January 15, 2026
NSW residents urged to purchase firewood collection authorisations this winter
Local News

NSW residents urged to purchase firewood collection authorisations this winter

FORESTRY Corporation is reminding residents to purchase firewood authorisations before collecting wood from State forests. Recent updates have been made to Forestry Corporation’s online firewood permit page. The conditions for firewood collection have also been updated and should be understood prior to entering State forests. The system now distinguishes some locations between pine and native […]

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Veterans given free vehicle access to National Parks
Regional

Veterans given free vehicle access to National Parks

THE Minns Government is extending free vehicle access to National Parks to all Commonwealth Veteran Card holders. Park entry fees for motor vehicles apply at 45 of NSW’s 895 national parks and reserves. A 2025-26 budget measure will enable veterans from around Australia to apply for a pass to enter for free. The pass is […]

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Council celebrates its volunteers Council has over 220 volunteers, who were honoured at a celebratory lunch.
Community

Council celebrates its volunteers

  Council has over 220 volunteers, who were honoured at a celebratory lunch.     NAMBUCCA Valley Council was finally able to hold its Volunteer Celebration Lunch, delayed by the recent floods, to thank the many volunteers who help deliver its services to the community. Council has over 220 volunteers who help keep libraries and […]

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Leadership competition invites young leaders to life-changing Power Trip in Canberra 2024 Power Trip winners from rural, regional, and remote Australia at Parliament House.
Government

Leadership competition invites young leaders to life-changing Power Trip in Canberra

YOUNG rural women and non-binary students in Years 10 to 12 from across Australia will have the opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime ‘Power Trip’ to the nation’s capital. Country to Canberra’s (C2C) prestigious Leadership Competition launched on Monday, opening the door for young rural leaders to embark on a four-day leadership experience designed to help […]

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Locals demand urgent action at Valla Beach intersection after string of crashes Member for Oxley Michael Kemp MP criticised Transport for NSW for dismissing repeated crashes as driver error, despite what he described as consistent concerns raised by locals and frontline responders.
Regional

Locals demand urgent action at Valla Beach intersection after string of crashes

Member for Oxley Michael Kemp MP criticised Transport for NSW for dismissing repeated crashes as driver error, despite what he described as consistent concerns raised by locals and frontline responders. Michael Kemp MP engages with the more than 70 concerned locals at the intersection of Valla Beach Road and Giinagay Way last week. THE frustration […]

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E-petition launched to secure additional flood support The Local Land Services team is available to support landholders impacted by the recent floods
Government

E-petition launched to secure additional flood support

AN E-PETITION is now available on the NSW Parliament website calling for upgraded support to assist Hunter and Mid North Coast communities devastated by the May flood. It has now been more than a month since parts of the Mid North Coast were impacted by severe weather which saw more than 5,000 properties inundated and […]

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Pleas to fix Valla Beach intersection fall on ‘deaf ears’ NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey delivers the 2025/26 NSW State Budget on Tuesday. Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins.
Community, Government

Pleas to fix Valla Beach intersection fall on ‘deaf ears’

“THE community has seen 20 accidents in 20 months. It’s dangerous and it needs fixing.” The argument to upgrade the Valla Beach intersection is simple, and it is one Oxley MP Michael Kemp has taken to the Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) for the past 14 months. Yet Tuesday’s State […]

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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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Treasurer throws down gauntlet for ‘crucial’ tax reform Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch.
Government, National

Treasurer throws down gauntlet for ‘crucial’ tax reform

THE groundwork has been laid for Australia’s most substantive attempt at tax reform in more than two decades as the treasurer promises to “grasp the nettle” on the thorny issue. Outlining his government’s economic agenda for its second term of parliament, Jim Chalmers threw down the gauntlet to industry, media, civil society and the political […]

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