A clean up effort is under way after a truck crash closed the Newell Highway near  Pilliga on Friday afternoon.

Fire crews were called to the scene 40km south of Narrabri at 2.45pm after reports a truck had crashed and lost its load.

A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said crews arrived to find about 200 litres of petrol had been spilled as a result of the accident.

“A group of hazardous materials firefighters from Narrabri are on the scene at the moment and they are laying a blanket of foam to help absorb the spill,” the spokesman said.

“A 300m exclusion zone has been set up around the crash site to allow the firefighters to clean up the spill.

“At this stage, motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible.”

Burren Junction Public School students have been named the best year five coders in a state-wide coding and robotics competition.

More than 100 budding robotics engineers and coders took part in the 2018 ANSTO Top Coder Competition, with the grand final held at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights' campus.

Burren Junction Public School students, Jenna Hattingh and Emma Slack-Smith, took out 2018 Top Coder in the Year 5 Division of the Robotics Competition, where their robot successfully navigated an obstacle course filled with tracks and tasks.

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Royal commission counsel also says officials tried to lean on CSIRO to reduce water recovered for the environment

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has been accused of maladministration, deliberately ignoring the best science on the river, leaning on the CSIRO to alter reports on the adequacy of the basin plan and ignoring the impact of climate change in its future planning.

In a scathing assessment of the authority, counsel assisting the South Australian Murray-Darling royal commission, Richard Beasley SC, has painted a picture of an organisation cowed by its political masters and too afraid to present its own scientific data to the greater scientific community.

Farmers are angry and perplexed by former Nationals federal leader Barnaby Joyce’s obsession with promoting coal-fired power stations and a deep seated reluctance by some politicians to acknowledge Australia’s carbon emissions must be curtailed.

As increasing climate variability threatens to cut our agricultural productivity 10 per cent in the next 20 years, farmers generally feel cheated and fed up with the political manoeuvring and denials of the need for practical policies on energy, climate change and drought says fast-growing national lobby group, Farmers for Climate Action (FCA).

RURAL communities have been short-changed half of their owed state government infrastructure funding, an auditor-general report reveals.

Nationals allegedly infiltrated by people with links to neo-Nazis and white supremacists

Senior members of the NSW Nationals have held a special meeting to discuss how their party has been infiltrated by people with alleged links to the far right, neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups, with plans to purge the party of any extremists.

Michael McCormack, the federal leader of the Nationals, says his party will not tolerate the “politics of hate”.

The issue came to light earlier this month when the ABC’s Background Briefing reported it had uncovered a plot by Australia’s alt-right movement to join major political parties.

WE ALL know the tradition.

Kids who aren’t even tall enough to see over the wheel are thrown the keys to the “paddock basher” or a quad bike and their driving career begins.

I’m a mum and I also manage the Crash Investigation Unit for the NSW Police Force.

Lately we have been called to so many cases of young children losing their lives in cars or on motorcycles or quad bikes being driven or ridden on private property.

The most recent of these has been the death of a 14-year-old boy who died after a single car crash at Yerong Creek near Wagga Wagga on October 11.

The driver, also a 14-year-old boy, was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death – drive manner dangerous.

CAMPDRAFTING: Capella rider Steve Comiskey has won a runoff to win the Pryde's EasiFeed Gold Cup at the Warwick Showgrounds.

At the end of the final, Comiskey had 268 on Broomfield Stylish Diamond, the same score as Wee Waa rider Sam Knight on O'Lara.

In the runoff, Knight was first in camp but his beast proved troublesome on course and he only finished with a cutout score.

Comiskey could have been tempted to take it easy in his run as he only had to record a score on the course to win.

He did more than that, recording 91, a score as good as any in the competition.

Tamworth rider Hugh Miles was third on Reys Ya Garter.

Kimberley Sammon (Beaudesert) riding Possum Sue and Cal Gibson (Bungarra, NSW) were equal fourth.

A TWENTY-seven year old man has died following a fatal car crash in the North West.

Just before 1am on Sunday morning emergency services were called to Yarrie Lake Road, Wee Waa, following reports of a single-vehicle crash.

Emergency services attended and commenced CPR on the driver – a 27-year-old man – however, he died at the scene.

Two male passengers – aged 25 and 37 – were treated for minor injuries by paramedics.

A crime scene was established, and an investigation has been launched into the incident by officers from Oxley Police District and the Crash Investigation Unit.

Up to $5 billion will be stashed away for non-rainy days as part of a new fund to help farmers when future droughts scorch paddocks across Australia.

The Future Drought Fund was the key announcement made by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Friday's national drought summit in Canberra.

From 2020, about $100 million per year will be available, with payments starting from July that year.

The fund will be underpinned by an initial $3.9 billion injection before growing to $5 billion in 2028.

The Nationals' federal treasurer and candidate for the Victorian seat of Shepparton, Peter Schwarz, is accused of gouging much of the $850,000 he was paid by Australia's largest drought-proofing project.

Mr Schwarz is also accused of then calling in favours when pressed to account for the taxpayer cash.

As Prime Minister Scott Morrison launches his drought summit, leaked government files reveal that Mr Schwarz banked the taxpayer subsidies in November 2011 and then spent years resisting efforts from water officials to get him to either return the money or use it for its intended purpose - saving water.

The impact of the drought on wild animals offers a chance to try to get on top of pest numbers, a land service officer has said.

The widespread nature of the drought is affecting more than just livestock and wildlife, with feral animals also struggling to find food and water.

This is bringing them closer to areas where humans are present as they compete with livestock for resources.

Central Tablelands Local Land Service senior officer, Paul Gibb, said the congregation of pest animals around water sources offered opportunities for landholders.

A motion to create a federal anti-corruption commission could test the Coalition's control of Federal Parliament as it prepares for minority government.

Greens senator Larissa Waters believes there is now majority support for a national body, with the Liberal Party likely to lose the historically safe seat of Wentworth to independent Kerryn Phelps.

All six crossbench MPs have indicated they would support a national commission and Federal Labor has already pledged to establish one if elected at the next election.

To test the numbers, the Greens will introduce a Senate motion calling on the Coalition to "establish a national anti-corruption commission".

Senator Waters expects that motion — which would require an immediate debate in the Lower House — would pass with the support of Labor.

Key points:
Senator Waters expects the motion would pass with the support of Labor
Kerryn Phelps says she sees the creation of such a body "as something that is very achievable"
Christian Porter has previously said there was no persuasive evidence for a national integrity commission

Helping farmers prepare for future droughts will be the focus of a new multi-billion-dollar fund that Prime Minister Scott Morrison will unveil today.

The $5-billion Future Drought Fund will be announced at a national drought summit, which brings together state and federal governments, weather experts, farm lobbyists and charities, in Canberra.

Key points:
The Federal Government will commit an initial $3.9 billion to the fund, with $100 million to be available each year from 2020
Money will be provided for community services, research, technology and infrastructure
Legislation to create the fund will need to pass Parliament
The Federal Government will initially commit $3.9 billion to the fund, which will reach $5 billion by 2028.

But only $100 million will be available each year from 2020, with that money being allocated by a board of guardians.

THE Mullaley Drought Taskforce is hoping to put forward a range of suggestions via a submission to this Friday’s federal government drought summit in Canberra.

Interest rate subsides, post drought recovery and protecting stock breeding herds are some of what the group of locals will bring to the government’s attention.

NSW Farmers, after months of protracted negotiations with the Australian Rail Track Corporation, has laid the $10 billion Inland Rail project’s shortcomings squarely at the feet of the Coalition Government.

It says the decision to cut a new route across the Pilliga, slicing through farming properties, was ill-conceived and not even properly assessed.

Welcome to our new Community Funding Opportunities and Awards Program Newsletter where you will find details of selected grant submissions from around the region for Community Projects and Award Programs.

Due to the number of grants that are available, we now send two funding opportunities newsletters a month; one for Business and Infrastructure and another for Community Projects and Award Programs, rather than the one combined newsletter.

We wish you all the best with the Funding Opportunities below and if you are looking for a grant between newsletters, have a look at the grants area of our website which is updated weekly: www.rdani.org.au/our-region/grants-and-funding-opportunities.php

If you need some facts and figures for your applications, a range of data for our region is also available on our website here: www.rdani.org.au/our-region/regional-data.php

NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair fears Friday’s drought summit in Canberra will be a talkfest with 150 people expected to attend the meeting at Old Parliament House. “That will give them about two minutes each to speak,” he says.

Instead Mr Blair is taking two firm tax-related proposals to Canberra he will will put on the table that he believes will ease financial stress for farmers.

NSW Farmers, after months of protracted negotiations with the Australian Rail Track Corporation, has laid the $10 billion Inland Rail project’s shortcomings squarely at the feet of the Coalition Government.

It says the decision to cut a new route across the Pilliga, slicing through farming properties, was ill-conceived and not even properly assessed.