Politics

Rural residents in the Gannawarra Shire are reminded to secure all livestock on their properties following several recent collisions between roaming animals and vehicles. Council’s Local Laws officers have attended a higher number of incidents involving collisions between roaming animals and vehicles compared to previous years.

Congratulations to Leslie Williams on her return as Member for Port Macquarie.

Kermadec Petrel to call LHI home once again, thanks to new project funding - Road upgrade - Project and funding updates - Welcome to the new Ranger, Thomas Nixon

Queensland is set to soar as Australia’s SAF capital, with plans revealed for a biorefinery that will help power the nation’s aviation market with green jet fuel. Jet Zero Australia has started a feasibility study for the facility, which could produce more than 100 million litres of SAF a year for use in domestic flights, including by the Qantas Group.

LHIB. The southern walking tracks in the Permanent Park Preserve (PPP) were re-opened on March 31st, after a brief closure in response to the escalating risk of Myrtle rust to the critically endangered ecosystems within that section of the PPP. The entire PPP is now open in full to managed visitation.

South Korea’s flag carrier and largest airline, Korean Air, is taking South Australia’s premium wines to the air – now serving local drops on its flights. The deal secured by South Australia’s Department for Trade and Investment will see Dandelion Vineyards and Murdoch Hill Wines join Henschke as premium South Australia wine offerings on Korean Air flights.

From 3 April 2023, all interstate and international visitors will need to purchase a Parks Pass to visit most Territory parks and reserves ... “Territorians do not need to purchase a Parks Pass. This only applies to interstate and international visitors”: Parks and Wildlife Executive Director Sally Egan.

Mayor Mislov advised that on Friday 31 March 2023 Council was made aware of an incident that occurred in Port Lincoln on Thursday 23 March 2023 which involved a number of young females, including at least one school student in a violent attack. "Council has been made aware of what can only be described as an appalling incident, which has been filmed and distributed via social media, involving young females in a violent attack on a female school student": Mayor Mislov.

“The Government is set to fall well short of their goal of building one million homes over five years according to report from their peak housing advisory body (NHFIC),” stated Tim Reardon, HIA’s Chief Economist.  The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) released their ‘State of the Nation Housing 2022-23’ report, which highlights that the under supply of housing is set to worsen as demand continues to out paces supply.

A petition led by Naracoorte’s Lachlan Haynes calling for radiotherapy services in the South East is likely to trigger an SA Parliamentary review ... A single petition with over 10,000 signatures must be referred to the Legislative Review Committee for investigation.

The Authority discussed the ongoing consequences of recent floods through the Basin, in particular the tragic fish deaths this month in the Barka-Darling River at Menindee. They expressed their deep concern about the impact on local communities and the river environment and commended the coordinated efforts of water management agencies and the NSW Police to address community concerns, to ensure potable water supply and to effectively remove a great many dead fish from the river.  

Declaring  buffel grass  a weed, as it is in South Australia, will be considered by a  technical working group assessing the impacts of, and approaches to, the introduced plant that is causing extensive damage to native flora and providing fuel for massive bushfires ... We have asked when, and how much money the government has set aside for the campaign against what is widely already recognised as a weed, even if not declared.

A recent report on the Water Supply and Demand in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin released by the Victorian Government conveys the catastrophic convergence of events that are unfolding under a plan to “restore the balance” and “save the Murray.” The report brings into focus the extent to which water scarcity will increase in the future as existing and new permanent horticulture plantings explode below the natural constraints of the river system and fight for dam storage.

A petition has been launched following the announcement of the Breaking Online Notoriety Bill being introduced into Parliament this week. The Federal Member for Groom, Garth Hamilton is asking residents to show their support for the Bill by signing the petition, which calls on all parliamentarians to back the Bill.

The Nationals’ Steph Cooke will enter her third term as Member for Cootamundra after retaining her seat in a landslide victory in Saturday’s state election ... Ms Cooke’s achievements in the electorate have not gone unnoticed as she increased the percentage of her vote from 77.07 per cent in the 2019 election, to 80.48 per cent.

Australia’s state-of-the-art avian quarantine facility is filling the role of midwife to nearly 3000 turkey poults in Victoria. The team at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility in Mickleham together with industry experts have nurtured 2900 turkey eggs from Canada during their minimum 13-week quarantine period.

Local residents are encouraged to come along to Echuca Library this Saturday for the annual Echuca Moama Discovery Day. The event will showcase over 50 groups from Echuca Moama and surrounds, ranging from local service and sporting clubs, to singing, art, craft, history groups and many other community organisations.

The Northern Territory Government has announced the establishment of a technical working group to assess the impacts of, and approaches to buffel grass management in Central Australia, which will include consideration of declaring buffel grass a weed under the Weeds Management Act 2001. While buffel grass has provided valuable fodder as well as dust suppression and erosion control in desert areas since the 1960s, there is increasing concern about its role in heightening wildfire intensity, and associated impacts on biodiversity.