State politics

The state government has no plans to restore 24-hour police station operations in Naracoorte or other Limestone Coast towns, despite growing frustration from regional communities over slow response times and reduced police visibility. Police minister Blair Boyer told The [Naracoorte] News that reopening stations around the clock would “mean someone has to be at the station at all times in case someone attends,” arguing the current model kept officers on the road rather than behind a counter.

The Victorian Government should pilot a recycled drinking water facility as a pathway to boost water security and improve consumer understanding, the state’s independent infrastructure advisor finds. Manufactured water created from recycled wastewater can help meet growing demand for water and offset the impacts of climate change.

The Coalition has attacked the lack of urgency in addressing financial sustainability for Australia’s 537 local governments, as the Albanese Labor government quietly reinstated a sustainability inquiry - something the Coalition has been calling for since early June.

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has welcomed the release of the terms of reference for two inquiries into regional aviation. The first, a Productivity Commission inquiry into the key factors that determine regional airfares. The second, a Senate committee inquiry into the state of Australia’s aviation sector and its ability to deliver reliable and affordable services to rural, regional and remote communities.

I’ve stood on the bridge of the Fisheries portfolio before, watching the charts, reading the soundings, and warning the captain that reefs lay ahead. As a former Chief of Staff to a Fisheries Minister, I recognise the signs when a government vessel starts taking on water and the crew pretend it’s just spray over the bow. WA is again steering toward the same rocks: science shouting from the crow’s nest, lobby groups whispering on the bridge, and politicians tightening the sails to catch votes instead of heeding the compass. Now Captain Jackie Jarvis has the helm. We will see whether she keeps a steady course guided by evidence or follows her predecessor into the shallows of cheap populism and political drift.

Long-suffering readers know my refrain: Western Australia can build stadiums, museums and Metronet tunnels, yet still cannot build a permanent home for its agriculture department. Call it DPIRD or the old Ag Department, or—as I prefer—the Department of People, Inclusion, Re-education and Diversity. Titles change, logos change, ministers change. The reality stays the same.

Unique wetlands in Victoria's Wimmera are getting a helping hand thanks to the local community. Conservation organisation Trust for Nature, supported by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and the Victorian Government, is working with landholders to protect and manage wetlands on their properties.

TasFarmers says the 2025-26 State Budget is “what it is", steady and without surprises, with no new taxes and no change to agricultural policy. TasFarmers says the budget highlights the need for stronger leadership and meaningful reform to safeguard the state’s productive economy.

The Tasmanian Government’s significant investment in health, education, housing, and law and order has been outlined in today’s 2025-26 interim Budget. This is a fiscally responsible budget that will continue to deliver the services that Tasmanians expect and deserve.

Australia's export-oriented crocodile industry depends on public opinion in foreign countries and the actions of legislators in those countries. This is the industry's primary problem. Two secondary problems arise from this. Australia's crocodile industry has too little economic potential, and lobbying regulations in Australia are too imperfect for Australian farmers to quickly follow global trends.

Horsham Rural City Council has welcomed Victorian State Government approval for the establishment of a $300 million food manufacturing plant in Dooen. Farm Frites specialises in frozen potato products.

Victorian Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence has launched public consultation on proposed new legislation, inviting Victorians to share their priorities for the industry, what’s working under current laws and ideas for improvement. 

The Victorian Labor Government is claiming critical minerals will develop jobs and regional growth and boost local economies. Mine Free Glenaladale and the community it represents in East Gippsland disputes this claim by the Government, as there is a high probability existing jobs and industries would be adversely affected by a proposal of a mineral sands mine 25 kilometres west of Bairnsdale.

Madison Eastmond. Riverland medical staff will join hundreds of nurses as they reject the State Government's most recent pay offer, which they claim still "leaves SA nurses and midwifes as the lowest paid in Australia".

The Northern Territory Government welcomes confirmation that Top End Barge Services will commence barge operations between Darwin and Wadeye from mid-November, ensuring freight deliveries to the West Daly region ... “This is a great result for Wadeye, the community came together, identified what it needed, and found a commercial solution": Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Steve Edgington.

...The new Hanoi office joins Queensland’s existing base in Ho Chi Minh City, making Queensland the first Australian state with a dual-city presence in Vietnam.  Vietnam is now Queensland’s largest export market in Southeast Asia and sixth globally, with beef exports alone up 29 per cent last year. 

The final truckload of Mossman sugarcane has been delivered to Mulgrave Mill, closing a defining chapter in the region’s history and leaving an uncertain future for local growers. CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens said the moment was deeply disappointing for the Mossman community, which has been shaped by sugarcane farming for generations.

Michelle Daw. Wallaroo nurses, midwives and their supporters were among hundreds who rallied across South Australia last week in support of a union pay claim. The rallies, held on Wednesday, October 30, were organised by the South Australian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation as part of its RESPECT campaign.