State politics

In September this year, Steve Posselt and Graeme Gibson set off from Ballina in a tinnie to travel upstream towards Kyogle ... The Tinnie Trip was part of the Riverfest and its aim was to highlight the state of the Richmond River.

Hopes that growth in tourism will lift Alice Springs out of its economic slump in 2026 look like wishful thinking. There are no major projects. There are still no accommodation facilities other than camping in the West MacDonnell National Park (2,568 km2), the jewels in our tourism crown, nor in the East Macs. Ross River is available only for special functions and Glen Helen is still closed.

International tourists have descended on WA in nation-leading numbers, with the State out-performing the rest of Australia for growth in overseas visitors. The latest visitor data has WA on track for full recovery to pre-pandemic international visitor numbers by the end of 2025, with the State achieving 99.5 per cent of 2019 numbers in the year ending September 2025.

Six hi-tech monitoring buoys which will automatically detect future harmful algal blooms before they reach our shores are being deployed across South Australian waters. The state-of-the-art oceanographic moorings are equipped with specific sensors for early detection of key harmful algal bloom (HAB) species such as Karenia.

NSW councils looking for a quick fix to the ownership issues plaguing the Red Fleet have been left disappointed. The NSW government has released its Response to the Parliamentary Accounts Committee's Inquiry into Assets, premises and funding of the NSW RFS. Its response to the major recommendations that the assets be recognised as the property of the NSW RFS, has effectively been kicked down the road ...

After requesting a buyback offer of up to $20 million for fishermen to exit the industry, the Clarence Prawn Trawl committee say NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty's offer is embarrassing. Last Wednesday afternoon, CVI was contacted by Minister Moriarty's office with news that the NSW Government would commit $4.5 million toward buybacks for the prawn trawl industry.

Firearms reform is attractive politics because it is administratively complex but morally simple. It produces press conferences, committees, compliance regimes and the soothing language of “community safety”. What it does not reliably produce is protection against terrorism, extremism or ideologically driven murder ... Western Australia’s experience is instructive.

Michelle Daw. A team of citizen scientists is monitoring the impact of the harmful algal bloom on two southern Yorke Peninsula jetties that were home to a dazzling array of sea life. Certified volunteer divers involved in the Edithburgh and Wool Bay Jetties Marine Watch are conducting monthly photography, transects of the seafloor, and quadrat observations under and around both jetties.

Gemco Rail is proud to announce that wagon manufacturing is now established at our Karratha facility, marking a major step in bringing rollingstock capability into the Pilbara and closer to our customer operations.

With the first day of the 2025-26 abalone season underway on Saturday fishers, who are no doubt keen to get their hands on the delicacy, are being asked to keep safety front of mind ... Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) has reported an increase in incidents over the past few years, with their lifesaving services performing 118 rescues during the four hours of fishing last season and 101 rescues the previous year.

Last week marked the International Day of People with Disability ... so it was fitting to consider how the design of a humble pedestrian crossing can make a difference to safety and accessibility.

Horsham Rural City Council is thrilled to welcome The Australian Ballet to Horsham for a magical evening of world class dance, transforming the City Oval into an outdoor theatre. Ballet Under the Stars will delight audiences with a varied program of ballets ...

When koalas were declared as Endangered north of Victoria, the expert guesstimate of numbers in NSW was 36,350, a very precise and very wrong number. Now, two and a half years after effective surveys commenced in NSW, the estimate is 274,000, eight times higher. This is a less precise and more accurate number, but probably an underestimate. In any case it shows that NSW koalas are not endangered.

Using new tools such as heat-detecting drones and acoustic recorders, scientists surveyed more than 1,000 locations across national parks, state forests and private land. The updated estimate of 274,000 koalas reflects improved technology and more extensive survey work.

The community is still reeling after a devastating bushfire destroyed 16 homes and damaged a further nine at Koolewong on Saturday, December 6 ... News of the fire first broke at around 1pm on Saturday at which time four homes had been lost, with reports of more homes destroyed surfacing during the afternoon and early evening...

AgForce General President Shane McCarthy, appearing with Mr Perrett and Mr Weir at Wyreema last week, said the implementation phase will determine how the reforms function in reality. "What happens in the implementation phase will decide whether these laws support environmental outcomes or unintentionally restrict the routine land management that keeps Queensland landscapes healthy, productive and safe."

Mat Dalby. A Department of Water and Environmental Regulation report, Wilson Inlet (Nullaki) – Condition of the Estuary 2025, was tabled at the Wilson Inlet Community Science Forum ... Department officials presented the report which assesses the main drivers of estuary health that includes rainfall, river flows, catchment condition, nutrient inputs and sandbar dynamics, as well as the estuary's water quality and seagrass pastures.

Farm communities and landscapes cannot continue to be vandalised in the state government’s sledgehammer approach to powering the nation, NSW Farmers says. As renewable developers bulldozed rural landscapes, NSW Farmers' President Xavier Martin said it was clear the Minns Government was ignoring farm communities and the damage inflicted on them by their industrial scale developments.

Andrew George. On Tuesday 18th November, the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) facilitated the first of four meetings of the Community Reference Group (CRG) for Disaster Adaptation Planning (DAP) for the Northern Rivers (NR). This is a positive step for democratic, community participation in disaster preparedness and adaptation in collaboration with the RA. It is also a sliver of hope for deliberative democracy for the region.

The Minns Labor Government has today announced a range of measures and actions aimed at strengthening the governance, integrity and animal welfare standards of greyhound racing industry in NSW. These measures respond to the findings of the inquiry led by the Hon. Lea Drake, appointed by Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris, to address concerns regarding Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW).

The Gannawarra’s newest community meeting and digital connectivity space is officially open for business. More than 100 people gathered at Kerang’s Sir John Gorton Library this morning for the official opening of The Glasshouse.