Editorial – December edition of the Alice Springs Rural Review

It is the last edition of the Alice Springs Rural Review in  2018, and what a year it has been! The Aussie Grass information shows that  there has been substantial grass growth around Alice Springs and in the South  East, unfortunately this hasn’t spread to all areas in Central Australia yet.  Hopefully there will be some significant weather systems extending down from the  northern monsoons into the arid zone, to get enough growth for the year.

We recently held a focus group at Arid Zone Research  Institute (AZRI) to ask some of you, our stakeholders, what you would like to  see with regard to communication avenues. Most wanted the Rural Review to  remain, so here it is again. Changes were suggested, and some of those are in  this edition but I would like to know if you would like other changes. During  the focus group the discussion went over channels like radio, podcasts,  internet, social media, newspapers and magazines. How the world has changed over  the past 10 – 15 years! For some of you internet was still barely accessible or  slow, and for others, the challenges have been mainly conquered using satellite  technology.

We had a wonderful celebration this November of the 50th  birthday of the AZRI. A brainchild of Colonel Lionel Rose, the institute has  done wonderful things for the Central Australian community over those years,  with the defeat of Brucellosis and Tuberculosis in cattle, elimination of  bovine pleuro-pneumonia and early trials on grapes and dates. A booklet  outlining the history and current work at AZRI can be found on the Department  of Primary Industry and Resources website. So all of us at the  Department of Primary Industry and Resources wish you a Merry Christmas, and a  prosperous 2019. Stay safe while travelling, and enjoy the company of your  family and friends.