INDEPENDENT candidate for Cowper Caz Heise has announced a commitment to push for improvements to the beleaguered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) if elected to Federal Parliament. The NDIS, which is administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), is Australia’s first national scheme for people with disability. Advertise with News

BELLINGEN Shire Council has earned six awards at the 2024 Keep Australia Beautiful NSW (KAB NSW) Tidy Towns Sustainability Awards. The Shire won an award for “Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation” for Council’s efforts towards achieving net zero emissions, and for “Biodiversity Conservation” in relation to the Bellingen Island restoration project. Advertise

THE administrators of Rex Airlines have welcomed the Albanese Government’s decision to extend an $80m lifeline to the regional airline and to grant early access to entitlements for retrenched employees. Rex operates several flights out of Coffs Harbour Airport each weekday with scheduled flights at weekends. Advertise with News of The Area

A “GENERATIONAL” pay increase of up to 40 percent is set to make NSW police the best paid in the nation as the force battles crippling officer shortages. More than 10,000 constables, senior constables and sergeants will receive increases of at least 25 percent before shift allowances while pay scales have