State politics

Almost 140 hospitality, clubs, pubs and entertainment centres in the Murrumbidgee region have registered for the NSW Government’s Dine and Discover NSW vouchers, designed to kick start a post-COVID economy. The value of the consumer spend totals $124,098 in the Narrandera, Coolamon, Lockhart, Murrumbidgee and Leeton Shires up until May 11.

Pollies visited timber operations in Kyogle and surrounds to see how environmental factors could work with the industry’s economics to strengthen sustainability. The focus for the visit was state parliament’s inquiry into the sustainability of the timber and forest industry.

Geoff Helisma. Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Catherine Cusack will table the Clarence Catchment Alliance’s (CCA) anti-mining petition in the NSW Upper House ... Ms Cusack said she was “actually feeling like I’m participating, today, in the community consultation process that the Clarence Valley has been denied”.

Victoria’s forestry families received peace of mind yesterday when VicForests won an appeal to overturn the May 2020 Federal Court decision which affected 66 logging coupes in the Central Highlands. A bench of the Federal Court overturned last year’s decision which challenged the validity of the Regional Forest Agreements under which timber harvesting is conducted.

Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall today pulled on the waders to help return 130, metre-long Murray Cod to their native waterways near Tamworth. Mr Marshall said today was the last of hundreds of similar events during the summer season under the NSW Government’s $10 million Native Fish Drought Response and recreational stocking programs which has seen more than 6 million fish released.

Melinda Browning responds to Beverley McArthur MP's media release ... "Mrs McArthur has been misinformed. The correct interpretation of the research is as follows: Out of a sample size of 623 wild canids killed in Victoria as a result of ‘Wild Dog’ (Dingo) Control activities 98.5% proved to be either pure dingoes or have greater than 50% dingo ancestry. Conversely, just 1.5% proved to be domestic dogs with less than 50% dingo ancestry ..."

Emma Pritchard. He spoke so passionately about his work with Clarence Valley youths, Jeremy Jablonski had to pause several times as the emotion of the occasion overwhelmed him. Mr Jablonski, a youth hub coordinator with the New School of Arts Neighbourhood Centre Inc, was among a small crowd which gathered at Fisher Park in Grafton on April 28 to welcome The Honourable Bronnie Taylor, Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Woman, and Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis as they officially launched the Clarence Valley Youth Hubs, made possible through Round 3 of the Stronger Country Communities Fund.

There is increasing anxiety around the potential for dingoes to be re-introduced into the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park in Victoria’s west. The decision is currently in the hands of the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio after submissions to a draft Grampians Management Plan closed in January. Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, said farmers are exceedingly concerned about the dingo plan, given another dingo attack on a person on Queensland’s Fraser Island just one week ago.

As major work begins on the Wiigulga Sports Complex, 12 local sub-contractors and consultants who have been engaged to date to work with Lahey Constructions on the build were welcomed to the site today by Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan MP, State Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh MP and Coffs Harbour Mayor Councillor Denise Knight. More local sub-contractors will join the ranks as the project progresses.

Weipa's first CT scanner is just weeks away from being turned on as the Cape’s biggest hospital undergoes major renovations. The hospital also has a new pharmacy and renal dialysis unit as part of an $8 million funding commitment from the state government.

Member for Cook Cynthia Lui said the relocation and upgrading of the pharmacy and renal dialysis unit was completed last month.

More than 60 leaders from Queensland’s 17 Indigenous councils gathered in Cairns last week to discuss common issues affecting their communities, such as housing and inadequate service delivery. The Indigenous Leaders Forum heard from speakers including Minister for Housing Leeanne Enoch and Assistant Local Government Minister Nikki Boyd over the two days.

Marking the second anniversary of the signing of Australia’s first ever regional deal – all three tiers of government joined to show their recommitment to the Barkly Regional Deal. Federal Minister Nola Marino, Minister Selena Uibo and Barkly Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin signed a Statement of Recommitment at the Council Chambers to make a clear commitment to working together with the community, continue to seek input from the local community, business leaders, youth and investors, and support Aboriginal leadership in the region.

Any momentum Weipa had last year to normalise the community appears to have evaporated as new Rio Tinto GM Michelle Elvy dismissed the matter last week. Speaking at Rio Tinto Weipa’s first community forum of 2021, Ms Elvy deflected the only question regarding normalisation.

For 150 years, European settlers have enjoyed the regenerative resource that is our redgum forests. Now, the industry faces closure at the hands of the Victorian Labor Government. The Andrew’s government plan was first mooted in 2019 and now, with COVID-19 easing, bureaucratic boots are on the ground to ensure Labor achieve their objective. If successful, all Victorian native forestry harvesting and logging will cease by 2030. Other key milestones include the end of current forest contracts in 2024, followed by a re-tendering process.

Narrandera may be a future home to a critically important research centre for one of the nation’s most iconic species, the koala. A notice of motion was submitted by deputy mayor David Fahey to Narrandera Shire Council to lobby Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley and the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service to establish a Koala Research Centre in Narrandera. Cr Fahey said the centre would research and protect the koala population in the Shire, create a tourism opportunity and employment for the town, and protect the disease-free status of the local koala population.

NSW Farmers Vice President and Liverpool Plains farmer Xavier Martin said the agreement ends 13 years of uncertainty for the region’s farmers. “It was the wrong mine in the wrong place,” Mr Martin said. “This area has some of the best soils and water in Australia and as a nation, short term energy extraction gains should never compromise long term food and fibre production goals.” Mr Martin said the Shenhua project also had an “unmanageable risk” factor on the quality and quantity of groundwater resources.

The National Farmers’ Federation welcomes today’s announcement to end plans for the development of the proposed Shenhua coal mine on the Liverpool Plains. "After more than 13 long years, farmers and the Liverpool Plains community can almost breathe a sigh of relief that this process has finally ended," President and Liverpool Plains farmer Fiona Simson said. "The fertile black soil of the Liverpool Plains is some of the best farm land in Australia. It is a region of national significance.