February 28, 2026
Council’s new investment prospectus shows Coffs Harbour is’ open for business’ Council General Manager Andrew Beswick said the report had been 12 months in the making.
Regional

Council’s new investment prospectus shows Coffs Harbour is’ open for business’

Council General Manager Andrew Beswick said the report had been 12 months in the making. Mayor Nikki Williams launches the first-ever investment prospectus for Coffs Harbour. COFFS Harbour has taken another step toward shaping its future by launching “InvestCoffs”, the city’s first-ever investment prospectus. Twelve months in the making, the document highlights why Coffs Harbour […]

Read More
Firefighters to integrate cultural burning techniques in bushfire management Cultural burning practices are integrated with accredited firefighting qualifications
Regional

Firefighters to integrate cultural burning techniques in bushfire management

Cultural burning practices are integrated with accredited firefighting qualifications Laqueesha Laurie and her father, Dane, participated in the program. Photos: FCNSW. CULTURAL burning techniques are being integrated into government bushfire management frameworks across NSW. Funded by the Federal Government program “Fire, Country and People”, the aim is to strengthen community resilience to major bushfire events […]

Read More
Sudden stratospheric warming causes weather chaos Bureau of Meteorology heat map for Wednesday 22 October, showing new record temps. Photo: BOM.
Regional

Sudden stratospheric warming causes weather chaos

RISING temperatures over Antarctica have been a major contributing factor to recent volatile weather along the East Coast, according to new information from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). A “sudden stratospheric warming” (SSW) is to blame. This is a documented weather scenario in which air temperatures high above the South Pole rise by 30 degrees […]

Read More
New online tool to support farmers prepare for and recover from natural disasters The platform brings together functions that previously existed in a suite of existing tools such as the Drought and Supplementary Calculator, DroughtPack, Feed Cost Calculator and Drought Feed Calculator.
Regional

New online tool to support farmers prepare for and recover from natural disasters

A NEW online tool is available to help NSW farmers better prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters including fire, flood, and drought. The platform, called myStockPlanner, enables farmers to provide details of their farm, risks and resources to access tailored response options to consider and implement with their feed and livestock. Federal […]

Read More
Timber redundancy payments ‘inadequate’ Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union members protesting the Great Koala National Park decision.
Regional

Timber redundancy payments ‘inadequate’

THE Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union (TFTU) says the NSW Government is short-changing its own people and is not being accountable to workers. It has condemned the state’s handling of the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) decision, saying workers are being offered redundancy support packages five times worse than their Victorian counterparts. TFTU NSW Secretary […]

Read More
Citizen scientists called on to spot underwater flowers Posidonia australis forms rich underwater meadows. Photo: Seeds of the Sea.
Regional

Citizen scientists called on to spot underwater flowers

A NEW citizen science project led by UNSW Sydney is inviting beachgoers, snorkelers and divers to spot and share photographs of seagrass flowers along Australia’s coasts. The endangered seagrass Posidonia australis forms rich underwater meadows that capture carbon, support fisheries, and help stabilise shorelines. It’s one of the most important habitats in coastal ecosystems but […]

Read More
Infrastructure ‘key’ offers to unlock regional housing Planning Minister Paul Scully says the NSW government is supporting housing growth in the regions. Photo: Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS.
Regional

Infrastructure ‘key’ offers to unlock regional housing

SOME regional Australians may get a reprieve from the housing crisis as councils are offered interest relief to build more drains, roads, and other infrastructure. Though many parts of regional Australia have ample residential land, it often isn’t ready for development due to a lack of funding and planning for critical infrastructure, a 2024 national […]

Read More
Health, housing and jobs stifling the country dream While the country lifestyle and lower cost-of-living was appealing, access to housing, health care, connectivity and public transport were seen as key barriers.
Regional

Health, housing and jobs stifling the country dream

A QUIET life in the countryside appeals to nearly half of Australia’s city residents, but concerns about access to health care, housing and jobs are stopping them making the move. Country Australia is on track to become home to 11 million people by 2032, or 40 percent of the population, while 40 percent of people […]

Read More
Anger over Nambucca Valley Council’s backflip on Great Koala National Park The owner and workers of Bowraville Sawmill are struggling under the GKNP moratorium.
Regional

Anger over Nambucca Valley Council’s backflip on Great Koala National Park

The owner and workers of Bowraville Sawmill are struggling under the GKNP moratorium. Nationals Senator Ross Cadell addresses worried workers at Adam’s Sawmill in Bonville. Photo: Senator Cadell. THE Nambucca Valley’s last remaining timber mill is struggling to stay afloat as a result of the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) logging moratorium. Enforced on 8 […]

Read More