News

Migration must be adapted to suit housing, job opportunities

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Tony Burke, the Home Affairs Minister, has supposedly said that migration is not to blame for Australia’s housing shortage, but empty bedrooms are the problem. I’m afraid I don’t see how this can be so. We need migrants in our once great country, but the number has to be adapted to suit the housing and job opportunities. How many bedrooms one has in their home has nothing to do with it. Those homes are in the possession of the owners and should be used as they see fit. I certainly do not want to share my […]

Sep 27, 2026

Matched Giving Campaign is back for Country Education Foundation of the Namoi

Country Education Foundation of the Namoi (CEFN) has announced that its Matched Giving Campaign for 2026 is back. The local community is now able donate with greater impact as all donations made in September and October are matched. Funds raised will go directly towards supporting local youth and help them break down barriers they face when accessing further education and training, such as financial pressures, distance and isolation. CEFN chair Cara Stoltenberg said support from local donors throughout the campaign will have great benefits for students looking to pursue post-secondary school education and training. “All of the funds raised throughout […]

Sep 27, 2026

Government blocks Butler’s motion to scrap gun buyback scheme

The NSW government has blocked a push by Member for Barwon Roy Butler to abandon the current version of a state gun buyback scheme. Mr Butler had tabled a disallowance motion for the Firearms Amendment (Transitional Provisions) Regulation 2026. This is the regulation that provides the framework for the buyback scheme which is due to come into effect on 2 November. Mr Butler said up to 274,000 firearms would be taken as a result of the program. “That is close to a quarter of the total firearms registered in this state and around 50,000 law-abiding licence holders will be affected. […]

Sep 26, 2026

Narrabri Shire to proceed with procurement process for temporary water treatment plant

Narrabri Shire Council will proceed with a procurement process for a temporary water treatment plant to address the issue of PFAS in the Narrabri town supply. Councillors were briefed with an update on the water issue at the September meeting and endorsed the recommendation put forward. The council’s director of infrastructure, Warren Faulkner, sought the elected members’ approval to go to an expression of interest process for a temporary plant to treat 55–60 litres of water per second. This would enable the Killarney bore to come back online as soon as possible. The council has been investigating additional options after […]

Sep 26, 2026