NEGS goes back-to-back with Division 1 netball title
NEGS has backed up its drought-breaking 2025 netball season with another Division 1 championship, completing a successful year for the Armidale school.
Narrabri gas two steps from the “go button”
Santos says Narrabri gas is two approvals from the “go button”. Opponents have pounced on its CEO’s comments in a last-ditch bid to stop it. Here’s what Santos actually said.
Centacare marks 25 years with parties across the region
Free barista coffee, a sausage sizzle, and fun for the kids. Centacare is throwing 25th birthday parties in Inverell, Glen Innes, and Narrabri next week, and everyone is invited.
Gwydir water sale to fund environmental projects
The Gwydir community could benefit from environmental projects funded through the sale of up to 15 gigalitres of annual water allocations.
Local News
Blessing family says Keith’s gun licence not revoked, as Joyce joins in misinformation
Politicians say Keith Blessing lost his gun licence. His family says that’s not true. Now Barnaby Joyce has joined in spreading the misinformation as part of election campaigning.
Regions the focus of $11m cancer research push
Live in the regions and get cancer, and your odds are worse than in the city. A new $11 million research push is aiming squarely at that gap.
Gwydir Shire Mayor and Deputy returned
Gwydir Shire Council has confirmed its leadership team for the coming year, with Cr Tiffany Galvin re-elected as Mayor and Cr Sean Coleman re-elected as Deputy Mayor
One man dead, another trapped in Guyra Road accident
Updated: a 75 year old man died, and a 30 year old man and 5 year old girl remain in hospital after a crash on Guyra Road.
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
No challengers as three councils return mayors and deputies unopposed
Three New England councils, six elections, not a single challenger. But in Glen Innes, a councillor who came last in 2024 wants the mayor’s chair, and he’s interviewed himself about it.
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.
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.
Federal lender urges New England farmers to seek help early as conditions dry out
As seasonal conditions worsen across the New England, the federal farm lender behind $3.83 billion in loans has a message: don’t wait for a drought declaration to ask for help.
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.”
Energy and Environment
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.
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.
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
Next Gen Gunnedah’s big year: from local mentoring nights to a seat at the table in Canberra
Next Gen Gunnedah is quickly making a name for itself, from packed-out networking nights to a place among some of the country’s most influential voices on regional Australia.
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.
On engage now
Engage is our hub for opinion, letters, comments and ideas.
- Opinion | Keeping the Light on the Hill burning
Denise asks what is government actually for? It is a question worth asking at a time when politics increasingly seems to be about outrage, grievance, personalities and winning the daily argument on social media. The post Opinion | Keeping the Light on the Hill burning appeared first on New England Times Engage.
> Submit your own opinion, letter or comment to New England Times Engage
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.
Free qualifications on offer for tradies
Up to 6,000 experienced tradies could get a free, faster pathway to formal qualifications, as a new national training program launches first in NSW.
