Under Federal Government – Climate zealotry takes priority
The Federal Labor Government’s inability to read the international political climate and instead press on with its domestic climate agenda, demonstrates that the Prime Minister isn’t focused on the struggles of the Australian people, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said this week.
Health networks: mixed reactions
News that the State Government had grouped health services into Local Health Service Networks was met with distrust and derision from members of the opposition parties, but our local health provider, Dhelkaya Health, responded positively ... The Tarrangower Times contacted Dhelkaya Health to try and understand the ways in which the changes would affect local patients and staff.
The Nats need to cut the pork
Fast forward to the 21st century, and while the barrels may be gone, the spirit of pork-barrelling is alive and well. Enter The Nationals WA, whose 2025 election manifesto is beginning to look like a masterclass in misguided political opportunism: starting with the proposal to uproot the DPIRD from Perth and plonk it down in Northam, population 7658.
The Riverland’s scramble for eggs
Madison Eastmond. Riverland consumers are currently facing empty egg shelves and purchase limits as shortages continue to impact major supermarkets. Glenview Poultry Farm owner and South Australian and Tasmanian director of Egg Farmers of Australia, Darren Letton, told The Murray Pioneer the shortages are due to a range of consumer, governmental, and environmental factors.
Common sense allows farmers to use ground water during bushfires
The NSW Government says it is reducing red tape which has stifled farmers’ ability to fight fires on their own property. During a fire emergency, a landholder can now take water from surface water and groundwater sources on their land without needing to have a water licence and water use approval.
Time to turn Service WA into the Cloud Service WA
Open letter to the Premier of WA. Dear Premier, I am writing to express a mixture of exasperation and incredulity at the state of Western Australia’s Department of Transport (DoT) vehicle registration and licensing system. It’s a system that forces citizens to reenact scenes from the 1985 film  Brazil ...
Opposition leader visits Hall Gap
Mallee business owners under persistent threat of bushfire told Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton they cannot secure the insurance they need to protect their livelihoods, after his visit organised by Member for Mallee, Dr Anne Webster.
France’s timber lesson
On the first anniversary of the Victorian state government’s closure of Gippsland’s native forest industry, France’s rebuilt historic Notre-Dame Cathedral has been completed in all its glory – and French timber was at the heart of this historic project. The oak hardwood timber used came from trees in French forests between 80-150 years old, with some more than 200-years-old.
Resilient Lismore annual report released
The floods that devastated Lismore and the Northern Rivers in late February 2022 may be the worst natural disaster in recorded Australian history ... Resilient Lismore emerged out of the disaster to assist the many people who were affected by the floods.
New clean energy resource under our feet
A new report from Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the Geological Survey of New South Wales, has found elevated levels of natural hydrogen and helium in locations throughout New South Wales.
Consultation attracts Olympic-size response
Queenslanders have responded in their thousands to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority’s call for ideas and feedback on plans and legacy projects for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. The 100 Day Review attracted more than 5,000 submissions from a broad array of groups including residents, infrastructure and planning experts, sporting and community organisations and aspiring Olympians of tomorrow.
Centre faces funding shortfall
Two unforeseen acts just prior to Christmas have placed the future of the Corryong Neighbourhood Centre (CNC) and the community bakery in financial jeopardy. Firstly, the Australian government delayed providing $85,000 of grant funding, which had already been spent, until May 2025.
$7.2 billion for a new Kwinana port
On November 11 last year the WA Premier all but confirmed the project will go ahead. The only question is how much the Feds will stump up and how much influence will the unions have on the final design.
The WA Minister has learnt nothing from the live export debate
Has our State Minister for Agriculture learnt nothing from the live export debate? ... So, what’s next if Jackie Jarvis ends up as WA Minister for Agriculture after the next election - imposing bans on intensive piggeries, dairy calves, long distance transport of livestock, live export of cattle?
Clarence Valley hospitals experience high activity in recent months
The Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) continued to improve planned surgery performance during the July to September 2024 quarter, despite hospitals with the locality experiencing some of the highest activity levels on record.
New Housing Delivery Authority to bypass Council
In a bid to boost housing construction and supply in NSW the state government has established a new Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) designed to lead a new development pathway that will see regional Councils bypassed by developers of approved residential "State Significant Development" projects valued at more than $30 million. The HDA was established under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (1979)...
Community support for pothole campaign
Victorians are being encouraged to highlight the worst potholes in the state through a new competition to put more pressure on the Allan Labor Government to fix our appalling roads. The Nationals and Liberals are running a statewide photo competition, with the worst potholes to feature in a 2025 "Potholes for All Seasons" calendar…
Conflict over camping ban
Rachel Hagan. Local residents are up in arms after the dunes at trending Yorke Peninsula camp spot, Wauraltee Beach, were left covered in rubbish and human waste ... NSW resident Stephanie Ramirez, who was visiting Yorke Peninsula for the first time, said she saw Wauraltee Beach on social media, and her family decided they had to stop on their way to Esperance, especially before camping was banned.
Secure the food supply
All agricultural land in Victoria should be mapped and strategic land use planning established to protect farmland in major areas such as Gippsland, according to a landmark report by a Victorian parliamentary committee. This was one of 33 recommendations and 29 findings in a report ‘Securing Victoria’s Food Supply’ by the Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee.
What kind of fishing is allowed in the Two Rocks marina?
The Department of Transport has clarified what kind of fishing is allowed in the Two Rocks marina. A department spokesman said the placement of crab pots and floats had always been prohibited within all Department of Transport marinas, to ensure safe navigation of vessels.
NSW Independent Forestry Panel process
In August 2024, the NSW Government announced the appointment of an expert panel to lead consultation on a Forestry Industry Action Plan. The final report of the Independent Forestry Panel has been provided to the NSW Government. Whether the report will be made publicly available and the shape of the future Forestry Industry Action Plan is a matter for the Government.
Foreign owned and controlled TransGrid is disconnected from regional Australia
The ever-increasing number of stories of the difficulties faced by landowners when dealing with transmission network builder, TransGrid, points to an organisation with no knowledge of, and no interest in learning about, the land, and the peoples living on that land, through which they are building those networks.
