Mayor slams coverage of Pine Street squatters
Steve Krieg, From the Mayor's desk. I write this after last issue’s (Nimbin GoodTimes, February 2025) appalling coverage of the illegal squatters in Pine Street Lismore that three years after the worst natural disaster in Australia’s recorded history is diverting attention and resources away from our recovery.
Megafires thrive on high per hectare fine fuel loads across the forest landscape, regardless of land tenure: SETA’s further response to David Lindenmayer
One of the key drivers of fire behaviour that Professor Lindenmayer seems to pay little attention to is the ground fine fuel load across the forest landscape. The key driver of fire intensity, with a given fuel moisture content, wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity, on the day, is fine fuels.
Free flood waste disposal for Lismore residents as recovery begins
“We really dodged a bullet with this one, but there is a lot of damage, including downed trees. Our residents shouldn’t have to bear the cost of this weather event": Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg.
White Cliffs hit with water restrictions
Central Darling Shire says the restrictions will remain in place until drought conditions improve. Level two restrictions came into effect on March 3, and will remain in place until conditions improve.
Barwon MP calls for review on weirs
Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP has moved a notice of motion at the most recent sitting of NSW Parliament. In a statement made on social media Mr Barwon said weirs are integral in Western NSW.
Union asks Police Commissioner to resign
The entire executive board of the NT Police Association (NTPA) is calling upon Police Commissioner Michael Murphy to tender his resignation. This follows his outing himself as the senior executive public officer found by ICAC to have displayed unsatisfactory conduct in relation to the management of a conflict of interest in a recruitment process.
Superintendent Scott Tanner is new recovery coordinator for our region
Rain is expected to continue today, Monday, March 10 with severe thunderstorms predicted for west of the range. As a pre-emptive step to boost recovery efforts for impacted communities, the State Government has appointed NSW Police Superintendent Scott Tanner as the recovery coordinator for the region.
Festival forges ahead
The decision to issue a planning permit to this year’s Esoteric Festival was made conditionally at Buloke Shire Council’s ordinary meeting held on Monday night in Wycheproof. The Council had announced its decision to deny a ten-year planning permit late last week following health and safety concerns, as well as emergency services regulations.
Protecting the right to protest
There was plenty of colour and movement in Bendigo last Thursday when protestors gathered outside Premier and Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan’s electoral office. They had assembled to send her a message regarding the proposed ‘social cohesion’ laws which are under State parliamentary consideration.
Commonwealth cozies up with corporates to kill family farms: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says ... Commonwealth Government announcement to purchase 30,614 megalitres (ML) of water from Duxton Water has sent off alarm bells in Basin communities. VFF President Brett Hosking said the $121.3m water sale would hurt farmers and regional communities the most.
Huge milestone proves Murray-Darling Basin Plan is back on track: Plibersek
The Albanese Government is delivering over 100 times more additional environmental water in one term than the previous Liberal National Government delivered in a decade. This is a huge win for South Australia.
Water plans walked back: NSW Farmers Association
Farmer hopes for water security have been buoyed by new changes to water sharing plans for six NSW rivers. NSW Farmers Water Taskforce Chair Richard Bootle said the revised wetland maps released by the state government this week were a sign of positive progress for many farmers, who were concerned land and water would be unfairly locked away by new water sharing plans.
Rideshare gets the nod to operate state-wide
The state government has removed restrictions on metropolitan rideshare and chauffeur drivers, allowing them to operate statewide. Changes were expected to be gazetted last week, with rideshare and chauffeur drivers no longer required to apply for a separate accreditation to operate outside of the metropolitan boundary.
Liar, liar, nation on fire: Why we keep electing serial fibbers
There was a time, not so long ago, when politicians at least made an effort to pretend they were telling the truth. Sure, they stretched it, massaged it, and occasionally trampled all over it, but there was still some vague expectation that outright, blatant lying was a career-ending mistake. But today? Forget it. Lying is no longer a political liability—it’s a winning strategy.
A case study in folly #4: The price of ignoring fire risks
The day started rather innocuously on 18 March 2018 at Tathra, a serene coastal town nestled amidst the forested hills of southern New South Wales, renowned for its natural beauty near the sea. Yet, by 5 pm, this picturesque setting became the backdrop for a disaster that laid bare systemic failures in firefighting coordination, urban planning and bushfire preparedness.
Strong year for Aussie ag beefed up by livestock: ABARES
The value of agriculture in 2025-26 is expected to be the third highest on record at $91 billion. Including fisheries and forestry, ABARES expects the sector to reach $98 billion, according to Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville.
Council targeting Chilean needle grass
Cr Carol Taylor says vigilance is needed to keep Chilean needle grass in check in the aftermath of Toowoomba Regional Council completing a program in the local area. Chilean needle grass is a Weed of National Significance and is considered to be one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasive nature, potential for spread, and economic and environmental impacts.
Councils take hospital fight to the streets
Towong Shire Councillors and members of the community, along with representation from other northern rural councils, assembled at a rally on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne yesterday to push for a greenfield site for a new Albury-Wodonga hospital. The current proposal for the new Albury Wodonga regional hospital is simply inadequate, according to Towong Shire mayor, Cr Andrew Whitehead.
Cohuna community turns a negative into a positive
The Nationals Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, says the Allan Labor government has unleashed a bureaucratic blitz which will destroy community events across regional Victoria. “The first victim has been Cohuna’s Bridge to Bridge fundraiser, which has seen its traffic management charges jump from $2000 in 2024 to a crippling $22,000 in 2025,” Mr Walsh said.
Green light for Murray Plains Meat Cooperative with red meat processing licence
The Murray Plains Meat Cooperative (MPMC) has officially received its licence for red meat processing, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to supporting local agriculture and providing ethical, small-scale livestock processing services.
Model to ‘reshape’ tourism
Patricia Gill. A changemakers Innovation Lab run in Denmark through Curtin University last month has developed an invitation-based model designed to reshape local tourism. This would shift tourism from a 'transactional industry' to a reciprocal exchange where visitors became part of an evolving story rather than passive consumers.
Survey finds 150 ancient tingles lost in December fire
More than 150 ancient tingle trees in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park have fallen after a prescribed burn on December 18 last year. This is the finding of a local researcher, ANU environmental science student Uralla Luscombe-Pedro, who surveyed the area burned next to the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk.
