The arts are an essential industry. We need artists as much as we need accountants. We need dancers as much as we need doctors. We need comedians as much as we need civil engineers. We need filmmakers as much as we need financial planners. We need musicians as much as we need ministers.

Nudge Nudge Wink Wink returns to the Billinudgel Hotel on Saturday with Australian dance music icon Groove Terminator headlining fresh local talent and our beloved residents – all ready to deliver a serious dose of dance delight, all while supporting youth mental health organisation Human Nature Adventure Therapy.

It is the age-old story – the lack of public transport across the Northern Rivers that leads to high car ownership and a failure of local and regional public transport infrastructure and use.

The Blacks Drain crossing on Tweed Valley Way at South Murwillumbah has fully reopened after a $2.56 million rebuild designed to reduce the risk of another washout.