WA

When a group of Midwest Traditional Owners visited the Pilbara recently they gained a whole lot more than a training experience. The Yamatji, Jidi Jidi and Nanda groups from the Midwest were hosted by the Yindjibarndi group at Millstream Chichester National Park, south of Karratha.

A joint investment of $8 million is being made to the Community Infrastructure Assessment project which will allow for water services in 55 remote communities to be assessed ... The Federal Government is also investing $2.3 million to develop a detailed business case for the expansion of the Ord Irrigation Expansion project.

Last month, I attended the AgZero - WAFarmers PowerShift Forum, where we got the good oil on the exciting future that awaits us as we turn off coal and gas and turn on renewables ... it got me thinking about the cost-benefit of taking our farms across to the green side of the electricity equation and cashing in on all this free sunlight we have.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor has turned its back on the farming industry today, after ignoring a delegation of Western Australian farmers and obtaining the numbers needed in the Senate to phase out live sheep exports. Mr Littleproud said Labor had once again treated farmers with contempt, ignoring pleas from groups including Keep the Sheep ... who spent the day at Parliament House in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Senators to save live sheep exports.

Well, thanks for coming today. It's important we've got Keep the Sheep Movement here. They have come from Western Australia. They're showing respect to this Parliament by coming in and trying to talk to Senators and give them the opportunity to learn of their lived experience of their livelihoods that are going to take to be taken away.

Metronet has released maps showing the preferred access to the three stations on the Yanchep rail line. A Metronet spokeswoman said preferred access to Yanchep station was along Marmion Ave and then via a new road called Botanical Blvd leading to parking facilities.

Bev McGuinness. Three centenaries were celebrated this month marking Denmark’s Group Settlements, a scheme established to bring English families to WA to farm. Apart from opening up land to agriculture, Group Settlements aimed to increase the population.

Serena Kirby. The recent arrival of nearly 60 barrels of premium whisky marks major progress in the development of a new distillery on Mt Shadforth. The establishment of Nullaki Distillery has been the long-term dream of Michael Tomasz and his business partner who did not wish to be named that’s taken a decade to come to fruition.

Serena Kirby. Statistics reveal that one-in six people over 65 will experience elder abuse and it’s more prevalent in remote areas and country towns ... Christine said elder abuse was not just physical violence or sexual abuse but included coercive control, psychological abuse, neglect, financial abuse and socially isolating someone.

Out now! Available here!

Western Australia's first non-stop seasonal service between Singapore and Broome launched today, marking the first international route to fly directly into regional WA since the State's borders reopened ... Jetstar Asia's seasonal service will bring almost 6,500 inbound seats to Broome in its first year and reduce travel time between the two destinations by over five hours.

The NAB Rural Commodities Index* has continued its upwards momentum, increasing 1.4 per cent month-on-month in May, driven by rising prices for wheat, barley, canola and lamb. The Index is now around levels last seen in February 2023, according to NAB’s June Rural Commodities Wrap released today.

The Cook Government has signed a collaborative agreement with the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC). Through the agreement, an industry support program will deliver financial and non-financial support for local businesses, to enhance their participation in wind energy supply chains.

There was a parliamentary sitting with a difference in Alkimos this week with just the House of Representatives Speaker and one member of Parliament in attendance. On Thursday Shorehaven Primary School welcomed the House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick and Pearce MHR Tracey Roberts as part of the Parliament in schools program.

For the first time in its history, Irene McCormack Catholic College has welcomed a House of Representatives Speaker to the college. A college spokeswoman said Speaker Milton Dick’s visit provided an opportunity for Year 11 and 12 students to gain first-hand insights into the workings of the Australian Parliament and the impact of successful policy implementations in their area.

The piano is often considered the ‘King of Instruments’ as no other instrument covers all 88 notes of the frequency range and its number of available octaves is unparalleled.   Its versatility of sound is also beyond compare as it can create sounds as soft as a whisper or as loud and rumbling as a thunderstorm. When pianist and composer Adam Cook sits down to play this most revered of instruments something quite magical happens.

Man’s best friend is being used to help identify a dangerous pathogen killing native Australian plants in parks around Perth and in conservation reserves and national parks in south west WA. Phytophthora (cinnamomi) dieback is known as the “biological bulldozer”.

John Hassell. Western Australia’s farmers are facing ‘Walls of Legislation,’ which is exactly what our members and in fact every farmer across Australia are facing under this current federal government. Walls of Legislation… or as I prefer to call it, “Another Brick in the Wall, Stopping Farmers from Farming.”

Jenny Pollard. A lifetime of table tennis service to the Victorian Table Tennis Country Championships saw Charlton’s Bill Freeman recognised with two significant awards ... Showing stellar dedication, Bill has attended every TTVCC event since 1966 – either at the tables as a participant, or in combination with his role as a committee member – a position which he has held for 40 years.

As part of a series on businesses, community groups and sporting clubs for Yanchep News Online, Betheney A’Vard visited a Carabooda tomato grower. Steve Dimitrovich from Mitri Hydroponics talks about the differences between hydroponic and traditional growing.

Jack Bradshaw. Having killed off the native forest timber industry by edict, the WA government is now taking the next step to cement its hypocrisy in legislation. Reece Whitby, the Minister for the Environment has recently introduced an amendment to the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (WA) to “lock in this Labor government’s historic decision to stop the unsustainable practice of commercial native logging”.

Serena Kirby. This year’s senior citizen of the year, Louise Swan, has put her love of horses to good use since retiring and moving to Denmark nearly a decade ago. Louise said horses had been her passion since she was five years old and when she discovered there was a local HorsePower centre, she wasted no time in volunteering to help.