Politics

At a time when Australian farmers are facing a major fertiliser squeeze, Canberra has decided the priority is not supply, not affordability, and not domestic resilience—but underwriting a green ammonia export dream ... while farmers are being told to accept decile 10 nitrogen prices, or even decile zero availability, taxpayers—including those same farmers in the years they make money—are being lined up to help fast track a plant that will help foreign farmers access fertiliser.

The Office of Local Government will take no action against Clarence Valley Council following a fact-finding mission triggered by a significant number of complaints. In November 2025, the OLG announced it would be conducting a review into Clarence Valley Council following multiple complaints and concerns about the operation of Council.

Today, Australia and the UK have signed an Investment Partnership to further unlock superannuation and pension capital investment between our countries. This new agreement will help to secure more two-way investment in jobs and industries and strong returns for investors from both countries.

The re-elected Malinauskas Labor Government will continue taking decision-making out of Adelaide and into regional South Australia, with Country Cabinet meetings set to remain a key part of how the Government listens, engages and delivers. Country Cabinet ensures regional communities have a direct voice at the Cabinet table, giving locals the opportunity to speak face-to-face with Ministers and senior decision-makers about the issues that matter most to them.

Mount Alexander Shire Council is excited to announce a public art commission by local artist Kirsten Moegerlein ... “Kirsten is a wonderful artist and brings great skills in collaborating with the community. We look forward to seeing how she commemorates the transformation of a degraded river habitat into an oasis of plant and animal life": Mayor Toby Heydon.

Scenic Rim Regional Council is appealing to Tamborine Mountain residents to stop feeding and interacting with wild dogs, which are becoming a problem to the local community. As well as being illegal under the Biosecurity Act 2014, feeding wild dogs and encouraging them into community spaces poses a threat to residents, their pets and other wildlife by increasing the risk of attacks.

Landline’s segment about koalas last Sunday, "Need for Trees: Charity plants half-a-million trees to help save koalas" would have been better directed at the need for common sense. It referred to the preordained finding from the NSW Inquiry in 2020 that koalas were headed for extinction by 2050. This finding was ridiculous because koalas were invisible when Europeans arrived. Now there are many more koalas over a much wider area ... ARR.News asked a few questions of Vic too.

Carey Brennan. More than 100 farmers attended the recent VFF community meeting held by the St Arnaud branch on Thursday, April 9, to listen to legal experts speak about the effects of the new Victorian Treaty Act and the land acquisition procedures for transmission lines, all of which will adversely affect farmland in this district.

The Albanese Labor Government is helping to get fertiliser to Australian farmers faster with the introduction of streamlined border processes for imported fertiliser that does not compromise on biosecurity. These changes, which have been established in consultation with Fertilizer Australia, will reduce costs, reduce port clearance times, lower administrative burdens and ensure the safety of fertiliser prior to shipping. 

The future of Australia’s koalas is being reshaped in Port Stephens, with groundbreaking, world-leading research now underway at the Port Stephens Koala Hospital ... the investment is powering a three-year research program that will study a cohort of 100 koalas using advanced diagnostic technology – including CT, X-Ray, ultrasound and qPCR blood analysis.

Cohuna is back on the national barefoot waterskiing map, with Sunday's Oz Open drawing locals to Gunbower Creek ahead of the Australian titles' long-awaited return to town. The free exhibition event gave spectators an early look at the speed and spectacle to come before the 64th Australian National Barefoot Waterski Championships got under way on Tuesday at the Cohuna Ski Run Reserve.

Neither of these parties should have the capacity to determine government, let alone form it. Both represent an existential threat to the continuance of our hard fought for liberal democracy, itself a fragile experiment in the history of the world.

WAFarmers consistently advocated to the Federal Government during its consultative process on the phase out of live sheep exports, including in our 2023 submission that this decision would be significantly detrimental to the Western Australian wool industry. We hate to tell you that we told you so! Three years on, we are seeing that prediction become reality.

This year’s projected opening allocation for South Australian River Murray water users has reinforced the importance of a healthy and flowing Basin – and ensuring parties representing River communities put local interests ahead of upstream states.

A new Regional University Study Hub (RUSH) officially opened today in Tumut, bringing university closer for local residents ... The new Country Universities Centre (CUC) Snowy Valleys is located at 79-81 Capper Street, Tumut, and will offer support services and study facilities for local students...

Greater Shepparton City Council is intensifying its advocacy and engagement efforts to ensure local community and industry voices are heard as part of the Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) review, with public submissions closing on 1 May 2026. As part of its water advocacy program, Council is undertaking targeted engagement activities to encourage community and stakeholder participation in the review process...

Sebastian Calderon. Riverland farmers are being urged to look closely at South Australia's newly opened drought loan scheme, with Riverland Lending Services agribusiness (RLS) senior manager Jeff McDonald warning the concessional finance could bring both short term relief and long-term complications.

Club stalwart Steve Graham officially opened Nhill and District Sporting Club’s new grandstand and changeroom facility on Saturday before a full crowd. The grandstand features 147 seats, including an all-abilities accessible ramp and seating areas, a large media room overlooking the oval, and a corporate room with a sink and storage.