Politics

Madison Eastmond. A $15M funding boost to Berri Primary School was the highlight of a recent regional tour undertaken last week by Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven. Minister Scriven’s announcement of the State Government capital works investment program funding last Thursday has answered long-term advocacy calls for the major redevelopment of Berri Primary School...

Join us on February 23 for a First Nations online briefing, which is tailored for First Nations people and organisations, as well as people working to support First Nations inclusion in mine closure and post-mine transitions.

This is yet another instalment in my running theme: the State rail debacle. A saga of privatisation, monopoly infrastructure, and governments that appear to have misplaced both the keys and the contract. Twenty-five years after Western Australia leased out its freight rail network, one basic question still has no straight answer: what does the Brookfield/Arc lease actually require?

A great episode today! All of the usual stuff, your regional news with Fiona L Fox from ARR.News, your weekly farming weather with the BOM, plus former Nats politician Mia Davies drops by and shares some details of her life post being in the media eye everyday, and she gives us her family recipe for Cassata from her family country cookbook.

NSW Farmers says a vote supporting a Royal Commission into water management is a positive step towards a stronger farming future ... “We’ve been sounding the alarm on water management for a number of years, it’s beyond time that farmers and communities were treated as equal partners with the environment,” Mr Bootle said.

Tim Ellis' current exhibition of paintings and new media, ‘Glimpses’ brings together cinematic compositions and bright, fluid brushstrokes for vivid, hyper-real scenes from his life in rural Far North Queensland ... Tim joins us to answer three questions about 'Glimpses', on display at the Tableland Regional Gallery until 7 March.

Following severe storms in May 2025, the Kingston Jetty was severely damaged and then three weeks later in June, after more storm surge events and seven metres swells, the Jetty was destroyed. An engineering report estimated the extent of damage at $11.2 million and a claim was submitted to the State Government, which self-insures its assets.

Forestry Corporation of NSW has deployed 10 firefighters to South Australia to support firefighting operations following several weeks of assistance in Victoria ... In recent weeks, Forestry Corporation deployed 20 firefighters to Victoria to assist with the Walwa River Road fire in both Field and Incident Management (IMT) positions.

South Australia has officially experienced its strongest four years on record for international trade, with latest ABS stats revealing our state’s exporters have sold an additional $21 billion worth of local goods to the world since 2022 ... Each calendar year within this period has eclipsed the pre-2022 record of $13.1 billion by more than $3 billion, with 2023, 2024 and 2025 each exceeding $17 billion.

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) and the Australian Airports Association (AAA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that sets out an agreement to work together to advocate for fairer airfares, stronger connectivity and more sustainable airports across regional Australia.

More than 120 farmers across the state are working with government experts to develop plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on their property ... The plans are designed to help farmers baseline their emissions, understand where their emissions are coming from, and what carbon farming practices they can implement on their farm, including extensive livestock, dairy and mixed farming systems. One of those farmers is Casino dairy farmer Fleur Tonge.

As negotiations take place in Brussels this week for an Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement, Australia’s peak farm body welcomes comments by Trade Minister Don Farrell that the deal hinges on securing a better deal for Australian Agriculture ... National Farmers’ Federation President Hamish McIntyre said Australian farmers would hold the Minister to these comments against a growing fear that Australian agriculture is about to be traded away.

Alex Nelson. This year, 2026, marks the 60th anniversary of a pivotal episode in the history of the Northern Territory. Seismic changes occurred in national and local politics that profoundly influenced the course of events shaping the Territory as we know it today.

For the purposes of Australia's GHG inventory, bushfires are treated as a event about which we can do nothing and the emissions they produce are not counted. However, perversely, emissions from prescribed or cultural burning and other land management done to minimise bushfire risk are counted and so count against Australia's Net Zero goal.

To help celebrate the 60th anniversary of Maldon receiving the title of 'Australia's First Notable Town', the Tarrangower Times and Maldon Heritage Network invites everyone to write a 'Love Note' to the town. It's a chance to reflect upon what makes Maldon special, whether that's a memorable festival or best bushwalking route or a favourite coffee spot. To get the ball rolling, here is a letter written by State Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards MP ...

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has released a Discussion Paper to support public consultation on the Basin Plan Review. In accordance with the Water Act 2007, the Authority is required to review the Basin Plan before the end of 2026 ... “Through the Discussion Paper the Authority has explored progress that has been made to date and considered some of the issues and challenges for the Basin as we look forward over the next decade”: MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville.

The latest floods have again shown that the ‘data’ used by the bureaucrats in Brisbane for all things water is farcical, or terribly inaccurate at best, The Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader, and Member for Traeger has said ... “The Department simply have no idea how much water there is! They’re the same Department who openly say there isn’t enough water to release to farmers.”

The Cook Labor Government’s approach to fire management has become so reckless that it is only a matter of time before lives are lost, according to Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Hon Rob Horstman MLC ... “Day after day, I am hearing of yet another Government-approved burn being lit while temperatures soar and fires rip through national parks and native bushland."

Nanarup has been chosen as the site for the proposed small scale seawater desalination plant, a vital project that will secure the Lower Great Southern region's water future and support its continued growth. Planning for a new, climate-resilient water source began in 2009, with seven potential locations identified between Walpole in the west and areas 50 kilometres east of Albany.

Australia's largest water reform, the Murray Darling Basin Plan, was sold to communities as a balanced, adaptable plan, with a triple bottom line of communities, agriculture, and the environment, and supposedly based on the best available science. Unfortunately, nothing appeared further from the truth.