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 […]

NPWS staff boarded whale-watching cruises along the NSW coast this week as part of Operation Ketos. Photo: NPWS. AS humpback whales undertake their annual migration, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have teamed up with professional tour operators to help remind the industry, recreational boat users and the community to keep a safe distance […]

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 […]

  Suzanne Strauh, Julie Bruce, Cathie Pilgrim, Karen Green, Helen Bicket, Lyn Ward and Judy Crick. Photo: Pauline Cain.   Julie making coffee. Photo: Pauline Cain.   EACH Monday at the Wauchope Country Club, a team of volunteers prepares and serves a hot meal for those in need. Make a Difference (M.A.D), a not-for-profit charity […]

Transport engineering expert, Dr Elnaz Irannezhad from UNSW’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The freight industry is under growing pressure as it struggles to align with Australia’s sustainability targets. Photo: NSW Government. FREIGHT is critical to Australia’s economy but a University of NSW (UON) expert is warning the industry is falling behind on the […]

Students welcome the Jubilee Boat to MacKillop College. Photo: Pauline Cain. The Jubilee Boat in the Chapel at MacKillop College. Photo: Pauline Cain. THE Jubilee Boat arrived at MacKillop College this week and News Of The Area was invited to join students for a service to celebrate the occasion. The boat is a symbol of […]

FLOOD Recovery Centres on the Mid North Coast have assisted more than 9500 people in the past few weeks. Various local and state organisations are on-hand to provide assistance with ID documentation, accommodation, legal and financial support, insurance and mental health support. Centres have operated this past week at the Indoor Basketball Stadium on Hibbard […]

Member for Oxley Michael Kemp has spoken to hundreds of local farmers since the floods. Photos: supplied. MICHAEL Kemp fears as many as 95 percent of flood affected farmers and businesses in the Oxley electorate will struggle to stay in operation if the state doesn’t request a Category D declaration from the Federal Government. The […]

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 […]

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 […]