State politics

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has declined to officially declare a drought in the state, claiming that his administration's drought relief package represented the "largest in South Australia's history." … Naracoorte Lucindale mayor Patrick Ross and local accountant Abby Miller made an impassioned plea to the government, urging swift action to aid farmers in the region who were struggling with extreme drought conditions.

In light of the persistent drought conditions, the minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development has reached out to the Commonwealth government to seek clarity regarding the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) hardship provisions. Minister Clare Scriven confirmed this to The [Naracoorte] News after being asked about the support her office was providing to drought-stricken farmers in the region.

The Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes MP handed down the State Budget on Tuesday 20 May and it is now available for public scrutiny — it is presented more like an illustrated, online brochure than a spreadsheet. It came after the government sent a flurry of announcement emails to the media (evidently scheduled one-per-minute over the Tuesday lunchtime period).

GWMWater is pleased to announce that its project, GWMWater's First Fully Off-Grid Facility, The Elmhurst Water Treatment Plant, has won the Infrastructure Project Innovation Award (Regional) at the 2025 Australian Water Awards. The project involved successfully upgrading Elmhurst's water supply to meet drinking water standards by implementing a new off-grid water treatment plant.

Member for Benambra, Bill Tilley has called on the Victorian Health Minister to fully fund the short stay hospital beds at Albury Base during a constituency question in the Victorian Parliament on Tuesday. "The Labor government announced funding for the beds in last week’s state budget but what they didn’t say was that they will only fund nine of the sixteen beds," Mr Tilley alleged.

A frequently used dispute resolution and mediation process will no longer be available to Clarence Valley residents when the NSW closes Community Justice Centres across the state on June 30. An item about the closure of Community Justice Centres (CJC) was tabled at the May 15 ordinary Council meeting by Clarence Valley Council General Manager, Laura Black.

Hugh Schuitemaker. The Riverland's State MP says returning to an "over-reliance" on exports to China is creating further risks for the local wine industry. Recent ABS trade data revealed South Australia exported $855 million of wine to China in the year to March 2025 – a 200-fold increase on the previous year.

Hay Shire Council has joined other Local Government Areas in their bid for a fair distribution of Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) from both the Federal and State Governments. General Manager, David Webb said there is a general belief that the current model favours metropolitan regions over rural and remote councils.

Shadow Minister for Local Government, Bev McArthur MP, has joined an unprecedented gathering of six Western Victorian mayors united in opposition to the Allan Labor Government's controversial emergency services tax ... The mayors called for a fairer funding model for rural communities – who will be hardest hit by the tax – along with clearer communication regarding the tax's purpose and use.