
Grants open for projects which improve young lives in NSW
THE Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) and Vincent Fairfax Foundation (VFFF) are inviting applications for grants of $50,000 from individuals to develop innovative ideas that enhance the lives of young people (aged 12-30) in remote, rural, and regional NSW. The grants are available through the Backing the Future program. In NSW, the program […]

Roadblocks abound en route to decarbonisation of Australia’s freight industry
Transport engineering expert, Dr Elnaz Irannezhad from UNSW’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The freight industry is under growing pressure as it struggles to align with Australia’s sustainability targets. Photo: NSW Government. FREIGHT is critical to Australia’s economy but a University of NSW (UON) expert is warning the industry is falling behind on the […]
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
DEAR Jasminda, My wife is preparing for the latest weather event like we are getting ready for a world war. What can I do to put her mind at ease? Kevin B Dear Kevin, I received your conundrum during the calm before the storm, so to speak, at which point some media outlets were using […]
The Big Screen
THE US summer blockbuster season rolls on, with Jurassic World: Rebirth roaring into theatres. Long gone are the days of the dinosaurs running amok in a theme park; now the “de-extinct” beasts settle wherever they can find a favourable climate. Despite this premise being ripe with possible storylines, the film sees a special team formed […]
The first astronomers: Australia’s Indigenous stargazers
LONG before observatories dotted the land and satellites blinked overhead, the First Peoples of Australia were reading the stars. For over 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have looked to the sky – not for abstraction, but for connection, direction, and survival. Theirs is the oldest continuous astronomical tradition on Earth. To these […]
NSW residents urged to purchase firewood collection authorisations this winter
FORESTRY Corporation is reminding residents to purchase firewood authorisations before collecting wood from State forests. Recent updates have been made to Forestry Corporation’s online firewood permit page. The conditions for firewood collection have also been updated and should be understood prior to entering State forests. The system now distinguishes some locations between pine and native […]
Report paints ‘catastrophic picture’ of environment
THE NSW Government tabled the 2024 State of the Environment Report last week. Compiled by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the report is published every three years. According to EPA CEO Tony Chappel, the 2024 report indicates that climate change is already a major factor impacting many environmental trends. “In 2021-22, greenhouse gas emissions […]
Councils and state gov to address root causes of DV
LOCAL Government NSW (LGNSW) is partnering with the state government to support councils in addressing the root causes of domestic, family, and sexual violence. The initiative is part of the NSW Government’s Pathways to Prevention Strategy, which aims to address the drivers of violence. Under the three-year primary prevention partnership, the state government will provide […]
Upper Hunter Crown reserves secure funding
THE State Government will provide more than $54,500 in grants to maintain and upgrade Crown land reserves and community facilities across the Upper Hunter. The grants are being provided by Crown Lands in the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) from the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund (CRIF). Upper Hunter electorate projects being funded include […]