THE NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD) has released a report to guide farmers and primary industries so they can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while maintaining or enhancing productivity and sustainability. The NSW Land and Primary Industries Low Emissions Options Report identifies near-term priority emissions abatement measures for industry subsectors […]

HEAT can kill. That’s the message from the Red Cross and Health Direct as we face the prospect of heatwave conditions over the summer months. According to the Institute of Health and Welfare there were 2.143 hospital admissions related to extreme heat between 2019 and 2022. These included 348 patients from New South Wales, 410 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]