Just four fines from 32 building sites: New England’s builders have impressed state regulators during a compliance blitz that also swept through the Mid North Coast.
Politics
Posted inFederal Politics, National News
Joyce denies One Nation are ‘a pack of homophobes’
“You can absolutely bet I will not go.” Barnaby Joyce denies One Nation are homophobic, but won’t say if he backs Mardi Gras, only saying he won’t be there and he doesn’t have an opinion.
Posted inArmidale, Energy, Local politics and councils, Long Read, NSW Politics, Regional Development, Water
No water, no REZ: how Armidale is using the REZ as leverage to fix a decade-old problem
WEEKEND LONG READ: There’s an $800m price tag on getting water security for Armidale and Uralla, and ratepayers don’t have it Now the state wants a $24 billion energy zone built here, and Mayor Sam Coupland is using that need as leverage: no water, no REZ.
Posted inEducation, NSW Politics, Tamworth
Hillvue Public Preschool opens as first new regional public preschool in 20 years
Tamworth has landed the first new public preschool built in regional NSW in more than 20 years, with Hillvue Public Preschool now open to 80 children a week.
Posted inFederal Politics, Health, NSW Politics, Wee Waa
Wee Waa Health Service extends opening hours after years of lobbying
Wee Waa Health Service is extending its hours to 7am to 10pm from October, more than three years after a staffing crunch forced them back. But the fight for a full emergency department isn’t over yet.
Posted inAwards, NSW Politics, Tenterfield
Saffin wins national Human Rights award
Tenterfield’s state member has won Labor’s top human rights honour. Nearly 72 and still “skiing down the hill on one ski,” Janelle Saffin’s fight has spanned four decades, Timor-Leste and Myanmar.
Posted inGrants and funding, Tamworth Electorate
Joblink Plus Artist Bursary returns to support emerging artists
Applications are now open for the 2027 Joblink Plus Artist Bursary Program, which will support artists performing at the Toyota 55th Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Posted inEnergy, Local News, NSW Politics
New England REZ rollout caused ‘avoidable harm’
A NSW parliamentary inquiry has found the New England REZ rollout caused “avoidable harm” due to a lack of a coherent, enforceable, whole-of-government planning framework.
Posted inAgriculture, Business, Politics
NSW Farmers moves to strip MLA of NLIS database project
NSW Farmers moved to ask the government to strip MLA of the NLIS database uplift project at last week’s conference, after years of what one delegate called “lip service” from the agency running it.
Posted inFederal Politics, Glen Innes Severn Shire, Local politics and councils, National News
Regional councils claim historic win in national funding shake-up
A new national deal has just delivered a big funding win for councils. Here’s what mayors and MPs say it means for your rates, roads and jobs.