage to Riverland grape vines has "missed the mark" for growers needing support, according to senior local politicians ... Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone said local industry representatives had completed satellite imagery of frost-damaged areas.

The Riverine Grazier has made a decision to not publish images of children under the age of 13 online, in a move aimed to protect local kids. At the invitation of the NSW Government and representing Country Press NSW, Grazier manager Krista Schade attended the Social Media Summit ... "The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant spoke of the hazards of sharing images of children online, on open pages, which prompted Tertia and I to reconsider how our newspaper handles images of young children."

Weed seeker and spot spraying technology is reducing the cropping area paraquat is applied to by between 40-90 percent for one Western Australian grower.   But now, proposed changes to the use of this herbicide could ban this practice and potentially lead to more of the chemical being used across larger areas of Australia’s grain growing regions.  

The annual assessment of Commonwealth fish stocks by ABARES has found that the majority of stocks assessed were not overfished or subject to overfishing. The ABARES Fishery status reports 2024 provides an annual, independent assessment of the biological and economic status of Commonwealth-managed fisheries.

CFA is urging residents to prepare their properties ahead of the fire danger period, with parts of Victoria facing an early start to fire season. The AFAC seasonal outlook for Spring, released last month, predicts an increased fire risk in west and southwest Victoria, following a notably dry Autumn and Winter.

David Hyett. Like many across Australia, small businesses in Nimbin face ongoing economic challenges as we enter the last quarter of 2024. However, Nimbin’s strength lies in its vibrant, alternative community, which reflects Aquarian values. We offer a unique experience.

Sarah Herrmann. Wallaroo will soon enter its fifth summer since a cruise ship docked at its jetty. The port town last hosted a cruise ship during the 2019-20 cruise season, not long before the Covid-19 pandemic began ... South Australia will host 119 cruise ship visits during the 2024-25 season, key stakeholders are advocating for the ships to return to the Copper Coast.

Western rock lobster fisher Anthony Manganaro, who operates out of the Two Rocks marina, was pleased to give federal Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell the chance to put a face to his name on Sunday. The establishment of marine parks and increasing regulations despite the WA western rock lobster fishery maintaining its ecological sustainability since it was accredited by the Marine Stewardship Council in 2000 were just two issues mentioned…

Emotions ran high and voices rose with them at the Donald Mineral Sands community information session held at the Memorial Hall on Thursday, with a group of frustrated farmers taking the opportunity to protest one of the many large scale projects earmarked for the region. Trucks, tractors and other agricultural machinery lined the streets, signed with phrases such as: “No Mines, No Turbines, No Transmission Lines!”

In a remarkable show of solidarity, neighbourhood houses in the Buloke, Gannawarra, Mildura Rural City and Swan Hill Rural City councils added “Blue Trees” to their towns on World Mental Health Day ... in support of the Blue Tree Project. Incorporating “Blue Trees” into the Mallee landscape was a Mallee Neighbourhood House Network initiative…. to raise awareness and encourage people in the Mallee to have open and honest conversations about mental health.

...camping will be free at all 131 of Parks Victoria’s paid campgrounds from 1 December 2024 until 30 June 2025 – saving families $7.3 million in booking fees ... all campers have free access to every campground across the state – including the popular Tidal River in Wilson’s Promontory, where fees are currently $40.70 a night.

There are 119 names engraved on a monument at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair in Sydney to honour the fallen men and women from the state’s volunteer emergency services. One of the new names added is John Holmes who was senior deputy captain of  Mallanganee Brigade. He died at the fire front at Bean Creek in October 2023.

Eight  bridges are being named by Richmond Valley Council. These are the names: Hansens Bridge, Monaghans Bridge, Whiteside Bridge, Trustums Bridge, Mathers Bridge, Nowlans Bridge, Watsons Bridge and One Tree Crossing. What do you think of the names?

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress rarely misses an opportunity to preach its alcohol control gospel. This time it’s a lecture for the new NT Government not to wind back supply regulations lest this leads to “a wave of alcohol related domestic violence, assaults, and social disorder”. And as previously, the health NGO’s reasoning is based on selected facts supporting its objectives.

The Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory Branch (IEU-QNT) supports the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA) as it calls on government for an urgent increase to the Basic Boarding Allowance to cover 55 per cent of boarding costs, as originally intended. IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the increase was essential to ensuring equitable access to education for all children in rural and remote Australia.