State politics

Biosecurity measures have been bolstered to protect Kangaroo Island’s world-famous Ligurian bee population from the parasitic pest varroa mite. Every ferry bound for Kangaroo Island is now subject to biosecurity checks and a sentinel hive program has started to roll out across the island following the first detection of varroa mite in South Australia last month.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Last week's Riverland visit by the State Opposition Leader has highlighted Labor's indifference towards the region, Tim Whetstone says. Alternative premier Vincent Tarzia made his first trip to the Riverland since taking over from disgraced former Liberal leader David Speirs in August 2024, and Mr. Whetstone said the continued absence of Peter Malinauskas – who last visited during the flood, in November 2022 – says plenty about the two parties.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Lachlan Hunter MP has slammed the Cook Labor Government for their inadequate attempts to keep costs down for WA families attending the Perth Royal Show, resulting in plummeting attendance. Figures revealed by the Royal Agricultural Society of WA ... 300,000 people passed through the gates at Claremont Showgrounds in 2025, a decrease of over 130,000 showgoers since 2024…

The Cook Government has set new standards to strengthen the health and welfare of horses in Western Australia. The Standards and Guidelines for the Health and Welfare of Horses details the minimum standards and recommended practices to optimise the health and welfare of horses, backed by scientific evidence and industry knowledge.

Mildura Rural City Council CEO Martin Hawson. We’ve received fresh assurances ... from Qantas, Mildura Airport Chief Executive Officer Andrew Elliott and Chair Marcus Guthrie that the airline remains committed to Mildura for the long term ... So to be clear, Qantas have confirmed with me there will be no impact to flights to and from Mildura as a result of the decision, which is reassuring for our community.

Qantas’ decision to shut its crew bases in Mildura, Canberra and Hobart is another blow to regional Australia, centralising jobs to capital cities and ripping skills and spending out of local communities. Around 70 pilots and cabin crew are affected across the three bases, including about eight staff in Mildura.

The ink is barely dry on Canberra’s new 2035 carbon targets, and the climate catastrophists are already eyeing 2050, the holy grail when net zero will finally be achieved. Out in the Wheatbelt, most farmers shrug. Another distant date, another government promise, most have tuned out with the view that what I can’t see does not hurt me — a bit like the GRDC levy that nicks 1 per cent of farm-gate revenue. But let’s be clear ...

From 29 August 2025, the NSW Government will commence negotiations with landowners to secure flood easements along the Murrumbidgee River, between Darlington Point and Balranald, under its Reconnecting River Country Program ... “If landowners fail to negotiate an easement interest, their land could be compulsorily acquired": Bobbie Pannowitz.

More than 3000 people may have had their personal information comprised in a data breach of applications made to the Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program. The breach happened when a former contractor of the NSW Reconstruction Authority uploaded data containing personal information to an unsecured AI tool which was not authorised by the department.

Don Fuller. Has the NT Government been taken to the cleaners by the gas industry or is the government simply incompetent? It seems clear that it has bought far too much gas at far too high a price.

...The $30 million Farm Business Transition Program will provide grants of up to $75,000 per applicant to help eligible sheep producers prepare for the phase out, with funding to support new business plans or the adoption of alternative farming practices. The program will be delivered over two rounds, with $20 million available in round one opening next week, and $10 million to be made available in 2026.

The Minns Labor Government aims to release a further 42 homes for sale across the Northern Rivers by Christmas, following an overwhelming community response to the first four home relocation auctions. To date, 83 flood-affected properties, bought by the Government through the $880 million Resilient Homes Program, have been offered for sale to be relocated to flood-free land by the new owner. 

TFTU says the Labor Government is short-changing its own people and not being accountable to workers. The Timber, Furnishing & Textiles Union (TFTU) has condemned the NSW Government’s handling of the Great Koala National Park decision, saying workers are being offered redundancy support packages five times worse than their Victorian counterparts.

"We’ve consistently told TCV they must take a people-first approach and genuinely engage in a meaningful manner.” “Handing landholders a letter saying they will compulsory access their property to do land surveys flanked by a lawyer is completely tone-deaf and will only further add to mounting opposition to this project.”

South Australia has further cemented its reputation as a global leader in the space economy with the announcement that the Koonibba Test Range will facilitate another 20 spacecraft returns by 2028.

The South East is set for its most ambitious health overhaul in a generation, with the Limestone Coast Local Health Network endorsing a 10-year, $250 million clinical services plan designed to transform care across the region. The 65-page Draft Clinical Services Plan 2025 2035 charts a course for hospitals and community health across eight locations ...

The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has slammed the Allan Labor Government for failing to address the worsening crime wave across regional Victoria ... Fresh figures ... reveal substantial increases in criminal incidents, offender rates, and family violence ...

Chairman of the NSW Country Mayors Association (CMA), Mayor Rick Firman OAM, has cautiously welcomed the planning reforms announced by the Minns’ Government. Mayor Firman, however, raised concerns about how centralised planning, standardised assessments and processes would improve outcomes for remote, rural and regional communities.

The Creative Streets Festival will take Armidale' creative scene to new heights with a spectacular lineup of entertainment that will ignite your imagination and celebrate our region’s vibrant spirit ... This isn’t just a festival, it’s a creative collision of art, music, ideas, and community.

...Forming part of the government’s focus to improve the safety, resilience and reliability of NSW roads, Transport for NSW is now undertaking a 10-month spray sealing program. The initiative is targeting more than 20 state road corridors from Broken Hill to Byron Bay and as far south as Eden.

QUT has launched an $18 million upgrade to its Mackay-based QUT Pioneer BioPilot, transforming it into Australia’s leading pilot-scale fermentation facility and advancing Queensland’s ambition to become an Asia-Pacific biomanufacturing hub.