September 4, 2026
Palliative needs missing in aged care assessments
Community, Health, Local News, Regional

Palliative needs missing in aged care assessments

THE question of whether elderly Australians with serious, life-limiting illness are getting timely access to palliative care has been raised by Palliative Care Australia (PCA). The ABC’s Four Corners investigation The Waiting Game put the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), an automated decision-making system used to assess older Australians seeking government-funded aged care, under a spotlight. […]

Read More
Port Macquarie and Kempsey welcome 10 new police recruits Member for Oxley, Michael Kemp, welcomed Port Macquarie and Kempsey’s 10 new probationary constables this week. Images: Supplied.
Community, Local News, Police, Regional

Port Macquarie and Kempsey welcome 10 new police recruits

Member for Oxley, Michael Kemp, welcomed Port Macquarie and Kempsey’s 10 new probationary constables this week. Images: Supplied. Member for Oxley, Michael Kemp, welcomed Port Macquarie and Kempsey’s 10 new probationary constables this week. Images: Supplied. TEN new probationary constables have commenced duties across the Mid North Coast this week, with six officers posted to […]

Read More
Flying Doctor Service gets $15m funding boost Additional funding will allow the RFDS to do more for regional, rural and remote communities. Photo: RFDS.
Community, Government, Health, Local News, Regional

Flying Doctor Service gets $15m funding boost

THE NSW government is investing $15 million to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) to continue providing its lifesaving services across NSW. Part of the 2026-27 State Budget, the funding will enable the RFDS to deliver primary health care, dental and mental health services, retrievals, and patient and clinician transport in regional, rural and […]

Read More
Port cafe owner refuses to serve up AI ‘slop’ Andy Hoffman is saying ‘no’ to AI artwork.
Business, Community, Local News, Regional

Port cafe owner refuses to serve up AI ‘slop’

ANDY Hoffman is taking a small but very personal stand against the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). The 44-year-old graphic designer, who also leases and runs the cafe Home at Roto House in Port Macquarie, has banned posters, flyers, and other visual art produced using AI from the cafe’s noticeboard. Hoffman wants to ‘keep it […]

Read More
Blokes Notes Acapella choir supports Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services Liberty’s Brooke Pilbeam with Blokes Notes’s John Horsley. Photo: Supplied.
Community, Local News, Regional

Blokes Notes Acapella choir supports Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services

BLOKES Notes Acapella choir is known for its energetic and quirky performances around Port Macquarie. Less well-known is its long-term support for the women’s refuge run by Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services. Representatives Brooke Pilbeam and Marcelle Brown recently attended a special rehearsal to receive a cheque for $2000, raised from performance donations. […]

Read More
Pat Conaghan crosses the floor on gambling Nationals Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan sits with members of the crossbench as he crosses the floor during a division on the Gambling Reform Bill 2026 in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra. Photo: Lukas Coch, AAP Image.
Community, Government, Health, Local News, National, Regional

Pat Conaghan crosses the floor on gambling

COWPER MP Pat Conaghan crossed the floor in the Federal House of representatives for the first time in his parliamentary career on Tuesday, 18 August, to vote against watered-down legislation governing gambling advertising. Mr Conaghan said he did not believe the legislation adequately considered the findings of the ‘You win some, you lose more’ parliamentary […]

Read More
Whale off Crescent Head freed from rope in multi-agency operation Supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Community, Local News, Regional

Whale off Crescent Head freed from rope in multi-agency operation

Supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. AN eight-metre humpback whale was disentangled from rope and floats off Port Plomer last weekend […]

Read More
Voices from the Void, an interactive sound installation at The Glasshouse Gallery, invites connection and collaboration Dancers Sophie Triggs and Cobus Weise from ‘Rusty Muscle Collective’ improvising with the sound installation at an intimate performance during the opening weekend. Photo: Supplied.
Community, Regional

Voices from the Void, an interactive sound installation at The Glasshouse Gallery, invites connection and collaboration

Artist Daniel O’Toole on violin, interacting with his sound installation. Photo: Pauline Cain. Dancers Sophie Triggs and Cobus Weise from ‘Rusty Muscle Collective’ improvising with the sound installation at an intimate performance during the opening weekend. Photo: Supplied. ‘VOICES from the Void’, an interactive sound installation, opened at the Glasshouse Gallery in Port Macquarie on […]

Read More
Homelessness Awareness Week event in Port Macquarie Services set up in Town Green for Homelessness Awareness Week. Photos: Pauline Cain.
Community, Local News, Regional

Homelessness Awareness Week event in Port Macquarie

Sarah Moss from YPSpace Helen and Troy Eggleton from ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) SouperVan in Wauchope, which provides free soups, buns and produce in Bain Park every Wednesday night. Services set up in Town Green for Homelessness Awareness Week. Photos: Pauline Cain. HOMELESSNESS Awareness Week was marked with a range of services and […]

Read More
Aboriginal organisations strengthen partnerships through Healthy Country forum Participants at the Visions for Healthy Country forum. Photo: Supplied.
Community, Health, Local News, Regional

Aboriginal organisations strengthen partnerships through Healthy Country forum

ABORIGINAL organisations from across the North Coast gathered at Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre to share knowledge, celebrate progress and strengthen partnerships through the Visions for Healthy Country project. The forum brought together Local Aboriginal Land Councils, Traditional Owner groups, industry representatives and project partners to discuss Aboriginal-led land management and environmental stewardship. Funded by the […]

Read More