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West Australian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Food bowl of WA hosts series of culinary events as 2025 Gascoyne Food Festival officially kicks off
The Gascoyne Food Festival has officially opened its 2025 season, with a cornucopia of events to celebrate the region's produce, people and places from beach to bush. The festivities kicked off on Saturday with 200 diners enjoying the Long Table Lunch under a canopy of banana plantations in Carnarvon. The feast, curated by renowned chef Ben Ing, championed locally sourced seafood, beef and fresh produce. This week's events include Around the Fire Pit on Wednesday, a feast beneath the stars with bush tucker and storytelling and a kombucha workshop at the Waterfront Café on Thursday. Prawns and Pimm's at the Carnarvon Races will be held on Friday, while the Bullara Station Beef Fest will take place on Saturday night. The food festival — recognised as Australia's biggest regional food festival — will run until August 31, with 16 events across Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay, and the Upper Gascoyne. Its finale, a two-day event on Dirk Hartog Island, aptly titled Australia's Last Sunset, promises to be an unforgettable dining experience on Australia's westernmost point. Gascoyne Minister Hannah Beazley launched the long-table lunch on Saturday. 'The Gascoyne Food Festival is a wonderful celebration of what makes the region so special, from its passionate producers to its rich cultural and culinary diversity,' she said. Ms Beazley said she was 'proud to support this incredible event that not only draws visitors to the region but also creates jobs and opportunities for small businesses'. Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said the festival shone a light on premium regional produce and the hardworking growers, fishers and pastoralists behind it. 'Events like this are key to strengthening our State's food industry and building stronger connections between producers, chefs and consumers,' she said. Member for the Mid-West and Nationals WA leader Shane Love attended the Long Table Lunch and said it was 'a fantastic showcase of the quality and range of produce grown in the Gascoyne'. 'I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the other events that are part of the Gascoyne Food Festival this month — it's a great opportunity to support communities right across the Gascoyne and experience some of the best produce Western Australia has to offer,' he said. Foodies can check out the full program at
West Australian
19-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Nationals leader Shane Love set to move to disallow latest firearm regulations following doctors' concerns
Nationals WA leader Shane Love is set to move a motion when Parliament returns this week calling for the latest updates to the firearm regulations to be disallowed. It comes after doctors revealed they were refusing to conduct the necessary health assessments for people to get a firearm licence. The fresh laws, introduced late last year, include restrictions on the types of firearms, while owners must be approved by a medical professional in order to obtain a firearm licence. Mr Love has been consistent in his stance of saying the laws were rushed through and on Wednesday will move the regulations be disallowed. 'I have promised, in public forums across the State, to contest these regulations at the first available sitting day,' he said. 'I will now fulfil that commitment to the thousands of law-abiding firearms owners whose livelihoods and recreational options have been thrown into disarray.' Mr Love pointed to the similarities with the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, saying it caused 'unnecessary and avoidable distress' in regional WA. Last week, it was revealed doctors feared blood would be on their hands in the event of a shooting if they signed off on paperwork granting a person a firearm licence. The State Government said doctors were protected in these events, but medical professionals still had their reservations. It means many farmers have been unable to apply for licences critical for their work, while recreational shooters were more exposed with doctors allegedly reluctant to sign off on tests for people who do not require a firearm professionally. Mr Love said regional GPs were 'already under resourced and under pressure'. 'This legislation puts them in an untenable position where they will be forced to make a judgement call on the future behaviour of people who reside in their communities,' he said.
