Latest news with #SarahHunter
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aussie homeowner's fury after council removes 57 new plants from rural roadside
A tense battle between an Aussie farmer and her council over a 400-metre stretch of a rural roadside has come to a 'sad and stupid' end. The nature strip at the centre of the controversy fronts landscape architect Sarah Hunter's property in Doreen, on the outskirts of Melbourne, where she lives with her family. It was with their help that she planted 57 native plants along the reserve late last year after carefully selecting and germinating seeds, many of which came from Indigenous nurseries, costing her roughly $4 each. While she hoped to provide a 'biolink' for local wildlife and increase tree canopy on Middle Hut Road, officers for Nillumbik Shire Council — touted as 'the green wedge shire' — marked the saplings with spray paint and ordered Ms Hunter to remove them by the end of April amid accusations they were planted illegally. The disappointed mum intentionally missed the deadline and urged the council to reconsider, pointing out that the area had been deemed by Nillumbik as an area of environmental significance. Ms Hunter told Yahoo News Australia she put a lot of thought into the placement of the plants, which she said are largely located where 'they would build on the existing forest' of yellow box eucalyptus trees. 'It's a dirt road with no infrastructure in the landscape and there's no power overhead or anything underground,' she said, adding she took into account their distance from the road and space for drivers to pull over safely. After a few weeks of back-and-forth, Ms Hunter received another letter from the council last month informing her officers would be coming by to remove the trees themselves. On July 1 they followed through and pulled out all 57 saplings, the farmer said. Speaking to Yahoo, the Nillumbik Council noted it is 'committed to protecting and enhancing the shire's biodiversity and environment in a safe and appropriate way' but maintained that Ms Hunter's new additions had to go. 'While the trees in Middle Hut Road have been planted with good intent, they are unfortunately illegal and hinder council's ability to undertake crucial fire management and fire mitigation works,' it said. 'Middle Hut Road is a key fire safety area and council needs to be able to mow the roadside and ensure the necessary road clearance is maintained for emergency vehicles access. Trees planted in the road reserve can inhibit our ability to carry out these essential works, which is why a permit is required to ensure plantings are appropriate.' The council said no permits were requested for the plants in front of Ms Hunter's home, which the landscape architect explained was simply an oversight that she retrospectively applied for but was denied. 'The trees were identified for removal during routine inspections undertaken ahead of the fire season,' it added. 'The resident was advised that the trees not impacting fire mitigation works could stay and the ones identified for removal could be replanted on the owner's private property.' 🚘 Aussie council responds after locals stunned by $1k fines 🚦Council responds to bizarre scene on Aussie road 🏡 Aussie neighbourhood's fight to save 100-year-old 'landmark' After returning home last week to find the 'beautiful trees' missing, a disappointed Ms Hunter decided to document the aftermath — a bare roadside reverse with several holes in the soil. The farmer said that while her plants had been taken, the council allegedly left behind known weeds, shattered glass and broken bottles. Nillumbik did not respond to Yahoo's request for comment regarding the claim by the time of publication. 'These plants would have provided habitat for the 70 bird species recorded in this area,' Ms Hunter said. 'The plants removed would have offset around 1.25 tonnes of carbon per year once mature, just going by the average offset of 22 kilograms each per year. It's such a waste of what could have been.' The local is now urging the council to replace its permit system with guidelines for residents. 'Roadsides and nature strips are everywhere that humans are, and by definition in the places where biodiversity has been lost. It makes sense to use them as a space to put back some of that biodiversity, for wildlife but also to improve quality of life for humans.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
West Australian
08-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
RBA rate cut live updates: Reserve Bank of Australia to hand down decision on interest rates
Australian homeowners are nervously awaiting the end of the Reserve Bank's board meeting to find out if they will be gifted some relief in the form of an interest rate cut. Follow the latest by scrolling through the posts below. The Reserve Bank is highly tipped to cut at 2.30pm today — and not just because local spending is soft or inflation's easing. As the RBA board enters the second day of deliberation, they'll be sweating on Donald Trump's fresh round of tariffs, including 25 per cent on key Australian trading partners Japan and Korea. A messy, drawn-out trade war was a key concern at the last RBA meeting in May, something Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter said could 'structurally alter the world economy'. At its last meeting, the RBA ran through a bunch of scenarios: one where things stay mild, one where the worst is avoided, and one where a full-blown trade war sends everything south. That worst-case scenario includes higher prices for imports, broken supply chains, nervous businesses pulling back on investment, and a hit to confidence across the board. With components of complex goods like cars sourced across multiple countries, the danger is tariff-induced bottlenecks, pushing up prices at the same time as global demand is going soft. That's the kind of squeeze central banks hate: weak growth and rising costs. And then there's the uncertainty. Read the full analysis here. Hello and welcome to the day when mortage holders across Australia hold their collective breaths. We've had two interest rate cuts from the last three Reserve Bank board meetings, providing some much needed relief at a time when the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on households. And the experts reckon we could be in for a third today. It'll be the first time we've had back-to-back cuts since the pandemic if it happens. We'll find out for certain at 2.30pm AEST. Stay with us for all the latest.
West Australian
08-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Jackson Hewett: Is the RBA going to cut rates? Trump's tariffs raise economic risks
The Reserve Bank is highly tipped to cut interest rates at 2.30pm on Tuesday and not just because local spending is soft or inflation's easing. As the RBA Board enters the second day of deliberation, they'll be sweating on US President Donald Trump's fresh round of tariffs including 25 per cent on key Australian trading partners Japan and Korea. A messy, drawn-out trade war was a key concern at the last RBA meeting in May, something Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter said could 'structurally alter the world economy'. At its last meeting, the RBA ran through a bunch of scenarios: one where things stay mild, one where the worst is avoided, and one where a full-blown trade war sends everything south. That worst-case scenario includes higher prices for imports, broken supply chains, nervous businesses pulling back on investment, and a hit to confidence across the board. With components of complex goods like cars sourced across multiple countries, the danger is tariff-induced bottlenecks, pushing up prices at the same time as global demand is going soft. That's the kind of squeeze central banks hate: weak growth and rising costs. And then there's the uncertainty. It's not just what tariffs are in place, it's the fact that no one knows what's coming next. 'There is ample research showing that higher uncertainty can lead to declines in investment, output and employment,' Ms Hunter said in June. When things are this unpredictable, businesses sit on their hands. Some of the market reaction to Trump's tariff spree has eased since April's collapse, but the RBA knows it won't take much for investors to get spooked again, and that could feed straight into tighter financial conditions here. The RBA has enough evidence to suggest Australia needs an interest rate shot in the arm. The Commander Chaos in Chief has thrown a new layer of concern into the mix.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Unusual' thing happening to the Aussie dollar in wake of Trump tariffs, says Reserve Bank
The global uncertainty sparked by US President Donald Trump's tariff agenda has resulted in something unusual happening to the Australian dollar. RBA assistant governor Sarah Hunter noted on Tuesday that the Aussie dollar has been behaving differently against the greenback than what we would historically expect. 'When the outlook for global growth weakens, the Australian dollar typically depreciates,' she explained in a speech at the Economic Society of Australia Business Lunch in Brisbane. This is because investors expect the Australian economy 'to be buffeted by the global headwinds and the RBA to respond with cuts to the cash rate'. The fact that the Australian dollar is a 'risk-sensitive' currency also contributes to the depreciation as 'when global investors are worried, they tend to focus on reducing risk exposure, moving their capital to low-risk assets in countries like the United States, Switzerland and Japan.' 'This means the Australian dollar tends to lose value against these currencies,' she said. When Trump announced his global 'Liberation Day' tariffs the Aussie dollar did as expected and fell, plummeting to below 60 US cents for the first time since the pandemic. However in recent weeks, the Aussie has recovered against the greenback and has been sitting between 64 and 65 US cents which, according to Dr Hunter, is 'more unusual' in a continuing time of uncertainty. Dr Hunter said this is in part due to a broad weakness in the USD after some global investors reduced their exposure to US assets. 'The weakness in the US dollar during a period of heightened risk is in contrast with many previous episodes,' she said, 'though it's too early to know whether this dynamic will continue.'
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Closing Bell: ASX powers to new 50-day high, up 0.63pc
ASX adds 52 points, hitting a new 50-day high at 8,466.70 points Broad strength with 9 of 11 sectors on the up Gold and finance stocks outperform The ASX was on a roll today, climbing swiftly in the first hour of trade and maintaining momentum throughout trade to finish up by 0.63%. That also marks a new 50-day high for the bourse, which is just 1.72% off the all-time highs reached in February this year. All but two sectors made convincing gains today, with just Consumer Discretionary (-0.11%) and Health Care (-0.37%) lagging. The ASX All Ords Gold Index outperformed once again, surging 2.46% on another lift in gold prices, which climbed 2.5% to US$3397.20 an ounce overnight. The ASX 200 Banks index also stood out, jumping 1.3%. The major four banks gained between 1.19% and 1.37%. RBA outlines tariff risks for Australian economy Speaking to the Economic Society of Australia in Brisbane today, RBA assistant governor Sarah Hunter opened with a quote from Lenin. 'There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen'. It certainly feels like we've been in the tariff war trenches for years at this point, although in truth this all kicked off just four months ago. 'The broad-based nature of the proposed US tariffs, retaliation from major partners and other policy shifts all have the potential to structurally alter the world economy,' Hunter continued. The RBA has identified the key transmission channels these structural changes will flow through: Realigning trade flows between countries, production shifting to new countries over time Tariffs are likely to change consumption habits as some products become more expensive Business and consumers will become more cautious in the face of flipflopping policy, delaying major decisions involving capital investment Hunter points out that both fiscal and monetary policy can be adjusted to help offset adverse effects, and that financial markets will simply reprice assets. You can read her full speech (with sourcing and data analysis) on the RBA website, but in short Hunter concludes that we're in for a period of slower economic growth and a slightly weaker labour market. 'We also anticipate that, overall, the price of tradable goods will be slightly dampened,' Hunter said. 'Together, these two outcomes mean that inflation is forecast to be a little lower than at the February SMP, settling around the midpoint of the 2–3% target range.' While that's not good news, it's not cataclysmic either. The RBA says it will be watching its transmission channels closely from here on out, ready to adjust policy accordingly. ASX SMALL CAP LEADERS Today's best performing small cap stocks: Security Name Last % Change Volume Market Cap EPM Eclipse Metals 0.015 200% 65692044 $14,329,095 VAR Variscan Mines Ltd 0.007 40% 92864 $3,914,289 G88 Golden Mile Res Ltd 0.018 38% 10828150 $7,075,222 BYH Bryah Resources Ltd 0.015 36% 42903096 $9,569,489 BMO Bastion Minerals 0.002 33% 1803250 $1,355,441 TYX Tyranna Res Ltd 0.004 33% 2483000 $9,865,276 BCA Black Canyon Limited 0.079 30% 630241 $7,908,692 NC1 Nicoresourceslimited 0.093 27% 412715 $8,008,142 WCE Westcoastsilver Ltd 0.078 26% 5130855 $16,127,501 CAV Carnavale Resources 0.005 25% 1133878 $16,360,874 EVR Ev Resources Ltd 0.005 25% 729920 $7,943,347 GLA Gladiator Resources 0.01 25% 884127 $6,066,375 MEM Memphasys Ltd 0.005 25% 499000 $7,934,392 UNT Unith Ltd 0.01 25% 2621527 $9,830,283 WMG Western Mines 0.195 22% 65152 $14,456,535 FTL Firetail Resources 0.091 21% 4345928 $28,502,098 BTM Breakthrough Minsltd 0.12 20% 348895 $4,785,950 ALY Alchemy Resource Ltd 0.006 20% 909133 $5,890,381 AN1 Anagenics Limited 0.006 20% 100000 $2,481,602 BIT Biotron Limited 0.003 20% 2444305 $3,318,115 GGE Grand Gulf Energy 0.003 20% 439921 $7,051,062 GLL Galilee Energy Ltd 0.006 20% 416 $3,535,964 ION Iondrive Limited 0.024 20% 15264360 $23,656,727 NES Nelson Resources. 0.003 20% 2700000 $5,429,819 PRX Prodigy Gold NL 0.003 20% 5693864 $7,937,639 Making news… Eclipse Metals (ASX:EPM) unveiled a massive 89 million tonne rare earths resource at its Grønnedal project in southwest Greenland. The updated estimate shows grades averaging over 6,300ppm TREO, including high-value magnet metals like neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium – key ingredients for EVs and wind turbines. That puts it among the highest-grade rare earth deposits in the world. This new figure is more than 70 times bigger than the previous estimate, and the mineralisation still looks to extend in every direction, said EPM. Western Yilgarn (ASX:WYX) has snapped up the Cardea 3 Bauxite Project in WA's Darling Range, just 17km from its big Julimar West deposit. It paid a modest $5k upfront, and will tip in more cash and shares once the exploration licence is granted. Previous drilling at Cardea 3 shows high-grade bauxite, with standout results like 7.5m at over 48% total alumina and low reactive silica. Nico Resources (ASX:NC1) has received firm commitments for a $1.1m placement at an 11.4% premium to its 20-day VWAP. The funding will go to exploration and development of the Wingellina nickel-cobalt project, host to 40,000t of nickel and 3000t of cobalt. Sunshine Metals (ASX:SHN) has hit bonanza-grade gold mineralisation at the Liontown prospect, with results up to 10 metres at 31.91g/t gold from 41 metres of depth. With a smaller hit of 2 metres at 121.5g/t gold in hand, SHN says the results demonstrate the historical gold mine still hosts high-grade gold mineralisation, reinforcing the company's plans to pursue shallow oxide gold production. Alchemy Resources (ASX:ALY) has taken full ownership of the Bryah iron ore project, acquiring the remaining 50% interest from Carey Mining Pty Ltd for $75,000 cash and a royalty. The gradational royalty is based on iron ore prices sold FOB from the project, ranging from $0.80 per tonne at under US$100/t of iron ore and up to $1.22 should iron prices rise above US$125/t. The gold signal is coming in loud and clear from Solstice Minerals' (ASX:SLS) Bluetooth gold prospect, part of the Yarri gold project in WA. The company has hit multiple broad intersections from less than 50 metres below surface, grading up to 20m at 2.18g/t gold. ASX SMALL CAP LAGGARDS Today's worst performing small cap stocks: Security Name Last % Change Volume Market Cap BMH Baumart Holdings Ltd 0.011 -67% 674614 $5,419,086 ADD Adavale Resource Ltd 0.001 -50% 400000 $4,574,558 OB1 Orbminco Limited 0.001 -50% 81733 $4,795,136 MGU Magnum Mining & Exp 0.005 -33% 4155608 $8,412,381 OVT Ovanti Limited 0.002 -33% 8085945 $8,380,545 RCM Rapid Critical 0.002 -33% 7719243 $3,734,834 VML Vital Metals Limited 0.002 -33% 2815666 $17,685,201 BNL Blue Star Helium Ltd 0.006 -25% 12656652 $21,559,082 MTB Mount Burgess Mining 0.003 -25% 492539 $1,406,811 NAE New Age Exploration 0.003 -25% 4402993 $10,637,596 RAN Range International 0.0015 -25% 98459 $1,878,581 UBI Universal Biosensors 0.032 -24% 841535 $12,518,832 EVEDA EVE Health Group Ltd 0.023 -23% 889655 $3,955,862 OSLDA Oncosil Medical 0.95 -21% 14356 $13,819,740 CYQ Cycliq Group Ltd 0.002 -20% 336928 $1,151,292 EV1 Evolutionenergy 0.008 -20% 2240267 $3,626,505 IMI Infinitymining 0.008 -20% 180000 $4,230,158 IS3 I Synergy Group Ltd 0.004 -20% 10000 $2,503,651 MML Mclaren Minerals 0.026 -19% 300161 $4,528,561 EXT Excite Technology 0.009 -18% 3170658 $22,799,061 HT8 Harris Technology Gl 0.009 -18% 202841 $3,618,617 CRI Criticalim 0.019 -17% 47468447 $62,041,318 ADG Adelong Gold Limited 0.005 -17% 10842256 $8,384,917 AJL AJ Lucas Group 0.005 -17% 7861 $8,254,378 ARV Artemis Resources 0.005 -17% 3120042 $15,171,176 LAST ORDERS Titanium Sands (ASX:TSL) has finalised a corporate funding solution for the Mannar heavy mineral project, whereby CPS Capital Group will provide up to $600,000 in loan funding in two tranches. The funding will be used to finalise environmental studies, advance an industrial mining licence for the project, and for general working capital. ADX Energy (ASX:ADX) has tapped David Gilbert as non-executive director, replacing John Begg as he steps down from the board of directors. Gilbert has held senior positions in companies based in Austria and Romania, locations highly relevant to ADX's operations as the company holds projects in both countries. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT MTM Critical Metals' (ASX:MTM) has achieved 98% recovery of antimony from US e-waste using its proprietary Flash Joule Heating technology. Lumos Diagnostics (ASX:LDX) has enrolled 61 of required 120 bacterial positive patients in US CLIA waiver clinical study for its point-of-care respiratory test FebriDx, designed to differentiate between bacterial and non-bacterial acute respiratory infections. Sampling at Perpetual Resources' (ASX:PEC) Igrejinha lithium project has uncovered more mineralisation ahead of RC drilling starting on June 5. essential projects unfulfilled by banks and government. Leeuwin Metals (ASX:LM1) has started phase 2 drilling at its Marda gold project to follow-up on high-grade gold intersected in the phase 1 program. Lithium Universe (ASX:LU7) is pursuing a non-binding MoU to cover full annual SC6 spodumene supply of 140,000 tonnes for its Bécancour lithium refinery in Canada. Health technology company Cardiex (ASX:CDX) has achieved an important milestone, receiving Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval for its CONNEQT Pulse arterial health monitor. Exploration is underway at Core Energy Minerals' (ASX:CR3) Grande Project in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where broad uranium anomalism has been identified at surface. With gold on a bull run, Codrus Minerals (ASX:CDR) has mobilised a diamond drilling rig to investigate five targets at its Bull Run gold project in the US. Cannindah Resources' (ASX:CAE) rock chip sampling has identified two untested copper-gold porphyry targets at Mt Cannindah, with assays up to 12.28% copper and 9.94g/t gold. Everest Metals' (ASX:EMC) has delivered an engineering scoping study for rubidium extraction through a partnership with Edith Cowan University. With gold prices booming, Artemis (ASX:ARV) is lining up the drills to grow its 374,000oz gold, 64,000t copper Carlow project, with 5000 metres planned in total. Western Yilgarn (ASX:WYX) has acquired the Cardea 3 bauxite project in WA's Darling Range, which has strong potential to further increase bauxite tonnage and grade through exploration. TRADING HALTS At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Titanium Sands and ADX Energy are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.
