Trevor Whittington, CEO WAFarmers

Hugo Bombora. Dear Senator  Varun Ghosh, Congratulations on your recent appointment to the Australian Senate. Nice to bump into you at a wedding last Saturday night. Thanks for the insightful questions. As acknowledged, it’s hard to put together one’s thoughts with Taylor Swift playing in the background. But as promised, here they are via email.

Meet newly appointed senator, the former barrister Varun Ghosh who recently took his place in the Senate after he was officially confirmed as Labor’s choice to replace the retiring Patrick Dodson. ... The bit in Ghosh's CV that talks about constitutional law is what every sheep farmer in WA should be interested in, as it hints that our new senator might actually understand the concept of States' rights and that any move to ban a trade that is almost exclusively out of one State may well impinge upon section 52 of the Constitution.

Last month at the GRDC Crop Update I put my name down to attend the GIWA breakfast expecting to hear all about how growers' 1 per cent of farm gate returns is being spent on grains R&D, only to find that I had signed up for the Ag Sector Diversity and Inclusivity Breakfast ... Now, don’t think I'm not into equality and diversity; I’m a big supporter of equality of opportunity with the goal of the best person getting the job, and I’m an even bigger supporter of diversity of opinion, as groupthink or lack of thinking is the beginning of the end for most organisations or even whole countries.

Seems the old saying "all roads lead to the city" applies as much to country kids as it does to new migrants who have just arrived. Can you believe that Australia has imported 8.15 million people since 2000? ... The National Skills Commission report has found that 45 per cent of employers struggle to fill apprenticeship positions and even then 53 per cent of starters fail to complete their qualification. Australian kids just don't want to get their hands dirty, while the skilled migrant workforce who are trade-qualified prefer the big cities to the bush.

I keep hearing that we should emulate European farmers by driving our tractors through the streets protesting against our Federal government’s attempts to stop farmers from farming. However, before farmers rush to the tractor, it's crucial to understand the vast differences between Europe's agricultural sector and Australia's ... This is what happens when farmers get into bed with government and take their coin.   It’s a lesson we should learn.

Why do both sides of federal politics continue to think we need to have a shipbuilding industry as part of our naval defence sector? Every year we spend billions of dollars trying to build ships in Australia when the most cost effective thing to do is import them off the shelf from our allies.

This week I thought I would join the lack of EV charging stations across regional WA together with the Australian government's adoption of the strict new Euro 6d emissions standards and give you my views on what this is likely to mean politically and its potential to redefine Australia.

The debate between the gun lobby and the Minister for Police Paul Papalia has recently reignited following the announcement of the state government's firearms buyback program. Mind you, it's a pretty one-sided debate, with the gun lobby launching ads at the Minister and missing badly, while the opposition remains hunkered down in a safe house up on the hill, hoping not to get caught up in the firefight.

Remember the Toodyay Boygerring Brook case that fired up the Aboriginal Heritage debate in March 2023? Tony Maddox will see his day in court with the trial starting on 22 February ... The outcome of the case will be pivotal in how farmers approach Aboriginal cultural heritage going forward. Mr Maddox has engaged Christian Porter as his barrister ...

Do you know what it costs to fill up an EV with a fast charger -  $30, $40, $50? Do you even know what it costs to run your house each night? ... If EVs are the future then we need to be frank about their pros and cons.