Politics

Flinders Shire Council is taking a leaf out of the Texas playbook to supercharge its economic future, welcoming a high-profile delegation of USA wind energy experts to the region this week as part of a tour of the state. The strategic visit aims to showcase how Flinders Shire is championing a pragmatic, economically driven approach to renewable energy development...

Bass Coast Shire Council has officially opened the Sunset Strip Bike Jump Park delivering an exciting new space for riders of all ages and abilities on Phillip Island. The track was officially opened today, with local students, Councillors, members of the Bass Coast Mountain Bike Association, contractors and Council staff coming together to celebrate the milestone...

The Albanese Government has provided critical financial relief to 34 regional and remote airports through the Regional and Remote Airport Support Program. These relief payments will help airports, largely run by local councils, to manage any debts linked to the voluntary administration of Rex Airlines, and maintain the essential aviation services they provide for their communities.

The Living Arts Space is delighted to present Brick by Brick: 10 Years of Building Bendigo, a new exhibition celebrating a decade of creativity from the Bendigo LEGO® User Group. Founded in 2014, the Bendigo LEGO® User Group has grown to more than 100 members across central Victoria.

The Ivanhoe painted water tower project has been completed and it is already capturing the imagination of local residents and visitors to the region. The artist, Krimsone, has been working hard over several weeks to successfully create the stand-out project.

The biggest diphtheria outbreak since national record keeping began now (21 May) stands at 230 cases this year, affecting mainly Aboriginal people and believed to have caused the death one person. Around 60 per cent of the cases are in the Northern Territory, with further outbreaks in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.

For irrigators across the Riverina and communities across the Far West, the water picture heading into winter 2026 is one that demands close attention. The key dam levels as of 25 May paint a mixed picture. Burrinjuck Dam, which drives allocations for the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and surrounding districts centred on Griffith, Leeton and Narrandera, is at 38 per cent.

Almost three months since the closure of the Straits of Hormuz, the federal government continues to issue statements couched in confident language about fuel and fertiliser "secured" and "shipments" and "cargoes" headed our way ... Australian Rural & Regional News put out some feelers to many of the Australian farmers' associations this week ... your story from on the ground out there is wanted.

Amused by the now familiar angry interventions of the former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, on behalf of his acolyte and sycophantic follower Jim Chalmers, attempting to save him from the quicksand of the 2026 Federal Budget, Kookaburra has been taken back in time to December 1983.

A film about a proposal to turn Wilbinga, a locality north of Two Rocks and south of Guilderton, into a national park is screening at Luna Palace Cinemas ... Wilbinga lies between Two Rocks and the southern side of the Moore River mouth with the town of Guilderton on the estuary’s north side.

New bushfire research to review fire behaviour during major bushfires in western Victoria in February 2024 has identified important learnings for future bushfire preparedness and management. Bushfire scientists from CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic), through the Safer Together program, have reconstructed five bushfires from the 2023-24 fire season, including the Bayindeen – Rocky Road, Mt Stapylton, Bellfield, Staffordshire Reef and Dereel bushfires.

Public claims that timber harvesting increases bushfire risk are based on narrow and contested evidence, and should not be generalised across Australia's diverse forests, according to a new evidence review released by Forestry Australia. The review, Contested Evidence About Timber Harvesting and Bushfire Risk in Australian Landscapes, examines claims that timber harvesting increases forest flammability and bushfire risk.

Murrindindi Shire Council has released a video highlighting the scale of devastation from the January 2026 bushfires, reinforcing its call for a more equitable and impact-based disaster recovery funding model that better reflects the needs of affected communities.

Just 54 Northern Rivers homes have accessed house-raises and retrofits to protect against floods, despite promises of 4,400 house-raises and retrofits made in the aftermath of the 2022 flood catastrophe - a 1 per cent completion rate in 4 years. The NSW Auditor General ... released a report criticising the design and establishment of the Resilient Homes Program...

Lismore City Council has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering the Northern Rivers Rail Trail through Lismore, despite this week’s unsuccessful federal funding outcome. The $42 million application was submitted in 2024, in partnership with Byron Shire Council, to progress the rail trail section from Lismore to Bexhill.

South Australian farmers received $4.7 million in tag discounts and rebates during the first year of mandatory electronic identification (eID) for sheep and farmed goats. The state’s farmers continue to implement a national roll-out of individual eID tags for sheep and goats to strengthen our world-leading livestock traceability systems and support rapid responses to biosecurity threats.

Residents looking to clear out unwanted household items are being reminded that there are practical alternatives to illegal dumping, with the annual Garage Sale Trail continuing to provide Whyalla households with an opportunity to reuse, recycle and earn extra money from pre-loved goods each year.

If you ever wondered why so few of our political class appear genuinely effective, the answer can largely be explained by three principles that govern human organisations everywhere: the Pareto Principle (1890s), Price’s Law (1960) and the Peter Principle (1969).

Renowned environmentalist Bob Brown made his ‘little bit' of contribution recently to preventing ‘pyromaniacs' from burning a national treasure – the Walpole-Nornalup National Park tingle forests. He joined the Tingle Action Group and WA Forest Alliance to see both the beauty of long-unburnt tingle forest, thriving as it has for centuries, and the impact of prescribed burning, which has felled hundreds of ancient tingle trees.

The NSW Labor government has failed to sign the required Deed of Agreement to progress Narrandera's Water Treatment Plant business case, nearly six months after Commonwealth funding was awarded. Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, said the ongoing delay is preventing Narrandera Shire Council from progressing critical work to deliver clean drinking water to the community.

In proud partnership with the Buloke Shire Council, the Wycheproof Community Resource Centre was delighted to facilitate the grand opening of the Wycheproof Library on May 3. Albeit a chilly morning forty-five participants gathered, and as the rain stopped, a blue sky welcomed guests to the beautifully painted doors of the new library for a ribbon cutting ceremony...