After years of delays, the NSW state government has approved the expansion of the controversial Narrabri gas project, despite opposition from many in the local community. 

The project, which was opposed by the vast majority of submissions during the consultation process, could involve up to 850 new coal seam gas wells being drilled on 1,000 hectares of a 95,000 hectare site covering the Pilliga forest and nearby farm land.

If you've never seen a gas drilling site up close, they're not pretty. 

Towers being raised across the countryside, orange flames from gas flares, glaring floodlights, constant noise from the grind of the drill - and that's not even touching on the potential for land and water pollution from fugitive emissions during the drilling process.

It has been an encouraging start to the season across much of New South Wales, with most areas receiving reasonable falls, but across Queensland the majority of growers are still anxiously waiting for rain to assure emerging crops or commence planting.

So if you are back in the office after planting or you’re waiting to start in the paddock you might have time to tune into the GRDC 2020 Farm Business Updates, which will be delivered online from June 22-26.

In a forced break from tradition, the annual Updates will be beamed directly into the homes and offices of growers and advisers, ensuring they have access to expert advice and insights to guide their business through this year and beyond.

Our staff regularly run events across the North West region to support your land management work.

click the heading to see all the events and links through to past events. 

While the town of Walgett may be a long way from Tokyo in Japan, that hasn't stopped Jack O'Brien and his Olympic dreams.

Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have been postponed, so Jack has been spending his time helping out on the family farm.

While his return to the property has been a great help to his family during this time, he has also been working hard in his homemade gym, dedicated to his training on an erg machine.

Jack ordinarily lives in Canberra and as a member of the Australian Rowing Team, is working towards realising his dream of representing his country at the Olympic Games.

"I want to continue with rowing to wherever it takes me," he said.

The fate of a controversial coal seam gas project in north-west New South Wales will be decided within 12 weeks.

Santos's Narrabri Gas Project has received backing from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, recommending its "approval with strict conditions".

After three years of consideration, the department has referred the multi-billion-dollar project to the state's Independent Planning Commission, and Minister Rob Stokes has requested a determination within 12 weeks.

More than 23,000 submissions were made to the department during its assessment.

A public hearing will be held as part of the IPC's deliberations.

Police seized ammunition and cannabis following a search of a home in the state’s north west last week.

As part of a proactive rural crime operation, officers attached to Central North Rural Crime Prevention Team with the assistance of investigators from Central North Police District, conducted a Firearm Prohibition Order (FPO) at a property on the Castlereagh Highway, Walgett, about 3.55pm on Friday 5 June 2020.

During the search, officers located and seized, two rifle bolts, ammunition, cannabis oil and cannabis seeds.

The late Aboriginal musician Jimmy Little will soon be part of the NSW silo art trail after Walgett Council chose to recognise his legacy in a mural painting.

Jimmy is from the Yorta Yorta nation and for a time lived in Walgett. He was the first Indigenous Australian to receive mainstream music success.

At a Walgett Shire Council meeting in March, councillors agreed to paint a mural image of Jimmy on the town's water tower.

The Berejiklian government has given its support for the proposed $3.6 billion Santos coal seam gasfield in northern NSW, saying it was critical for energy security and that it had limited environmental impacts.

In its assessment released on Friday, the Planning Department said its "comprehensive suite of strict conditions" would ensure the controversial project was "in the public interest and is approvable".

Environmental groups and some MPs have pleaded with an independent planning body to oppose a controversial coal seam gas project after it was recommended for approval by the NSW government.

The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment on Friday recommended the Narrabri coal seam gas project be approved and referred it to the Independent Planning Commission for a final assessment.

Oil and gas giant Santos wants to develop the $3.6 billion project over 95,000 hectares in the Pilliga forest and nearby grazing land in the state's northwest.

It involves drilling 850 new gas wells over 20 years, with Santos saying it has the potential to satisfy up to half of NSW's natural gas demand.

The 12-week trigger for a decision by the Independent Planning Commission on the massive Santos' Narrabri gas project has been triggered after it received a Department of Planning report into the project today.

Ocean Shores residents are set to benefit from a $40,000 grant as part of the NSW disaster resilient and future ready (DR:FR) Get Ready program. 

Wee Waa and North Richmond were the other NSW communities that participated in the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) program.

The funding has been split between a program which aims to engage local youth, and another that will play a role in the disaster preparation process, including a map identifying local flood and bushfire risk areas and identifying important community information.

Byron Youth Service’s Ocean Shores Youth Response Team (OSYRT) say they will be using $25,000 of the grant to run five weeks of skills-building and awareness workshops for local youth. 

This will include sessions from a local Indigenous facilitator, and aims to boost their morale and self-confidence and provide an opportunity to role model positive behaviours for younger students.

The Governor-General has today announced the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List, recognising 933 Australians.

Included in the list are:

• 710 recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia (3 AC, 50 AO, 200 AM and 457 OAM)
• 28 recipients of awards in the Military Division of the Order of Australia (3 AO, 12 AM and 13 OAM); and
• 128 meritorious awards.

“In this list, we see all the positives that are in our community – we see the great ideas, we see the hard work, we see the love and compassion for fellow human beings – it’s a microcosm of Australia,” the Governor-General said.

Farmers in north-west New South Wales are furious at the defeat of a bill to temporarily put a stop to Coal Seam Gas activity in the state.

The Bill passed the NSW Upper House late on Wednesday night, and the Government unexpectedly brought it to a vote in the Legislative Assembly yesterday afternoon.

It was defeated 38 votes to 36.

The legislation had the support of Labor, the Greens, the Shooters Fishers and Farmers (SFF) and other independents.

The Deputy Premier John Barilaro has accused the SFF of having "sold out jobs in regional NSW to align themselves with the Greens, not because of outcomes, but because of politics".

Key points:

• The State Government defeated a bill that would have temporarily stopped all coal seam gas activity
• Farmers in the state's north-west are worried about the implications for the impending Narrabri Gas Project
• The government insists it has the community on its side

Coal seam gas (CSG) mining at just one Queensland site will produce three million tonnes of salt - enough to raise a pile 10 metres high and 11 kilometres long, senators have been told.

A parliamentary committee yesterday took evidence in Canberra looking at the impact of mining CSG on the Murray Darling Basin.

Liberal senator Bill Heffernan told the hearing of the salt produced by one approved Queensland project.

"Eleven-point-three kilometres by 30m wide by 10m high - that'll be the pile of salt that'll be produced from this one mining approval," Senator Heffernan told representatives of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services (DTIRIS) attending the hearing.

"This is for you to think about because we don't want this to happen in NSW - that's approved under the onerous provisions of the Queensland DERM (Department of Environment and Resource Management).

"I wouldn't like that on my landscape."

Think about this — Australia is now the world's biggest exporter of natural gas, yet we're looking at importing gas to deal with a domestic "shortage".

If this happens, Australia will be using huge amounts of energy and spending large sums of money to compress, liquify and ship its abundant gas reserves to markets overseas.

Then gas will be shipped back, with all the costs and resources involved, to supply the local market.

Does that make sense? Go figure.

But there's money to be made from it.

Andrew Twiggy Forest, iron ore baron, philanthropist and one of the nation's shrewdest businessmen, is backing a proposal to import gas through Port Kembla, NSW.

Welcome to the world of Australian gas policy.

'Pure stupidity'

Alistair Donaldson, a fourth-generation farmer from outside Boggabri, north-west of Newcastle, has been fighting coal seam gas development in the region for 10 years, but he's equally appalled by the gas importation plan.

"It would have to be the purest form of stupidity imaginable," the plain-talking cattleman says.

• Farmers raise concerns over coal seam gas but the Nationals say water and agricultural land will be protested by the planning process
• World environment day sees solar dairy and tree production pushing ahead
• Brumby control of 4000 head set to go underway despite appeals from deputy premier John Barilaro.

Governments were generally caught short by COVID-19. Scott Morrison boasts that he saw it earlier, and acted quicker and more decisively, than most – that he relied on medical and scientific advice, forged a “national” response, ignored ideology.

But his government has a split personality on the need to rely on science. It so easily ignores climate science, still swayed by a small rump of Coalition deniers.

In a sense, the experience of the pandemic is a dress rehearsal of what will happen with climate, if governments continue to ignore the science. There had been imprecise warnings of possible pandemics, but these had been ignored. Climate science is far more substantive, peer-assessed and uniform than that relied on to support the COVID responses; the predicted catastrophic weather events have become more frequent and more intense, and over decades.

Multinational corporations have captured the national polity and continue to push last-century energy solutions on Australia, in defiance of sound policy and due process. The US fracking industry has collapsed. Yet the Covid Commission forges ahead with coal seam gas plans for Santos at Narrabri. Callum Footereports.

As if a tradie-led recovery wasn’t bizarre enough, the COVID Commission and Liberals and Nationals in NSW are forging ahead with plans to open up Narrabri for coal seam gas fracking.

This is despite:

• warnings only a day ago that the global glut could force natural gas prices into negative;
• the science telling us clearly that for the sake of the planet we need to move on from fossil fuels, especially given that renewable energy can compete on cost with oil, coal and natural gas-fired power plants;
• figures showing that fugitive emissions from natural gas production are driving massive increases in greenhouse gas; and
• the fact that domestic gas users are massively price gouged because the East Coast gas market is controlled by a cartel of three producers, Santos, Origin Energy and Exxon/BHP, who starve the domestic market to force up prices and make super profits  Meanwhile overseas buyers of Australian gas pay far less than the domestic buyers do.

Dear Northern Inlanders,

As our region continues to face unprecedented times, the resilience of our communities continues to shine. As our communities start to reopen with decreased restrictions, it is now time to work together to rebuild from the devastation of not only COVID-19, but also the bushfires and the ongoing drought. While the Australian Government’s support programs have helped us through these times, I am looking forward to hearing further details of the JobMaker program when they become available so we can work towards a stronger economy for our region together.

The results of our Impacts of COVID-19 on Businesses survey are in, and the impact has been significant. Almost half of our businesses have had a downturn of 50% or more of their income, and 67% do not have enough income to cover their operating costs. We are continuing to work closely with the Australian Government to provide feedback about the experiences of businesses in our region during the shutdown and during the recovery period, which will take years of hard work.

Here is the June Newsletter from Gillian Goddard the Business Liason Officer packed with great information about Grants, online workshops, tips and lots lots more. Click the heading to read the full newsletter.  Lots of help out there to get your business over the hurdle we are facing. 

My dad and his family grew up in a tin humpy on the banks of the Namoi River in Walgett, New South Wales. My grandmother worked on a station, raising the station manager’s children, and never received her pay during her lifetime.

Growing up my father was denied an education and instead given a football; he left school at 15 and later in life was drafted with five other Aboriginal men to play rugby league for the Gundagai Tigers. That year Gundagai saw their first grand final win. Gundagai loved Dad until he retired from football and needed a job. 

My journey towards becoming a business owner started standing on the Gundagai overpass, waving goodbye to my father as he hitchhiked for work, as no one wanted to employ an Aboriginal.

Floodplain graziers and environmental groups are considering legal action against the NSW government if it signs off on controversial water sharing plans, arguing the plans do not adequately take into account the needs of downstream users and the environment.

The Australian Floodplain Association, Macquarie Marshes Environmental Landholders Association and Inland Rivers Network have not ruled out litigation in the Land and Environment Court or the Federal Court if the plans are not amended to more evenly share the pain of a drier climate.

New South Wales water officials have acknowledged that decades of unregulated and unmeasured floodplain harvesting by irrigators was illegal, the minutes of recent meetings show.

At a January meeting, a week before the first drenching rains in northern NSW, members of a senior government water group discussed the legal implications of irrigators harvesting floodwaters, a widespread but unregulated method that accounts for up to a third of the water used by operators in the northern part of the Murray-Darling Basin.

The practice of irrigators collecting floodwaters using banks and levees to divert the water into large storages and dams has been blamed for contributing to declining flows further down the Murray-Darling River system. The 2018 South Australian royal commission described floodplain harvesting as “one of the most significant threats to water security in the Northern Murray-Darling Basin to both licence holders and downstream states”.

Peter Nash has run a shoe shop in Broken Hill for 45 years and has endured countless droughts and the closure of mines, but nothing has come close to the economic stress of COVID-19.

The Federal Government's 'JobKeeper' scheme is helping keep him afloat but he is angry his business did not qualify for a New South Wales Government small business grant. 

"Unfortunately, our downturn at the beginning of April was 72 per cent and they have a benchmark of 75 per cent," he said.

"I started the application but got booted out so to speak."

The sum of $10,000 is available to businesses who have experienced a loss of 75 per cent in income because of COVID-19.

A man has been charged following an investigation by Strike Force Trawler detectives into alleged online child procurement.

In February this year, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began engaging online with a man from the state’s north west.

Police will allege in court that the man believed he was speaking with a 13-year-old girl and engaged in sexually explicit conversations about acts he wished to perform on the child and sent sexually explicit material.

Following extensive investigations, strike force detectives arrested a 52-year-old man at Walgett about 3.30pm yesterday (Wednesday 27 May 2020).

A short time later, officers executed a search warrant at a home at Lightning Ridge and seized mobile phones and electronic storage devices.

Drought-weakened Namoi Cotton has re-jigged its marketing joint venture with multinational commodities giant Louis Dreyfus Company, effectively giving its partner control of day-to-day management of Namoi's trading and marketing and warehousing activities.

In what is expected to be the last in a six-month run of sweeping restructuring and staff shedding actions at the NSW-Queensland ginning and marketing company, the latest Namoi business shakeup aims to bolster the trading business's financial capacity to weather volatile cotton and currency markets.

THE region's primary producers will have a strong voice at a state government level thanks to the latest elected members of representative boards.

Russell Webb (Duri), Rebecca Reardon (Moree), Scott Kermode (Walcha),Grahame Marriott (Inverell), William O'Halloran, (Invergowrie) and Jane Mactier (Tenterden) were the latest members elected to Local Land Services (LLS) boards.

The Northern Tablelands and North West board members will advocate for primary producers across both regions and co-ordinate with LLS on a range of issues.

North West Local Land Services in conjunction with Narrabri Shire Council have had wild horse caution signs installed along the Wee Waa to Pilliga road to warn motorists of the potential hazard of collisions with wild horses in the area.

Wild horses are listed as a priority species in the North West Local Land Services region. The erection of these signs comes after reports from locals who have described near miss situations along this stretch of road. There is a known population in this area and they pose a hazard for all motorists, particularly those unfamiliar with the area.

Senior Biosecurity Officer, John Busby emphasised the importance of having this awareness for motorists, as a collision could be fatal. He said “Times to be most cautious are early morning and late evening when there is reduced visibility, however, horses can be out at all times of the day or night.”

About 5pm on Tuesday, Nicholas Rosser was found on a property neighbouring the campsite he was last seen west of Walgett.

Police say the 19-year-old is safe and well.

Police would like to thank the community and media for their assistance.

EARLIER, 3pm, May 19:

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenager missing from west of Walgett.

Nicholas Rosser, aged 19, was last seen at a campsite with friends, about 11 kilometres west of Walgett on the Barwon River on Brewon Road.

IN the midst of a battle with breast cancer, Narrabri Shire Council councillor Ann Loder learned she had been removed from elected office because she didn't fill out a form.

Police have discovered an alleged cannabis plant set-up after executing a search warrant last week.

On Friday afternoon, police officers executed a search warrant at a home on Hinds Street in Narrabri where they made the find.

Police found the cannabis set-up in the home and seized a range of items while there.

Items seized included 11 cannabis plants, cannabis, drug paraphernalia, an unauthorised restricted prescription substance and electronic components that police will allege to be used and made into a taser.

THE effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy have one Boggabri cotton farmer concerned about the profitability of his crop.

The Independent Planning Commission will have 12 weeks to decide whether to approve controversial developments and mining projects, as part of the government's push to ensure timely decision-making.

The three-month timeframe will now apply to all projects for which the commission must hold public hearings, not just the controversial Narrabri Gas Project which was capped at 12 weeks earlier this year.

The huge industrial estate set to become Narrabri's "inland port" will be even bigger than initially predicted as council seeks to take advantage of the Inland Rail project.

Narrabri Shire Council General Manager Stewart Todd revealed the council are considering buying extra land for the project. 

Doing so would make the business park "the premier industrial and logistics hub development in North West NSW," he said in an announcement online.

The $9.3 billion Inland Rail project, which will link Brisbane and Melbourne by train, is set to start work in Narrabri later this year.

He founded an event many mark in their calendars once a year, and despite having to cancel this year's Drover's Campfire, Geoff Eather says upgrades to the Boggabri showgrounds will be "perfect".

These grounds, as well as their Narrabri counterpart, are set to receive a face-lift thanks to funding announced by the NSW Government.

"The upgrades they are working on will make a big difference," Mr Eather said.

"They [facilities] were getting rather old, and well and truly due for an upgrade, so it's great news. 

"Hopefully we will have a lot better facilities once we return next year, bigger and better."

Boggabri Showground's seating will be redone with brand new aluminium seating, the control tower will be repaired, four sets of access steps will be replaced for the toilet block, with an underground power supply installed to an onsite water pump.

She's been one of many working for almost 10 years to get a childcare centre to Boggabri, and says the upcoming build is ' just fantastic'.

Catherine Collyer's patience and persistence have paid off, and says the flow-on effects of having the first child-care centre in town will benefit the not just families, but the wider community and region.

"I can't wait," she enthused.

The kitchen is considered the heart of every home. With everyone forced to stay indoors to slow down the spread of COVID-19, kitchens are seeing more traffic than any place in the house.  In addition to preparing meals, most people prefer to eat, talk, and even work at the kitchen table, a reason you might want to consider a kitchen renovation. Depending on the condition of your kitchen, a few simple upgrades should give it a fresh new look and improved functionality. 

If there is one positive from the COVID-19 pandemic it’s the widespread realisation that working from home works, says Member for Barwon, Roy Butler.

Mr Butler is calling on the NSW Government to review the suitability of all Public Sector positions for telecommuting, and introduce new requirements for Public Sector roles to be advertised as ‘suitable for telecommuting’. 

The way roles are currently advertised, shows a geographic area where the role is based, inhibiting the attraction of the best possible candidate, no matter where they call home.

“COVID-19 has meant more and more people have shifted to working from home, with videoconferencing for team meetings, and remote access tokens bringing the office to people’s dining room tables and study’s.

Do you run a small business?

Among all the challenges of a small business, perhaps the most important to overcome is that of cash flow. Some business owners seek real guidance from those who have survived a similar situation and have experienced big business success in the end.”

Money tips for small businesses can help you thrive in today's tough economy.

These tips represent real ideas to help you lower your overheads and cut your costs while still reaching your target consumer base and growing your business.

A Tamworth construction company will build Boggabri's first child care centre.

Idemitsu named Greg Bartlett Construction of Tamworth as the successful tenderer for the long-awaited facility on Friday, and said work is expected to start in May.

The 397 square-metre centre, on the corner of Brent and Oakham streets, will cater for children aged 0-5 and provide after-school care for students aged 6-12.

Growing up with cotton and wool at their fingertips, it's no surprise Sarah Wilson and Melinda Palmer would one day find themselves with a business showcasing one of Australia's great fibres. 

The pair recently launched Love thy Farmer, a business which is clearly founded on a passion for farming, rural communities and natural fibres.

Is your little one heading off to preschool soon?

Preparing your child emotionally for pre-school can be a challenge. Between getting them ready (as well as yourself) there are a number of steps you’ll need to take to make sure everyone gets through with as few moments of stress as possible.

Find out here!

As Australia looks to renegotiate trade partnerships with key global markets, a new study reveals the impact of global farm subsidies and agricultural trade policies on the competitiveness of Australia’s rural industries. 

Trade barriers and domestic subsidies have always been part of global farm policies but, since the 2000s, their impact on Australia’s global competitiveness has not been quantified. A new AgriFutures Australia-funded study fills a knowledge gap in the current cost of trade subsidies, arming our rural industries and governments with evidence to inform trade negotiations and policy discussions going forward.  

The news is full of Covid-19 right now, but there are other dangers in the world that YOU need to look out for.

One of the greatest dangers comes in the form of your very own car (or someone else’s)

Approximately 40% of all car accidents happen at intersections, with most of these resulting in serious injuries.  

Roundabouts, however, make intersections much safer.

Here's how to stay safe driving around the roundabout.

ANOTHER 12 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus [covid-19] at the weekend in the Hunter New England Health district, bringing the total to 30.

The news comes as Premier Glady Berejiklian announced today that NSW would go into "comprehensive shutdown" of non-essential services.

"Tonight I will be informing the National Cabinet that NSW will proceed to a more comprehensive shutdown of non-essential services," she said.

Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and convenience stores, freight and logistics and home delivery will remain open.
The shutdown will take place over the next 48 hours.

Schools will be open on Monday but Ms Berejiklian is expected to make more comment on that in the morning.

Fears of a coronavirus lockdown have left supermarket shelves looking empty, but there is plenty of food to go around.

Thanks to our world-class farmers, Australia is one of the most food-secure countries on Earth.

Between 80-96% of the food on our supermarket shelves is Aussie grown. In fact our Australian farmers produce enough food to feed 75 million people.

That’s triple Australia’s population!

The National Farmers Federation has welcomed the release of the Murray Darling Basin Social and Economic Assessment Panel Draft Report.

Led by an independent panel comprised of Basin industry leaders, the report highlights the experiences of communities and how they have been affected by the myriad of reforms to water management in the Basin.

“The report’s findings are similar to the messages the NFF heard on our tour across the Basin last month: there is a need to bring communities back to the heart of the conversations and actions that ultimately impact their futures.”

The Coronavirus pandemic means the Independent Planning Commission will not be scheduling any public consultation meetings into two of the region's biggest proposed projects, for the foreseeable future.

The IPC has been asked to hold hearings for both Whitehaven Coal's Vickery coal mine extension project and Santos' Narrabri gas fields project.

However, due to the federal government's restrictions around public gatherings and social distancing, the IPC is unable to plan any public meetings at this stage.

A Wee Waa man's dream of owning his own home has now become a reality after winning close to $150,000 on Keno over the weekend.

The player held a Keno 9 Spot winning entry on Saturday and took home $147,817.40.