November 19, 2025
Estimated thousands trapped in Australian farm slavery A parliamentary inquiry has been told imported fruit pickers were subjected to prolonged suffering. Photo: AP PHOTO/ Robert F. Bukaty.
Regional

Estimated thousands trapped in Australian farm slavery

A BACKPACKER hoping for a memorable working holiday on an Australian farm finds himself crammed into a house with 17 people, eating dry bread and deprived of sunshine and fresh air. After arriving on a visa from China, the young man had headed to a small town on the NSW coast in 2024 to pick […]

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Community action continues at Mt Coramba Community members were detained by police after halting logging operations. Photo: Bellingen Activist Network.
Regional

Community action continues at Mt Coramba

Community members were detained by police after halting logging operations. Photo: Bellingen Activist Network. A drone image of a logged area of Orara East State Forest. Photo: Photo: Bellingen Activist Network. FORTY people gathered at a locked gate outside Orara East State Forest on 18 June, with 25 singing and dancing their way into the […]

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Farm flood damage trickling through to grocery checkout Blueberry prices are expected to remain high with recent flooding destroying Australian crops. Photo: Frank Redward/AAP PHOTOS.
Regional

Farm flood damage trickling through to grocery checkout

EYE-WATERING prices for blueberries are set to continue but shoppers will be mostly protected elsewhere from recent widespread farm flooding. Extensive rainfall and floods across northern NSW in May left thousands of farmers with crop and cattle losses. About one in four blueberries will not make the shelves this season due to the floods as […]

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Humpback whale migration begins with prime viewing from Coffs Coast A humpback whale breaching off the east coast. Photo: Jonas Liebschner, NPWS.
Regional

Humpback whale migration begins with prime viewing from Coffs Coast

A humpback whale breaching off the east coast. Photo: Jonas Liebschner, NPWS. A playful humpback close to the shoreline. Photo: Jonas Liebschner, NPWS. HUMPBACK whales are passing the Coffs Coast on their annual migration. Each year, approximately 40,000 humpback whales leave their Antarctic feeding grounds and travel north to the warmer waters off NSW and […]

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PM commits to ‘lasting change’ in second-term agenda The prime minister wants to see an economy that's more dynamic, more productive and more resilient. Photo: Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS.
Regional

PM commits to ‘lasting change’ in second-term agenda

ANTHONY Albanese has pledged to implement lasting and meaningful change in his second term as prime minister, promising his government can meet the moment against challenging circumstances. In his first major speech since winning an expanded majority at the May election, the prime minister said the government had a responsibility to disprove the doubters. Speaking […]

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Roads to be repaired after 2022 weather event
Government, Regional

Roads to be repaired after 2022 weather event

CITY of Coffs Harbour says almost $1.5 million worth of remedial works will now be undertaken to the local government area’s (LGA) road network in the wake of a severe storm and flood event in February 2022. City Infrastructure Acting Director Daniel Noble said the 2022 weather event caused pavement failure, ‘crocodile cracking’ where the […]

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Appeals upheld for Clouds Creek logging protesters Ms Stanton (L) and Ms Welch (middle) had their sentences dismissed. Photo: Forestry Ecology Alliance.
Regional

Appeals upheld for Clouds Creek logging protesters

  MEREDITH Stanton and Jane St Vincent Welch have successfully appealed their fines and conviction over a year-long vigil to protect the Clouds Creek Greater Glider Sanctuary and a proposed part of the Great Koala National Park. They were adamant they were acting lawfully and were on private property with the consent of the owner, […]

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First-ever DNA mapping of NSW river mouths and estuaries Dr Maarten De Brauwer of SCU and Fisheries Technician Kait Harris conduct estuarine monitoring in Yamba.
Regional

First-ever DNA mapping of NSW river mouths and estuaries

Dr Maarten De Brauwer and Kait Harris collect samples to send to Wilderlab for processing. Dr Maarten De Brauwer of SCU and Fisheries Technician Kait Harris conduct estuarine monitoring in Yamba. Dr Maarten De Brauwer and Kait Harris collect samples to send to Wilderlab for processing. A MAJOR study of NSW estuaries using a novel […]

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Bravery & Betrayal screening draws strong support in Coffs Harbour The flags of Australia, Afghanistan and the US at the Military Base at Tarin Kowt, Uruzghan Province, Afghanistan.
Community, Regional

Bravery & Betrayal screening draws strong support in Coffs Harbour

A POWERFUL new documentary titled Bravery & Betrayal was screened last week at C.ex Coffs Harbour. The film offers a raw and deeply personal insight into the experiences of the Australian Special Forces during their years of service in Afghanistan. It also examines the media scrutiny and personal toll of official investigations of these elite […]

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Mosquito numbers set to soar after long rains Aedes aegypti mosquito ready for a meal, followed by laying eggs in your birdbath. Photo: Dr Cameron Webb.
Health, Regional

Mosquito numbers set to soar after long rains

Aedes aegypti mosquito ready for a meal, followed by laying eggs in your birdbath. Photo: Dr Cameron Webb. This backyard birdbath, filled by the recent rains, contains dozens of mosquito larvae that can mature within a week. The black spots are mosquito eggs or pupae, ready to hatch. MOSQUITO numbers are set to soar due […]

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