THE chance of large-scale flooding in a specific catchment area can increase by as much as 700 percent if widespread deforestation has occurred. That is the finding of a new paper by academics who analysed decades of flooding data from regions in Australia which frequently suffer forest fires. The loss of forest canopy has long […]

NAMBUCCA River VIEW Club is calling on the community to embrace the festive season spirit of giving and help raise funds for The Smith Family’s Christmas Appeal, to ensure thousands of students experiencing disadvantage can be supported in their education in 2026. The charity aims to raise $4.9 million nationally through the appeal, which will […]

ENERGY retailers say they’ve been blindsided by reforms promising free electricity to hundreds of thousands of Australians during peak solar power hours. The Solar Sharer program, announced by the federal government last Tuesday, would give consumers free access to electricity for three hours each day as part of the default offer available. Households in NSW, […]

LANDHOLDERS across NSW are being encouraged to take advantage of $850,000 worth of free grain and bait on offer as part of a statewide crackdown on feral pigs. The funding is part of the Government’s Feral Pig and Pest Program with funding from the State’s more than $1 billion biosecurity budget. It is the third […]

THE National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has addressed all councils in the footprint of the Great Koala National Park (GKNP). Its key message is how access will be maintained and improved for most current users. City of Coffs Harbour councillor Tony Judge said the most notable aspect of the presentation was “their willingness to […]

Mid North Coast Group office bearers for 2026: Pauline Cain (Publicity), Chrystine Bouffler (International), Lexie Burton (Land Cookery), Tanya Jolly (State President), Carmel James (Vice President), Lynn Moore (Group President), Doreen Burns (Vice President), Yvette Smith (Social Issues), Donna Kemp (Ag and Environment), Barbara Veness (Vice President), Eunice Roberts (Secretary), Kathy Jeanes (Cultural), Janella Leotta […]

Cultural burning practices are integrated with accredited firefighting qualifications Laqueesha Laurie and her father, Dane, participated in the program (Photos: FCNSW) CULTURAL burning techniques are being integrated into government bushfire management frameworks across NSW. Funded by the Federal Government program “Fire, Country and People”, the aim is to strengthen community resilience to major bushfire events […]

RISING temperatures over Antarctica have been a major contributing factor to recent volatile weather along the East Coast, according to new information from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). A “sudden stratospheric warming” (SSW) is to blame. This is a documented weather scenario in which air temperatures high above the South Pole rise by 30 degrees […]

A NEW online tool is available to help NSW farmers better prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters including fire, flood, and drought. The platform, called myStockPlanner, enables farmers to provide details of their farm, risks and resources to access tailored response options to consider and implement with their feed and livestock. Federal […]

SOME regional Australians may get a reprieve from the housing crisis as councils are offered interest relief to build more drains, roads, and other infrastructure. Though many parts of regional Australia have ample residential land, it often isn’t ready for development due to a lack of funding and planning for critical infrastructure, a 2024 national […]