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Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole was at the Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct today and says there has never been a better time to invest in regional NSW as the state government puts $1 billion on the table in a Regional Investment Attraction Strategy to harness the full value of the regions’ potential and making them the location of choice for private sector investment.

By volume on the Meat and Livestock Australia indicators Wagga Wagga saw the highest number of cattle and sheep traded and we catch up again with Riverina Livestock Agents' James Tierney fresh from Thursday's lamb sales on the latest selling activity - and the impact flooding is having locally and on the market.

... and sourcing shearers and getting wool to market are among the other current challenges for wool producers discussed with the Woolproducers Australia CEO Jo Hall in this discussion with regional FlowFM listeners

The shadow assistant minister for transport and infrastructure spoke with FlowFM regional Australian listeners including in his own South Australian local electorate of Barker about the contrast of federal spending of $2.2 billion on the Suburban Rail Loop versus the truck freight burden and damage on regional Victorian roads that Murray Basin Rail might resolve, and regional South Australian road impacts such as in the Mallee without rail investment

Regional roads are copping a hammering from wet weather and with worse to come as a bumper harvest comes off thanks to a lingering La Nina cycle and Tuesday's Federal Budget offers plenty to unpack on disaster resilience, better freight movement - and better allocation of grants into regions after the end of the controversial Building Better Regions Fund. We speak with Transport Infrastructure Regional Development Local Government Minister and member for Ballarat, Catherine King

Outrage, horror are some of the expressions the north western Victorian federal MP uses to describe measures in Labor's first federal budget in 9 years. NOTE: The instant asset write-off mentioned in this interview Flow understands was a budget initiative of the former government scheduled to expire next June, not a measure in this Budget.

Farmers should be pleased to see funding committed in the next 5 years for mobile and internet coverage in regional areas, with faster internet speeds promised for 660,000 regional Australians - but they'll have to compete to get a share of that investment in funding rounds

The Victorian Liberal MP for the federal seat of Wannon in south-west Victoria and shadow immigration minister talks with Flow listeners about the federal government's budget pledges into Victoria including billions for renewable energy poles-and-wires and suburban rail loop, the minister's political appearance at an Andrews government re-election event and the mystery over returning jihadi brides

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan, Dams, water policy, Murray Basin Rail, renewable energy and the 'nuclear conversation' are all on the agenda as we catch up with The National Party leader David Littleproud the day before the Albanese Labor government's first budget in 12 years

Not long ago the talk in the Murray-Darling Basin and across Australia was about drought-proofing the nation but amid a major flood event with the river height at Echuca-Moama on the Vic-NSW border exceeding 1956 levels, now roadways and dams may need to be raised to flood-proof electorates like the southern NSW seat of Murray, held by independent Helen Dalton. We catch up with Helen fresh from visits to flood-affected communities