Tuesday, March 19, 2024

CATEGORY

Federal politics

Labor’s new fresh food tax will drive up cost of living: Littleproud

Labor’s legislation on a new fresh food tax has been introduced in Parliament ... Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor’s biosecurity protection levy will charge farmers for the biosecurity costs of importers bringing their product to Australia ... Labor will set the tax rate as a proportion of an industry’s average gross value of production over a three-year period.

Sharing the National Collection: Tiny Texas gallery to host Jan Brown works: Burke, Green

Five bronze sculptures by Australian artist Jan Brown will travel to Texas Regional Gallery in rural southeast Queensland as part of the Albanese Labor Government’s Sharing the National Collection program. Locals and visitors to Texas will be able to enjoy Brown’s striking sculptures of native birds, on loan from the National Gallery of Australia for two years...

Cook Labor Government deserts live sheep export industry: Love

Premier Roger Cook has deserted farmers and shown his true intentions after admitting in Parliament last week to talks with Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt to end the live sheep export industry. Deputy Nationals WA Leader and Member for Roe Peter Rundle MLA asked the Premier … to explain why the Minister for Agriculture had been in secret talks with Canberra around a transition package for farmers.

NFF urges parliament to side with farmers on biosecurity levy: NFF

he National Farmers’ Federation is sending a message to politicians to do the right thing by Australian farmers as debate on the controversial Biosecurity Protection Levy kicks off in the House of Representatives ... NFF President David Jochinke said despite the mounting evidence the levy was poor policy and should be scrapped...

Buloke Times Editorial: Facebook versus local newspapers

One of our pet hates is the phrase: "Yeah, I read about that on Facebook". Gets the hackles up every time. Yes, the person may have read a news report while on the social media platform, but it is almost certain that information was generated elsewhere. Facebook doesn’t employ journalists to engage with local communities and report information relevant to readers. We do.

Mansions for bush communities, courtesy governments?

Over the next 10 years 2700 mansions, at a cost to the taxpayer of $1.5m each, will be spread across Aboriginal communities in the NT outback ... It's simple: $4,000,000,000 divided by 2700 houses equals $1,481,481 per house ... we have asked Mr Albanese and Ms Lawler for a break-up of what the $4 billion will be spent on.

Aboriginal homes across the Barkly set for upgrades after NT and Federal governments announce $4 billion deal

The Territory and Federal Labor governments announced a landmark $4 billion investment this week to improve Aboriginal housing in remote communities across the Territory. The investment will see 2,700 homes built across the Territory’s remote communities in the next 10 years, with 270 homes built each year.

Government hasn’t given up on Basin plan says Minister

"I’ve been very clear that my government does not support buybacks. This is not an empty promise – I have already demonstrated that I am taking action by releasing the NSW Alternatives to Buybacks Plan in February that clearly shows how we plan to minimise the exposure of regional communities to water buybacks": NSW Minister for Water, Rose Jackson.

Supermarkets gouge growers millions in rebates alone: NFF

The Senate Select Committee on Supermarket Prices continues its hearings in Melbourne ... having heard repeated incidences of poor - if not unconscionable - behaviour by supermarkets from consumers and growers alike in Hobart and yesterday in Orange. Chair of the NFF Horticulture Council Jolyon Burnett said evidence and testimony from growers and industry representatives had already painted a bleak picture of the unbalanced trading relationship between major supermarkets and fresh produce suppliers.

Landmark $4 billion investment for remote housing in the Northern Territory: Lawler, Uibo

The Federal and NT Governments have announced a landmark joint $4 billion dollar investment for housing in remote communities across the NT to help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians ... The 10-year commitment to improve remote housing will see up to 270 homes built each year ... Labor Government is investing a further $120 million over three years to match the NT Government’s yearly investment ... in addition to the NT Government’s existing $40 million per annum investment in homelands housing and essential infrastructure upgrades.

Time to address the shortage of ag mechanics

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.

Bankwest invited to appear at Senate Inquiry: Canavan, Rennick, Colbeck, Brockman

Following the announcement of the closure of all Bankwest branches, the Regional and Rural Affairs and Transport Committee have invited Bankwest to appear at hearings in the Pilbara ... Senators Matthew Canavan, Gerard Rennick, Richard Colbeck and Slade Brockman have expressed their disappointment in the closure of Bankwest’s 45 branches despite commitments to not close branches during the ongoing Senate Inquiry into Regional Bank Closures.

The power and accountability in the Murray Darling Basin: Agribusiness Australia

Restoring our Rivers Bill debated at Agribusiness Australia event. The profound implications of the Commonwealth’s Restoring Our Rivers Bill was unpacked in a wide-ranging discussion about the Murray Darling Basin Plan at an Agribusiness Australia event in Melbourne last week in front of nearly 150 guests.

Caboolture Sawmill Expansion Project complete: King, Chisholm

The Caboolture Sawmill Expansion Project is now complete, which will support an internationally competitive sawmilling business for the Sunshine Coast gateway region ... As a result of the project, the site has doubled its production capacity and is currently processing 370,000m3 of locally-grown sawlog.

Amid widespread transmission line confusion … “VNI West must return to the drawing board”

“Victorian Labor’s attempt to again reboot consultation on transmission lines is an admission consultation has failed abysmally on VNI-West,” Member for Mallee, Dr. Anne Webster, says. The State Government has introduced a Bill to establish VicGrid, claiming the new brand will “modernise the way new energy infrastructure is planned and developed in Victoria while giving communities a voice in the process”.

One man, a tinnie and the mighty Murray

There’s a magic that comes from the tranquil flowing waters of the mighty Murray. As the river snakes from the mountains across the floodplains and finishes in the estuary, Dennis Miles of Yarrawonga has been observing the beauty, the challenges and the love expressed by people on the river.

Bankwest branch closures: Love

Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Nationals WA Shane Love ... noted Bankwest’s announcement of a transition to a wholly online servicing model and closure of their branch network across the State. Bankwest, which is owned by CBA (Commonwealth Bank of Australia), has stated 15 regional branches of Bankwest will be converted to CBA branches.

Aquaculture’s contribution to Australian seafood supply continues to grow: ABARES

The gross value of Australian fisheries and aquaculture production is forecast to grow by 0.5 per cent in 2023−24 to $3.56 billion according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said that growth in 2023−24 is predominantly driven by higher prices of wild-caught rock lobster...

Communities crying over removed milk

Norco have posted a statement on their Facebook page revealing the 100 per cent Australian farmer owned dairy co-operative has been overwhelmed by the passionate outcry from loyal customers after Woolworths recently announced their decision to remove the brand's milk products from 150 stores across metropolitan Sydney ... Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan has also expressed his disappointment in Woolworths following the announcement last week and said if the multinational retail and finance company wasn’t going to support Norco, he wasn’t going to support them.

The Riverine Grazier editorial: Don’t let our story end – Why Facebook’s decision matters to Hay

A decision by a large, faceless US based company miles away in their corporate offices may not seem to have much impact, here, out in Hay, or in Balranald or Ivanhoe. Our local newspaper – YOUR newspaper – surely feels no impact from Facebook or Instagram. Or does it? ... The decision by Meta to stop paying for the news it allows to be shared across Facebook and Instagram will have a direct impact on our newspaper and the support we can offer our readers and communities.

Plans for Delburn

The Delburn Wind Farm developer, Osmi Australia, has allayed speculation that the project would be affected by the federal government's rejection on environmental grounds of the Port of Hastings as a construction site ... Delburn involves the construction of 33 wind turbines each about 250 metres in height on plantation forest land owned by HVP Plantations ... recently deployed new fire detection technology that it said was a first for Australia and the wind farm industry.

Dalton fishes for river quality

Member for Murray Helen Dalton says carp are a threat to the Murray Darling Basin that has been ignored by the NSW Government ... “This week's release of the government's Alternatives to Buybacks Plan completely ignores one of the greatest environmental threats to our river systems - invasive and destructive Carp,” Mrs Dalton said.

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