Media Release

The Australian livestock industry will work with Indonesian feedlots to help protect their facilities from disease incursions and subsequent trade disruption via a biosecurity support project jointly funded by the Australian Government and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) ... MLA responded to a question from ARR.News about border closures.

The DAFF statement regarding the interception of items containing fragments of Foot and Mouth Disease brings home the urgent need to ramp up the resourcing of Australia's biosecurity systems and implement 100% screening of passengers returning from high-risk areas ... Fiona Simson responded to a question from ARR.News about border closures.

The latest State of the Environment Report paints a dire picture for the ongoing survival of Australia’s threatened species under ever increasing pressure from feral animals and weeds ... “Invasive species are the common denominator: foxes and feral cats fuelled by rabbits are the major driver of mammal extinctions while foreign plants are a source of major weed problems impacting landscapes throughout Australia. :Andreas Glanznig, Chief Executive of the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has released a report highlighting the key drivers behind complaints about mobile services. The report is in response to a shift in complaint trends, with mobile services becoming the dominant complaint type. Between July 2020 and March 2022, the TIO received over 63,000 complaints about mobile services.  

The NSW Government is backing growing industry calls for the urgent development of a national mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification system in light of the serious threat of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) entering Australia ... “Individual traceability for sheep and goats will be crucial during an emergency disease outbreak and deliver benefits across the supply chain" : Dugald Saunders, NSW Agriculture Minister.

Following the release of the State of the Environment report, the peak national organisation representing over 1,000 forest scientists and professionals in Australia has joined in supporting Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek’s calls for more reform in the area of environmental law ... “The current approaches to management of Australia’s forests are not working – we believe we need to reform our philosophy of land management, our approach to conservation and how we manage our forests,” Forestry Australia President Bob Gordon.

Sea Swift is delighted to announce that Dwayne Freeman has been appointed as the new CEO of Northern Australia’s largest shipping company ... “Over the coming months I’m looking forward to getting to know the Sea Swift team, our customers, and building high-quality relationships with all levels of government, industry, and the community.” Mr Freeman ... will be primarily based in the company's Cairns office.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has written to Victorian Minister Lily D ‘Ambrosio, Minister for Environment and Climate Action calling for an immediate suspension of the rules that allow camping on riverside farmland due to the biosecurity risks posed by both Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). VFF President Emma Germano said both LSD and FMD pose a very real risk to the agriculture industry and the Victorian Government must take swift action to prevent disaster.

Twenty Sunshine Coast teams have battled it out at the RoboRAVE Australia annual robotics competition at the University of the Sunshine Coast, with ten of those teams from seven local schools winning across 15 divisions ... The energy was electric as students, aged eight to 20 representing 363 teams from across Queensland, ... raced to design, build and program fully autonomous robots to compete in the challenges for each division. 

Outgoing NSW Farmers President James Jackson says there is a great future ahead for Australian agriculture if governments and the public support the vital sector ... “Australia as a nation lags behind on backing farmers, with a government paper on food security this week revealing we have one of the lowest levels of agricultural support across the 37 OECD member countries – and when compared to major emerging economies."

Five new state junior surfing champions have been crowned in Geraldton over the weekend, as the final event of the 2022 Woolworths State Junior Surfing Titles presented by SunSmart, wrapped up yesterday in clean and contestable wavs at Back Beach.

The first train arrived at Huntly Station on Saturday morning after a 68-year absence, while trains returned to Raywood on Sunday morning for the first time in more than 40 years.

Learn more about Foot & Mouth Disease/ Lumpy Skin Disease + Q&A

For farmers across Australia the boundary between the home and the workplace is blurred. This is further complicated for those raising children when trying to balance the freedom that comes with living on lots of space with enforcing lifesaving safety precautions ... This Farm Safety Week, Farmsafe Australia is highlighting the importance of mitigating the risks that arise when home and workplace are intertwined.

Forestry Australia is delighted to announce the appointment of two new co-chairs to lead its Future Foresters Initiative (FFI) Committee. Alannah Rowe and David Faluyi will head up the committee made up of young forestry professionals and forest science students which aims to support career growth and foster the next generation of forestry leaders.

Ian Sauer, TFGA President believes that it is time for an independent or parliamentary review into legislation such as Land Acquisition Act 1993, Irrigation Company Act 2011, Hydro-Electric Corporation Act 1995 and other associated legislation, which allows for the authorised acquisition of land for the purpose of infrastructure ... An irrigation scheme was fully sold before the relevant GBE approached the Scott-Youngs’ and informed them they would need to acquire around 5 per cent of their land to locate a dam. This parcel included 20ha in the middle of the farm. Right outside their front door.

Jane Richter. The early onset of cold weather in Queensland coupled with great rains in the last 12 months means there is a bumper crop of newly maturing ginger being harvested right now. And shoppers should get the benefit ... if only the retail giants would pass on the huge cost cuts that they have been enjoying for at least the last month ... The wholesale market sale price in Sydney recently dropped to below $7 per kilo for fabulous fresh large-sized mature ginger, and yet the product is still being sold at $45 or more per kilo by the major retail chains.

A trail of Stories in Light in Regional South Australia Port Pirie City Park Projection will illuminate with a special feature each night throughout August, as one of the five featured Stories in Light sites on the CONSTELLATION Trail around regional South Australia. The connected trail uses larger than life moving images to explore future themes of science in collaboration with talented artists, animators and innovators across all five regions simultaneously.