Politics

Residents living around Victorian waterways are breathing a sigh of relief. June 13 was the final day of the state’s three month ‘recreational’ native waterbird shoot ... Shooting was reported to have started half an hour before the legal start time on day one, upsetting children, animals and visitors for three months since. "It finished with shooting on the final day in one of the thickest fogs we’ve ever seen."

Kristin Nicholson. Community discussion has centred on the concern for the safety of the town’s youth who will seek out local alternative swimming locations such as creeks and channels, lack of leisure opportunities (including the water slide), lack of, or reduction of, swimming lessons and other organised aquatic-based lessons, and the cost of travelling to other towns or shires to access aquatic facilities.

A world first whole of life e-tracking system to monitor the location and welfare of all greyhounds registered in NSW is now underway. Minister for Racing Kevin Anderson said the new technology will allow the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) to track and protect racing greyhounds throughout their careers and into retirement.

The Traditional Owners received title deeds and freehold ownership of 155 hectares of land on Normanton’s outskirts: part of the 16,000 square kilometres of land where they already hold native title. Gkuthaarn woman Leanne Edwards said the Gkuthaarn and Kukatj people were progressively seeking freehold title to areas within their traditional lands, potentially to use for housing, and future economic development.

The Awards recognise towns whose tourism operators, businesses and community groups work together to encourage tourism and offer outstanding experiences for visitors. Public voters from across Australia and beyond selected Tamborine Mountain as a favourite destination for weddings, honeymoons, special events and extra long weekend adventures.

Minister for Fishing and Boating Melissa Horne visited the waterway, which has been stocked with tagged silver perch, golden perch and Murray cod many of which are still uncaught. The Golden Tag competition commenced in February 2020 to encourage people to get out on the water and wet a line in their favourite spot, as well as boost recreational fishing tourism.

Members of the public will have an opportunity to look inside the Royal Australian Navy’s newest ship HMAS Stalwart III when it arrives in Geraldton later this month. It is the first time the ship will visit its Ceremonial Homeport and a number of free events are happening over the weekend to celebrate including a Public Personal Training Session, Freedom of Entry March and Ship Open Day.

Council has received funding for the demolition and replacement of a total of 31 timber bridges  with  the construction of stronger, safer and more durable concrete bridges as part of the Fixing Country Bridges Program administered by Transport for NSW. Tenders for 16 of these  bridge projects have been endorsed by Clarence Valley Council this year total $19.35m.

Horticulturists and agriculturists who take water from aquifers in the Gingin groundwater area south of Gingin Brook and Moore River will have any reductions to their entitlements delayed, according to the Gnangara groundwater allocation plan.

Clarence Valley Council's Resilient Clarence project proudly sponsored the Festival of Small Halls at the Wooloweyah Hall on the 26 May and the Dundurrabin Community Centre on the 27 May as part of the Woodfordia Inc Resilience Tour 2022. Using storytelling and music to connect people, the Resilience Tour is travelling to small halls in bushfire impacted communities.

It will take until the end of next year before the details of the voluntary house raising scheme are sorted. This isn’t what homeowners want to hear. They want to make a decision now. Do they use flood recovery grants or home insurance payouts to raise their house? If they do, they won’t be refunded when the house raising scheme details are confirmed.

The peak national organisation representing forest scientists and professionals has refuted claims that native forest harvesting in Tasmania has impacted negatively on the climate. Forestry Australia President Bob Gordon said on the contrary, the carbon sequestering power of growing trees meant sustainable forestry played a key role in reducing the state’s carbon emissions.

The cuttlefish have arrived, which means it’s time to celebrate with Cuttlefest 2022! Cuttlefest is a three month festival of events and activations happening in and around Whyalla to celebrate the annual congregation of the Giant Australian Cuttlefish.

The Tweed’s first flood-free industrial land swap project is one step closer to fruition with construction works planned to begin at South Murwillumbah in August. The innovative plan will see eligible business landowners swap their flood prone land with Council owned, flood free land at Industry Central, located in Lundberg Drive, South Murwillumbah.

Freight operators and farmers will benefit from the completion of upgrade works on three freight lines in north-west Victoria. Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne said the works have been carried out on the Mildura, Sea Lake and Manangatang lines to improve the condition of the track and reduce the risk of infrastructure faults which can delay grain loading.

In true outback spirit, an iconic Alice Springs arts hub has bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a huge jump in visitor numbers and an impressive calendar of events.

A Katherine company has been selected to build 20 new homes on a new subdivision at Beswick ... around the corner to the remote community of Gapuwiyak, an $18.2 million investment will yield 28 new homes ... The northeast Arnhem Land community has helped to plan the new homes, and will be involved in all aspects of construction.

The NSW Government is making a major investment to better prepare communities and respond to bush fires, by committing $315.2 million over the next four years to complete the recommendations of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry in the 2022-23 NSW Budget. Premier Dominic Perrottet said $191 million has been allocated to the Rural Fire Service (RFS) to help keep NSW communities safe through vital hazard reduction works, maintenance of strategic fire trails and the procurement of new fleet ... ARR.News asked the Ministers a few questions and received a response from a NSW RFS spokesperson.

Three state of the art High Clearance Vehicles are now in permanent operation for the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), expanding flood rescue capability by helping volunteers get to hard to reach places. The vehicles, known as Unimogs, have been handed over to the SES by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) after being used on deployment in military operations.