July 25, 2025
Local wins and missed opportunities in State Budget Port Macquarie MP Rob Dwyer (right) with Health Minister Ryan Park after this week’s State Budget. Photo: supplied.
Regional

Local wins and missed opportunities in State Budget

THE 2025-2026 State Budget failed to deliver for the Oxley Highway in Port Macquarie, but MP Rob Dwyer has welcomed the funding of other local projects. “I was very pleased to see $5m in this year’s budget towards the commencement of the massive upgrade of Port Macquarie Base Hospital,” Mr Dwyer said. “[Additionally] residents in […]

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Veterans given free vehicle access to National Parks A family runs towards the sea at Booti Booti National Park, where park entry fees for motor vehicles apply. Photo: John Spencer/DPIE.
Regional

Veterans given free vehicle access to National Parks

THE Minns Government is extending free vehicle access to National Parks to all Commonwealth Veteran Card holders. Park entry fees for motor vehicles apply at 45 of NSW’s 895 national parks and reserves. A 2025-26 budget measure will enable veterans from around Australia to apply for a pass to enter for free. The pass is […]

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Businesses and farmers to ‘take matters into their own hands’ over flood relief Member for Oxley Michael Kemp has spoken to hundreds of local farmers since the floods. Photos: supplied.
Regional

Businesses and farmers to ‘take matters into their own hands’ over flood relief

Member for Oxley Michael Kemp has spoken to hundreds of local farmers since the floods. Photos: supplied. MICHAEL Kemp fears as many as 95 percent of flood affected farmers and businesses in the Oxley electorate will struggle to stay in operation if the state doesn’t request a Category D declaration from the Federal Government. The […]

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School music program hits the right note with Club North Haven support Club North Haven General Manager Tim Harris with North Haven Public School band members and coordinator Mrs Skerritt. Photo: supplied.
Regional

School music program hits the right note with Club North Haven support

CLUB North Haven has provided a significant financial boost to the music program at North Haven Public School. General Manager Tim Harris attended the school recently to present a cheque for $5000 on behalf of the club’s board of directors to students and band coordinator Mrs Skerritt. “It was great to see so many kids […]

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Estimated thousands trapped in Australian farm slavery A parliamentary inquiry has been told imported fruit pickers were subjected to prolonged suffering. Photo: AP PHOTO/ Robert F. Bukaty.
Regional

Estimated thousands trapped in Australian farm slavery

A BACKPACKER hoping for a memorable working holiday on an Australian farm finds himself crammed into a house with 17 people, eating dry bread and deprived of sunshine and fresh air. After arriving on a visa from China, the young man had headed to a small town on the NSW coast in 2024 to pick […]

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State Forests reopening but users warned to check status Some of the damage caused by May’s floods in Mid North Coast and Hunter State Forests. Photos: Forestry Corporation.
Regional

State Forests reopening but users warned to check status

Some of the damage caused by May’s floods in Mid North Coast and Hunter State Forests. Photos: Forestry Corporation. THE region’s State Forests are progressively reopening following the floods and severe weather of May but the Forestry Corporation is urging users to check the status of trails and campgrounds in advance, and to exercise extreme […]

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Backlash over ‘quiet cut’ to train passes The six-month Discovery Pass, previously available for $420, offered unlimited travel across NSW TrainLink’s regional train and coach network.
Regional

Backlash over ‘quiet cut’ to train passes

LIBERAL MLC Aileen MacDonald has called for the NSW Government to immediately reinstate three-month and six-month NSW TrainLink Discovery Passes, describing the removal as a “quiet cut” that disproportionately hurts regional communities. Speaking in the Legislative Council last week, Ms MacDonald moved a motion highlighting the significant impact of the removal of the passes on […]

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First-ever DNA mapping of NSW river mouths and estuaries Dr Maarten De Brauwer of SCU and Fisheries Technician Kait Harris conduct estuarine monitoring in Yamba.
Regional

First-ever DNA mapping of NSW river mouths and estuaries

Dr Maarten De Brauwer of SCU and Fisheries Technician Kait Harris conduct estuarine monitoring in Yamba. Dr Maarten De Brauwer and Kait Harris collect samples to send to Wilderlab for processing. Dr Maarten De Brauwer and Kait Harris collect samples to send to Wilderlab for processing. A MAJOR study of NSW estuaries using a novel […]

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MPs call for urgent timeline on Oxley Highway reopening
Regional

MPs call for urgent timeline on Oxley Highway reopening

THREE regional MPs are pressing the NSW Government for a clear timeline on the reopening of the Oxley Highway, which has been closed since a major wet weather event in May caused 100 new landslips between Forbes River and Clay Road. Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan, Member for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer and Member […]

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Ex-PM lauded over honours gong but not everyone’s happy Former prime minister Scott Morrison has received the top gong in the King's Birthday Honours List. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS.
Regional

Ex-PM lauded over honours gong but not everyone’s happy

FORMER prime minister Scott Morrison has been congratulated after receiving Australia’s highest civilian honour, but there is at least one call for him to decline the gong. Mr Morrison is one of 14 people named as a Companion of the Order of Australia in the annual King’s Birthday Honours List, alongside filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and […]

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