Politics

The Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre will present a new exhibition titled In the Glow of Green by leading Australian glass artist Clare Belfrage from Friday 4  August 2023. Exclusive to the Tweed Regional Gallery, the exhibition is the outcome of Belfrage having undertaken a two-week residency at  the Gallery’s on-site studio, the Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio.

Adrian Tomlinson. Fire is one of the terrible consequences of buffel, the invasive grass many call a weed, and which is declared as such in neighbouring South Australia ... Yet the NT Government seems to be responding to this emergency without great strategy, judging by answers given to Araluen’s independent MLA Robyn Lambley, who put questions in Parliament suggested by the Alice Springs News.

A workshop to look at Native Vegetation thinning and cultural burning for forest and pasture health will be held at Cunningham ... Join Dave Lawler from the Department of Resources for veg thinning advice and Robbie Williams from Fire Lore for a cultural burning talk and demonstration.

A collaboration between renowned street artist Austin ‘Nitsua’ and Lawrence Public School students has produced a spectacular mural on the local water tower that tells the story of the magical eternal flow of the Clarence River winding its way through the valley to the ocean ... “Originally the ideas for the design came from the kids at the school and I incorporated their words into the finished design”: Austin ‘Nitsua’.

Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan has criticised the Albanese Government’s $100 million announcement for 20 projects in the Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program as they won’t lower flood levels ... “The community would feel exceptionally disappointed by projects announced by the Federal Government today as they contain no effective flood mitigation works”: Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan.

After more than 160 Clarence Valley homes were tragically lost during the devastating Black Summer bushfires, Area Manager for Environmental Services at Envite Environmental Services Mick Webb is encouraging locals to be prepared for other natural disasters ... Cool burning, also called mosaic burning, involves burning a very small area at a low intensity. “It’s done in patches to allow areas for animals to escape,” he explained, adding the heat of the fire is kept at a manageable level, and the flames are close to the ground.

Held as part of the annual Laidley Spring Festival, Bee Happy Day is a free family-friendly event that showcases the magic of bees and the important role they play in our ecosystem ... One of the highlights of the morning will be a special theatrical performance called A Bee Story, featuring artists from Brisbane’s Cluster Arts.

Will Hunter. Wallaroo placed fourth in a ranking of the country’s most rent stressed suburbs, scoring 89 out of 100 in Suburbtrends’ Rental Pain Index ... Moonta Bay resident Lucia Spithoven relocated from Eyre Peninsula ... she believed the lack of available rentals in the region would deter others from relocating to fill crucial job vacancies.

Public consultation on a draft Biosecurity Bill that will enable a modern approach to biosecurity management in South Australia is now open. The new Bill will consolidate several existing Acts covering plant health, livestock, the dog fence, management of stray stock and relevant provisions of fisheries legislation, bringing consistency to biosecurity management across industries.

Given the presence of the disease in Indonesia, positive results in Australian cattle post arrival are not unexpected ... Importantly, trade is and can continue to Indonesia from 28 Australian export establishments, however, there are 4 export establishments in Northern Australia who are working with the government to further ensure they are disease free.

Recovery of seagrass and coral around lagoon moorings has occurred since new environmentally friendly designs were installed. The new Marine Flex moorings use heavy-duty elastic, rather than relying on lifting heavy chain for shock absorption.

The 7.8km long levee runs through Ms Johnston’s property and it is meant to protect the Bungawalbin catchment from flooding including protecting Swan Bay, New Italy and Woodburn. Ms Johnston has been fighting to be heard. When she asked CSIRO research scientist Jai Vaze who was travelling with Mr Watt about it, he drew a blank.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt stood on the banks of the Richmond River on Friday, July 28, to announce $100million for flood resilience projects across five council shires. The funding is the second part of $150 million with $50 million announced in February.

The State Government has announced extended recovery support to cane farmers to help remove dangerous flood waste found in cane paddocks at the beginning of the cane harvest. The NSW Environment Protection Authority has agreed to work with local cane farmers to remove the waste at no cost to the farmers.

Western Australia's regional energy provider Horizon Power has purchased a vanadium redox flow battery for a long-duration energy storage pilot in Kununurra. The 78-kilowatt/220kWh battery will enable Horizon Power to test the capabilities of providing long periods of 100 per cent renewable energy, with the potential for it to be used across WA.

The NSW Government has acquired Comeroo, Muttawary and Maranoa stations (known collectively as Comeroo). The purchase will see more than 37,000 hectares containing endangered ecological communities and an array of threatened species added to the NSW national park estate, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Clearing of regulated vegetation reduced from about 98,000 hectares in 2019-20 to 61,000 hectares in 2020-21. This year’s annual SLATS report shows that total woody vegetation clearing in 2020-21 decreased by 17 per cent compared to the previous year, and 49 per cent overall since 2018-19.

Rural Fire Service (RFS) aerial firefighting capabilities received a significant boost with the arrival of a $9 million high-capacity waterbombing helicopter at Richmond. The new helicopter will allow for aerial firefighting at night and expand on existing air capabilities.

We know just how important the local pharmacy is in rural and regional Australia. They’re a critical part of the fabric of a community and are often the first place we turn for health advice. That’s why the Government is supporting rural and regional pharmacies, as we ensure that every single dollar that the Government saves with 60-day prescriptions is reinvested straight back into community pharmacy.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has been advised by the Indonesian Agriculture and Quarantine Agency (IAQA) that Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) has been detected in a small number of Australian cattle exported to Indonesia—after those cattle had arrived and spent some time in Indonesia. “Australia is and remains free from lumpy skin disease, as confirmed today by Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer,” RMAC Chairman, Mr John McKillop, said.