FOLLOWING the record-breaking floods which hammered the region in May, impacted residents were instructed by the NSW Government’s Reconstruction Authority to apply for Disaster Relief Grants. According to MidCoast Council, the Authority is now refusing some grant applications due to homes being classified as within a flood zone. Council says this is despite the Authority […]
The CSIRO’s patented neckbands use GPS and wireless sensors to control cattle movements. Photo: CSIRO.
CATTLE and dairy farmers have welcomed the government’s decision to legalise virtual stock fencing, which involves using GPS collars to control the animals through audio cues and electric shocks. The move is expected to reduce physical fencing costs, improve rotational grazing systems, and provide remote access to data on the welfare of herds. Minister for […]
Scores of climate protesters have tried to block coal ships from Newcastle port. Photo: Darren Pateman/AAP
CLIMATE protesters are ramping up efforts to disrupt the fossil fuel industry, scaling and blocking a ship bound for the world’s largest coal port. Three Greenpeace activists scaled the ship on Sunday morning at Rising Tide’s annual “protestival” at Newcastle Harbour, unveiling a banner reading “Phase Out Coal and Gas”. After police confirmed 11 people […]
Coal train carriages at Muswellbrook. Photo: Hedda Askland.
ONE resident in a rural town facing the closure of a major coal mine says “it’s the best place to be… I’m gonna get carried out of here in a box”. Another local from Muswellbrook, a town at the frontline of Australia’s energy transition, plans on staying long after BHP’s Mt Arthur mine closes in […]
MP Kellie Sloane (centre) is the new leader of the NSW Liberal Party. Photo: Kellie Sloane MP FB.
THE Liberal party’s latest leader has thrown down the gauntlet, vowing to fight with her ailing party as a crucial election looms. First-term MP Kellie Sloane completed her meteoric ascent to the top of the NSW Liberals on Friday after her predecessor Mark Speakman gave way to mounting pressure and resigned. With just 18 months […]
Net Zero Economy Authority CEO David Shankey joined Minister Tim Ayres and Muswellbrook Mayor Jeff Drayton at the Mt Arthur mine site for the announcement.
MASTER plans for BHP’s Mt Arthur mine site in Muswellbrook and Glencore’s Macquarie Coal site in Lake Macquarie will commence after an agreement was signed by the Australian and NSW governments and local councils. Under the agreement, $5 million in Commonwealth funding, supported by contributions from NSW, will support the development of pilot master plans […]
Chris Bowen says you don't have to have solar panels on your roof to reap the benefits. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP
ENERGY retailers say they’ve been blindsided by reforms promising free electricity to hundreds of thousands of Australians during peak solar power hours. The Solar Sharer program, announced by the federal government last Tuesday, would give consumers free access to electricity for three hours each day as part of the default offer available. Households in NSW, […]
Tocal College horse husbandry students and educators with the top selling gelding and mare from the 2025 Approved Australian Stock Horse sale.
ELEVEN stock horses bred and trained by students at Tocal College have fetched a total of $168,000 in winning bids at the annual Approved Australian Stock Horse (ASH) Sale held over 2 and 3 November. Now in its 17th year, the sale event showcased the strength of Tocal College’s equine training program and dedication of […]
The cost to farmers of grain for feral pig trapping and baiting can be significant. Photo: supplied.
LANDHOLDERS across NSW are being encouraged to take advantage of $850,000 worth of free grain and bait on offer as part of a statewide crackdown on feral pigs. The funding is part of the Government’s Feral Pig and Pest Program with funding from the State’s more than $1 billion biosecurity budget. It is the third […]
PPA members Andrew and Julie recycle bottles into Remembrance and Anzac Day flowers.
STATE government-appointed Return and Earn network provider, Tomra, has rejected a proposal to install a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) in Paterson. Since March last year, locals have tried to persuade Tomra to install an RVM, similar to those in Dungog. Paterson locals can drive 33km to Dungog, only to find that the machine is not […]
