State of the Campaign

News

As the campaign to persuade the MHLD to reconsider the proposed infrastructure that would not bring any benefit to Deniliquin continues, Deniliquin continues to proudly display the colour Blue in support of the campaign.

A very impressive total of 1,617 signatures have been gathered for the petition and considering the population of the town is in the mid to late 7,000’s it ensures that the message to the MHLD is delivered as strongly as possible.

State MP Adrian Piccoli‘s office in Cressy Street will see no shortage of Blue as bows and ribbons are in display in front of and to the left and the right of his office, the attention of Mr Piccoli is of importance as he is Deputy Leader of the National Party whose party is sharing Government with Mike Baird’s Liberal Party in New South Wales.

Mr Piccoli is also on the front bench of the Baird Government as he has served as Education Minister for several years.

A lack of action from the local member could result in a swing against the Nationals and the Liberals as local residents are also unimpressed with the MDBP (Murray-Darling Basin Plan) and could become a local election issue, Deniliquin is held at National level by the Liberals as well as the Nationals at State level.

As with most issues, this campaign is far from over as both sides will dig in to ensure their case is the right one but organisers and the residents of Deniliquin are sure they are in the right for the good of the community.

Farmers vs MDBP continues on

News

Farmers have been against aspects of the Murray-Darling Basin plan for several years now and there is still no sign of an agreement being reached between farmers and the  Murray-Darling Basin Authority  (MDBA) as the latest battle is fought over environmental flows.

Whilst farmers understand and accept that environmental flows are for the good of nature as it would give life to billabongs, forests and wetlands as well as saving numerous species of native fish and birdlife from destruction, it would also cause problems for many farmers especially those in floodplains and low lying areas.

The flows require would cause masses of water to be pushed down the rivers and that in turn would create high levels of water which would spill over onto properties potentially causing all sorts of damage to crops and wash away vital topsoil as well as cutting off access to sections of property until water levels recede enough to property owners and farmhands access to the areas.

Another sticking point is how many times a year would the flows happen and how long would it cause disruption, so far answers to that question have not been answered despite repeated attempts to get an answer in negotiations with the MDBA and now the Government.

The NSW State Government have taken over negotiations with the farmers from the MDBA and are currently conducting an audit of crossings and other infrastructure on floodplains that may become affected by the proposed environmental flows.

There are reports that farmers assessment of the impact of the waters have come to the conclusion that they may have to replace farm crossing with bridges which would cost property owners tens of thousands of dollars in a time where that money would be better spent keeping buying animals and keeping them fed and watered.

There is also resistance to the audit from farmers in the Wakool district as they show their displeasure by refusing to let State Government officials onto their land to conduct the audits.

The MDBA claim it will take a decade to solve problems but this situation in many eyes has been dragging on for too long and the people demand fast answers and even faster action to not only protect the rivers but vital food growing and animal raising properties as well.

Deniliquin’s Still Heating Up

News

Australia is deep into the first seven days of Autumn but the Earth has seemingly forgotten this as Summer conditions are continuing to hit Deniliquin.

Pools are being well used, Air Conditioners are blasting out cool air and crops as well as farm animals are taking a beating as temperatures continue to reach maximums around 40 degrees with little rainfall coming.

Some rain is possible for this coming Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday with a 70% chance for both Wednesday and Thursday with a 50% chance on Saturday.

The expected rainfall is 1 to 5 millimetres for each of the three days, Temperatures are expected to continue to hover around 39 to 41 degrees until this Saturday when a 37 degree day is expected.

DNS hopes that Deniliquin will see rain and cooler conditions in the coming weeks but until that time residents are urged to make sure that they and their pets are protected from the heat, are well hydrated and residents are reminded to always be on the lookout for Snakes.

Parity for Fuel at last?

News

It has been said for many years that everything in the Country is far more dearer than what is in Suburban or City areas.

Fuel may at last be reaching parity with prices now under a Dollar in Deniliquin for most sorts of fuel for example we have four prices below from Metro Mobil North Deniliquin with three of four varieties under a Dollar (these could be Happy Hour prices).

E10 – 93.7
Diesel – 94.7
Ulp91 (Unleaded) – 97.7
Ulp95 (Unleaded) – 110.7

Prices in Suburban areas around the country are also in the 90 cents range meaning that parity is much closer than ever before which is a result deserving of those in rural areas.

There is one concern and that is after hours of research stations around the country are not always showing the same amount, some stations could offer Petrol five or so cents higher than a station that is in sight of it.

Regardless of prices coming from Happy Hour or Fuel companies being nice, We hope the lower prices will remain and take us back to those times in the early 2000’s where fuel prices were not sky high allowing more freedom to go out and enjoy things down the road (Movies in Echuca etc) without blowing the weekly budget.

Heat scrubs Netball matches

Sport,

The Deniliquin Rovers preparations for the 2016 season have taken a slight detour with the club unable to play it’s practice matches against Cohuna in Murrabit due to excessive heat.

Temperatures in Northern Victoria and Southern New South Wales are in the high 30’s to low 40’s making it unsafe for players, officials and spectators who would of been out in the heat today.

Outdoor matches and training sessions may have to be played in the hours immediately after sunrise or in twilight conditions with temperatures expected to be no less than 21 degrees at the start of the day and no higher than 41 degrees until next Friday at the latest.

DNS will continue to report on the situation as it comes to hand.