“The Budget lacks ambition and a thorough understanding of what business needs.”Household cost-of-living measures were front and centre of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ pre-election Budget tonight, but the government has failed to deliver initiatives that would improve business productivity, innovation and growth, according to the country’s peak accounting body.“Businesses and their advisers will find little in the federal Budget that will help offset the pain all-too-many small businesses have been experiencing,” CPA Australia Chief Executive Officer Chris Freeland AM said.“The Budget lacks ambition and a thorough understanding of what business needs. Not enough is being done to slash red tape or create the conditions and improve policy development that would shift the dial on Australian productivity and competitiveness."Mr Freeland said new personal tax cuts from July 1, 2026, may capture the public’s attention but would fail to really help most Australians.“SMEs – many of which have thin margins – needed a Budget that would significantly alleviate the cost pressures they face every day,” Mr Freeland said.“The unrelenting rise in insurance premiums and the burden of utility bills, materials, wages, fuel and various other inflationary pressures are hard to manage.“Though the emphasis on relieving pressures on household finances was expected, a more business-centric Budget would have benefitted all Australians because small businesses are significant contributors to the economy and job creation.“The instant asset write-off is a prime example. Tonight, it should have been made permanent – but it remains in limbo. Making it permanent would provide the certainty and opportunity businesses need to invest and grow. They cannot make serious long-term financial decisions when the rules could change every year.”Mr Freeland said the $150 energy bill relief would assist businesses in managing soaring costs, and a national licensing scheme for electricians might serve as a template for other as-yet unspecified occupations.However, the Budget lacked support or incentives to help small businesses innovate and adopt new technologies. As research from CPA Australia released on Monday shows, Australian small businesses trail most countries in the Asia-Pacific region in these areas, and are ultimately less likely to experience growth.“The business community expects the government and Opposition will announce measures during the upcoming election campaign that would significantly reform regulation, taxes and incentives,” Mr Freeland said.

 Monthly Update from Hay Mayor, Carol OatawayCommunity Strategic Plan 2025-2035Hay Shire Council is in the planning stages of developing our Community Strategic Plan 2025-2035, a blueprint designed to guide our region's growth, development, and well-being over the next decade. This plan is the result of extensive consultation with our residents, ensuring that community voices shape our priorities and future direction.A recent community survey highlighted what matters most to our residents. The results showed that a strong sense of belonging, the success of locally owned and operated businesses, the excellent condition of our public open spaces, and a feeling of personal and neighbourhood safety are the top priorities for our community. These values will be at the heart of our strategic planning.To ensure we captured the views of all our residents, Councillors took the draft plan out to the communities of Maude, Booligal, and Hay. We also conducted dedicated consultation sessions with our youth, people living with disabilities and senior citizens. Their insights were invaluable, reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness and shared responsibility in shaping our Shire's future.Based on this feedback, a draft Community Strategic Plan has now been formulated. In the coming months, we will once again take this draft out to the community during April and May. We encourage everyone to engage with this process, share their thoughts, and help refine the plan to ensure it reflects the hopes and aspirations of all who call Hay Shire home.Your participation is crucial as we build a stronger, more connected community for the future. Keep an eye out for upcoming consultation sessions and have your say in shaping our Shire's next chapter. Together, we can ensure Hay Shire continues to thrive as a safe, vibrant, and welcoming place for all.

Coolabah Metals will formally enter the binding joint venture agreement for mining operations at the Pinnacles silver-lead-zinc mine in Broken HillBy Olivia Thomson via Australian MiningCoolabah exercised its option under its heads of agreement (HOA) with Pinnacles Mines and Broken Hill Pinnacles by paying the second option fee worth $600,000.Coolabah will now become the exclusive operator of Pinnacles, which currently has a mineral resource estimate of six million tonnes at 10.9 per cent zinc equivalent.Originally announced in September 2024, the binding joint venture agreement aimed to gather two of the three companies controlling all current silver-lead-zinc operations in Broken Hill, an iconic mining region.Simultaneously, Coolabah revealed it would acquire 100 per cent of the issued capital in Broken Hill Mines, which held a binding agreement to acquire the Rasp silver-lead-zinc mine and associated assets alongside the binding BOA for Pinnacles.The company confirmed it had completed the acquisition of Rasp and its associated assets in October 2024.Mined ore from Pinnacles will now be transported and processed at the Rasp processing plant located 15km away and, in honour of the Rasp and Pinnacles transactions being finalised, Coolabah will soon be renamed to Broken Hill Mines.Under an agreed net smelter return calculation, Coolabah will receive 70 per cent of the profits generated from Pinnacles’ operations, while Pinnacles Mines and Broken Hill Pinnacles will receive the balance.Coolabah, Pinnacles Mines and Broken Hill Pinnacles are now progressing a standard operating agreement to document future mining operations at Pinnacles.

Road closure map - Central Darling ShireUpdates: Live Traffic

With another election campaign unofficially underway, voters may feel it hasn’t been long since they were last at the voting booth.By Jill Sheppard, Senior Lecturer, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University, via The ConversationAustralia’s Constitution dictates: every House of Representatives shall continue for three years from the first meeting of the House, and no longer, but may be sooner dissolved by the Governor-General.This allows the sitting government to call an election sooner than three years after taking office, but recent norms are for governments to use the full term length available to them.But how do politicians and the public feel about this format, and could this change anytime soon?Early electionsIn 1998, the John Howard Liberal government called an early election seeking voters’ support for its ambitious plans to introduce a goods and service tax. It came very close to defeat, but clawed its way to victory and nine more years of power.In 2016, the Malcolm Turnbull Liberal government took a similar punt, calling an early double dissolution election ostensibly on the issue of union corruption. Again, it came very close to defeat but clawed its way to victory (and six more years of power).Despite their reasons for calling early elections, both Howard and Turnbull faced declining global economic conditions and arguably moved tactically to avoid campaigning in the worst of the headwinds.Most governments have less appetite for capitalising on external events – like interest rate cuts – when calling an election. Voters already largely distrust politicians, and cynical early elections will only confirm their beliefs.Fixed versus non-fixed parliamentary termsThe ability of a government to unilaterally decide the election date is unusual.The political systems most similar to Australia – New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States – all have fixed election dates. Australian states and territories have also increasingly moved to fixed dates, where the government of the day has no discretion over election timing.As prime minister, Julia Gillard effectively relinquished her right to manipulate the 2013 election date in her favour. She announced it more than seven months ahead of time. Her government lost the subsequent election.Unsurprisingly, there is little political will to move to fixed dates for federal elections. Only current Special Minister of State Don Farrell has expressed even passing support for the idea (and then, only if voters were clearly in favour).Fixed terms would undoubtedly benefit voters, who could plan their calendars well in advance. They would also benefit non-government parties and independent candidates, who could budget and plan campaigns around a known election date.Who wants longer terms?Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supports four-year terms, reflecting long-term Labor Party policy.The Liberal Party has generally been more ambivalent. Howard was supportive but “not mad keen” in 2005 and supportive, but resigned to failure in 2024.Current leader Peter Dutton also backs longer terms, but observes that, among voters, “generally, there is a reluctance to do anything that makes the life of a politician easier”.Beyond voters’ reluctance to grant a one-year extension to politicians’ tenure, the issue of senate term lengths is an obstacle to reform.Current tradition sets senate terms twice the length of House of Representatives terms, however, Penny Wong has argued that eight-year terms are too long.Both New South Wales and South Australia have experience with eight-year terms in their upper houses, but no other states have yet followed.How could (and will) terms be changed?Any change to federal parliamentary terms would require a successful referendum. The question has been put to Australians once before, in 1988. Only 33% of voters supported the proposal, and no state achieved majority support.Polling from April 2024 finds only 38% support, with 18% unsure. Independent and minor party voters – the fastest growing group in Australian politics – were also the most strongly opposed to longer terms.As Dutton noted, voters have been reluctant to support “politician-friendly” referendums in the past. There seems almost no chance the 48th parliament would consider a referendum on the issue.Would 4-year terms make politics better?David Coleman, recently promoted to the Liberal Party’s frontbench, has confidently declared “businesses and consumers tend to hold off on investment during election periods and the phoney war that precedes them”, and so longer terms would improve the domestic economy.The business sector seems to agree.Are they right? And what about non-economic outcomes?Academic research backs up the assumption governments are less likely to announce major tax reforms in the months leading into an election. Shorter terms might also make governments less likely to introduce austerity (strict cost-cutting) measures.The weight of academic evidence suggests that whichever party is in power matters far more than the length of the electoral cycle.Researchers have struggled to find differences in how politicians with longer terms (usually four years) behave from those with shorter terms (usually two years). Activity levels for the shorter-term politicians appear slightly more frenetic – more fundraising and expenditure, more campaigning – but the outcomes are similar.Longer terms do not seem destined to fix Australia’s political malaise.

Multiple roads across the Back Country are closed due to rainfall and localised flooding. Motorists are encouraged to visit https://www.livetraffic.com/ for individualised updates.

Sussan Ley is travelling the electorate promising community projectsMember for Farrer Sussan Ley MP is announcing a series of project funding promises, if the Liberal Nationals Coalition wins government in the upcoming federal election.Among the pledges Ms Ley said an elected Dutton Liberal Government has committed to deliver upgrades to the Corowa and District SHE Shed – a local haven for women to learn, create, and connect.First established in 2017 by utilising a generous local’s garage, the SHE Shed opened its doors to a permanent home in Corowa’s western industrial area in 2023 and now hopes to add a mezzanine floor to its facility.Ms Ley said a $14,000 commitment will cover the majority of an estimated $18,000 project.Other pre-election commitments announced include:$480,000 to upgrade the lighting around hockey pitches at Alexandra Park, Albury.$230,000 to help the Holbrook Golf Club build new female-friendly changerooms.$180,000 towards lighting, fencing and resurfacing Albury’s St Patrick’s Tennis Club.

Milthorpe: A great commitment is needed.Commonwealth Governments need to make a greater commitment to public education, according to Independent candidate for Farrer Michelle Milthorpe. She says the Albanese Government’s pledge to deliver adequate funding by 2034, although a step in the right direction, is still “not good enough”. Mrs Milthorpe met with members of the NSW Teachers Federation to discuss the Albanese governments’ commitment to fully fund every Public school in the country. Whilst the promised implementation is welcome, Mrs Milthorpe is disappointed with the timeline proposed. Having trained and worked as a school teacher, Mrs Milthorpe understands the inadequate funding in our public education system and if elected to represent the seat of Farrer in Federal Parliament, she says advocating for education funding will be a priority. “Education is the foundation of opportunity, yet our public schools remain chronically underfunded,” Ms Milthorpe said. “Despite the critical role public schools play in shaping Australia’s future, they continue to receive inadequate financial support compared to private schools.“The recent agreement to increase federal funding to 25 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) by 2034 is a step forward, but it does not address the immediate and pressing needs of public schools today. “We must act now to ensure that every child, regardless of their background or postcode, has access to a high-quality education,” Mrs Milthorpe said. She explained the Gonski Review, released more than 14 years ago, recommended a needs-based funding model to ensure all students receive the resources they need to succeed. “Yet the stark disparity remains: only 1.3 per cent of public schools are funded at the SRS, compared to 98 per cent of private schools. The slow pace of implementing these recommendations has widened the gap between public and private education, exacerbating inequalities in student outcomes,” Mrs Milthorpe said. “Governments must be held accountable for delivering promised funding and ensuring that public schools reach 100 per cent of the SRS,” Mrs Milthorpe continued. If elected, Mrs Milthorpe has committed to advocating for: Accelerating Full Funding to Public Schools by 2028 A Fair and Transparent School Funding Model based on needs Ending the Disparity Between Public and Private School Funding Growth Accountability in Federal and State Education Spending Mrs Milthorpe said recent statements from the Liberal Party suggesting that “if you don’t pay for something you don’t value it” raise serious concerns about their commitment to public education. “Education must remain a right, not a privilege. I will stand against policies that devalue or underfund our public school system,” she said.

An invasive weed known as Spiny Burrgrass has been found in Wilcannia Cemetery, Central Darling Shire Council has advised.The Council warns the weed has a sharp and clingy burr with ability to spread rapidly and tendency to develop into dense infestations in favourable conditions. It is easily spread due to the small sticky burr which become attached to animals, vehicles and clothing.It poses risks to both people and animals including:Injuries to animals such as swelling and ulcers in the mouth;The weed poses a risk by clinging to sheep’s wool and in worst scenarios penetrating the skin of sheep;Causing Inconvenience and discomfort to agricultural workers when harvesting crops, vegetables, fruits and when shearing sheep.The weed has been sprayed by biosecurity officers. However, people visiting the cemetery are being asked to still keep an eye out for the weed and take precautions including:Park in designated areas at the cemetery;Do not bring pets to the cemetery;Do not touch any plants whilst at the cemetery;Check shoes and clothing before leaving the cemetery to ensure no burrs have become attached;Any burrs should be removed whilst wearing appropriate gloves, wrapped up in a bag and disposed of in a bin at the cemetery;Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after visiting the cemetery.The Council says it will continue to monitor the situation.

After weeks of speculation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the 2025 federal election for May 3. This will be an election for all 150 House of Representatives seats and 40 of the 76 senators (a normal House and half-Senate election).In Farrer the seat held by coalition deputy leader Sussan Ley, two other candidates have emerged: independent Michelle Milthorpe and Labor's Glen Hyde.Parkes electorate is currently held by the Nationals Mark Coulton, who has previously indicated he will not stand in this election. Jamie Chaffey has already been pre-selected at the Nationals candidate, to contest the seat.BCB News will update candidates for both electorates as they are released, as well as pre-poll and polling place information.To check your enrolment information prior to voting day, visit the Australian Electoral Commission.

Drew Lloyd (pictured) is kicking goals, literally.A beloved local boy and mainstay of the Balranald Roos, Drew has made his presence felt.Throughout the entirety of his football career to sate, Drew has racked up some impressive stats.He has played 247games, 238 total goals and been voted Best Player 108 times.The talented forward has made a name for himself with his elite skills, goal-kicking ability, and sharp footy sense and judgement. His great presence has earned him a spot at VFL club Port Melbourne, with him choosing Rochester as his home club.If there could be anything more important than footy however, it could possibly be Drew’s humble nature and love of his home town.This love is reciprocated, with Balranald cheering Drew on regardless if he is wearing the Roos blue and white or another team’s colours.“I spoke to one of the Balranald coaches and they were very encouraging,” 22-year-old Drew said. “They told me to go for it, saying I have the talent and need to do these things while you’re young.”A couple of clubs in the region had expressed interest in Drew coming on board, and asked Drew what he wanted, what his aspirations were. Expressing his desire to reach state level, one of the clubs mentioned their connections, and before he knew it, he had a two-week trial with Port Melbourne. After the trial he was given a 12-month contract. He is understandably over the moon with this. “Hopefully I will be able to put my best foot forward and keep working towards the big leagues,” said Drew, forever humble.Drew’s biggest supporters have to be his family. Grandmother Linda Nelson follows every move Drew makes, and he is in constant contact with his family. He is in Melbourne, having keenly hit the ground running to secure employment, and get into a good work life football balancing routine.“I worked for the Canally Almond Farm for four years or so, and they were also very encouraging, telling me to go for it while I am young. That is the best advice I could give to any person in my shoes, or thinking about making a big change or taking a risk; do it. At least you’ll have done it, instead of regretting it later.”Congratulations Drew you are so inspiring! Not only do you have the talent to make it big, you have defined your dreams and are doggedly pursuing them.The worst thing about not taking a chance is always wondering what could have been.I just hope Drew remembers he said I could chat to him again as he makes it further and further up the ladder.

As the use of cheques as a payment method continues to decline, the Australian government announced its Cheques Transition Plan in November 2024.Under the plan, cheques cannot be issued in Australia after 30 June 2028 and will not be accepted by financial institutions or as a form of payment after 30 September 2029.However, many major financial institutions have already ceased the use of cheques, meaning businesses could be caught short if they accept them.Rabobank stopped processing cheques in May 2024 and Macquarie Bank in October 2024. If a cheque from either of these institutions is accepted as payment, it cannot be deposited at any bank in Australia, and neither bank will process cheques from other institutions.Since June 2023, Commonwealth Bank has removed cheque facilities from new accounts, and Bendigo Bank no longer issues cheque books on any new or existing accounts.According to the Australian Banking Association the use of cheques has dropped almost 90 per cent in the past decade.Banking institutions no longer processing cheques include: Rabobank RACQ Bank Bank Australia  Suncorp  People First Bank  Macquarie  AMP  Police Bank Credit Union Australia  Teachers Mutual Bank  Deutsche Bank AG Warwick Credit Union Heritage Bank United Financial Services Arab Bank of Australia Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

Council’s Toyota Coaster bus is to be replaced with wheelchair-friendly smaller vehicle.General Manager, David Webb said the bus was due for replacing due to its age and changing community needs.Mr Webb said the bus was purchased in 2006 and has had minimal use for a vehicle of its age with around 130,000km of usage. “It is in relatively good condition apart from a scrape on one side awaiting repair but is a year-by-year proposition,” he told Council in a report to the February meeting.“As a community transport provider, you are expected to replace your vehicles every 15 years, however you can exceed this under low usage conditions such as ours. “Currently the bus is used up to two days a week depending on demand and for special requests, usually for persons requiring wheelchair accessibility. “Council is fortunate to have ample cash reserves to replace the bus. However, it can no longer buy a vehicle outright under the funding conditions.”Council resolved to lease the replacement vehicle and has sought quotations for a modern small people mover with wheelchair accessibility that would provide five seats including the driver and a wheelchair, for a period of five years.Mr Webb said vehicle options were very limited at the moment due to the availability of suitable vehicles that can be converted. “The vehicle is much more manoeuvrable than the bus and has the added advantage that the driver does not require a light rigid licence,” he said.“Currently, Council does not have a dedicated bus driver and has failed to fill this position after many attempts. “One of the key issues in this case is to what level does Council wish to get into the community transport space, given that there is a current commercial service provider. “Given the constraints in finding drivers and administrating the service, it is recommended that Council only service eligible clients during normal hours with the occasional trip outside of hours for those requiring wheelchair accessibility. “That is of course providing the service can access a driver after hours which may not always be possible. “It is not proposed to provide an alternative service to the current commercial operator. “Given the comfort of the vehicle there would also be the potential to do out of town trips if there was sufficient demand and the service was feasible.”

The NSW Police have access to a greater database of sexual offenders than ever before following the completion of a recent back capture project.In October 2022, the NSW Government approved funding to support the triage, processing and testing of previously untested historical Sexual Assault Investigation Kits, known as SAIKs.SAIKs are provided at the hospital after a sexual assault complaint is made, and used are used by medical and forensic examiners to collect evidence.The SAIKs back captured were previously untested based on the investigative need to do so at the time of collection, but due to an update in policy, underwent retesting and filing.The purpose of this project was to bolster the existing sexual offender database, identify links between scenes and offenders, and to ultimately gather intelligence and further investigative leads.Since the project’s inception, 783 previously untested SAIKs were tested, with the collected data added to the growing database of the state’s sexual offenders.Commander of State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad, Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said the project has improved capabilities of sex crime investigators.“This back capture of data puts sex crime detectives in a better position than ever before, and sends a clear message to offenders, that we never stop investigating incidents of sexual assault and abuse,” Det Supt Doherty said.“While we have captured data and DNA that was previously unreported, we want to remind the community that victims remain at the centre of any decision making and we will only take an investigation as far as the victim wants to.”“That means we will still honour the choice of someone who may have previously provided a SAIK to police but did not wish to proceed with charges. However, the DNA from that SAIK is now on file to potentially help other future victims.”“The community are also reminded that it’s never too late to report an incident of sexual assault.”Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

A car towing a caravan has flipped on the Sturt Highway, east of Darlington Point earlier today (Wednesday, March 26, 2025)Around 8.45am emergency services responded to reports the vehicle had collided with a truck and rolled onto its side.The occupants of the car - a man and woman in their 50s - are being assessed by paramedics after crawling from their vehicle.One lane of the highway is closed.

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP is on the search for future First Nations leaders.“We are looking for young Indigenous people who are emerging leaders in their communities to take part in the Young Aboriginal Leaders Program at NSW Parliament,” Mr Butler said“This will be a three-day fully-funded residential program, and will run from June 17 to 20.“It is open to young leaders aged 18 to 25 to provide them with an experience focused on leadership, networking, and community impact, as well as providing participants with the opportunity to learn about parliamentary processes.”As part of the Bicentenary of the Legislative Council​ celebrations, the Parliament of NSW is launching its first-ever Young Aboriginal Leaders Program, a tailored initiative designed to empower and inspire young leaders across the state. This residential leadership program is open to young leaders aged 18 to 25 and will provide a culturally grounded experience focused on leadership, networking, and community impact. ​Participants will:Develop leadership and communication skillsLearn about parliamentary processesEngage with Aboriginal leaders and real-world case studiesDeliver a speech in the Legislative Council Chamber at Parliament HouseApplications for the program are open until 4 April 2025. For more information, email [email protected]

The Australian National University. Australians already pay for the political divide on energy policy, so throwing the questionable merits of nuclear into the election debate just ups the cost.Opinion Piece By Ken BaldwinTaxpayers have already paid a price for the political division over Australia’s energy future — and now the Coalition’s nuclear policy is effectively hitting their hip pocket even before voters get their say on whether it’s part of the nation’s energy transition.All Australians pay for the lack of a bipartisan approach to meeting national and global emissions targets. This is because uncertainty creates risk for investors and this risk adds a premium to the financing costs of energy megaprojects — a cost that has to be recouped.Throwing the Coalition’s nuclear plans into that mix just fuels the uncertainty even before analysis of which path is the cheaper, more appropriate or most timely for our energy transition.However, nuclear energy shouldn’t be prohibited by law as a potential part of Australia’s future energy mix. There are solid no-regrets arguments for lifting legislative bans on it to open up flexibility, especially as the final few percent of achieving a carbon-free energy system later in the 2040s will be expensive no matter which option is chosen.Where are we now?In the lead-up to the federal election, Australia again finds itself at a party-political crossroads in its response to climate change.Despite more than a decade of debate driven by political parties, we still have no unified approach on energy or reaching emissions targets. This election we still have to choose between two pathways to decarbonise Australia’s electricity sector.The Labor government is maintaining its target of 82 percent renewable electricity by 2030, even though the trajectory is under some strain. Renewable installations have plateaued, even if 2024 is expected to show a record 4.3GW of approved large-scale solar and wind projects and 3.2GW of small-scale rooftop solar installed.The reason for the slowdown is complex but is partly caused by connection difficulties for large-scale renewables and community pushback on transmission lines and wind and solar farms.The Coalition planThe Coalition has the same 2050 net-zero goal as Labor but has yet to provide interim targets.It has instead promised to include nuclear power as part of the energy mix, starting with two small modular reactors, which are typically under 300MW capacity, to come online in 2035 in South Australia and Western Australia.No commercial small modular reactors have been built in the Western world and the only examples are in China and Russia.If large-scale reactors are shown to be the better option, the Coalition plans for these to start producing electricity from 2037 in two locations in each of Queensland and New South Wales and one in Victoria.There are also doubts the Coalition’s nuclear timetable is achievable. International experience shows that recent construction times in the West far exceed a decade, although in countries like the United Arab Emirates with different regulatory and governance systems it’s under nine years.Leaving the options openHowever, before any nuclear power plant can be built, Australia first needs to create a plan and a regulatory system.That could take up to five years, including the time needed to establish the social licence.There is an argument that Australia should do this anyway and remove the existing legislated prohibition on nuclear energy, as favoured by opinion polls.That would allow Australia to be ready to adopt the nuclear option immediately if it makes sense in the future.Given five years to plan and create a regulatory framework, an optimistic build time of 10 years would mean that nuclear power would not be expected to start generating electricity in Australia for at least 15 years.Realistically, if the Coalition started a nuclear energy program after the 2025 election, nuclear power stations could not be expected to start producing electricity in Australia until the 2040s.This would be a problem for a Coalition government wanting to build nuclear plants to replace ageing coal-fired power stations on the same site.The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) projects all coal-fired power stations will have retired by 2037 — 90 percent of them within a decade. Under this scenario, solar and wind will have replaced all coal-fired power stations well before 2040.And if the Coalition plans to subsidise coal plants to extend their life, then reaching the 2050 net-zero emissions target will become much harder.The emissions realitiesModelling by Frontier Economics for the Coalition uses the ‘Progressive Change’ scenario — one of three scenarios used by AEMO for Australia’s energy transition — which will take longer to decarbonise the electricity sector than the ‘Step Change’ scenario favoured by Labor.The result will be greater emissions for the planet. Recent modelling by the Climate Change Authority calculated that the Coalition nuclear plan would yield at least an additional two billion tonnes of emissions, consistent with a global pathway to 2.6 degrees warming and missing Australia’s 2030 Paris emissions reduction commitment (43 percent) by more than 5 percent.There are also doubts around the Coalition’s claims its plans are cheaper.The Frontier Economics modelling says yes, largely because of savings from delaying coal plant closures, the additional systems costs for renewables and the shorter lifetimes of wind and solar plants.The most recent CSIRO-AEMO GenCost annual report disagrees. It takes into account all the factors that Frontier Economics says makes nuclear cheaper — and still comes out with nuclear being twice as expensive as renewables, consistent with similar studies overseas.It also doesn’t include the government subsidies needed to encourage Australia’s ageing coal-fired power stations to limp along until the 2040s.Those coal-fired stations will have reluctant owners competing head-to-head with much cheaper renewables, particularly during the middle of the day when solar could literally eat both coal and nuclear’s lunch.The choice for voters therefore boils down to this: a continuation of our energy transition to cheaper renewables already underway to keep below 2 degrees; or an uncertain nuclear future from 2040 resulting in more emissions and default on our Paris targets.There is a way nuclear might be part of a future energy mix. No matter how the last few percent of the electricity system is decarbonised close to 2050, it will be very expensive.Nuclear, possibly small modular reactors, might become cost-competitive at that late stage in the transition to net-zero — only time will tell.Professor Ken Baldwin is an Emeritus Professor at The Australian National University, where he was the founding Director of the ANU Energy Change Institute.Professor Baldwin helped convene, on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), a Chatham House rules workshop in Canberra on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, providing input to the CSIRO GenCost team on nuclear energy in Australia.He is chair of the Australian Council of Learned Academies Australian Energy Transition Research Plan, chair of the ACT Government Industry Advisory Board for the Energy Innovation Fund and a non-executive director of the Australian Hydrogen Research Network.Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

A critical incident investigation is underway after the death of a man in GriffithOn Wednesday afternoon (19 March 2025), officers attached to Murrumbidgee Police District received a report of a concern for welfare in relation to a 41-year-old man.About 12.15am (Thursday 20 March 2025), police attended a home on Griffin Avenue, Griffith, where they located the body of the man.A crime scene was established and examined by specialist forensic police.A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.A critical incident investigation team from Murray River Police District will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and the police actions following the initial report.The investigation will be subject of an independent review by the Professional Standards Command and oversight by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

The MIA District RFS advises that the Fire Danger Period within the MIA District will officially end as of April 1st, 2025. This means that fire permits are no longer required for burning activities. However, burn notifications remain mandatory and must be submitted a minimum of 24hrs before any planned burns all year round. Landowners and residents can lodge burn notifications through the NSW Rural Fire Service website at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au. The NSW RFS reminds the community to continue exercising caution when conducting burns and to always follow local regulations and safety measures. For further information, visit the NSW RFS website or contact your local Fire Control Centre on 6966 7800.A Fire Permit is required for burning activities during the Bush Fire Danger Period in Rural Fire districts and at all times in Fire and Rescue districts around the state. Fire Permits help ensure fire is used safely and minimise the danger to you, your property and the community. If you’re planning to burn on your property, you need to let us know before you light up. You can notify us of your activity using the online form available here.Some things to remember:You need a fire permit if it's the Bush Fire Danger Period. Permits help ensure fire is used safely.Getting a permit is free and easy. If your property is in a Rural Fire District, you can apply for a permit online from the RFS. If your property is in a Fire and Rescue district, you can apply via the Fire and Rescue website.If you need more information, contact your local Fire Control Centre or your local Fire and Rescue fire station.There are heavy penalties if you don't follow restrictions or rules.