Media Release

Mallee’s food exporters face huge spikes in Commonwealth export fees after the shock release of data under the cover of a quiet Friday after sunset. The Albanese Government’s final Export Cost Recovery Implementation Statements confirm fee increases of up to 384 per cent on agricultural exporters.

Following ABC Landline's profile of the pollination impacts of Varroa mite, the NFF Horticulture Council and the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are jointly calling on horticulture producers to plan now for a future where reliable, managed pollination can no longer be taken for granted.

A slowing in global milk production - following an intense period of growth - is set to see global dairy markets headed back towards supply and demand ‘balance’, Rabobank says in its newly-released Q2 Global Dairy Quarterly. The report, by the international agribusiness bank’s RaboResearch division, says the rate of global milk production growth finally began to slow in quarter two this year.

Krissy Barrett. When I became AFP Commissioner last year, I said I would have candid conversations with Australians to inform them about the threats they face ... But parents and caregivers now need to be aware of entrenched and emerging criminal threats because of rapidly-evolving technology.

Australia’s farmers are embracing new income streams to remain viable, but the nation’s tax system has not kept pace, according to new research ... by AgriFutures Australia. The report, Assessing the Implications of Emerging Farm Income Streams for Primary Producer Tax Policy, shows modern farm businesses are increasingly hosting renewable energy projects, participating in environmental markets and managing land access agreements...

The Albanese and Crisafulli Governments have partnered with the City of Gold Coast to deliver Australia’s first council-managed Conserved Area.

It’s all smiles and melted hearts as three baby bilbies emerge from their mothers’ pouches at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Under the careful watch of Alice Springs Desert Park staff and researchers, the three bilby joeys will remain with their mothers on display in the Nocturnal House, just in time for the school holidays.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) CEO Heather Cook will help spearhead new tech partnerships and AI solutions at a meeting with Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group (FELEG) agencies in London this week, amid growing online threats seriously impacting youth and vulnerable communities.

Murray Industrial Hemp (MIH) is thrilled with news the NSW Government has granted $10 million for a new hemp manufacturing business in Barham ... MIH will use the government funding, along with investments from local and national shareholders, to build industrial hemp processing and block manufacturing facilities in Barham.

The Australian Koala Foundation is delighted to have sponsored a new enchanting book celebrating the life of May Gibbs and her love of wild koalas ... Written by Fiona Starr and created for Nutcote’s centenary, this stunning 100-page book brings together May’s own words, artwork, and rich imagery to tell the story of the place she called home.

Queensland farmers are warning that the State’s quick-fire series of legislation amendments aimed to facilitate projects considered strategically important to Queensland have the potential to provide negative consequences to the future protection of agricultural land and regional communities.

The Cook Labor Government has granted an aquaculture licence to Fremantle-based company SeaStock Pty Ltd for Western Australia's first commercial scale, land-based seaweed production facility, now under construction in Oakford. In recent years, algae aquaculture markets have developed significantly both locally and abroad for a type of red algae known as Asparagopsis.

The Minns Labor Government is backing regional communities with a $470 million investment in the 2026-27 NSW Budget to modernise management of the NSW RFS fleet ... The Minns Labor Government will also introduce legislation to transfer ownership of the State’s ‘red fleet’ of more than 6,000 firefighting vehicles from councils to the RFS.

Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud is demanding urgent government action after independent testing confirmed imported peanuts being sold across Australia have tested positive for germination - proving they are raw, not roasted as labelled.

Member for Roe Peter Rundle MLA has raised a Grievance with the Minister for Agriculture over the Cook Labor Government’s continued delays to the Esperance Extension of the State Barrier Fence - a critical piece of infrastructure designed to protect Western Australia’s agricultural and livestock industries from invasive species and agricultural pests.

The independent Inspector–General of Water Compliance (IGWC), the Hon. Troy Grant, has released the second Murray–Darling Basin Compliance Activity and Outcomes Report (CAOR). This Basin-wide report covers activities in 2023 to 2025, building on the 2022-23 report, and presents a picture of how Basin State regulators monitor water take, apply compliance tools and report publicly on their work.

The Board of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) has met with Minister Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to discuss the cessation of the Inland Rail project.

Adelaide University research into the complexity of plant exo-hydrolytic enzyme could have multiple benefits for medical, pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology industries. For more than a decade, Professor Maria Hrmova, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, and a team of around 30 experts have been exploring the fundamental catalytic properties of plant exo-hydrolytic enzymes.

Growers in the far eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia will benefit from two new Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investments exploring long coleoptile wheat, deep-seeded crops and deep phosphorus fertiliser placement.

The Sesame Central Program Framework provides a comprehensive roadmap for developing a sustainable and commercially viable sesame industry in Australia.