THE Members for Lyne, Myall Lakes and Upper Hunter are calling on the state and federal governments to declare last weekend’s flooding across the region as an additional disaster event, enabling affected landholders and primary producers to access further support. With farms and paddocks across the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions once again inundated, […]
Torrential rain returns for the start of August
‘Lake Monterra’ in Hawks Nest, where floodwaters cannot drain away. Yaccaba Headland vanishes behind the southerly front, seen from the Winda Woppa Erosion Zone. Tree damage in North Arm Cove after a wild night of rain and winds on 3 August. Photo: Stroud SES. Bucketts Way road surface damage on 2 August. Photo: Stroud SES. […]
Court knocks back Mount Pleasant coal mine expansion
PLANS by mining company MACH Energy to substantially expand its Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter Valley have stalled. The NSW Court of Appeal has found that the Independent Planning Commission’s approval of the mine’s expansion in 2022 was legally flawed. The approval would have allowed the mine to continue operating until 2048, and […]
‘We have not forgotten you’: flood recovery coordinator reassures Mid North Coast
Flood Recovery Coordinator Dave Owens speaking with farmers at Gloucester. Photo: supplied. Flood Recovery Coordinator Dave Owens speaking with farmers at Gloucester. Photo: supplied. THE Flood Recovery Coordinator for the Hunter and Mid North Coast is encouraging farmers and other flood-affected residents to continue to seek assistance. “We understand it is difficult but it is […]
Arrests over ‘abhorrent’ child-like sex doll imports
SEVERAL middle-aged men have been arrested for trying to get child-like sex dolls shipped to their homes in rural towns. Australian Border Force officers raided and searched properties around the Newcastle and Hunter Valley area arresting four people over the span of about a year in their crackdown on the “disturbing rise in attempted importations.” […]

Bright spots in agriculture amid market volatility
WITH droughts on one side of the country, floods on the other, and political volatility overseas, Australia’s agriculture industry has been right in the thick of it. But there is reason for “cautious optimism” in the $90.7 billion sector as uncertain conditions create both threats and opportunities for the nation’s producers, according to Bendigo Bank’s […]
MP calls for NDIS pricing changes to be revoked
FEDERAL Member for Lyne Alison Penfold is calling on the Federal Government to urgently revoke the latest National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) pricing changes, warning of the “significant negative impacts on people with a disability living in regional and remote areas”. The changes, announced following the Government’s NDIS Annual Pricing Review, came into effect on […]
Access to Barrington Tops from Gloucester ‘unavailable’ for months
ACCESS to the Barrington Tops National Park from Gloucester is presently unavailable because of severe damage to the Scone Road during May’s flooding rains. Access to the Polblue Campground and Thunderbolts Lookout is currently only possible from the Scone side via Tomalla, on the western side of Barrington Tops. Otherwise, the Park is open as […]

Annual farm census underway across NSW
NSW LANDHOLDERS are being asked to report their livestock numbers and land use information as part of Local Land Services’ annual farm census. The Annual Land and Stock Return collects information that helps shape the delivery of animal health and biosecurity services and prepare for emergencies such as bushfires and biosecurity outbreaks. Landholders must lodge […]

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 […]