Politics

Many stakeholders have been left shocked by yesterday’s Federal Government announcement to fast track an additional 130 gigalitres of water purchases from farmers in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin, despite evidence that the Basin management needs to move beyond “just adding water”.

Following community consultation held in 2024 on the Castlereagh Country Drought Plans, the Gilgandra and Warrumbungle Shire Councils, supported by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the NSW Government, are pleased to announce the launch of an innovative free event aimed at building resilience, empowering communities and showcasing opportunities.

Samuel Freeman, Justin Walsh and Adam Nikitins of EY Parthenon as Joint and Several Voluntary Administrators of Regional Express Holdings Limited (Administrators Appointed) and a number of its subsidiaries (together ‘the Rex Group), announced creditors voted in favour of a Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA) proposed by Air T at the Second Meeting of Creditors for the Rex Group.

Michael Balderstone, Legalise Cannabis Party President. Firstly, congratulations Albo and thank you for Labor preferences on the Senate tickets ... Fair to say we were disappointed by our result, even though we got more than half a million first preference votes. The Legalise Cannabis Party grew out of the Nimbin HEMP Embassy, which in truth grew out of the Nimbin community.

The state government has no plans to restore 24-hour police station operations in Naracoorte or other Limestone Coast towns, despite growing frustration from regional communities over slow response times and reduced police visibility. Police minister Blair Boyer told The [Naracoorte] News that reopening stations around the clock would “mean someone has to be at the station at all times in case someone attends,” arguing the current model kept officers on the road rather than behind a counter.

The Victorian Government should pilot a recycled drinking water facility as a pathway to boost water security and improve consumer understanding, the state’s independent infrastructure advisor finds. Manufactured water created from recycled wastewater can help meet growing demand for water and offset the impacts of climate change.

Timber Towns Victoria (TTV) has visited the Wellington Shire Council region for a 3-day members forum incorporating their annual general meeting and tours through several businesses featuring timber processing, innovation, and economic development.

The Coalition has attacked the lack of urgency in addressing financial sustainability for Australia’s 537 local governments, as the Albanese Labor government quietly reinstated a sustainability inquiry - something the Coalition has been calling for since early June.

The Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport has accepted the Albanese Government’s referral of an Inquiry into Local Government Sustainability. This is something the sector has been calling for since the initial Inquiry lapsed in May when the 47th Parliament of Australia was dissolved.

Starting from ... 10 November 2025, the Shire of Ashburton’s Ranger Services will commence annual property inspections to ensure compliance under the Bush Fires Act 1954 and the Emergency Management Act 2005. These inspections are aimed at ensuring properties are prepared for the upcoming bushfire and cyclone seasons.

Is there life after the ban on live sheep exports? Bindi Murray joins us from Sheep Producers Australia with some good news! Plus we catch up with local legend Mat Dunn from Beacon who is in Harvest for an update and all of your local weather with Jessica Lingard from the Bureau (of Meteorology).

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has welcomed the release of the terms of reference for two inquiries into regional aviation. The first, a Productivity Commission inquiry into the key factors that determine regional airfares. The second, a Senate committee inquiry into the state of Australia’s aviation sector and its ability to deliver reliable and affordable services to rural, regional and remote communities.

Soon after Chris Olive’s son Ben was born, a man asked him to join the SES. That was in 1984. Forty years later and Chris is recognised for his long service at Kyogle SES Unit at a presentation in Lismore on November 1. 

Alice Springs is a town of fences and this one is the granddaddy of them all: it surrounds what is apparently a Pine Gap facility, between McDonald and Whittaker streets, behind the Harvey Norman store. The owner of Lot 9145 is the Commonwealth of Australia.

A new Federation University study has revealed farmers and communities are buckling under the mental health strain posed by energy and mining developments in the Wimmera and Southern Mallee regions ... “Tragically an Australian farmer dies by suicide every 10 days. That’s more than twice the rate of other working Australians.”

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has joined industry colleagues and Australian Government officials on a week-long mission to strengthen ties with key South-East Asian partners. NFF Interim Chief Executive Su McCluskey is taking part in the Food Security Mission to Indonesia and Brunei, led by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) this week.

Testimony to the potential presented by Southeast Asia is the steady progress of innovative Australia agtech company Bygen, both domestically and in the region, in this case Vietnam. Bygen is a Melbourne-based manufacturer producing granular and powdered activated carbon products. ARR.News found out more from Cameron Griffiths, Bygen CCO.

I’ve stood on the bridge of the Fisheries portfolio before, watching the charts, reading the soundings, and warning the captain that reefs lay ahead. As a former Chief of Staff to a Fisheries Minister, I recognise the signs when a government vessel starts taking on water and the crew pretend it’s just spray over the bow. WA is again steering toward the same rocks: science shouting from the crow’s nest, lobby groups whispering on the bridge, and politicians tightening the sails to catch votes instead of heeding the compass. Now Captain Jackie Jarvis has the helm. We will see whether she keeps a steady course guided by evidence or follows her predecessor into the shallows of cheap populism and political drift.

Long-suffering readers know my refrain: Western Australia can build stadiums, museums and Metronet tunnels, yet still cannot build a permanent home for its agriculture department. Call it DPIRD or the old Ag Department, or—as I prefer—the Department of People, Inclusion, Re-education and Diversity. Titles change, logos change, ministers change. The reality stays the same.

Unique wetlands in Victoria's Wimmera are getting a helping hand thanks to the local community. Conservation organisation Trust for Nature, supported by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and the Victorian Government, is working with landholders to protect and manage wetlands on their properties.

TasFarmers says the 2025-26 State Budget is “what it is", steady and without surprises, with no new taxes and no change to agricultural policy. TasFarmers says the budget highlights the need for stronger leadership and meaningful reform to safeguard the state’s productive economy.