Property

The Palaszczuk Government has recently finalised the purchase of around 8000 hectares of land near Hughenden which will form part of Queensland’s newest National Park ... So far in 2023, the size of Queensland’s national parks estate has grown by more than 12,500 hectares

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has launched a petition to the Victorian Parliament calling for the VNI West and Western Renewables Link transmission projects to be stopped. VFF President Emma Germano said the petition seeks to make the state’s political leaders take notice of decisions that are impacting Victorian farmers and their communities.

As part of planning reforms to create more housing supply, the Palaszczuk Government made a commitment to look into the impact of short-term rental accommodation ... In the first quarter of 2023, there were roughly 19,773 active short-term rentals across Queensland.

Community members gathered ... to share information and discuss what they believe is an unsatisfactory time frame to provide feedback on the 500kV VNI West power line development ... it was the consensus of the meeting that community members were still in a process of discovery and lamented that the power companies probably had 18 months to put together their Draft Corridor Reports, and still missed basic information, such as areas of extensive flooding.  

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty met with the New Zealand Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor last week to discuss issues of mutual significance during her trip to Wellington NZ for the Food Ministers Meeting. Ms Moriarty said biosecurity was top of the agenda given that both NSW and New Zealand are exposed to the increasing threat of outbreaks from exotic incursions that are rising in volume, complexity, and severity.

Last Friday Senator Malarndirri McCarthy made a not well publicised visit to Wilcannia. Word soon went round town and a number of locals were able to tell her of their health and other concerns. The Senator toured the hospital where she met some staff, the new Maari Ma health building, and met with representatives of the Wilcannia Local Aboriginal Land Council.

After more than 160 Clarence Valley homes were tragically lost during the devastating Black Summer bushfires, Area Manager for Environmental Services at Envite Environmental Services Mick Webb is encouraging locals to be prepared for other natural disasters ... Cool burning, also called mosaic burning, involves burning a very small area at a low intensity. “It’s done in patches to allow areas for animals to escape,” he explained, adding the heat of the fire is kept at a manageable level, and the flames are close to the ground.

Will Hunter. Wallaroo placed fourth in a ranking of the country’s most rent stressed suburbs, scoring 89 out of 100 in Suburbtrends’ Rental Pain Index ... Moonta Bay resident Lucia Spithoven relocated from Eyre Peninsula ... she believed the lack of available rentals in the region would deter others from relocating to fill crucial job vacancies.

Jen Melocco. Almost 100,000 homes have been knocked down during the past five years in Australia, with more expected in coming years. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 93,975 house demolitions were approved from March 2019 to March 2023.

The NSW Government has acquired Comeroo, Muttawary and Maranoa stations (known collectively as Comeroo). The purchase will see more than 37,000 hectares containing endangered ecological communities and an array of threatened species added to the NSW national park estate, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Nationals WA and Federal National Party have ... taken a stand against the flawed implementation of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Laws by WA Labor ... “WA Labor MPs have admitted they have botched the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, now, with Federal Labor considering enacting similar legislation, concerns are being raised": Shane Love.

Narrandera Shire Council Deputy Mayor Cameron Lander has reported on some of the many issues discussed at the 2023 Australian Local Government Association National Assembly that he felt were of particular interest to Narrandera Shire Council ... The 2023 NGA theme was "Our Communities, Our Future" and looked at ideas on new federal programs and policies that would support councils to build stronger communities in the future.

WAFarmers met with the Western Australian Minister for Heritage recently. We had an interesting discussion on the roll out of the State's new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Laws. The Minister clearly believes that the new laws won't impact farmers the way our lawyers tell us it will; in his view the roll out is smooth and all it needs is some tweaking ... Minister, some more advice.

Viv Markham. There’s a serious problem in the community at the moment, and that problem is housing ... Those even further down on their luck are camping out in tents, caravans and cars - out in the bush and on the outskirts of our towns ... And what is being done to help those doing it tough?

It was a packed house at the Moulamein Recreation Reserve as community members from across the region gathered for the landholder information session on the proposed 500 kilovolt double circuit transmission line ... It was fantastic to see a town hall meeting ... the ultimate ‘pub test’.

With significant planning work and extensive market soundings completed, it is now certain that the cost of hosting the Regional Victorian Commonwealth Games will exceed $6 billion – more than twice the estimated economic benefit the Games would bring our state. In the face of these numbers, the Victorian Government has made the decision not to proceed with hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

Roger bought a house in Mallanganee in 2003. Two years ago, the house was burned to the ground ... Roger said he has been homeless since the fire. That changed with the delivery of a self contained small house costing about $77,000. The house has a kitchenette, shower and basin and somewhere to sleep. Roger is “stoked” about the help he is getting from his mates to make the small house a home.

Victorians should be alert – and probably alarmed – at a deal that has been kept quiet by the State Government that will give indigenous groups in Western Victoria a huge say over water, roads and biosecurity ... The land mass covered by the agreement is nearly 36,000 sq km and involves ten local councils: Ararat, Horsham, Buloke, Hindmarsh, Pyrenees, Northern Grampians, Southern Grampians, Yarriambiak, Mildura and West Wimmera ... “There is so much to be worried about in relation to this ‘unprecedented’ agreement:” Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur.

The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) has released a new toolkit to provide information and practical guidance for landholders considering hosting a renewable energy project on their property. ... “There is much for a landholder to consider before entering into an agreement. It is also important for landholders to understand that they can say no to hosting a wind or solar farm development...": QFF CEO Jo Sheppard.