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When the facts change: In praise of politicians who pivot
"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?" That famous line, attributed to John Maynard Keynes, ought to be stitched into the lapels of every politician wandering through Parliament House with a talking point in one hand and a Twitter poll in the other. For out here in the Wheatbelt, we know better than most that stubbornness is a vice when the wind shifts and the sheep are heading for the neighbour's crop.
Don’t bite the hand which feeds you
Roughly two thirds of voters in those 39 seats in the House of Representatives defined as "rural" by the AEC gave their first preference vote to right of centre parties in the 2025 federal election ... No matter how many votes are cast and no matter how many seats are won in rural areas in favour of a particular side of politics it will not matter a fig if the majority of voters in the city and provincial electorates cast their votes in favour of the opposite side of politics.
Letter to the Editor: Budget dilemmas
Ken Grundy, Naracoorte. To suggest we have not sufficient money for the economy is like saying we cannot measure a piece of timber because we haven’t sufficient feet or inches. The economists, financial advisers and Treasurers all offer advice. Usually, the recommendations from one will be criticised by others.
Our Reserve Bank and voting history
During our recent Federal election campaign, very little of practical value was unfortunately debated or said about urgently correcting Australia’s current $1,000,000,000,000 (trillion) national debt now running at about $38,000 per head of every man, woman and child in the country. In addition to this largely unsolved and growing financial problem, history has repeated itself from the 1930’s Great Depression days when the ruling Scullin Government went on another over-spending spree...
TasFarmers congratulates election winners, and flags fallacy of policy mandate
TasFarmers President Ian Sauer ... stressed that some major issues were not presented to voters during the campaign, including changes to superannuation, environmental law reforms, and forestry policy, therefore it is a fallacy to say there is a mandate from voters.
Comrades, it’s time to go after the capitalist class
Anthony Albanese and his hapless Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, are quietly laying the groundwork for an ideological legacy that could do more damage to rural Australia than a decade of drought ... A calculated redistribution of wealth from the asset-rich, income-poor class—i.e., Australia’s farmers—to fund the pet projects of inner-city progressives. The method? Tax reform, veiled under the soft language of “fairness” and “equity.”
Prescribed burns a health risk to skinks in Mt Lofty Ranges: UniSA
Prescribed burning in the Mount Lofty Ranges to reduce bushfire risks may be threatening the survival and biodiversity of skinks and other reptiles. That’s the finding from a new University of South Australia (UniSA) study that analysed the health of more than 1750 reptiles from eight species over a two-year period.
Editorial: Record breaking festival marks 30 years
Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 Man From Snowy River Bush Festival, the board and more than 300 volunteers that made it successful can take a well deserved bow ... As the festival got into full swing, staff from at least four government agencies including the Department of Health and Worksafe descended on the event in search of infractions that impeded organisers and volunteers while trying to deal with record attendances.
River Murray Communities Water Transition Program
Nicola Centofanti. While many irrigators have been removing patches of wine grapes and converting to other crops, there are still many grape growers feeling the impact of ongoing low prices. With consumption of commercial wine falling globally and the large volume of wine retained in storage, there is little cause for optimism in the immediate future.
Why do all roads for migrants lead to the big city?
Western Australia has once again recorded the fastest population growth in the country, adding 72,600 people in the year to September 2024. To put that into perspective: if every one of those new residents moved into the 200 towns across the Wheatbelt’s 42 shires, it would more than double the population of every town. Yet, on a recent drive across the Wheatbelt, cutting through multiple towns, I didn’t see a single new house being built.
My journey from Nepal to Western Australia: A tale of transition and reality
Omika Upadhayay. This is the story of how I left behind my home, my family in Nepal, and a budding career in agricultural research to become one of over half a million people who migrated to Australia last year—and eventually found myself working in the WAFarmers office.
Beware of politicians bearing gifts
It is about time that all we Australians of different political persuasions spoke up against the way our tax monies are all too often being manipulated and used for non-essential vote collecting purposes. Each day during the current national election campaign we have been wont to hear this or that politician standing for election often making 'pie in the sky' promises...
Disturbance and fire risks: the science clearly shows logging and burning makes forests more flammable: David Lindenmayer, Philip Zylstra
Professor David Lindenmayer AO and Associate-Professor Philip Zylstra. Dr Tony Bartlett's recent article contains serious flaws in logic and misrepresents scientific evidence. Understanding the empirical data is critical for safeguarding communities and preserving native species.
High time to end the war on weed
MardiGrass Organising Committee. For 33 years, MardiGrass has given voice to the Oz weed resistance, tirelessly educating and agitating for an end to the war on weed. As usual, MardiGrass offers mind-blowing ideas and education all weekend at the 2025 Hemposium, and is an extraordinary chance to share and learn about our favourite plant ally and healing herb. The Hemposium will showcase an impressive line-up of speakers ...
Minister Jarvis a modern major Minister
I am the very model of a modern Minister for Agriculture. You know you’ve made it as a minister when the Premier grants you one of the prestigious 12th-floor offices in Dumas House – even better if it overlooks Kings Park, with sweeping views across the Swan River and out to Rottnest.
Opinion – Bauxite mine expansion approval exposes double standards for forest conservation in Western Australia: Lachlan McCaw
Dr Lachlan McCaw AFSM. Federal environmental approval recently granted for expansion of the South 32 Worsley bauxite mine has given the green light to clearing of a further 3855 hectares of native forest around Boddington south-east of Perth ... the community should question how much bauxite mining is enough, and whether closure of the native forest timber industry is simply a convenient smokescreen for increased mining in the jarrah forest.
Opinion – Why a carbon price is changing the future of forestry: SFM
Andrew Morgan. For more than two decades, SFM has worked at the intersection of forestry, agriculture and investment ... In recent years, we’ve witnessed a structural shift in what drives value in plantation development — and it’s been driven by something invisible, yet incredibly powerful: a real, regulated and recognised price on carbon.
Opinion: Farmer wants wetlands reinstated after toxic floodwaters destroy crops and trees
Steve Posselt lives on a property at Swan Bay. He describes the impact of the latest flooding on farmland ... Thearles Drain had gone from black to green and now back to black ... This dead cane is the area to the left of the drain ...
Do no harm and hear the other side
Once every three or so years at the federal level, peak bodies in agriculture line up to present their election wish lists to the major political parties, in the hope of getting them embedded in their campaign platforms ... it’s time to change the tune.
Biodiversity versus Great Koala Park: a bit of fairdinkum science: Vic Jurskis
According to Forestry Australia’s Dr Freeman, National Parks don’t guarantee biodiversity ... The Endangered listing of koalas north of the Victorian border and the idea of a Great Koala National Park are farcical. The koala is an irruptive species. High numbers indicate an irruption, not a stable population.
Another cruel hoax
The Federal Government’s callous disregard for rural, regional and remote Australians is on full display in the final business hours before a potential federal election is called, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said, after the Aged Care Minister announced an impossible timeline to save regional aged care home care services.
Research outputs – Talk about logging but don’t talk about national parks: SETA
Peter Rutherford, SETA. It is difficult to know how to respond to Professor Lindenmayer’s most recent comments, when he continues to focus on areas subject to timber harvesting and appears to ignore the fact that 855,310 hectares of the iconic Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area was burnt by bushfires in 2019-20. This is over 16 per cent of the total area burnt in NSW in 2019-20.
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