Patricia Gill. Forty-six per cent of voters turned out on October 18 in the Shire of Denmark elections in which local GP Alex Sleeman stormed home to victory with 1024 primary votes. In second place on primaries, was incumbent deputy shire president Jan Lewis on 368 and third, sitting councillor Clare Campbell, 279.

The Murray Region Forestry Hub recently hosted its managers, representatives from relevant government agencies and industry groups at a conference. A number of items were listed for discussion as well as a packed field trip including the Visy Pulp and Paper Mill, Hyne Timber, Fire impacted plantation regrowth sites and a trip to Ardrossan to see first hand some of the fire infrastructure investment.

Horsham Rural City Council (HRCC) is concerned about the potential impacts of this major renewable energy project on housing, the local workforce, and roads. Councillors last night endorsed the HRCC submission to the Environment Effect Statement (EES) Inquiry into the proposed Warracknabeal Energy Park.

The latest national koala population estimates from CSIRO’s National Koala Monitoring Program (NKMP) have revealed a staggering leap in koala numbers that upends years of alarmism. The 2025 CSIRO report estimates the listed population between 398,000 and 569,000, a dramatic rise from the 2024 estimate of just 95,000 to 238,000.  

The controversy enveloping Clarence Valley Council was raised in the NSW Legislative Council last week, when Dr Amanda Cohn unleashed her opinion under parliamentary privilege, putting local Government Minister Ron Hoenig on notice. The statement follows the polarising “Wrecking Ball” leaked internal Clarence Valley Council email concerning a ‘suggested’ Council staff skit in the award-winning Jacaranda Festival.

A small number of local stakeholders were invited by Parks Victoria to climb the scaffolding around Maldon’s Beehive Chimney and inspect the remedial works project on Monday 27 October. It was terrifying and informative, but some members of the community took the opportunity to express discontentment about how the process has been communicated.

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has stated that tackling regional worker shortages is the key to unlocking productivity growth in Australian agriculture. In a recent report, the NFF stated that more planning is needed to safeguard the sector’s future.

There are fatal flaws in the Federal Government’s draft cash mandate regulations and they can be traced back to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's refusal to respond to Senate recommendations to fix the banking crisis in regional Australia.

Navigating through the forms and criteria for help with flood impacted homes can be complex and difficult. The NSW Reconstruction Authority, through the Resilient Home Program, is offering assistance for residents to protect their homes from future damage — whether that’s by raising, retrofitting, rebuilding or relocating their properties to safer ground.

This spring, don’t just declutter, transform your tired textiles into something meaningful for the environment. To champion National Recycling Week, Sunshine Coast Council has teamed up with BlockTexx® to hold a community textile recycling event, ‘Give a Sheet® for the Planet’.   

South Australia’s Ikara-Flinders Ranges and Outback has been named one of the world’s top travel destinations for the year ahead; the only Australian place to make the list. Global travel authority, Lonely Planet, unveiled its top destinations with the release of its Best in Travel list for 2026 today with the Flinders Ranges & Outback listed among globally renowned tourist destinations...

On 21 October 2025, a Sale and Implementation Deed to purchase Regional Express Holdings Limited (Rex) was entered into by US corporation Air T, Inc. (Air T) and the Rex Voluntary Administrators. The Australian Government welcomes these announcements, which mark a positive step towards bringing Rex out of voluntary administration.  

Gulf and North West deserve service, not continued failures, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter has said. Mr Katter reiterated his call for genuine reform to air transport services in the region, noting that the fleet that the new American owners have acquired is not fit for purpose in the Gulf.

A Riverland man is searching for answers after his wife died on the Renmark airport tarmac, while waiting hours for a critical air ambulance last month. After suffering a heart attack on the evening of September 20, on the family's Renmark fruit block, 76-year-old Jane Logos was taken to the Berri-based Riverland General Hospital and waited until nearly 4am for an attempt to transfer her to Flinders Medical Centre (FMC), before tragically passing on the tarmac.

After six months in the role, Kelly Westell has made a big impact as the new CEO of Naracoorte Lucindale Council, bringing in a new way of communicating with the community. Her probation period has ended “and it’s all good news” with strong support from both the council and the community.

Matt Canavan’s exposé at the recent Senate Estimates, which had the Department of Agriculture’s executives sweating in their seats, deserves wide circulation ... “There’s lots of talk about the need to increase reforestation—effectively, the conversion of agricultural land to forests ..." ... If Matt Canavan is the Senate’s zealot hunter, then Western Australia’s Senator Matthew O’Sullivan is its Maremma the Sheepdog that protects its flock ... In committee, O’Sullivan’s questioning tore open the government’s $139.8 million Sheep Industry Transition Assistance Package ...

White Cliffs dugouts are some of the most unique homes in the country, but the underground residents say the stress of ongoing ownership issues is affecting their health and stifling new businesses ... The ongoing land tenure dispute at White Cliffs, NSW, is a deeply complex problem, but behind the Native Title legalities are real people, and decades of frustrated community expectations. As expected, when homes and businesses are threatened, emotions run high.

Whether the risks posed by imports from Australia's trading partners are being sufficiently assessed and addressed, whether we really need to or should import certain products at all, and whether Australia is becoming complacent, resigned, or courting disaster for political Brownie points - such questions are being asked more often. ... This last week, Australia's biosecurity around beef and banana imports was called into question by David Littleproud, Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister. ARR.News sought a response from Julie Collins, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ...

Northern Rivers Preschools join Day of Action, calling on the Minns government to fix preschool funding. The state government has announced a plan for community preschools to extend operating hours, open more days, and cater for children from birth through to school age, however declined to provide any funding for wages or staff costs.

The Allan Labor Government is supporting an Australian luxury skincare brand working to in-house 100 per cent of its manufacturing by the end of the year, after relocating to Kyneton ... RATIONALE, a Victorian-owned skincare product manufacturer, invested $7.8 million to relocate its headquarters from Melbourne to Kyneton in 2022...

Hay Shire Council is ending its participation in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Funding and Investment in Community-driven Literacy Programs for children, due to rising costs. Council resolved at a recent meeting to transition from the Imagination Library program to a suite of locally delivered early-literacy initiatives.

A new Cancer Care Centre under construction at Mount Gambier Hospital has been inspected by the region’s radiotherapy working group ... Although still many weeks from completion, and it lacked radiotherapy, Naracoorte's Lachlan Haynes was pleased that improved cancer care would soon be available for South Easterners.

The Clarence Valley Independent’s Grafton Journalist Emma Pritchard had an informal meeting with Clarence Valley Council (CVC) General Manager Laura Black last week on October 7 in relation to leaked internal emails which have been linked to the termination of more than 100 semi-permanent holiday caravans from four Council managed caravan parks and the subsequent community criticism Council is currently facing after many labelled the contents as inappropriate and insensitive.

A landmark plan to address inequities in water ownership will see the NSW Government put water back in Aboriginal peoples’ hands, strengthen their role in water management, and create new opportunities for self-determination.

Balranald Shire Mayor Louie Zaffina is actively balancing regional advocacy with local infrastructure progress. The Mayor recently toured the regional meeting circuit to tackle challenging policy issues while simultaneously overseeing significant developments across the Shire. ... The Bidgee Haven Retirement Hostel received a new wheelchair-enabled van ....

Have you heard of the Koala Karaoke program? ... Koalas were heard at 23 per cent of sites in 2020, 32 per cent of sites in 2021, 17 per cent of sites in 2022 and 47 per cent of sites in 2023.

A member of the Central Desert Regional Council, Clifford Tilmouth has confirmed he is one of three men issued notices to appear in relation to an alleged cattle theft from Alcoota, a property north of Alice Springs, on August 5.

The minister was impressed by the view of Toonumbar Dam at Bells Bay Campground. When Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig visited Kyogle on Thursday, October 9, Kyogle Council staff took Mr Hoenig to Bells Bay Campground. “It’s magnificent,” he said. “It’s like a loch in Scotland” ... “It’s a state asset,” he said. Unfortunately Mr Hoenig’s department does not deal with WaterNSW and its drive to dispose of the assets around Toonumbar Dam.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor has no plan or explanation why farmers applying for Labor’s assistance grant will be forced to find up to $75,000 of their own money as a co-contribution before Christmas, in order to obtain financial help.

Sarah Herrmann. Garfish, whiting and calamari stock assessment began in Gulf St Vincent last week, with the opposition calling the government's timing "sluggish". The state government announced a "rapid assessment of fish stocks and fisheries" on July 22 to measure the impact of the algal bloom, but more than two months later, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries Nicola Centofanti said there had been little evidence of a rapid response.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Last week's Riverland visit by the State Opposition Leader has highlighted Labor's indifference towards the region, Tim Whetstone says. Alternative premier Vincent Tarzia made his first trip to the Riverland since taking over from disgraced former Liberal leader David Speirs in August 2024, and Mr. Whetstone said the continued absence of Peter Malinauskas – who last visited during the flood, in November 2022 – says plenty about the two parties.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Lachlan Hunter MP has slammed the Cook Labor Government for their inadequate attempts to keep costs down for WA families attending the Perth Royal Show, resulting in plummeting attendance. Figures revealed by the Royal Agricultural Society of WA ... 300,000 people passed through the gates at Claremont Showgrounds in 2025, a decrease of over 130,000 showgoers since 2024…

The Cook Government has set new standards to strengthen the health and welfare of horses in Western Australia. The Standards and Guidelines for the Health and Welfare of Horses details the minimum standards and recommended practices to optimise the health and welfare of horses, backed by scientific evidence and industry knowledge.

Qantas’ decision to shut its crew bases in Mildura, Canberra and Hobart is another blow to regional Australia, centralising jobs to capital cities and ripping skills and spending out of local communities. Around 70 pilots and cabin crew are affected across the three bases, including about eight staff in Mildura.

Mildura Rural City Council CEO Martin Hawson. We’ve received fresh assurances ... from Qantas, Mildura Airport Chief Executive Officer Andrew Elliott and Chair Marcus Guthrie that the airline remains committed to Mildura for the long term ... So to be clear, Qantas have confirmed with me there will be no impact to flights to and from Mildura as a result of the decision, which is reassuring for our community.

...New Agtrends figures show Queensland primary industries is forecast to achieve a record GVP worth $26.79 billion for 2024-2025, a rise of 18 per cent for the sector since 2023-2024. The significant increase has been delivered through strong performance across key commodities...

The ink is barely dry on Canberra’s new 2035 carbon targets, and the climate catastrophists are already eyeing 2050, the holy grail when net zero will finally be achieved. Out in the Wheatbelt, most farmers shrug. Another distant date, another government promise, most have tuned out with the view that what I can’t see does not hurt me — a bit like the GRDC levy that nicks 1 per cent of farm-gate revenue. But let’s be clear ...

More than 3000 people may have had their personal information comprised in a data breach of applications made to the Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program. The breach happened when a former contractor of the NSW Reconstruction Authority uploaded data containing personal information to an unsecured AI tool which was not authorised by the department.

From 29 August 2025, the NSW Government will commence negotiations with landowners to secure flood easements along the Murrumbidgee River, between Darlington Point and Balranald, under its Reconnecting River Country Program ... “If landowners fail to negotiate an easement interest, their land could be compulsorily acquired": Bobbie Pannowitz.