Politics

“Bandages won’t fix broken promises”, is a grassroots campaign led by the Shire of Ashburton, following community demand to get the Minister for Health, Amber-Jade Sanderson, to follow through on her election promise to build the new Tom Price Hospital. The Tom Price community was promised a new hospital on 26 February 2021 as part of the 2021 State Election.

Industry body GrainGrowers has called on the Federal Government to take immediate action to resolve a range of outstanding issues related to the introduction of the Biosecurity Protection Levy. In its submission to the Senate inquiry examining the issue, GrainGrowers detailed its position, calling for the government to address the following matters in relation to the creation of the biosecurity protection levy...

NSW Farmers has fronted a Senate Inquiry to call for the proposed biosecurity tax on farmers to be scrapped, with farmers already paying their fair share of biosecurity dues. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said despite a last-minute redesign, farm leaders remained opposed to the biosecurity levy bill and would continue to urge parliamentarians to vote against the levy’s introduction over the coming weeks.

Cracking down on people parking in designated electric vehicle charging station spaces is one focus of a range of new road rule changes. Two new offences have been brought in to stop non-electric cars from parking in EV parking areas, and stop EVs parking in a charging area when not being charged.

More than 120 landholders and community members “dropped in” to Transmission Company Victoria’s (TCV) community information sessions last week for one-on-one discussions on all aspects of the VNI West project. Held in Kerang, Charlton and Stawell, the informal five-hour sessions were a direct response to community feedback...

Greater Shepparton City Council says the interim report into the 2022 flood event in Victoria, tabled at the regional sitting of the Victorian Parliament in Echuca last week, highlights the need for a more efficient support system for community members and a faster transition to recovery following a major emergency.

Parrtjima – A festival in light has wrapped up for 2024 after once again lighting up Alice Springs in all its glory. The iconic Territory tourism drawcard delivered unforgettable experiences and attracted extraordinary crowds, marking its second-biggest opening weekend ever with over 8000 attendances ... including the unforgettable theatrical experience of Arelhe Urrperle...

State Member for Hill Shane Knuth welcomed the news that South Korean-owned Ark Energy has withdrawn its proposal to add another wind farm near the small tablelands community of Ravenshoe. Mr Knuth said the company had embarked on an intense campaign last year, including renaming the project from Chalumbin to Wooroora Station Windfarm and reducing the project from 200 to 86, then to 42 turbines.

The Territory’s $40 billon economy by 2030 “won’t happen without the growth of this sector” said NT Minister Mark Monaghan, addressing more than 300 members of the extractive industry ... Mr Monaghan said gas from Beetaloo is “on the cusp of changing the Territory forever” as Empire Energy and Tamboran Resources are expected to make their final investment decision on pilot production activities this year.

Fourteen million dollars later, Casino has a world class equestrian centre with an undercover arena and shaded seating for 2500 people to watch events at the Casino Showground. At the official opening ... the speeches took place on the arena floor as horses and riders wound their way around the huge space.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) has established its new home in the former Westpac Bank building in Tennant Creek ... The agency works in partnership with First Nations communities to enable their self-determination and aspirations, ensuring they have a say in the decisions that affect them.

The ANZ branch in Tennant Creek has celebrated the opening of its new location after serving customers at its Paterson Street premises for decades. The new branch is still located on the main street, but now boasts a modern interior that’s bright and welcoming, showcasing ANZ’s unwavering commitment to the local community.

The Member for Barkly has called out Labor for its dereliction to support regional young people at risk after he highlighted the shocking cases of two Tennant Creek children who he says was failed by the NT Government. Mr Edgington, also the Shadow Attorney-General, says the children had a history of neglect and abuse and were allowed to escalate into violent offenders despite 67 child welfare notifications.

A drive to establish new industry and jobs using Latrobe Valley's brown coal in non-energy ways is effectively dead after the state government stopped funding research into the work, a decision denounced as "folly" and "ideological madness" by local leaders. Australian Carbon Innovation at Federation University, which since 2011 has been researching the non-energy use of brown coal that does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, will close on June 30 after the government pulled the plug on funding.

Under the Federal Government’s new Biosecurity Tax, Australian grain producers are being forced to pay 10 times more than the existing biosecurity levies that they already contribute towards emergency responses and other proactive initiatives, investments and partnerships. These levies are established by growers themselves and hypothecated for specific purposes.

“The frightening thing is that if fire ants get up above the Great Dividing Range, it could potentially get into the Murray Darling Basin and that could effectively see the fire ants go right down to Adelaide. It would impact the whole country and have devastating consequences. Labor now needs to urgently respond to the inquiry and eradication must continue to be the focus”: David Littleproud.