Mark 10th Birdlife Art Awards More than 280 people gathered to celebrate Hinchinbrook Shire Council’s 10th Birdlife Art Awards at the TYTO Regional Art Gallery on Friday night, 1 August 2025. This milestone event continues to honour the rich birdlife of the Hinchinbrook region through the eyes of talented artists from across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. It features an impressive 106 entries across various mediums, including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and m
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Sporting and recreation clubs across North and Far North Queensland impacted by early 2025’s severe flooding can now apply for a share in a $30 million funding package to help repair and rebuild their facilities. The Sport and Recreation Recovery Program (SRRG) — a joint initiative by the Albanese and Crisafulli Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) — offers up to $1 million per facility for eligible not-for-profit sport and racing clubs, as well as local cou
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Locally loved artist, Katie Louise, has graced the region once again, painting a beautiful mural on the wall of the infamous Frosty Mango building located 40km South of Ingham along the mighty Bruce Highway. Hailing from Townsville, Katie’s paint brushes have coloured many surfaces across North Queensland where she has artistically captured the unique qualities of several communities including the Atherton Tablelands, Charters Towers, and now Cardwell. Katie’s recent piece within the shi
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Former players, supporters, and families reunited in Ingham over the weekend of 18–19 July 2025 to celebrate the 55-year-long legacy of the Wallaman Rugby League Club, with attendees travelling from across Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and all corners of Queensland. Though no longer active, the Wallaman club holds a proud place in local sporting history. Formed in 1970 under challenging circumstances, the club faced early struggles just getting a team on the field. With determina
Read the full storyCANEGROWERS has written to the Federal Government, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise the disaster recovery grant threshold to at least $75,000 for primary producers impacted by the recent flooding in north Queensland.
It has been more than two weeks since the government announced recovery assistance packages of up to $25,000 for affected growers.
While growers are grateful for the swift response and the inclusion of replant costs in recovery grants, reports from the ground make it clear that $25,000 is simply not enough to support the worst-affected farming businesses, CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan said.
"Growers appreciate the rapid response from both state and federal governments in announcing assistance following these devastating floods. However, as primary producers assess the damage, it’s evident that $25,000 barely scratches the surface for some of the hardest-hit farming businesses,” Mr Galligan said.
"The reality is the cost of recovery has risen dramatically. Prices for goods and services have soared over recent years, and primary producers are facing these higher costs as they work to rebuild their businesses. The level of support must reflect today’s economic conditions.
"We have written to the Prime Minister, urging the Federal Government to act as, we understand the Queensland Government has requested."
Beyond immediate relief, CANEGROWERS is calling for the following actions to help modernise disaster funding:
Updating the definition of a primary producer to reflect modern farm ownership, including those with off-farm income.
Ensuring grants are sufficient by indexing them to match rising recovery costs.
Improving workforce support to help businesses retain staff during recovery periods.
Establishing a dedicated pool of rural recovery officers embedded within industry groups to expedite recovery efforts.
"These aren’t just feel-good reforms – they are essential for keeping farms, communities, and industries viable after disasters," Mr Galligan said.
“CANEGROWERS, along with our partners at Queensland Farmers’ Federation and other commodity groups, will keep working with the state and federal governments to modernise how we approach disaster recovery.
“But in the meantime, it’s vital the grant threshold is increased. Farmers need this support now so they can get back to growing Australia’s food and fibre."
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