May 2026
DALBY 07 4669 7317 TOOWOOMBA 07 4633 5513 WARWICK 07 4661 4126 GOONDIWINDI 07 4519 3801
12808941-CV44-25
Neighbour’s life-saving move
Tributes to leader and mentor
PAGES 10-11
PAGE 12
Innovator comes up with a first A Queensland-based agricultural innovator has achieved an Australian first, developing the nation’s only fully traceable, uncontaminated oat supply grown and processed entirely on home soil. Kylie Martin, who was raised in Central Queensland farming communities, founded GF Oats Australia in 2009 after struggling to source safe oat products for her gluten-sensitive children. Through that journey, Mrs Martin uncovered significant shortcomings in Australia’s food system, including a reliance on imported oats, widespread cross-contamination and labelling restrictions that prevent oats from being classified as “gluten-free” despite meeting international standards. STORY PAGE 21
Farmer Kim Rintoul, Kylie Martin, who founded GF Oats Australia in 2009, and Garry McGeorge in a field of oats. (Supplied)
‘Our own Kuwait’ Eromanga, a tiny outback town in western Queensland, is being positioned as a critical hub for Australia’s fuel security. While the town recently began refining the first barrels from the new Taroom Trough, local leaders argue the true solution lies in the underutilised Cooper Basin.
12859840-JV18-26
Quilpie Shire Council Mayor Ben Hall is advocating for the removal of regulatory barriers - specifically the Lake Eyre Basin environmental protections - that currently restrict oil extraction. Despite having a 40-year record of safe pro-
duction and a refinery capable of easing the national fuel crisis, legislative limits have forced the facility to operate at reduced capacity. Dubbed the “Kuwait of Australia”, the region boasts significant proven reserves and established infrastructure.
Proponents argue that increasing local production would not only bolster sovereign energy capability and reduce volatile import reliance but also provide essential economic resilience for Western Queensland communities currently facing “economic unsustainability.” STORY PAGE 2