FMD Biosecurity Response Zone extended to June 2023: DAFF
The Biosecurity (Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Biosecurity Response Zone) Determination 2022 covering relevant international airports has been extended to 30 June 2023 ... "Australia is currently free of FMD and we want to keep it that way. Extending this determination is a key part of our response": Director of Biosecurity and Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Andrew Metcalfe AO.
Statement on Australia signing the Methane Pledge: NFF
Farmers have been given assurances there will be no new taxes or regulation on livestock methane, and no reduction to agricultural production nor livestock numbers. This commitment recognises agriculture’s existing achievement, future plans and dedication to ongoing partnership with government to develop technology-led solutions and associated innovation. We are confident Australian agriculture and farmers will retain a seat at the table as the conversation continues and this dialog with government is open and dynamic.
Last chance for Qld to lead way on seafood laws: Katter
Ahead of National Barramundi Day, Queensland fishers, restaurateurs and pro-Aussie politicians are imploring the Palaszczuk Labor Government to lead the way on Country-of-Original-Labelling (CoOL) labelling laws. A bill currently before the Queensland Parliament, known as the Food (Labelling of Seafood) Amendment Bill 2021, will go to a vote next Tuesday 25 October.
Real time traffic info arrives in the regions: Farraway
Real time traffic information is now available to motorists using local roads across 22 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in regional NSW. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway welcomed the launch of the first expansion to the Live Traffic NSW website, which will see the addition of local road information alongside any impacts on the state-managed road network.
Flood emergency
The entire Central Victorian region has been smashed by catastrophic floods, which appear to be more serious and more widespread than the 2010 and 2011 floods. With many regions experiencing record-breaking rains over catchments that were already sodden, the end result has been devastating. Gutters have turned into creeks, creeks into raging rivers and rivers into churning brown oceans ... Geoff Palmer took this photo of the spillway at Cairn Curran last Thursday.
Oil spill
In the midst of dealing with the flood situation, emergency service workers were called out to an oil spill in Maldon last Friday. A significant quantity of waste oil had leaked out from a sump at a Victorian Goldfields Railway workshop and into a neighbouring property.
Opposition pressure achieves regional power: Rundle, Honey, Love
Regional West Australian’s pleas for equitable access to the energy supply may soon be answered after relentless pressure placed on the McGowan Labor Government by the Opposition. Member for Roe Peter Rundle used Question Time in Parliament to ask the Minister about his commitment to upgrading the network to increase supply allocation for regional communities.
Supplementary water for Murray irrigators: Anderson
A 10 per cent increase in supplementary water access licences has been allocated for NSW Murray irrigators, taking the total for the 2022/23 water year to a record 110 per cent of entitlement. Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson said the exceptionally wet conditions have resulted in a major increase in unregulated flows in the Murray which means there is an unprecedented amount of water in the system.
New Dungowan Dam EIS on display: Anderson
Tamworth and Peel Valley residents will soon be able to have their say on the New Dungowan Dam and Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement which will go on display by the end of October. Minister for Lands and Water and Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said this signifies the NSW Government is getting on with the job of building the New Dungowan Dam and called on the Commonwealth to reaffirm its funding in next week’s budget.
Five Tennantites make the pledge to become Aussie citizens
The number of Australians in Tennant Creek grew by five last Friday when Acting Mayor Russell O’Donnell donned the robes to officially swear in the new citizens in front of friends and families. Ujwal Minocha, Mary Apple Martin, Elvir Rahmanovic, Fungisi Siggins and Vijay Kumar Saraf each swore the oath, showing their commitment and loyalty to their new country...
Dam or be damned!: Bev McArthur
The East coast of the island is swollen with water – the bulging rivers purging to sea, or finding relief beyond their banks, the waters spewing and sprawling across paddocks and swirling down streets. The anxiety of sandbagging in the race to beat mother nature is real. The threat of the unknown is immense. The realisation of the brutal damage done: heartbreaking. If only we’d built more dams. Damn.
Landmark national bushfire framework to save Australian lives, land and property: Forestry Australia
A landmark new body of work has been released to assist governments and private organisations to tackle Australia’s growing bushfire problem and save lives, land and property. Turning the Goals of the National Bushfire Management Policy Statement into Objectives and Key Performance Indicators aims to guide improvements in bushfire management and provide consistent reporting nationally on achievements.
Preparations underway for expected increased River Murray flows following Victorian floods: Malinauskas, Close, Szakacs
The Malinauskas government will embark on a six week campaign to ensure River Murray communities are afforded the best possible protection from flood waters heading to South Australia. Latest modelling by the Department of Environment and Water is predicting flows of up to 120 gigalitres per day by early December – the highest flows since the 1970s.
People power: Big crowd for Q&A event
Chris Oldfield. Winding up last week’s Q&A event “by popular demand” in the Town Hall, esteemed local MC Glen Hamlyn acknowledged the two mayoral and 11 Naracoorte Lucindale Council (NLC) candidates as “fantastic”. He turned to the crowd of almost 200 people and said they had “a very difficult task of choosing the top 10 candidates out of this group”.
State Government called to investigate medical hub secrecy
Trixi Oldfield. An angered group of Tatiara residents has called on the State Government to investigate Tatiara District Council’s “veil of secrecy” surrounding Bordertown’s proposed new medical hub. Des Murray, Peter Grosser, Bryan Paech and John O’Brien, have written to Local Government Minister, Geoff Brock, asking him to “look into” council’s lack of consultation particularly about “the use of community land purchased to develop medical amenities”.
MINCo continues plan traditions
Last week, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority sang the praises of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council (MINCo) meeting outcomes. Hot topics were climate change, delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full, water buybacks and First Nations water. When it came to the almost $2 billion unregulated water trading industry that impacts communities, rural economies and the environment, it seems implementing legislation already in place was not on the radar.
Digging deep
Community members from our twin towns have had a busy week as flood waters test the towns’ levees ... At the Gannawarra Shire Council depot on Tuesday night, 48 tons of sand filled 3,500 bags in 90 minutes amongst a flurry of community volunteers ... The flood peak is expected to arrive in Koondrook-Barham on October 28, early estimates are a height of 6.2m...
Historic new plan to protect WA’s forests: Whitby, Kelly
Western Australians can now have their say on the draft Forest Management Plan 2024-2033, which delivers on the McGowan Government's historic decision to end native logging in our South-West. The move will preserve at least 400,000 hectares - an area 1,000 times the size of Kings Park - of karri, jarrah, and wandoo forests.
Worsening floods to put co-ops and mutuals to the test again, as the sector’s leaders converge on State Parliament: BCCM
The Business Council for Co-operatives and Mutuals said the worsening flood outlook across the state underscored the need for greater collaboration on disaster and resilience planning, as it launched the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Co-operatives and Mutuals. With scores of flood warnings in place across New South Wales, the BCCM said its members’ community values would once again be in action in coming days and weeks.
Cut the ‘bull’ – not cattle herds
Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald has warned the Federal Government to cut the “bull” and not the national cattle herd ahead of signing up to an international methane reduction agreement ... Senator McDonald warned that any move against cattle and sheep herds would be met with ï¬erce resistance, especially from Northern Australia’s $1.35 billion live cattle export sector which supplies much-needed beef to South East Asian countries ... Senator McDonald said attacks on methane emissions ignored the contributions made by herbivorous and ruminant feral animals.
Flower power to light up See Park again in 2022
Emma Pritchard. The phenomenal beauty of the blossoming jacaranda trees in See Park, Grafton, is an extraordinary sight to behold during the day. And their astonishing colours will once again light up the night sky during the 2022 Grafton Jacaranda Festival ... the event encourages locals and tourists to wander through See Park after dark and enjoy a twilight picnic or relaxing visit ...
East coast grain crop hangs in the balance: Grain Producers Australia
Grain producers on the east coast of Australia are on high alert with severe flooding and more heavy rains causing significant interruption and damage to this year’s crop, and loss of critical value. Victorian grain grower and Grain Producers Australia Southern Director, Andrew Weidemann, said this year’s crop was on a knife’s edge and with more rain forecast the losses will only escalate.
