Contributor, ARR.News

When a group of Midwest Traditional Owners visited the Pilbara recently they gained a whole lot more than a training experience. The Yamatji, Jidi Jidi and Nanda groups from the Midwest were hosted by the Yindjibarndi group at Millstream Chichester National Park, south of Karratha.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says the Victorian agriculture industry can propel the state’s economy and surpass $20 billion dollars of food and fibre exports by 2030 if the Victorian Government focusses on road maintenance, lowering costs and improving freight efficiency. In a submission to the Refresh of the Victorian Freight Strategy, VFF President Emma Germano said having a plan to maintain and fix regional roads would be key to reinforcing agriculture…

A joint investment of $8 million is being made to the Community Infrastructure Assessment project which will allow for water services in 55 remote communities to be assessed ... The Federal Government is also investing $2.3 million to develop a detailed business case for the expansion of the Ord Irrigation Expansion project.

The Government is progressively returning 450 gigalitres of water to the environment by 2027, with voluntary purchase just one of the ways that water will be recovered. Under the Voluntary Water Purchase Program opening the week of 15 July, the Commonwealth will launch its first tender to buy up to 70 gigalitres of water entitlements from willing sellers in parts of the southern Basin.

Onwards and upwards is the theme for the 2024 Australian Sheep and Wool Show, which captures the camaraderie and community spirit of an agricultural sector that is constantly adapting to meet changing market conditions. The 145th annual event will be held at the Prince of Wales Showgrounds in Bendigo from July 19-21, bringing together stakeholders from all aspects of the sheepmeat and wool industries.

Bev McArthur raised the case of a Victorian councillor who experienced the weaponisation of complaints process by their ideological opponents. The Member for Western Victoria and former Councillor of Corangamite Shire said “there is a steady rise in political intimidation of conservative Councillors in Victoria's local government sector ..."

State Member for Hill, Shane Knuth, has unleashed his fury at the Queensland Government for the forced withdrawal of his Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill from the Health, Environment, and Agriculture Committee ... "In my 20 years in parliament, I have never been forced to withdraw a private member's bill on what I would call a technicality. This is another example of how broken our parliamentary system is in Queensland": Shane Knuth.

The Lawler Labor Government has declared buffel grass a weed and will now move towards reducing its impact in Central Australia by formalising a weed management plan. The recommendation to make the declaration under the Weeds Management Act 2001 was informed by the work of both the Technical Working Group, and the Buffel Grass Management Strategy 2024-2030, as developed by the Buffel Grass Weed Advisory Committee.  

The sight of cane harvesters firing up in paddocks across Queensland’s most northernly district has come as a huge relief to Mossman growers, with a one-year commercial deal between growers and MSF Sugar enabling the 2024 cane crush to finally get underway.  After months of sensitive negotiations with the State Government, trucks have begun hauling Mossman cane 100km down the Captain Cook Highway to MSF’s Mulgrave Mill at Gordonvale.   

The Victorian Farmers Federation’s (VFF) livestock biosecurity and welfare initiative, Stock Sense, is experiencing record high attendance at its Victorian events and workshops, reflecting a growing appetite amongst producers and the community for its resources. VFF Livestock President Scott Young said the initiative has never been more important since launching in its current format in 2021.