Petrol price surges and some service stations reporting fuel shortages due to panic buying have been talking points across the Limestone Coast this week.

We have also seen sweeping changes that will give police additional powers to conduct weapon searches at declared shopping precincts in Mount Gambier. These include Mount Gambier Central as well as the Coles and Aldi precinct.

The ABC South East SA Breakfast presenter Becc Bird also hosted a live candidate forum on the verandah of the Mount Gambier Library on Wednesday. The issue of election flyers and political tactics, as well as health services, triggered a lively debate among the candidates.

Livestock farmers have also welcomed news the stagnated upgrade of the Glenburnie livestock exchange has been given the green light by Grant District Council.

And we saw dozens of working dogs in action at Kalangadoo this week, vying to be the top dog in 2026 National Kelpie Field Trial. Dogs from across Australia have flocked to the small rural township for four days of fierce competition.

Have an enjoyable weekend and tune in to our weekday and Saturday Breakfast programs on ABC South East SA radio, via the ABC Listen or stream us live via our website.

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And remember, if you have a story idea or a news tip, drop an email to abcsoutheast@abc.net.au.

Sandra Morello

ABC South East SA editor

Police have named the first regional Declared Shopping Centres, which grant police additional move-on and weapon search powers. The laws already apply to several Adelaide shopping precincts and have led to multiple weapon seizures. 

Lily Mathews's father died while drink driving four years ago. She hopes others can learn from her trauma.

The Middle East conflict is driving up the cost of an essential fertiliser for Australian farmers, but there are other factors more likely to affect grocery prices.

The outbreak of fighting in the Middle East has left Australian businesses scrambling, with some products sitting in warehouses with nowhere to go.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas says there is "no shirking the fact" his government has failed to deliver on its key election promise to fix the ramping crisis — a failure for which he has apologised.

Election flyer sparks debate: Liberal candidate for Mount Gambier Lamorna Alexander says she stands by her party's controversial political advertising, questioning independent candidates. The party conducted a letterbox drop with flyers, drawing attention to separate legal issues faced by former independent Troy Bell and