State Archives - The Courier

Warm, wet spring could bring severe storms

Emergency services are preparing for a stormy spring as the clean-up continues after wild winds swept across southeast Australia. Higher than average temperatures and moisture levels could spell more wild weather ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology says. “Severe storms can bring damaging winds, can bring heavy rain, can bring intense rain, and that rain can lead to flashing at its worst,” hazard preparedness and response manager Steven Bernasconi told reporters at the NSW State Emergency Service’s spring storm briefing on Saturday. “It can also lead to giant hail and lightning.” Mr Bernasconi said the bureau was on a La Nina […]

Sep 9, 2024

Invasive species breeding billion-dollar pest threat

NSW’s “buck-passing approach” to the handling of invasive species cannot continue as a blistering assessment warns pests could become a $30 billion problem within six years. A government-commissioned review revealed on Monday that invasive species, including cats, foxes and 340 weeds, have spread across the state but the response remains fractured, often ad-hoc, ineffective and incomplete. Calls for curbing pet cats’ freedoms and an end to sporadic, fragmented cash splashes are among more than 70 recommendations. Invasive Species Council spokesman Jack Gough said the report needed to be the catalyst for genuine reform. “We simply can’t afford to continue an […]

Sep 9, 2024

Fears for mothers and babies amid rural health crisis

Doctors live in fear of an avoidable death of a mother or a baby as maternity services struggle, with the ailing NSW rural health system declared the worst it’s been in years. There are dire staff shortages across rural maternity care, general practice is “in crisis” and staff are burning out, according to a parliamentary committee report. The committee has been examining progress on rural health reform since a damning 2022 inquiry found country NSW patients had far worse outcomes than their city peers. Though there have been improvements in staff retention and better engagement from the NSW health minister, essential changes in […]

Aug 14, 2024

Gas before nuclear ‘thought bubble’ as coal reign ends

Federal opposition plans to roll out nuclear energy have been dismissed as a thought bubble as the nation races to replace coal power. Alternatives to the fossil fuel – which still powers much of the grid in NSW, Victoria and Queensland – are being rapidly rolled out with coal’s reign “swiftly ending,” according to electricity company bosses. Proposals to increase natural gas supplies for the nation’s most populous state are being assessed and welcomed as renewable projects come online, NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe says. “We don’t want to see price spikes and we don’t want to see uncertainty for […]

Jul 10, 2024