BARNARDOS Australia warns that children in regional NSW are bearing the brunt of coercive control, as new crime statistics reveal rural communities are experiencing dramatically higher rates than other areas. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research quarterly report shows regional NSW recorded 170 coercive control incidents from July 2024 to June 2025 compared […]

THE release of the “National Climate Risk Assessment” (NCRA) earlier this week has alarmed climate groups around the country. The assessment analyses 11 priority risks under three scenarios of 1.5°C, 2°C and 3°C warming. The 3°C warming by 2090 scenario includes warnings that heat-related deaths will rise by 444 percent in Sydney and 423 percent […]

LIVESTOCK producers are being reminded to monitor their stock for barber’s pole worm, with the recent wet and warmer weather increasing larval pasture burdens, making stock more vulnerable. Barber’s pole worms (Haemonchus contortus) are about 1.5 to 2.5 centimetres long and are blood feeders, which attach to the lining of the stomach of livestock including […]

AN INFORMATION session is being held for the community and flood affected land holders to uncover how the May flood impacted the riverbanks of the Manning Estuary. The free expert led information session will be hosted at the Taree University Campus on Saturday 27 September from noon to 2.30pm. Environmental specialists Damon Telfer and James […]

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 […]

GLOUCESTER writer and human rights advocate Lynda Holden is a testament to what an individual can achieve against the odds. The published author holds degrees in nursing, midwifery and adult education, a Master of Law, Criminology and Human Rights, and is a member of the NSW Ministerial Advisor Council on Ageing. But her journey wasn’t […]

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 […]