Queensland senator Gerard Rennick successfully moved for a senate inquiry last week into Australian banks closing regional branches. The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs committee will investigate the closures and visit regional areas, and at the senator's initiation wrote to the major banks asking that they halt closures until the inquiry was complete. The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) have agreed with that request, which the senator welcomes, and calls on the other banks to follow. Read the developing story here:
https://www.flownews24.com.au/post/cba-halts-junee-bright-bank-closures-in-response-to-new-inquiry

Meanwhile, we discuss the handling of COVID-19 by Australian governments and which would be best - a royal commission or a senate inquiry.

The independent member for Murray in south western New South Wales says federal water minister Tanya Plibersek needs to listen to the likes of herself who have solutions other than buying farm water, to improve environmental outcomes. Helen Dalton is calling for the capacity of Burrinjuck Dam near Yass, NSW to be quadrupled to 4,000 gigalitres as one solution. Mrs Dalton attacks the NSW Nationals and government for their record on dams and floodplain harvesting, and responds to the Australia Institute's report out today highlighting very poor health outcomes for voters in the far west part of her electorate. The independent MP acknowledges a $30 million redevelopment of Wentworth Hospital is getting underway soon but says staffing is a major challenge, sourcing and retaining doctors and nurses in the region.

A court case outcome on sustainable logging in Victorian native forests may come too late for woodchopping competitions in regional Victorian agricultural shows, shadow agriculture minister Emma Kealy told FlowFM listeners on Tuesday. With the state and nation's paper supply also squeezed by the impasse, the Victorian Nationals deputy leader highlights that carbon sequestration is at its strongest with younger trees. We also discuss with the western Victorian MP for Lowan how prepared the state is for avian flu and other biosecurity threats after the first Question Time for 2023 on Spring Street and the minister's answer on that topic drew Ms Kealy's concerns. The deputy leader talked up the strength of the enlarged Victorian Nationals team and impressive new rural women now representing several electorates.

The South Australian shadow minister for water and regional South Australia speaks with FlowFM about the recent Malinauskas Labor government announcement of three periurban sites including Concordia (near Gawler north of Adelaide) where tens of thousands of prospective housing opportunities will be created through local government planning changes. The Opposition say the three locations' proximity to Adelaide highlights a city-centric focus for the government and is calling on planning reform to enable regional councils to also make land available for housing. Regional South Australia is burdened with an inability to fill jobs due in part to a lack of appropriate housing. As shadow minister for water, Mrs Centofanti also tackles the very slow progress on getting a water security solution for the Eyre Peninsula through desalination as the federal government recently confirmed with FlowFM there are no current funding requests from the SA government before any federal agency to help with the cost of a desal plant.

The Regional Roads minister recently committed on FlowFM to explore extending a northern New South Wales betterment trial elsewhere in the state and on Friday at the NSW Nationals' March election campaign launch, the Coalition government announced $1 billion in spending on regional roads including a $300 million pledge to better flood and disaster-affected roads across the state if they win the election. The Nationals' Sam Farraway called upon the Albanese government to match the $300 million commitment to double the impact of betterment for southern New South Wales councils.

Victoria's shadow water minister called on the state minister to oppose buybacks (purchasing water entitlements from farmers) at the next ministerial meeting of the Murray Darling Basin state and territory ministers.

In a statement provided to FlowFM, water minister Harriet Shing said:
“Victoria does not support buybacks – our regional communities have been dealing with the impacts from previous Commonwealth buybacks for over a decade.”
“We will continue to work in the best interest of Victorians by allowing for improved environmental outcomes through on-ground works and delivering water by upgrading inefficient systems.”
“We will work with the Commonwealth Government and other jurisdictions at the upcoming ministerial council meeting to ensure our Basin Plan obligations are met without any negative social, economic and environmental outcomes in Victoria.”

The South Australian Liberal senator Alex Antic moved in parliament last week his private member's bill to hold organisers of disruptive protests accountable where the protest activity involves committing criminal offences such as trespass. We discuss whether that might extend to feeding pork to livestock bound for the Middle East or women exposing themselves to protest on climate change at the Santos Tour Down Under.

The Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy recites the mining minister's own words from 2019 back at him in response to his ministerial veto of a mine proposal in the Adelaide Hills due to amenity, groundwater and safety concerns.

The Australian wool market lifted again this week but next week's trade is looking a little rocky according to Michell Wool's trading manager Andrew Partridge as Chinese demand appears, for now, to have dried up.

The member for Mallee calls for a moratorium on the big four banks closing more branches as a new senate inquiry begins into the closure of regional bank branches. Anne Webster calls on the Australian Banking Association to speak up on implementing recommendations from the Coalition's Regional Banking Taskforce.