THE NSW Labor Government has voted down the Opposition’s Crimes Legislation Amendment (Youth Crime) Bill 2025, which proposed changes to bail and sentencing laws. The Coalition’s bill sought changes including: – Expanding the definition of repeat offences beyond break and enter and car theft, to include serious indictable crimes like murder and sexual assault. – […]
TO help drive the transition to net zero, the Australian Government has set a target to reduce emissions to 62-70 percent below 2005 levels by 2035. It is a step up on Australia’s 2030 target – to reduce emissions to 43 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The government says it represents a “credible contribution […]
The government says the addition of these vehicles to the NSW SES fleet across regional parts of the state will increase volunteers’ ability to access isolated communities and perform critical rescues during flooding.
DISASTER response and recovery operations will be strengthened as the NSW Government delivers new emergency vehicles across the state. The vehicles are part of the Government’s fleet replacement program, ensuring NSW State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers have the latest, purpose-built equipment. Included in this year’s flood rescue fleet upgrades are 10 new High Clearance Vehicles […]
The new volunteers: Joy Berry, Michele Kingston, John Vanvalen and Simone Ryan.
The new volunteers: Joy Berry, Michele Kingston, John Vanvalen and Simone Ryan. The graduates with Annette O’Neill, Dungog Palliative Care Coordinator (centre). FOUR new volunteers graduated from the Dungog Shire Palliative Care Volunteers training course this week. Joy Berry, Michele Kingston, John Van Valen and Simone Ryan celebrated their new roles with Coordinator Annette O’Neill […]
A PARLIAMENTARY committee will review the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s response to May’s record-breaking flood event. After entire townships were left isolated and thousands of homes and businesses were damaged, the NSW Reconstruction Authority has been leading recovery operations, including coordinating clean-up and repair efforts. A NSW Parliament Joint Select Committee has recently commenced an inquiry […]
QantasLink, the airport, Council and the state government are celebrating the flights as a ‘huge win’ for the Hunter’s tourism industry.
NEWCASTLE Airport’s first direct flight to Perth took off last Monday, ending the need for Hunter travellers to drive to Sydney for westbound journeys. The three-times weekly service, operated by a 150-seat QantasLink Airbus A319, aligns with the NSW Government’s recently announced Visitor Economy Strategy 2035, which commits to improving access to and from regional […]
Dungog Team Leader Madeleine Beasley with Kate Murphy from DSCC.
THE Mutual Bank is partnering with Dungog Shire Community Centre (DSCC) to help fill the community pantry for those in need. DSCC Manager Kate Murphy said the centre keeps a stock of groceries in its Dowling Street office to help families and single people struggling with living costs, as part of the centre’s Emergency Relief […]
The project is set to be the first renewable energy zone in Australia to upgrade existing grid infrastructure such as distribution poles and wires.
THE Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone project has received planning approval after a review of environmental impacts and consultation. The project has an intended network capacity of one gigawatt (GW) and stretches from the Upper Hunter in the north to the Central Coast in the south. It is set to be the first renewable energy […]
Sarah U’Brien, a Winston Churchill Trust Fellowship recipient.
DUNGOG local Sarah U’Brien is one of the newly-named Australian Churchill Fellows. The Winston Churchill Trust was established in 1965 to honour the legacy of the former UK Prime Minister. It is a not-for-profit organisation which gives Australians the chance to travel overseas, to investigate their diverse specialist fields, and to learn new skills. They […]
When a fire breaks out, farmers are often the first to respond. Photo: DPIE.
NSW NATIONALS MPs are calling on the NSW Government to immediately deliver its promised Farm Fire Fighting Vehicle scheme, months after the second of two trial periods ended. In January 2024 Labor committed to provide conditional registrations that would enable farmers to drive unregistered vehicles on public roads in an emergency, but is yet to […]
