WA

Early signs of reduced fungicide performance in barley loose smut have been detected in key grain growing regions across Australia. While there is no cause for alarm, growers are reminded to remain proactive in disease management.

South Australia has recorded its first confirmed case of H5 bird flu in a vagrant migratory seabird found on a beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The confirmed case - a southern giant petrel - was found by a wildlife welfare organisation on 14 June at Knights Beach, Port Elliot.

In a Western Australian first, 1.5 kilograms of white truffles have been unearthed from the soil of Australian Truffle Traders’ farm in Manjimup. Family business Australian Truffle Traders discovered the bianchetto white truffles, known scientifically as Tuber borchii, on their Southern Forests farm yesterday.

Australia’s shift toward regional living has reached a record peak, with the latest Regional Movers Index (RMI) hitting its highest level in the March 2026 quarter. The RMI is a partnership between the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) that tracks population movements between Australia's capital cities and regions.

As H5 bird flu has spread around the world the wild birds most affected have included waterfowl, shorebirds, seabirds and birds of prey or scavengers. H5 bird flu has also been detected in domestic pets including cats and dogs, farm animals including dairy cows and sporadically pigs, sheep and goats, marine mammals including dolphins and seals and wild animals including foxes and polar bears.

The Cook Labor Government is responding to the confirmed detection ... of H5 bird flu in a single wild seabird found in the remote Cape Le Grand area, east of Esperance. Testing by CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has now confirmed Australia's first case of the highly infectious bird flu in a brown skua, a subantarctic species rarely found on the WA south coast.

Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) has confirmed H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a brown skua in Western Australia. This is the highly pathogenic strain of concern that has been circulating globally, and is the first detection in Australia.  

Necessity is often the Mother Of Invention so when mother of two, Sarah Josh, was pregnant with her third child, she went looking for natural skin care products that worked for her skin. Unable to find something suitable Sarah started making her own skincare products and sharing them with friends. Everybody loved them and, being keen to start a product-based business she could run from home, her skincare business - Liminal Elixirs - was born.

Farmers for Climate Action has produced a report ‘Energy Sovereignty for Regional Australia: Protecting Farmers, Powering the Future’ arguing that Australia's transition away from diesel should be accelerated through electrification, subsidies, infrastructure investment and changes to fuel tax arrangements ... When did advocacy become less about persuading people to voluntarily embrace change and more about finding another group to pay for it?

The Shire of Broome is calling for greater State Government support and clearer policy direction around public housing and community housing rate exemptions, amid growing concern about the long-term financial impact on regional local governments and ratepayers ... Across parts of the Kimberley, public housing accounts for around 30 per cent of housing stock, compared to approximately three per cent in metropolitan Perth.

Patricia Gill. Renowned Denmark photographer Nic Duncan and Menang – Gnudju Elder and WA Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, Aunty Carol Pettersen, had a brilliant idea while camping two years ago. At the time, expressions of interest were called for projects to mark Albany’s bicentenary of white settlement.

Out now! Available here!

Australia’s co-operative and mutual sector has again proved its resilience, recording an 8.4 per cent increase in annual revenue, against a backdrop of recurring domestic and global economic challenges. The latest National Mutual Economy Report published today by the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) reaffirms the sector’s robust health despite the impact of ongoing inflationary pressures in Australia and abroad.

Sentiment among Australia’s agricultural producers continued to track lower this quarter, with concerns about cost pressures in the wake of Middle Eastern tensions remaining top of mind for farmers across the country. The quarter two Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released today, found national sentiment at its lowest point since November 2006 as it dropped to a net reading of - 48 per cent.

The first koala to be born at Yanchep National Park in 15 years has passed his first full health check with flying colours. In May the Parks and Wildlife Service at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) said Djilba, who was born in February last year, weighed a healthy 4.5kg.

Member for Roe Peter Rundle MLA has raised a Grievance with the Minister for Agriculture over the Cook Labor Government’s continued delays to the Esperance Extension of the State Barrier Fence - a critical piece of infrastructure designed to protect Western Australia’s agricultural and livestock industries from invasive species and agricultural pests.

Growers in the far eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia will benefit from two new Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investments exploring long coleoptile wheat, deep-seeded crops and deep phosphorus fertiliser placement.

The Albanese and Rockliff Governments have officially committed to work together towards a bilateral agreement to support sustainable forestry in Tasmania into the future. From July 1 2027, the Albanese Government’s historic environmental law reforms will bring forestry operations covered by Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) under Federal environmental regulation.

Shadow Minister for Fisheries Kirrilee Warr MLA has urged the Cook Labor Government to release shark safety advice, following the tragic news of another fatal shark attack off Albany which she said was "deeply distressing". "Two fatal shark attacks in just a matter of weeks is deeply concerning and has rightly shaken confidence across ocean loving Western Australians," Ms Warr said.

Supermarkets and fuel retailers are trying to get out of obligations to accept cash payments under new industry codes introduced by the Federal Government, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has confirmed. The commission (ACCC) says “multiple” applications for exceptional circumstances exemptions have been received from retailers in both regional and metropolitan areas, but none have yet been accepted or rejected.

The Splendid Park criterium track will transform into a fast-paced arena of pedal-powered prowess on Saturday, June 13 as the WA Pedal Prix series moves to the start of the Perth based events. Students, riders, teams, and spectators will come together for one of Western Australia’s most exhilarating human-powered vehicle events.