#midnorthcoast — Public Fediverse posts

Idyllic rural NSW is a hotspot for motor neurone disease

"Our recent mortality paper shows that if you live in rural and regional Australia, you are 40 per cent more likely to die from motor neurone disease. This cannot be genetic."
"Much attention will be focused on MND hotspots which include regional centres such as Griffith, Leeton, Wagga Wagga and Narrandera in the Riverina where rates of the degenerative illness are estimated to be five to seven times the national average. Other areas of concern include Tamworth, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/mnd-notifiable-disease-starts/107097432
#environment #diseases #MDN #NSW #CoffsHarbour #PortMacquarie #RuralNSW #MidNorthCoast #water #pollution #ExtremeHeat #runoff #HABs #pesticides #epidemiology

40 safety breaches in SafeWork NSW blitz on Coffs Coast, Riverina farm businesses

"Labour-hire firms and agribusinesses across the Coffs Coast and Riverina have been issued with more than 40 safety notices in a SafeWork NSW blitz after allegations of slavery in the fruit-picking industry."

"The workplace safety watchdog has identified dozens of safety issues across labour-hire firms and agribusinesses operating on New South Wales fruit farms in the wake of serious modern slavery allegations in the fruit-picking industry." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-31/safework-blitz-on-modern-slavery-coffs-coast-riverina-farms/107096906
#IR #CoffsHarbour #Food #work #slavery #blueberries #MidNorthCoast

Focus on Coffs Harbour and Nambucca Valley

"NSW modern slavery report calls for urgent reform to protect migrant workers."

"A NSW parliamentary report into modern slavery has detailed "harrowing stories of mistreatment and harm..The report asked the government to investigate allegations of systemic labour exploitation in Coffs Harbour and the Nambucca Valley."

"NSW Anti-slavery commissioner Dr James Cockayne said in a statement the report was "informed by evidence from almost 100 witnesses across NSW, including victim survivors of modern slavery, and 60 submissions"." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/nsw-anti-slavery-report-urgent-reform-to-protect-migrant-workers/107003130
#exploitation #PALM #MidNorthCoast #HorticulturalIndustry #blueberries #CoffsHarbour #NambuccaValley #food #harm #slavery #plantations #regulation

Court fines Bucca blueberry farmers $100,000 for building an illegal dam

"The unauthorised dam construction disrupted a creek and removed native vegetation on a property in Bucca, north of Coffs Harbour."

"Two farmers have been fined $100,000 for building an unapproved dam on their property at Bucca, north of Coffs Harbour.The pair has now received regulatory approval for the dam and no orders for its removal or demolition were made." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/bucca-blueberry-farmers-fined-for-illegal-dam/107003136
#water #extractivism #rivers #artificialisation #harm #NSW #MidNorthCoast #blueberries #HorticulturalIndustry #regulation #CoffsHarbour #Bucca #LandClearing

Vulnerable workers bearing the cost of providing Australia with cheap food

"Across Australia's fruit and vegetable industry, Fair Work Ombudsman investigations have repeatedly uncovered widespread non-compliance...: systemic worker exploitation, forced labour, debt bondage and, in some cases, human trafficking and servitude."

"In Coffs Harbour, 61 per cent of growers and labour hire companies inspected were found to be breaching workplace laws, including underpaying workers. The figure rose to 72 per cent in the Riverina and 83 per cent in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley....Oz Group, a co-operative representing more than 140 berry growers across NSW's Mid North Coast, said in its 2020 statement it "does not accept any form of slavery-like practices within the co-operative or throughout its supply chain".However, in its 2025 statement, the co-operative said, "addressing modern slavery requires ongoing effort and collaboration" and it remained "committed to continuous improvement"." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-04/australias-hidden-modern-slave-labour-workforce-exposed/106968610
#exploitation #work #ForcedLabour #food #slavery #CoffsHarbour #HorticulturalIndustry #governance #regulation #ModernSlaveryAct #TokenisticLaw #NSW #MidNorthCoast #blueberries

Most neighbours on the NSW Mid North Coast reject the local environment and have three dogs and a cat, but this one had 38 snakes including a cobra, 19 lizards, a crocodile, three hedgehogs and 28 dogs and nine cats in the home. >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-05/police-discover-snakes-crocodile-during-kempsey-drug-raid/106307800
#NSW #MidnorthCoast #CITES #Biosecurity #ExoticAnimals #pets #dogs #biodiversity #neighbourhoods

A koala unfriendly infrastructure

"The sixth koala killed between Bonville and Repton."

No virtual fencing, no AI sensors, no speed restrictions
>>
https://coffscoast.newsofthearea.com.au/koala-highway-death-raises-questions-over-wait-for-signage

"Signs are litter on a stick
Signs are white noise motorists ignore
Signs are a cheap option"
>>
Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet with Ben Goldfarb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVkw0fOslck
#koalas #wildlife #Biodiversity #conservation #roads #highways #NegativeExternalities #Infrastructure #cars #vehicles #crashes #ExtinctionCrisis #RoadEcology #RoadKill #signage #fencing #MidNorthCoast #ThegreatkoalaNationalPark #Bellingen #Repton #Bonville #Coffs #WildlifeSafety

Koala signage (litter on a stick) erected and then vandalised by motorists. Bellingen/ Gleniffer

NSW Forestry born-again as eco-forestry looking for new markets

"The forestry industry in northern NSW is considering new financial opportunities in eco-forestry and environmental markets."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-16/great-koala-national-park-forestry-future-carbon-market/105954932
#Biodiversity #wildlife #NSWLogging #TheGreatKoalaNationalPark #LoggingIndustry #MidNorthCoast #GKNP #KoalaTouristPark #firebreaks #LoggingAndLandclearing #extractivism #MinisterialDiscretion #EPBCAct

Image: The Bongil Bongil National Park has been included in the new Great Koala National Park, but the logging monster is always lurking... (Art by 'Danka')

Monetising the great koala national park

"The government estimates the park’s value as a tourism destination will generate an extra $163m for the state’s economy over two decades. The native logging division of NSW Forestry Corporation has run at a loss for several years...The Minns government on Sunday revealed the proposed outlines of the park, fulfilling its 2023 election commitment...A moratorium on logging within its boundaries begins on Monday."
End native forest logging across NSW. Recognise remnant flora and fauna in 'plantations'.
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/08/minns-140m-great-koala-national-park-regional-towns-coalition-nsw
#biodiversity #wildlife #koalas #TheGreatKoalaNationalPark #ecosystems #value #nature #commodification #NSWLogging #FailedAssets #FCNSW #StrandedAssets #MidNorthCoast #deforestation #plantations #extractivism #CashCow #ExtinctionCrisis

Image: Anthropomorphic image of a koala unboxing the cornucopia of a tourist park.

The 'world's watching' koalas getting under Aussie wheels

They are begging motorists to slow down when driving through known koala habitats, but...

"Since European colonisation, koala habitat in Australia has been devastated, with approximately 29 million hectares (54 per cent) of forests and woodlands destroyed in NSW alone. Even in recent years, deforestation has continued at an alarming pace...Koalas are facing extinction in NSW by 2050."
>>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/drivers-warned-after-heartbreaking-find-next-to-road-at-aussie-tourist-town-230610115.html
#biodiversity #extinction #koalas #marsupials #roads #cars #Roadkill #RoadTrauma #NSW #MidNorthCoast #LoggingImpacts #NSWLogging #wildlife #deforestation

Kids want to be mobile
but
don't own a private car and mostly live in public transport deserts.
Poor bike, footpaths, or road infrastructure increase risks of potentially life-threatening injuries when using mobility devices such as e-scooters.

" One in 10 children hurt while riding e-scooters suffered life-threatening injuries. Children were “massively overrepresented” in cases of e-scooter injuries and deaths, despite e-scooters being mostly ridden by adults."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/04/e-scooter-injury-toll-revealed-in-study-just-tip-of-the-iceberg-in-australia-doctors-warn
#children #MobilityDesign #parenting #TransitDesert #FossilFuel #mobility #RoadTrauma #NSW #MidNorthCoast

The NSW coast - Bird-free concrete blocks surrounded by lawns

"A track takes us into a small area of regenerating coastal rainforest, where lilly pillies are growing, and the air is filled with the sounds of birds, frogs and insects. Flannery says this is an example of coastal protection done right. The forest was saved from development after a long-running campaign by traditional owners, the Dharawal people."

"We exit the beach via stairs that lead to a manicured grass area, bike path and a row of large houses. Flannery is unimpressed. Unlike at his home, there is no bird habitat and, unsurprisingly, no birds. "This is not my thing. This is just concrete blocks surrounded by grass. To my mind, it’s as boring as batshit.”
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/26/tim-flannery-what-were-seeing-is-the-last-gasp-of-the-patriarchy
#NSW #coast #sprawl #McMansion #lawns #suburbia #MidNorthCoast #beaches #Birds #catbird #biodiversity #conservation #ClimateBreakdown