Politics

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has reported a surge in Aussies dying. In 2022, there were 75,593 deaths that occurred by May 31 and were registered by July 31, which is 10,757 (16.6 per cent) more than the historical average. May alone saw 16,124 deaths, 1,922 (13.5 per cent) above the historical average. Of those deaths, 4,465 were attributed to Covid-19, though it is hard to distinguish died ‘with’ from died ‘from’ Covid-19.

No action has been taken to address the explosion of erosion through hundreds of kilometres of Australia’s most iconic river, the Murray. The erosion is consuming red gum forests, one of which is RAMSAR listed, as well as compromising bank integrity, with floods looming. Private infrastructure is also being impacted with pump sheds, fences, lawns and watering systems all falling prey to hydraulic land clearing.

“Refused!” That one word on the Community Against Iron Gates Development Facebook page said it all. Ian Rankin from the protest group was elated and found it difficult to put the Northern Rivers Planning Panel’s decision into words ... The panel said they would announce their decision on the DA by Gold Coast Coral for 183 houses at Iron Gates in Evans Head at 5pm. At 5.30pm the panel chair Paul Mitchell made the announcement.

Many years ago one of my tasks involved assessing rehabilitated mine sites to see if they had attained the agreed "completion criteria" and could be accepted back by Government for ongoing management ... Some years later, a mining proposal was rejected by the EPA and I was approached by the company for advice on an "environmental offsets package" that could be acceptable ... What we managed to achieve was some expenditure in the local area/community with local decision-making.

World leading augmented reality (AR) technology developed in South Australia is being used to assist producers to recognise emergency animal diseases, such as foot and mouth disease in sheep ... The tool generates a flock of augmented reality sheep, providing an opportunity for the user to identify the sick animal by looking for signs and symptoms of exotic EAD diseases.

Rodney Stevens. 'Don't drown our town...Stop the fill'. Those were the chants that echoed across Ford Park and the Yamba Markets on Sunday as more than 100 concerned residents donned red and held up 'Stop the fill' signs to protest against the continual parade of b-doubles dumping fill for floodplain developments ... "They've written to council, they've contacted council over the years about the drainage, about the floodwater in their homes, about the lack of an overall plan and nothing happens."

The forestry sector in Tasmania supports more than 5,700 direct and indirect jobs, many of which are in our rural and regional communities. Our forestry industry delivers a wide range of renewable products which are essential to the community.

Drone technology is being used to inspect the Tweed’s 40 water reservoirs, saving Council time and money. The new technology has been introduced in recent weeks as a way to more easily scan for information about the structure and quality of the water held in each reservoir ... “We can now conduct inspections of the reservoirs ourselves, on the ground, straight away and at very low cost,”: Water and Wastewater operations manager Brie Jowett

The turmoil in the native forest industry is deepening, with Australian Paper turning to recycle more paper as its hardwood timber supply dwindles, while a sawmill in the state’s far east is due to close because it has no timber. Recent developments have underlined the crisis facing the Gippsland industry.

Brian Joiner has promised not to make any hasty decisions as he wrapped up his first week as CEO of Cook Shire Council. Mr Joiner started last Monday with a packed schedule, including a council meeting, a councillor workshop and a community planning meeting at Lakeland.

Dynamic sustainable farming duo Sylvia Leighton and Peter McKenzie were awarded the 2022 Australian Government Landcare Farming award for their work on Wilyun Pools Farm, a 1214ha property near Wellstead on the south coast of Western Australia ... “Sylvia and Peter serve as an inspiration to the farming community across Australia. Their motto of ‘seeking balance’ exemplifies what landcare farming is all about: production, community and environment,”: Minister for Agriculture Senator Murray Watt

As of NCC 2022, new residential dwellings will need to achieve the equivalent of “7  stars”  NatHERS thermal performance. New homes will also have a new annual energy use budget applicable to the home’s major appliances such as space conditioning, hot water, lighting, pool and spa pumps, and any on-site renewable energy generation.

Tourism in regional South Australia has not been dampened this winter, with the state celebrating its best July regional occupancy on record. Latest data shows July 2022 saw average occupancy for regional accommodation of 57 per cent, the best result for a July yet to be recorded. It was up from pre-Covid winter occupancy levels, of 50 per cent (July 2019).

Queensland Minister for Energy and Public Works Mick de Brenni said the changes to the National Construction Code 2022, covered making homes more accessible for people with mobility challenges, and increased the energy efficiency and electric vehicle readiness of new homes.

A new world-class wildlife hospital at Werribee Open Range Zoo is now fully operational to treat sick and injured wildlife in Victoria’s western region as part of the response to the devastating 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. Minister for the Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio announced the completion of the RSPCA Koala Ward at Werribee Open Range Zoo, which will increase capacity to provide expert, compassionate care for sick and injured koalas, native birds, reptiles and mammals in Victoria’s western regions.

The presence of White Spot has been confirmed in an enclosed prawn facility in the north of NSW by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness. White Spot is a highly contagious viral infection that affects crustaceans and can cause major mortalities in farmed prawns ... “The detection is within an enclosed prawn facility and was identified during routine testing carried out by our DPI Biosecurity Team.: Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders