Kit Mochan
Kit Mochan is a news reporter for ABC Great Southern. You can find her on twitter at @kitternet
Rescuers call for tough penalties after 'prime idiot' filmed hanging from cliff face
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A social media video of a tourist hanging off a notorious WA cliff on Easter Sunday has prompted a furious response from a sea rescue group.
Topics: emergency-planning, national-parks, disasters-and-accidents, volunteers, community-and-society, laws, law-crime-and-justice, wa, sa, vic, goode-beach-6330, albany-6330, perth-6000, adelaide-5000, horsham-3400, port-campbell-3269
Murder charge for driver allegedly behind hit-and-run Easter crash (photos)
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A 36-year-old man is charged with murder following an alleged hit-and-run attack on two men in Perth's south in the early hours of Easter Sunday.
Topics: traffic-offences, law-crime-and-justice, police, perth-6000, wa, warnbro-6169, jerramungup-6337
'It's in crisis': Australia's looming problem of growing old at home
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With a rapidly ageing population, few Australians have been left untouched from navigating the vast and often complicated aged-care system — be it for a parent, partner or themselves.
Topics: aged-care, community-and-society, budget, government-and-politics, alzheimers-and-dementia, health, population-and-demographics, human-interest, wa, australia, perth-6000, albany-6330, narrogin-6312, bunbury-6230, bowral-2576, nsw, sydney-2000, adelaide-5000, port-macquarie-2444, hobart-7000, launceston-7250, margaret-river-6285
Why wait for 5G? We're building our own internet, say fed-up WA farmers
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Everyone's familiar with slow internet or mobile-phone dropouts but for the nation's farmers — often living well beyond the range of fibre optic cables and phone towers — the stakes are a lot higher.
Topics: science-and-technology, internet-technology, rural, agricultural-crops, agribusiness, telecommunications, industry, business-economics-and-finance, computers-and-technology, mobile-phones, information-and-communication, sheep-production, livestock, perth-6000, albany-6330, wa, armidale-2350, nsw, university-of-new-england-2351, tamworth-2340, bunbury-6230, south-stirling-6324, kendenup-6323, canberra-2600
Live exporters impose northern summer ban on sheep trade to the Middle East
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Livestock exporters have announced that they will cease exporting live sheep for three months next year.
Topics: livestock-welfare, agricultural-policy, federal-government, government-and-politics, agribusiness, darwin-0800, fremantle-6160, port-albany-6330, portland-3305, broome-6725, devonport-7310, port-melbourne-3207, port-adelaide-5015, brisbane-4000, geraldton-6530, karumba-4891, burnie-7320, cairns-4870, sydney-2000, port-hedland-6721, townsville-4810, oman, united-arab-emirates, kuwait, qatar
Tiny town, massive waterslide: The gamble that put Kulin, WA, back on the map
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It was the big idea that could have been a huge success or an expensive disaster, but more than 20 years later this little community is still reaping the benefits of a bold decision.
Topics: regional, community-and-society, travel-and-tourism, population-and-demographics, local-government, lifestyle-and-leisure, kulin-6365, wa, perth-6000, brim-3391, adelaide-5000, geraldton-6530, melbourne-3000, sydney-2000, brisbane-4000, tanawha-4556, albany-6330, bunbury-6230, qld
Thousands of WA school students plan and stage Remembrance Day commemoration
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The end of World War I has a special resonance in Albany, which was the point of departure for the first Anzac fleet in 1914. One hundred years on, the city's young people have chosen to honour the fallen in their own way.
Topics: world-war-1, world-war-2, history, anzac-day, veterans, schools, primary-schools, secondary-schools, albany-6330, spencer-park-6330, mira-mar-6330, centennial-park-6330, mount-clarence-6330, mount-melville-6330, port-albany-6330
Truckie's homegrown charity trucks $100,000 of hay to drought-affected farmers
Posted
In just four weeks, Western Australian truckies received 130 tonnes of donated livestock feed and are now giving up their holidays to take it east.
Topics: drought, disasters-and-accidents, charities, charities-and-community-organisations, community-and-society, rural, livestock-welfare, livestock, gunnedah-2380, nsw, forbes-2871, perth-6000, katanning-6317, wa, kojonup-6395, albany-6330, bunbury-6230, esperance-6450, salmon-gums-6445
Eco-friendly 'green' gold bar produced without toxic cyanide in Australian first
Posted
You might pay more for ethically produced coffee, but what about environmentally friendly gold in your wedding ring?
Topics: gold, science-and-technology, earth-sciences, industry, business-economics-and-finance, mining-industry, environment, mining-environmental-issues, menzies-6436, esperance-6450, rockhampton-4700, lefroy-7252, castlemaine-3450, norseman-6443, orange-2800, kalgoorlie-6430, wa, canberra-2600, perth-6000
Live export debate hangs heavy in saleyards as farmers fear for their livelihoods
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Farmers are nervously watching on as politicians trade blows over the controversial multi-million dollar live export industry.
Topics: livestock, livestock-welfare, sheep-production, trade, business-economics-and-finance, farm-labour, food-processing, animal-welfare, katanning-6317, wa, perth-6000, canberra-2600
Live export company's decision descends into political stoush
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Farmers are reeling over the decision of one of the country's largest live sheep exporters to halt their northern trade over the summer months.
Topics: livestock, livestock-welfare, rural, trade, federal---state-issues, government-and-politics, south-stirling-6324, albany-6330, wa, west-perth-6005, sydney-2000
Driest autumn since 1902, uncertain rainfall sees winter crops scaled back
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With their eyes to sky, grain growers are planting a smaller area of winter crops amid fears drought conditions are set to continue.
Topics: wheat, grain, agricultural-prices, oilseeds, trade, melbourne-3000, rupanyup-3388, parkes-2870, orange-2800, katanning-6317
Salt, the white death destroying Australia's farmland
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Australia has a silent crisis on its hands and the threat is looming just beneath the surface of the country's most fertile food bowls. Now farmers are looking at new ways to deal with the problem.
Topics: food-and-beverage, bush-tucker, salinity, environment, science, earth-sciences, science-and-technology, sustainable-and-alternative-farming, rural, government-and-politics, federal---state-issues, state-parliament, albany-6330, wa, australia, nsw, qld, tas, vic, sa
Hundreds of sheep killed and farming land destroyed in WA blaze
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Farmers on Western Australia's south coast are still coming to terms with the extent of loss after devastating bushfires tore through the region last week.
Topics: disasters-and-accidents, rural, livestock, livestock-welfare, fires, emergency-incidents, south-stirling-6324
Turning dust into dollars: How farmers deal with the dry Feature
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Keeping a backyard garden or front lawn alive when rain doesn't fall is a struggle. So how do Australian farmers plan to keep the country fed?
Topics: rural, agribusiness, agricultural-crops, livestock, livestock-welfare, environment, climate-change, science-and-technology, albany-6330, wa, kalgan-6330, south-stirling-6324, woogenellup-6324, perth-6000, nsw, sydney-2000, vic, tas, sa
How the country famous for sheep stopped live exporting them Explainer
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As the latest live export debate rages in Australia, it has been 15 years since New Zealand banned the export of live sheep for slaughter.
Topics: animal-welfare, livestock, rural, livestock-welfare, trade, business-economics-and-finance, politics-and-government, world-politics, government-and-politics, albany-6330, new-zealand, perth-6000, south-perth-6151, west-perth-6005, kuwait, bahrain, saudi-arabia, north-perth-6006, east-perth-6004, vic, sa, adelaide-5000, port-melbourne-3207, melbourne-3000, newcastle-2300, nsw
Happy sheep key to understanding women's fertility struggles, says study
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New Australian research with sheep has found a very clear correlation between temperament and ovulation, forming a guide to understanding how stress can impact on a woman's ability to conceive.
Topics: rural, livestock, livestock-welfare, fertility-and-infertility, reproduction-and-contraception, health, science-and-technology, animal-science, australia, nsw, wa, albany-6330, perth-6000, north-perth-6006, east-perth-6004
Rogue feral pig hunters accused of spreading the pests for sport
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They're big, strong and smarter than your dog. Now experts are saying rogue hunters are illegally spreading feral pigs even further for sport.
Topics: rural, agricultural-crops, shooting, livestock, livestock-welfare, environment, environmental-management, environmental-impact, pests-diseases-and-control-methods, pests, invasive-species, law-crime-and-justice, wa, albany-6330, wagin-6315, bunbury-6230, east-bunbury-6230, south-bunbury-6230, perth-6000, qld, townsville-4810, williams-6391, arthur-river-6315, boyup-brook-6244, nsw, vic
It's my tractor and I'll do what I want to — farmers spearhead 'right to repair' fight
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It's a modern dilemma — a customer wants to fix a broken smartphone, tablet or laptop, only to be told by the manufacturer they will have to pay top dollar at an "authorised repair centre" or fork out for a replacement. But what if it's a tractor?
Topics: agricultural-machinery, rural, science-and-technology, international-law, laws, computers-and-technology, internet-technology, farm-labour, grain, agricultural-crops, albany-6330, wa, hyden-6359, lake-grace-6353, united-states, nsw, sa, qld
'Cold, filthy' men lucky to be alive after drunken ride on freight train
Posted
Police left dumbstruck after friends hatch alcohol-fuelled plan to ride a grain train from Albany on Western Australia's south coast to Perth.
Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, alcohol, grain, rail-transport, wa, perth-6000, albany-6330, cranbrook-6321
Farmer 'gutted' after thieves steal $50,000 worth of pregnant sheep
Posted
A farmer loses $50,000 worth of pregnant sheep and a "lifetime's work" of breeding, in what appears to be a well planned and executed heist.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, crime-prevention, rural, livestock, police, gnowangerup-6335, wa, perth-6000, albany-6330, pingelly-6308, east-pingelly-6308, west-pingelly-6308, kulin-6365, nsw, qld, sa, tas, vic
A Big Country: Community revives Darkan show Audio
Audio
Posted
After a 60 year break the small farming community of Darkan in Western Australia's south-west has revived its annual show. It's showcasing the region's wool industry. Read more
Topics: agricultural-shows, sheep-production, wool, community-development, darkan-6392
Resurrecting the country show in a struggling town (photos)
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Amid complaints over overpriced tickets, food and rip-off rides, Australia's agricultural shows are declining in popularity in cities — but the tiny town of Darkan, around 200km south of Perth, has held its first one in over 60 years.
Topics: agricultural-shows, regional, regional-development, darkan-6392, bunbury-6230, arthur-river-6315, wa, albany-6330, perth-7300
Cattle prices expected to drop in 2018
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Sky high Australian cattle prices are expected to tumble as Australians fork out top dollar for their favourite red meat cuts.
Topics: agribusiness, agricultural-prices, rural, beef-cattle, livestock, business-economics-and-finance, consumer-finance, food-and-beverage, lifestyle-and-leisure, food-and-cooking, australia, qld, albany-6330, nsw, sa, wa, perth-6000, katanning-6317
Winning vintage becomes toast to father taken by MND
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The last vintage shared by a winemaking family before losing their father and husband to motor neurone takes out top honours at National Wine Show.
Topics: motor-neurone-disease, health, rural, viticulture, small-business, community-and-society, family-and-children, kendenup-6323, canberra-2600, mount-barker-6324, albany-6330, wa
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