What does a weakened Coalition mean for regional Australia?
Today on the show we take a look at what the election result means for regional Australia and how it will be represented in a drastically different federal parliament.
May 05, 2025•30 min
Australia Wide
The sound of regional Australia. Daily news from the ABC's unmatched network of regional reporters hosted by Sinéad Mangan.
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Episodes
The regional-urban health gap in Australia is wide; but the issue has gone missing this election
The gap between the city and the country, when it comes to health outcomes for residents and their ability to access healthcare services, is wide. Despite this, regional health has not featured as a major issue this election.
May 02, 2025•30 min
Remote polls set to see more votes than last election
A third of Australians on the electoral roll have already voted. At nearly 5 million Australians, that's a record.
May 01, 2025•30 min
Braddon: the marginal Tassie seat where the vote shifts with its economic fortunes
Life in the electorate seat of Braddon, covering Tasmania's north-west and west coast, plus the dairy farming King Island, can be tough.Unemployment is high. The population of once thriving mining towns like Zeehan are at the mercy of a drive-in drive-out and fly-in fly-out workforce and mines stopping production.
Apr 30, 2025•30 min
Housing, climate and high cost of living top of mind in ultra-marginal Gilmore
The result in Gilmore was the closest in the country at the 2022 federal election, with Labor's Fiona Phillips holding onto the seat by just 373 votes.
Apr 29, 2025•30 min
Lingiari: The vast NT seat where voters feel forgotten
The seat of Lingiari is vast and takes in 99 per cent of the Northern Territory, excluding Darwin. For decades its been a safe Labor seat, but at the last election the gap narrowed and now the coalition are hopeful they can secure Lingiari for the first time.
Apr 28, 2025•30 min
Hospital bed delay and a special grief camp
A $7 billion costing blowout means that Queensland hospital beds will be delayed, just one of many problems facing the health sector in regional Australia.
Apr 24, 2025•30 min
Wind power to prove troublesome for Wannon electoral candidates
In the seat of Wannon, voters are focused on offshore wind farms, rundown roads and a lack of childcare places
Apr 23, 2025•30 min
Tough race ahead in brand-new seat of Bullwinkel
What matters to voters in Australia's newest electorate?
Apr 22, 2025•30 min
A plea for tourists to return and the push for more housing cooperatives
Outback tourism operators say they're seeing a slow start to the season because travellers are staying away, worried about flooding.
Apr 17, 2025•30 min
Regional housing squeeze and the personality of fairy-wrens
Not only is the Superb fairy-wren beautiful to look out, science has found that the chatter of these beautiful little birds reveal their personalities.
Apr 16, 2025•30 min
Gold price soars amid global economic uncertainty
As the world faces economic uncertainty thanks to Donald Trump's tariffs, many in WA's Goldfields region are celebrating soaring prices for the precious metal.
Apr 15, 2025•30 min
Outback town resembles 'war zone' after floods
The true devastation of the flooding in outback Queensland is starting to hit home for residents, and some locals are angry their towns didn't have the infrastructure to properly prepare for the deluge.
Apr 14, 2025•30 min
Flood-affected residents return home while forestry is threatened by drought
Residents are finally able to return to flood-ravaged towns in outback Queensland, but in parts of South Australia and Victoria, pine forests are dying due to drought.
Apr 11, 2025•30 min
Teenagers rescue lizard and call for travellers to stop littering
Mayors in regional towns across Australia respond to the Coalitions' Regional Future Fund.
Apr 10, 2025•30 min
Floodwaters rush through central Australia
A pilot in central Australia says he's never seen anything like this week's massive flooding at Lake Eyre.
Apr 09, 2025•30 min
Locals protest demolition of houses in Lismore's flood zone
A group of community members in Lismore have rallied against the demolition of houses in their city's flood zone.
Apr 08, 2025•30 min
The sun is out but it's a long road to recovery in outback Queensland
Catastrophic floods and a late start to the wet season have caused havoc and devastation in the Queensland outback.
Apr 04, 2025•30 min
Australian beef singled out in Trump's latest tariffs
Australian beef farmers say they are irritated by the 10 per cent tax, but it is not as bad as they feared.
Apr 03, 2025•30 min
Kangaroo Islanders report 'hundreds' of dead fish on beaches
Queenslanders displaced by catastrophic flooding are sitting tight as they wait to return to their homes, but it is already clear that the road to recovery will be long and difficult.
Apr 02, 2025•30 min
More than 100,000 head of livestock estimated lost during flooding in outback Queensland
Eromanga producer Brendan Murray was running 9,000 sheep before the flood and estimated he had lost up to 6,000 head.
Apr 01, 2025•30 min
Graziers brace for stock losses as floodwaters sweep through outback Queensland
Floodwaters are rising through the south-west Queensland towns of Thargomindah and Eulo, with some residents moved to higher ground. There are fears of widespread livestock losses as outback towns further north start a mammoth clean-up.
Mar 31, 2025•30 min
With a federal election set for May 3rd, what's on the minds of regional Australians?
After the Prime Minister's dawn visit to Government House, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton's five-week race to convince voters they should lead the country is officially underway.
Mar 28, 2025•30 min
Would the Coalition's plan to cut the fuel excise mean savings at the checkout for regional Australians?
The opposition has promised to cut the fuel excise by 25c for a year, taking the rate from about 50c to 25c per litre.
Mar 27, 2025•30 min
Olympic hopeful helps Toowomba secure equestrian in 2032
The Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games will be major events for Queensland's capital but they will also be a boon for regional areas of the state.
Mar 26, 2025•30 min
Will the federal budget improve the health of regional Australians?
Getting a GP appointment at short notice in a regional town can be tough. Will money for new GP trainees and more urgent care clinics improve access and health outcomes for regional Australians?
Mar 25, 2025•30 min
Salmon saga on the menu this federal election
Coverage that provides news and analysis of national issues significant to regional Australians.
Mar 24, 2025•30 min
Two pot plants left behind 60 years ago turn into major cactus invasion in outback
Two poorly placed cacti more than 50 years ago have turned into a full-scale invasion. It's prompting calls for people to dispose of their cacti safely to avoid a very prickly problem.
Mar 21, 2025•30 min
North Queensland residents angry over lack of flood warning
As north Queenslanders deal with a second flood in as many months, frustrations are growing after the Bruce Highway was again closed today, cutting off Far North residents. The Bruce Highway remained closed on Thursday evening north and south of Ingham, with truck drivers facing lengthy waits to get supplies.
Mar 20, 2025•30 min
Tensions flare in neighbouring Victorian communities divided on renewable energy
Experts warn that polarisation around renewables is growing and is expected to be an issue for people in regionla Australia during this year's federal election.
Mar 19, 2025•30 min
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