RURAL Aid’s Mustering Growth program is continuing to grow, with Rollands Plains Upper Public School set to benefit from the wellbeing initiative in September. Mustering Growth helps rural students better understand and manage their emotional wellbeing, especially in the face of challenges unique to life in the bush. For many children in rural and remote […]

AN Upper House inquiry has been established to examine the Game and Feral Animal Legislation Amendment (Conservation Hunting) Bill 2025, a private members’ bill introduced by Robert Borsak MLC of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party. The bill proposes a number of amendments to the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002, including to abolish […]

FAILURE to vote notices will be issued this week to electors who appear not to have voted at the Port Macquarie by-election on Saturday, 15 March. NSW Electoral Commissioner Rachel McCallum encourages recipients of these notices to respond via the Electoral Commission’s online self-service portal. “The NSW Electoral Commissioner is required by law to issue […]

MAYOR Adam Roberts is calling on locals to support small businesses to get back on their feet after recent flooding. Trading has now resumed for several impacted businesses along low-lying areas such as Short Street, Hastings River Drive and Settlement Point. “As the dust starts to settle on a tumultuous four weeks for the region, […]

A NSW Government committee has begun investigating access to publicly owned land and waterways in New South Wales, including national parks, marine reserves, crown land, state forests, water catchments and Aboriginal land. The Select Committee on Access Restrictions to Public Lands and Waterways was established by a resolution of the NSW Legislative Council on Wednesday […]

THE first report of an inquiry into community safety has been tabled, highlighting an urgent need for early intervention to deal with the complex social drivers of youth crime in regional and rural NSW. Since adopting the inquiry on 20 March 2024, the Committee of Law and Safety received almost 200 submissions and conducted hearings […]

PORT Macquarie-Hastings Council is among 16 organisations awarded grants under the NSW Government’s Youth Opportunities program. The Council’s Youth Excellence Program received a $10,000 funding boost, supporting young people aged 12 to 24 to connect with their community, build new skills, and take on leadership roles. The Youth Excellence Program delivers a series of five […]

A NEW study by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has found a significant decline in the number of children aged 10 to 13 years found guilty of a criminal offence in NSW, following a landmark High Court of Australia decision in 2016. The decision in the case of RP v R […]

Winner Best in Show: Brian Barker’s ‘Afternoon at Rainbow Beach’. Photo: supplied. Winner Oil and Acrylic: Holly Hartwell’s ‘Forest Hollows’: Photo: supplied. Winner Drawing and Pastel: Cheyne Flanagan’s ‘Protect our Pollinators’. Photo: supplied. Winner Any Water Based Medium on Paper: Stu Doherty’s ‘Pink Sky at Night’. Photo: supplied. Winner Mixed Media: Irene Gill’s ‘Shadows Still […]