State politics

The ongoing and thorough debate on Australian Rural & Regional News on native forestry in 2022, highlighted directly and indirectly a few myths on the subject. Without any order of ranking, these are: 1. Native hardwood should be harvested from hardwood plantations ...

The pipeline will carry raw water from Wivenhoe Dam and connect with Toowoomba Regional Council’s existing water infrastructure to deliver water to Warwick and will be an opportunity to deliver treated water to the Toowoomba region communities of Cambooya, Greenmount, Nobby and Clifton. Importantly the pipeline provides drought contingency for residents of Southern Downs Regional Council.

The youth crime crisis has not only once again revealed the Queensland Labor Government’s ineffective way of dealing with a problem but also exposes their disregard to the regions ... the fact that it took a response for a murder in Brisbane, not the constant high levels of violence and off the charts levels of offences occurring in Mount Isa, Townsville and Cairns, to incite some sort of change, is disappointing.

Sections of the highway around Fitzroy Crossing were completely washed away in the recent one-in-100-year flood event, while the Fitzroy Crossing Bridge sustained significant damage and will need to be fully replaced. The plan will involve the implementation of a barge system across the river, which will initially be operated by tugs, with a cable system to be operationalised shortly after.

Staff and patients in NSW public hospitals are set to benefit from a major workforce boost with almost 1,100 medical graduate interns starting work in city and country hospitals this week – more than any other state or territory in Australia ... Minister Taylor said the new medical graduates will be welcomed with open arms to our rural and regional hospitals, with almost one third or 396 of the positions in the bush.

A public environmental review has been set for a mineral sands project proposed for about 21km east of Ledge Point and 800m south of the Moore River due to the extent of further information required, the number of preliminary key environmental factors identified and the moderate level of public interest in the project. When the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) published its decision to assess the Bidaminna project proposal it said out of the 156 submissions received 153 had called for public environmental review.

"Skip has now travelled more than 2,500 kilometres south, where he’s currently having a feed on the East Tasman Plateau, after spending Christmas week on secluded Craggy Island, north of Flinders Island, where he spent a few days hauled out and making short fishing trips": Minister for Environment, James Griffin.

A muscled up NSW Police Force’s Raptor Squad will now have permanent bases in regional NSW, expanding to the state’s Northern and Southern regions to target and dismantle organised criminal networks. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the launch of the Raptor North and Raptor South squads will deliver an extra 30 staff, comprising investigators, Operations Support Group (OSG) operatives, and Traffic and Highway Patrol officers, to build on NSW’s crackdown on organised crime and criminal networks.

The state government’s program for the collection of sandbags from properties in Echuca and Echuca Village has resumed. Campaspe Mayor Cr Rob Amos is encouraging Echuca residents and businesses with sandbags on their properties to take advantage of the free service, which is provided through Emergency Recovery Victoria’s (ERV) Flood Recovery Clean-up Program.

It wasn’t a good start for of the Barkly’s economic future when news broke recently about Sun Cable’s entry in voluntary administration. Member for Barkly and Shadow Minister for Mining and Tourism Steve Edgington says the announcement seriously undermines Labor’s promise of a $40 billion economy by 2030.

Seven inspiring young leaders came together yesterday as the Territory’s new NT Youth Week Ambassadors ... Ambassadors, aged 16 to 22, play a key role in the organisation and promotion of NT Youth Week and have chosen this year’s theme: "Break Free, Unleash Your Story".

Disabilities and Multicultural Affairs Minister Ngaree Ah Kit was in Tennant Creek this week to meet with key stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard and represented in government decision-making. Over two days she met with The Mob Aboriginal Corporation, Barkly Regional Council, Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Barkly Disability Network to name a few.

Locals will be able to make a day out at Narrandera water tower under plans to build a picnic shelter, barbecue area, playground and toilet, thanks to $660,000 from Round Five of the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the new playground would be an extra reason to visit and spend time near the iconic artwork on the Narrandera water tank.

Territorians and visitors are being urged to protect themselves from mosquitoes bites, with mosquito numbers expected to increase following recent heavy monsoonal rainfall. Some mosquito species can transmit viruses including the Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses, as well as the potentially fatal Japanese encephalitis and Murray Valley encephalitis viruses ... three cases of Japanese encephalitis have been diagnosed in the Northern Territory (NT), with the first detected in in 2021.

As the first anniversary of the floods approaches, residents are still wondering about buybacks, retrofitting and land swaps. They are still waiting to make decisions about their homes. The NRRC has not let residents know the options available to them.

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon visited Maryborough on 17 January 2023 and said a record number of First Nations groups would share in funding of more than $1.5 million, from organisations on Mabuiag and Muralag Islands in the Torres Strait in the north, to near Birdsville in the west and Gatton in Southern Queensland.

The first Australian athletes to qualify for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships have visited the course in Bathurst on 16 January 2023, just over a month out from the event ... "Bathurst is known for adrenaline-fuelled sporting achievements, and the World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be right at home at Mount Panorama with more than 500 athletes competing from 68 nations": Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW and Member for Bathurst Paul Toole.

Public houses built in South Australia must use products manufactured in this state, under ground-breaking mandates introduced by the Malinauskas Government ... From now, South-Australian manufactured products must be used on public housing construction and maintenance programs, where available.

Fortescue’s decarbonisation journey has taken a major step forward with WAE Technologies (WAE) completing and delivering to Australia the largest battery of its kind, ready to be installed in a prototype zero-emission battery electric mining haul truck that Fortescue it is developing with Liebherr. The state-of-the-art 1.4MWh prototype power system sets the pace for ground-breaking innovation in heavy industry and is a bespoke design intended for integration into a 240-tonne mining haul truck.