Senate report demands Triple Zero overhaul
A year-long Senate inquiry has delivered its verdict on Australia’s Triple Zero failures, from nationalising the service to a text-based emergency option. Here’s what’s recommended.
The Great Barwon Banh Mi Hunt
It started, as most great quests do, with a craving and a Facebook post. Roy Butler MP, a self-confessed foodie with an “unhealthy obsession” with the Vietnamese pork roll, put out a call to the far west: where in Barwon can a person get a decent banh mi?
Seven regional arts projects receive CASP funding
Seven creative projects across the New England North West have secured funding through the 2026 Country Arts Support Program.
Have your say on Australia’s first solar panel recycling scheme
More than a million rooftop solar systems are ageing across NSW, and the panels are starting to pile up in landfill. A new scheme could change that for good.
Local News
Leadership opportunity gives Armidale woman skills to strengthen local sector
Armidale’s Nenneh Lahai has completed a leadership program aimed at strengthening women’s representation in senior roles across the social services sector.
Gunnedah businesses invited to connect and grow
Free workshops, a business breakfast and an AI crash course. Gunnedah’s small businesses have a packed month ahead as Small Business Month kicks off in October.
Changed traffic conditions to three New England Highway sites
Major roadworks are happening on the New England Highway at Blandford, Moonbi and Bendemeer.
Rural Aid urges farmers to register early
Bushfire risk is rising this spring, and Rural Aid wants farmers registered before disaster hits, not after. “Disasters don’t wait, and neither should farmers.”
What's On
LONG READ >
Demographic bulimia: why immigration is a stuck-in-the-muck issue
Labor, the Coalition and One Nation all say they want fewer migrants. Australia’s economy, its farms and its own refugee-resettlement towns all need more of them. It’s a clash between electoral populism and policy reality with no solution.
Events
Drake Village MarketsEnds: September 26, 2026
Bundarra CWA Spring MarketsEnds: September 26, 2026
Weekly Women’s Tea & TalkEnds: September 28, 2026
Railway MarketsEnds: October 3, 2026
Tingha Community MarketsEnds: October 3, 2026
Sapphire City MarketsEnds: October 4, 2026
Politics
New system for drivers who use medicinal cannabis
Drivers who use lawfully prescribed medicinal cannabis will no longer automatically lose their licence just for testing positive to THC, after the NSW Government’s new driving reforms passed State Parliament. The legislation, passed under the Road Transport Amendment (Medical Cannabis and Driving Offences) Bill 2026, replaces the old drug presence offence framework, which imposed an…
Crown land reforms pass NSW Parliament after land rights fight
NSW Parliament has passed sweeping Crown land reforms, but only after last minute amendments to address Aboriginal land council concerns over 44,000 unresolved land claims.
Nationals slam Federal road toll data
882 lives lost on Australian roads so far this year. The federal Coalition says it is the worst result since governments vowed to halve the road toll, and Labor still has no plan to replace.
Grants open for local defibrillators
A defibrillator can be the difference between life and death within eight minutes of cardiac arrest. Tamworth area sporting clubs have until 7 October to apply for grants to get one.
Demographic bulimia: why immigration is a stuck-in-the-muck issue
Labor, the Coalition and One Nation all say they want fewer migrants. Australia’s economy, its farms and its own refugee-resettlement towns all need more of them. It’s a clash between electoral populism and policy reality with no solution.
Farmers welcome confidence rebound, but new cost pressures loom
Farmer confidence is bouncing back, but rising fuel and fertiliser costs, diesel security fears and a backpacker visa freeze could put that recovery at risk.
Cotton industry calls for visa clarity
Cotton growers are being warned visa uncertainty could hit the seasonal workforce needed for picking and ginning, as industry leaders demand answers from Canberra.
Energy and Environment
Glen Innes Severn calls for fair REZ funding model
Glen Innes Severn Council is pushing for a fairer funding model to share New England Renewable Energy Zone benefits across communities.
F4CA report says farmers carry industry’s climate load
Farmers are already propping up Australia’s climate accounts for free, while coal, gas and oil buy their way out of cutting pollution at the source, according to a new report from Farmers for Climate Action.
BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT >
Have your say on the future name of Killean
New owners of McLean Care want your help in naming the main home, and have put up $5000 to make it worth your while to have your say. Vote now!
From open homes to open hearts: Professionals Armidale’s community BBQ making a difference
A real estate agency might not be the first place you’d expect to find a community fundraising program, but Professionals Armidale is quietly becoming as well known for its local giving as…
BUSINESS
Armidale cake shop marks first birthday with a year’s worth of sweet memories
A shopfront that began as a nervous experiment on Saturdays is about to celebrate its first birthday, with the woman behind New England Cake Co. crediting the Armidale community for turning a side hustle into a full-time business.
INDIGENOUS
Inverell’s Tahnee Capon turns hardship into hope through education
A Kamilaroi woman who spent a year couch surfing before living in a converted bus has been named a 2026 Adult Learners Week Ambassador, crediting study with turning her life around from homelessness to a career helping others in Inverell.
SPORT
PLC Armidale hockey teams crowned IGSA champions
PLC Armidale’s senior and junior hockey teams have been crowned 2026 IGSA champions after impressive Grand Final victories in Sydney.
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- Denise’s Desk: Pauline and me
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Good News
Armidale brewery takes top honours at Sydney beer awards
The Welder’s Dog has taken home a Champion Award from the 2026 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show for its Piney Pale Ale.
Rivers of antimony: Hillgrove Mine officially reopened
Australia’s oldest new critical minerals mine is up and running near Armidale, expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Locals say it’s bringing families back to the village, and antimony for solar panels is just the start.
