NEW data released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) shows the state’s prison population reached 13,133 in December 2025, an increase of 8.5 percent (1,026 people) over the past two years. The growth has been driven by a sharp rise in the number of people held on remand. Between December 2023 […]
A PUBLIC meeting will be held in Macksville to update the community on the progress of an amendment to Nambucca Valley Council’s Local Environment Plan (LEP). The amendment proposes changes to the rules for intensive horticulture in the Nambucca Valley, in an attempt to tighten regulations following a ramp-up in blueberry production in the region. […]
MEMBER for Myall Lakes Tanya Thompson and Member for Oxley Michael Kemp are calling on the Minns Government to urgently double the Small Business Recovery Grant from $25,000 to $50,000. They say Labor has failed communities affected by the March 2025 floods, by allowing the deadline for recovery grants to pass without delivering the support […]
IMPROVED methane capture at six high-emission coal mines appears the state’s best bet to hit climate targets. A report released by climate advisory group Common Capital said NSW could help reach emissions targets with best-practice abatement at the six mines, which produce half the state’s coalmine emissions despite delivering less than 10 percent of the […]
THE Scotts Head community is being invited by Nambucca Valley Council to have a say on the future of the town’s foreshore and public spaces, as it begins work on a new masterplan. Council’s General Manager Bede Spannagle, said the goal is to understand what land management practices are working well and where improvements could […]
THE State Government has launched a “landmark strategy” to respond to the perpetration of domestic and family violence (DFV) in New South Wales. “Building Better Responses: NSW Strategy to Respond to the Use of Domestic and Family Violence 2026–2030” is NSW’s first dedicated plan aimed at disrupting DFV and focusing on those who cause or […]
THE Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) will require newly connecting retail gas customers to pay the upfront cost of their connection, often more than $2000, moving away from the old system where these costs were often shared across all customers. The recent final determination responds to a rule change request from Energy Consumers Australia and […]
PUBLIC concern is rising in Valla Beach following the NSW Government’s October announcement that a parcel of land near Langsford Way and Anderson Park, formerly owned by the Department of Education, has been identified as a potential site for more than 160 homes under the state’s Building Homes for NSW initiative. The NSW Department of […]
A 12-MONTH pesticide water quality monitoring project is underway on the Mid North Coast to better understand the presence of pesticides in the region’s waterways. Led by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the project builds on previous monitoring work and aims to provide a clearer picture of pesticide detections in waterways in the Coffs […]
THEY said it couldn’t happen, but the Federal Labor Government has worked with the Greens to pass reforms to the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act after negotiations fell through last November. The reforms include a new environment watchdog agency; national standards to safeguard nature; federal laws to apply to native forest logging by mid-2027; […]
