Curtains for Wellcamp COVID facility
The Queensland Government will not renew the lease of the Wellcamp quarantine facility when it expires next month. The 1000-bed facility opened early last year to house those with COVID-19 who needed to quarantine. It cost the State Government more than $220 million to set up, but only housed 730 people.
MRSG ‘disappointed’ that solutions are ignored
The organisation representing community and farming interests across the NSW Murray region has expressed ‘disappointment’ at the Albanese Government’s push to reintroduce water buybacks. The Murray Regional Strategy Group (MRSG) has worked tirelessly on solutions that would help deliver environmental water without sacrificing food production.
Kadina native garden is the bees’ knees: SA Water
Three years after being established, a thriving native garden at SA Water’s Kadina Depot is demonstrating the success of growing water efficient, locally-sourced plants, with the idea easily able to be replicated in Yorke Peninsula backyards ... SA Water’s Vegetation Services Specialist Shaun Kennedy said he’s thrilled to see the garden continuing to flourish and attract an interesting array of birds and insects, including native bees, which are taking advantage of newly-installed ‘bee hotels’.
A tale of real animal lovers and riding Betsy to school: Bev McArthur
With no thanks to the Animal Justice Party, all Victorian racetracks, race meetings, trial meetings and racing precincts just got safer. The recent passing in the Victorian Parliament of the Racing Amendment Bill 2022 prohibits the unauthorised access to these places and events and any acts that make them unsafe ... Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, said the legislation targeting the radical, animal rights activists, was overdue.
Bago State Forest Masterplan reveals tourism, art, health and environmental goals: FCNSW
After years of careful planning, interrupted by bushfire, floods and a global pandemic, the Bago State Forest Nature-Based Tourism Enhancement program was launched with reveal of its long-awaited Masterplan ... the Masterplan aims to deliver growth in the local and regional tourism economy through improved forest-based visitor experiences incorporating art, health and wellness, and environmental projects.
Visitor numbers to some of South Australia’s most iconic national parks have skyrocketed: Close
More and more people are rediscovering South Australia’s natural beauty with visits to some national parks skyrocketing 35 per cent over the past year. Naracoorte Caves saw a 35 per cent increase in visitors in the past 12 months while Seal Bay had a 33 per cent increase over the same period as tourists and locals head back out to explore our unique national parks.
More Central Australian remote health centres set to transition to Aboriginal community control: Fyles, Paech
Local service delivery for primary health care in Imanpa and Yulara will be transferred to an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS). Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress) has this month assumed operations of the primary health care clinics in Imanpa and Yulara.
Support for Maryvale mill workers: Tierney
While these are robust negotiations, as any commercial negotiation should be, we are firm in our commitment to supporting workers and their families who are being directly impacted during this challenging time and to those who will continue to be employed at the mill. A redeployment and redundancy process is currently underway, subject to relevant law and the company’s enterprise agreement: Gayle Tierney.
Job losses rippling through Victorian communities: Timber Towns Victoria
Victorian regional communities are being delt the brunt of brutal job and skills losses since the timber supply issues stemming from a Supreme Court order in November 2022 locking up Victoria’s native forests causing mills to close down. It was announced in 2019 by the State Government that the native timber industry would be phased out by 2030 and since then activists have been relentless in attempting to speed up the process by taking out court injunctions stopping timber harvesting operations leading to short supply.
Crime control authorities: Answers, please
When it comes to dealing with social and crime problems in Alice Springs, what are the legal obligations of government departments and publicly funded NGOs? How well are they following their mission statements? How much taxpayers’ money do they get and how are they spending it?
Not prepared for savage bushfire threat
A savage bushfire season is imminent after huge La Niña rains, but "arrangements for the mitigation, management and suppression of bushfires" are inadequate. "There is a loss of fire management knowledge, networks and depth of experience which underpin the success of fire programs," says the NT Government’s Alice Springs Regional Bushfire Management Plan 2022/23.
Barkly Sky Muster customers set to receive unmetered data allowance in new trial
Barkly residents on the NBN Sky Muster Plus plan will soon receive unmetered monthly data allowances and faster speeds as part of a new trial to boost internet quality in the bush ... Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour said the trial is great news for Lingiari residents in the Sky Muster footprint.
New policing measures
Following a visit to Toowoomba last week by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, a raft of measures has been introduced that aim to combat crime. The community safety reforms, introduced to state Parliament last week, include extreme high-visibility police patrols becoming a permanent feature of policing in the Toowoomba region and the State Flying Squad being expanded and given a youth justice focus to tackle youth crime hot spots whenever and wherever they emerge.
McGuire in waiting
Naracoorte’s Craig McGuire and 44 other elected members are likely to be reinstated to each of their 36 councils following new laws being rushed through State Parliament ... SA Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the Bill introduced to Parliament last week sought to protect ratepayers from possible costly by-elections, “while still ensuring that councillors file their campaign donation returns”.
Power options lessen climate effects
Community water and sewer systems across north-east Victoria are now more resilient to the growing impacts of climate change and natural disasters ... John Day, General Manager Environment, Systems and Operations, said ‘behind the meter’ power systems will help keep water and sewer infrastructure operating in emergency situations.
Landini pushes for new state
“Politics can be summarised in one short statement; politics is a numbers game,” said NSW Murray candidate David Landini ... Mr Landini is running in the NSW electoral seat of Murray in a bid to end the strangle hold of metropolitan populations’ control of policies across rural NSW and Victoria. Mr Landini sees the formation of a new state as the only way rural communities will take control of their prosperity and natural environment.
UK space companies touch down in South Australia to fuel trade opportunities: Close, Champion
Space companies from the United Kingdom have landed in Adelaide on a mission to explore why more global companies are investing in South Australia’s cutting-edge space sector ... The contingent follows recent announcements that global companies Airbus, SSTL and Equatorial Launch Australia will all establish bases in South Australia.
Largest ever acquisition for NSW national park estate: Perrottet, Griffin
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the 437,394 hectare site between Tibooburra and Bourke will become the third largest national park in NSW and a major new tourism drawcard for the region. “This is the largest ever single parcel of land to be acquired for the national park estate in NSW,” Mr Perrottet said.
Cost cutting increases bushfire threat: NSW Farmers
NSW Farmers Energy Transition Working Group chair Reg Kidd said the Government had to explain why it was allowing Transgrid to build more overhead power lines when there was compelling evidence they increased the risk of bushfires.
Payment for power lines
Farmers for Climate Action has welcomed the Victorian Government’s move to pay landholders $8,000 a year for each kilometre of high voltage power line on their land, for 25 years. Farmers for Climate Action, an organisation representing 7,500 farmers Australia-wide, had been calling for such a policy, and it was a key plank of its Victorian election campaign.
More choice and health services for soon-to-be mums in the Snowy Monaro: Taylor
Families from across the Snowy Monaro will benefit from enhanced maternity facilities with the Minister for Regional Health and Women Bronnie Taylor and Member for Monaro Nichole Overall joining local health workers to officially open the new Maternity Department at Cooma Hospital ... “The new maternity unit boasts high-quality, modern facilities in well-equipped rooms, filled with natural light. One of the two new birthing rooms includes a new birthing bath which will provide women with more choice during the delivery of their baby”: Mrs Taylor.
Thousands more hectares of koala habitat protected forever: Griffin
Another 3,157 hectares of high quality koala habitat has been secured for the State’s national park estate ... Minister for Environment James Griffin said seven more properties spanning from near Tenterfield in the north, to near Cooma in the south have been protected in perpetuity ... Since 2019, the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government has secured more than 600,000 hectares for addition to the national park estate.
