Rural

11 July 2025

Farmers mental health plunges

Rural Aid is seeing a sharp increase in demand for its services as farming families struggle with rising costs, labour shortages, unpredictable markets, and the changing climate. Rural Aid CEO, John Warlters, said farmers are feeling the squeeze from...

11 July 2025

Community voices

The future of regional news publishing is inextricably linked to whether regional communities will continue to have a say in shaping the future of regional Australia. In fact, regional newspapers are the metaphorical canary in the coal mine—their hea...

19 June 2025

Land Restoration Fund commits $18 million to new environmental projects

More than $18 million will fund eight new projects that will generate Australian Carbon Credit Units in addition to delivering important environmental outcomes, including improved water quality for the Great Barrier Reef and the protection of threate...

15 June 2025

Shining a Light on the Women Behind the Farm Gate

Women are the backbone of Australian farms, taking on roles as labourers, decision-makers, carers, and leaders. They face the same pressures as men, plus the additional load of managing households and supporting others through crises. Rural Aid’s Pul...

11 June 2025

Farm safety campaign launches

Now open to all Queensland primary school children from Prep to Year 6, the competition blends artistic fun with serious safety messages. Twelve artworks by Queensland students will be selected, each representing a different safety theme for the cale...

10 June 2025

Rural role model

The 26-year-old will represent Queensland at the national finals of the Rural Ambassador of the Year competition at the Adelaide Royal Show in September, where she’ll join peers from across Australia to champion regional industries and communities. S...

6 June 2025

Helping wheat beat the heat

Published in Cell Host & Microbe, the study shows that drought-stressed wheat produces a natural compound, 4-oxoproline, around its roots. This acts as a chemical signal to attract helpful soil microbes like Streptomyces and Leifsonia. These micr...

23 May 2025

New leadership to drive Qld’s rural support agency forward

Minister for Regional and Rural Development, Dale Last, has announced four new Board appointments, including QRIDA’s first female Chair, Caitlin McConnel. A sixth-generation farmer and senior lawyer, Ms McConnel joins new Directors Bruce Vandersee, D...

21 May 2025

Urgent Appeal to Support Farmer Mental Health Plight

Right now, farmers across rural Australia are silently battling mental health challenges. Drought, floods, rising costs and isolation are pushing many to breaking point. Farmers die by suicide at rates 59% higher than the national average. Nearly hal...