State politics

Fourteen million dollars later, Casino has a world class equestrian centre with an undercover arena and shaded seating for 2500 people to watch events at the Casino Showground. At the official opening ... the speeches took place on the arena floor as horses and riders wound their way around the huge space.

The Member for Barkly has called out Labor for its dereliction to support regional young people at risk after he highlighted the shocking cases of two Tennant Creek children who he says was failed by the NT Government. Mr Edgington, also the Shadow Attorney-General, says the children had a history of neglect and abuse and were allowed to escalate into violent offenders despite 67 child welfare notifications.

A drive to establish new industry and jobs using Latrobe Valley's brown coal in non-energy ways is effectively dead after the state government stopped funding research into the work, a decision denounced as "folly" and "ideological madness" by local leaders. Australian Carbon Innovation at Federation University, which since 2011 has been researching the non-energy use of brown coal that does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, will close on June 30 after the government pulled the plug on funding.

Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald and Deputy Mayor Cr Rebecca Vonhoff last week stepped up the call for external funding for the $270 million Cressbrook Dam Safety Improvement Project ... Without grant funding, Council’s submission to the State Government said the full cost of the dam wall upgrade will be transferred to ratepayers through increased water charges.

AGL Energy and Someva Renewables have announced tens of millions in funding for the Hay Shire and Edward River Councils regions if the proposed Pottinger Energy Park proceeds ... The bulk of the funding will be delivered via two voluntary planning agreements between Someva, AGL Energy and the two councils.

Hundreds of native seedlings are set to be planted on flood-affected land, helping to bolster native habitat and reduce future flood damage. The project area, adjacent to and including Lions Park, Lower Tenthill, consists of two recently acquired lots which were bought back under the Voluntary Home Buy-Back (VHBB) program.

Buloke Shire Council is set to bolster its flood management capabilities with the support of Victorian Government funding. The Donald Flood Protection Demountable Levee Project ... will play a pivotal role in safeguarding residents from flooding and optimising the deployment of Council resources during emergency situations.

Carey Brennan. On Thursday, April 11, approximately 80 farmers filled the Donald Memorial Hall supper room to hear from the Buloke Shire and several speakers, to find out exactly what the Victorian NSW Interconnector (VNI) West Transmission Lines project means for this district.

The State Government’s record-breaking fish stocking program has again hit a high-water mark with 10 million fish stocked this year, so more recreational fishers can wet a line close to home across the state. Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos, last week stocked more brown trout at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat and announced the major milestone for Victorians.

Yorke Peninsula hospitals are on the brink of a collapse of services, according to the nurses and midwives’ union, which is calling on residents to support its statewide campaign to counteract staff shortages in regional hospitals.

If it’s good enough for the NSW South Coast then it should be good enough for the NSW North Coast – as City of Coffs Harbour fights to keep the prized public land at the Jetty Foreshores in the hands of the community. Mayor Cr Paul Amos has won support for a Mayoral Minute which detailed inconsistencies in the NSW Government’s approach to public holdings. 

“After nearly two years of our home repair work being privately funded by local organisations and philanthropists we are very grateful that the NSW Reconstruction Authority is providing this additional funding so that we can continue to help people return to safe and secure homes”: Resilient Lismore Executive Director Elly Bird.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is relieved the Commonwealth Government has finally stopped blackmailing Victoria and agreed to fund environmental projects that will ensure floodplains are watered. VFF President Emma Germano said it’s pleasing to see that Victoria will no longer be short-changed for key Basin Plan projects.

TAFE NSW Wollongong West will partner with a meat industry peak body to host a unique program this month offering local jobseekers a “taster” of the butchery trade and helping address a worsening skills gap. The three-day Introduction to the Retail Butchery Industry course ...

Betheney A’Vard. The Department of Transport provides an update on the upgrades to the Two Rocks marina, including those due to be undertaken in phase two. Reporter Betheney A’Vard spoke to Cameron Smith from the Department of Transport’s maritime section who said the marina mainly catered to the fishing and boat servicing industries but also the charter industry and recreational boating.

The green that surrounds you is buffel, as far as the eye can see, a malicious plant predator that has overwhelmed much of The Centre, and is continuing its relentless advance. Renowned Central Australian botanist Peter Latz, who has studied the introduced plant for decades, likens the magnitude of impact on the country of buffel with the megafauna’s extinction.

A new exhibition at the State Library of Western Australia follows the trail of cameleers who left a significant cultural and economic legacy in Western Australia. Camels and those who cared for them were a familiar sight along the tracks connecting Australia's outback to the coast 150 years ago.

Media reports have revealed that the Allan Labor Government is considering a request to give Aboriginal people land tax exemptions on the basis of their race, as proposed by Aunty Dr Jill Gallagher AO ... Dr Gallagher laid out a list of 10 reforms which she said “must be part of a statewide treaty”... includes exempting Aboriginal people from land tax, stamp duty and council rates, providing Aboriginal people with interest-free loans to purchase homes, completely free university tuition and creating “designated seats” on local councils.