Politics

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) met for the first time this year on 19 February in Canberra on the Lands of the Ngunnawal people with all members present.

Here’s some good news about Bonalbo’s 100th Show — it’s on. The show committee is pleased to inform competitors, exhibitors and sponsors that the Bonalbo Showgrounds are no longer under restrictions as an adjoining holding for cattle tick ... Remember the date — Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18.

For years, residents of Wilcannia and Menindee say they have been living with the consequences of a government mapping error they had no part in creating. A one-metre inaccuracy in state-provided flood mapping has incorrectly placed large sections of both towns inside flood-prone zones, with consequences that have quietly devastated the ability of ordinary people to insure their homes and develop their land.

Ted Egan's stories and songs ranged from the poignant, such as The Drover’s Boy, to the larrikan: There are some bloody good drinkers, in the Northern Territory ... Greg Egan was speaking ... at the state memorial celebrating the life of his father Ted Egan who, apart from being a nationally celebrated singer, was an author, academic and athlete.

The Parliamentary Committee into the State’s algal bloom crisis has been unable to reach a consensus, with Labor members blocking the Committee including its findings in the formal report. The Committee was forced to publish multiple dissenting reports, from the Liberal team and Committee Chair, Greens MLC Rob Simms.

Net zero is another step closer to being achieved, as the City of Greater Geraldton commences work to begin gas flaring at Meru Waste Management Facility. The project will help reduce emissions from landfill by abating the potent greenhouse gas, methane.

The last remaining tugboat that was used on the Clarence River for the sugar industry, the MV Beardmore is being considered for heritage listing, and the community have an opportunity to have their say. Built by JG Pashley and Sons in 1914 at the Harwood Mill, the 18.8 metre long and 3.4 metre wide MV Beardmore was made from local hardwood.

The Victorian Minister for Planning, the Hon. Sonya Kilkenny MP, has decided that an environmental effect statement is required for the Fingerboards Critical Minerals Project and given reasons for her decision. Gippsland Critical Minerals Pty Ltd, the proponent of the Fingerboards Project, has responded to the decision. The community action group, Mine Free Glenaladale, has responded to the decision and GCM's statement.

More than a quarter of a century's worth of volunteer work to restore the timber trestle bridges on the old Cudgewa-Wodonga railway line was gone in a flash when the Walwa-Mt Lawson bushfire laid waste to the structures last month. A strong wind change pushed the out-of-control bushfire towards the bridges near Shelley, Koetong and the Tallangatta Valley on January 8th and within 24 hours, 15 of the 16 bridges had been destroyed.

At just 15 years old, Ray Neville stunned the racing world with a Melbourne Cup victory. Now, nearly eight decades later, his hometown of Birchip is ensuring that remarkable moment in sporting history will be remembered, with work under way on a silo mural in his honour.

... Sussan Ley is taking her bat and ball and going home. The tenure of Ms Ley has been marred by Farrer communities being devastated by the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, a plan that her party was the ultimate architect of.

Member for Murray Helen Dalton said 25 dead Murray Cod were left stranded in a remnant pool barely 60 metres long in Bullatale Creek. "Some were close to a metre in length - fish that would have taken decades to grow now gone," she said ... "So here is the question. What exactly is that two billion dollars a year being spent on?

Barkindji representatives travelled to the United Kingdom to share the Menindee fish kills film with international audiences and connect with cultural items. In the summer of 2018-2019, a million dead fish floated to the surface of the Baaka (Darling River) near the town of Menindee. The shocking sight was the result of a mass fish kill.

The Finocchiaro CLP Government is further boosting economic growth in the Territory through a new acreage release for onshore petroleum exploration. The acreage is approximately 4,000 sqkm, more than five times the size of Singapore, and is strategically located near the Amadeus Gas Pipeline and the Stuart Highway within the highly prospective Beetaloo Sub-basin, one of Australia’s most significant onshore shale gas plays.

Bundaberg Regional Council and Bundaberg Tourism are advocating for fairer regional airfares, with the community invited to add their input to the joint submission.

Everyday Australians face another hit to their power bills after Transgrid applied to pass on to consumers the $1.1 billion of their cost over-runs in the 900-kilometre EnergyConnect project between NSW and South Australia. Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster MP said the latest revelation yet again exposes the fallacy that ‘renewable’ energy is not the ‘cheapest form of electricity’.

Madison Eastmond. The crushing economic pressure of the wine industry has forced a Riverland family to dump their grapes – and prompted a Chaffey election candidate to pledge advocating for locals outside "the top end of town" ... "Where are our (local politicians)?," Mr Koutouzis asked.

Around $150 million or more changes hands at the Naracoorte Regional Livestock Exchange (NRLE) each year from sales of 85,000 cattle and 500,000 sheep. And now Naracoorte can boast it has one of the nation’s top 10 saleyard canteens as well as the largest saleyard facility for cattle and sheep in South Australia.

Member for Farrer for the past 25 years, Sussan Ley has announced her exit from politics with grace and dignity after losing to Angus Taylor in a Liberal Party leadership spill 34-17 on Friday ... "I will be spending the next couple of weeks thanking the amazing people of Farrer, and expressing my gratitude to them, for the honour of representing them for 25 years."

A new advisory committee has been established to support the reopening of boat-based recreational demersal fishing from Kalbarri to Augusta in Spring 2027. The West Coast Demersal Ministerial Advisory Committee will provide recommendations to the State Government on the future management of recreational fishing to balance a return to boat-based fishing with continued protection for fish stocks to support recovery.

Long-term planning to ensure a sustainable future for the West Coast Wilderness Railway has taken its next steps. The Tasmanian Government has convened a roundtable with key industry and business stakeholders to discuss next steps for the Railway.