State politics

The National Wild Dog Action Plan supports the conservation of protected dingoes in Victoria’s national parks whilst limiting the impacts of wild dogs on neighbouring properties. In response to an ABC 7.30 report on November 14, National Wild Dog Management Coordinator Greg Mifsud said 20 per cent of the state’s national park and state forests is being managed for wild dogs in the perimeter of the public estate east of the Hume Highway.

An $8 million project to upgrade North Queensland’s flood warning network is now complete with 180 new flood warning assets installed across 28 council areas in the Far North, North and North West of the state.  

“This bill is a signal to the Government that this is an essential step to saving koalas from extinction and is as simple as an amendment to the Forestry Act. We could save money, protect jobs and stimulate the economy while also taking immediate action to slow the extinction crisis in NSW": NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson ... Sue Higginson responded to a question from ARR.News.

The state government body tasked to handle the business operations of Bramwell Station say they are committed to keeping the roadhouse and tourist park open, but questions have been raised over the transparency of the dealings. In a statement to Cape York Weekly, the Department of Environment and Science said it was dealing with existing sublease holders to keep the tourist businesses up and running beyond November 30, when the keys are officially handed to the Queensland government.

Australian Rural & Regional News sought an update on koala monitoring from NSW DPI Principal Research Scientist, Dr Brad Law ... Key points from DPI Forest Science research include: New acoustic survey methods have demonstrated koalas occur more commonly throughout the north-east hinterland forests than previously appreciated ... Annual monitoring of koala occurrence in hinterland forests since 2015 has found a stable trend over time at a regional level. Trend data are generally not available from other regions ... A parallel study found that regulated timber harvesting had no significant impact on koala density ...

A highly pathogenic and aggressive round worm which affects the crop yield of several vegetables, fruit and agricultural fibres has been detected in the Top End. Meloidogyne enterolobii, known as Guava Root-Knot Nematode, has been detected in four premises in Middle Point, Jingili, Palmerston and Malak.

Australia's first remote renewable hydrogen microgrid has launched in Denham in Western Australia's Gascoyne region ... Once fully operational in early 2023, the plant is expected to be able to power the average demands of 100 households or 20 per cent of Denham's residents and businesses.

The NSW Government and NRMA charging network has enabled more than 13 million zero emission kilometres – or the distance to the moon and back more than 30 times – of electric vehicle (EV) travel across the state. The impressive milestone was reached as the network continues to expand, with new chargers along the Mitchell Highway at Nyngan and Bourke and out to Brewarrina along the Kamilaroi Highway.

Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan has launched Dive Ningaloo's new dive charter vessel at an official naming ceremony in Exmouth. The newly restored Lady Ningaloo will provide tourists with access to the underwater wonderland of the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef and Muiron Islands.

Daryl Wiltshire from Undera reports that while the floodwaters are receding, the community is waiting and hoping that the rain that is forecast will not affect the region too much. Undera people are "hoping for a show of resolve from the authorities who control levees to future flood proof the farming area."

The NSW Government is hanging regional councils and koalas out to dry with their latest plan to remove the right of local government to be involved with approvals for private native forestry. The koala wars that have defined the last 4 years of this coalition government are being refuelled under the noses of Liberal ministers and democratically elected councils by The Nationals: Sue Higginson, Greens NSW MP.

NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle has criticised environmental politics holding up rebuilding efforts across the state, saying we need less talk, more action ... Mr Arkle said the independent Natural Resources Commission described the new Private Native Forestry Codes as a significant improvement over the previous codes, with a number of additional environmental protections relating to koalas, unmapped streams and harvesting intensity limits.

Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis has welcomed the certainty the Bill provides to the timber industry and the significant koala protections included. “Farm forestry is a vital component of the NSW timber industry, generating about $482 million and employing 835 people on the North Coast alone,” Mr Gulaptis said.

A North Queensland football coach and first aid officer who has spent his life working with troubled youth has put his hand up to assist in rehabilitation of criminal offenders through a trial of Katter’s Australian Party’s Relocation Sentencing policy. Relocation Sentencing, which has long been touted by the North Queensland-based party as “circuit-breaker solution” to the unrelenting youth crime crisis, would involve repeat offenders being sent to remote properties to work the land while completing compulsory therapeutic programs over a 6-12 month period.

Key scientists, conservationists, wetland managers, birdwatchers and farmers from across Australia with a passion for the iconic Australasian Bittern will meet early next year for an Australasian Bittern Summit ... the Bringing Back the Bunyip Bird: Australasian Bittern Summit is the first time such a conference has been held where delegates can see and hear all things Bittern.

Firefighters will be better protected from exposure to dangerous carcinogens than ever before with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) rolling out world-leading decontamination technology and new fire station designs ... FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter said the Clean Firefighter, Clean Appliance and Clean Buildings Plan helps to understand the risks confronting frontline staff and take appropriate action.

The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party leader, Robert Borsak, warned Coles  supermarket group that their request for farmers to "cut costs" rather than increase prices would propel NSW  into a food security crisis ... "Telling farmers to "cut costs" is beyond condescending and risks farmers dropping out of the market altogether, which puts our food security at risk.