FlowNews24

We discuss with Michell Wool's Andrew Partridge strong pricing for wool producers despite high numbers of bales up for auction, and also touch on the labour shortage in classing that could be hurting crossbred producers.

Roma based doctor and the national rural health commissioner Dr Ruth Stewart speaks with FlowFM listeners in regional Australia about her role and advocacy, including on addressing health workforce needs being keenly felt in regional areas. Regional Australians continue to have generally poorer health outcomes, particularly in remote areas, than their metropolitan counterparts and we discuss the strategies being deployed to attract a health workforce, entice country kids to consider careers in medicine and train closer to home - and promote the rewarding career that a rural GP or nurse can be in a modern, world-leading multi-disciplinary practice environment.

The NSW Farmers Vice President spoke with FlowFM about the increasing concern amidst an election campaign about transmission line projects and other renewable energy installations impeding on prime agricultural land and potentially exacerbating bushfire risk.

The Greens' spokesperson for the environment, water and communications joins us on FlowFM to discuss the health of the Murray-Darling Basin and reactions to talk of buybacks as the Plan reaches fruition in 2024. We also discuss NSW's performance under the Plan and an 11th hour proposal by the state's Nationals agriculture minister to release carp herpes on the dawn of a stateelection.
On communications, the South Australian senator talks about the scale of the Murdoch media and other corporate media heavyweights and what that spells for media diversity, and expressed concern about the corporatisation of Australia Post.

Dr Constantin Seidl, applied water and agricultural economist from the University of Adelaide’s School of Economics and Public Policy speaks with FlowFM listeners across regional South Australia, Victoria and southern NSW in the southern Murray-Darling Basin. We discuss the local reaction against talk of buybacks from irrigators in the Basin, the work of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and New South Wales' performance - or lack therof - on their obligations under the Basin Plan.

We discuss with South Australia's flood recovery co-ordinator Alex Zimmermann the clean-up from the River Murray flooding of 2022-3, in particular the impact on Mid-Murray Council and its communities including shack owners, the caravan parks and public amenities. The Council in early March 2023 issued a press release indicating it was well short of the money it had budgeted for flood clean-up and would need state and or federal funding assistance with the huge task. Recent indications from locals are that the caravan parks will not be back open for the important March-April public holiday and Easter holidaymaking period, and there is talk of a fundraising event to show support for the region.

We catch up with the Primary Industries minister in South Australia for regional FlowFM listeners about the calls from the state opposition for transparency on the cost and views on sheep (and goat) traceability, the extension of the PIRSA trial removal of fruit trees in Waikerie to combat fruit fly - and Minister Clare Scriven responds to what farmers are saying about when they should be forced to stop harvesting in hot weather in the name of fire prevention.

On Wednesday and Thursday 1-2 March 2023, assistant minister for regional health and member for Mallee Anne Webster called together a summit in Mildura in her electorate about the state of regional health services and shadow minister Anne Ruston was on the scene to hear from the community about their concerns. On Friday 3 March both shadow ministers travelled to Maryborough in regional Victoria to hear about concerns on the future of aged care, with shadow minister Ruston critical of the government applying guidelines inflexibly from the Royal Commission on Aged Care without regard to labour shortages in regional Australia.

The shadow minister for regional roads discusses the hundreds of millions the NSW Labor Party is pledging for regional road repair and improvements at the March 25 state election, including what's on offer for local councils - and how the Opposition's pledges differ from the $1 billion pledged by the NSW Liberal-National government

We discuss reinvigorating the Gawler Christmas tradition and potentially the Barossa Tourist Train as Concordia is earmarked for the next round of urban expansion for the Malinauskas Labor government. The Labor MP for Light discusses in studio with FlowFM the provisions to stop urban sprawl between Gawler and Roseworthy, and how the electorate's boundaries and community has changed over his 17 years representing the electorate.