Federal politics

Community members will continue to be able to access free testing services for rabbits and hares, thanks to an Australian Government funded national disease monitoring program. The National Rabbit Disease Monitoring Program is being delivered by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.

Even though additional funding for local road maintenance was welcomed last week by Member for Indi, Helen Haines, and she said it must be made available as a matter of urgency. A case in point is the Murray Valley Highway between Corryong and Wodonga where motorists continue to face delays at two locations near Old Tallangatta where traffic lights have been installed and one lane closed where subsidence has occurred.

The environmental, economic and social value of water to our floodplain communities is once again washed away under a tide of political games ... Once again, South Australia leads the Feds around by the nose while glossing over the impacts of the barrages, the south east drainage scheme, the topography and even the estuarine nature of the area. 

The future of residential aged care in Ardrossan is in doubt as the local hospital tackles challenges which forced it to close its accident and emergency, and acute care ... "We also reluctantly realised our ability to provide sustainable aged care was doubtful and it was unlikely any other private provider would be interested in taking over these services": Ardrossan Community Hospital chairperson Margaret Tomsen.

The state government has committed to nominating Moonta Mines for World Heritage Listing. The Australian Cornish Mining Sites: Burra and Moonta Mines is now one step away from tentative listing after Deputy Premier Susan Close announced the government would support the bid...

The Albanese Government and Australian Greens have agreed to strengthen the Restoring Our Rivers Bill ... “We’re talking about the largest inland river system in Australia, supporting threatened plants and animals and delivering drinking water for 3 million Australians. We have to get this right": Plibersek ... “As part of this agreement, the Greens have secured an independent audit of water in the basin to stop the rorts, inject integrity and restore trust after a decade of mismanagement from vested interests": Hanson-Young.

More than 600 residents, business owners and farmers demanded "enough is enough" and called for a stop to the water buybacks by the Albanese Government in a protest rally at Leeton. The crowd in Mountford Park was addressed by Leeton Mayor Cr Tony Reneka...

Even though this week’s rally in Deniliquin pulled a 700-strong crowd, for many, it was simply a case of déjà vu. Another year, another town, another rally, and every farm and rural/regional community the length and breadth of the Murray-Darling Basin still fighting a rearguard action to save their water and their future.

Construction on Australia’s newest major water infrastructure asset is now complete. The $568.9 million Rookwood Weir, west of Rockhampton, will yield 86,000 megalitres each year to boost economic growth, agricultural production and industry in Central Queensland.

GrainGrowers has welcomed the Federal Government's commitment to increase the Roads to Recovery funding program ... GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said last year’s repeated flood events and persistent and unprecedented rainfall has deteriorated critical road infrastructure across Australia’s grain-growing regions and exacerbated systemic underfunding of the regional road network. 

The National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed news the Federal Government will double the Roads to Recovery funding program, providing a much needed shot in the arm to dilapidated regional roads ... NFF President David Jochinke said this increased funding would provide key resources to local government to maintain local road networks. 

Here we go again, yet another example of a live export case in the courts that has fallen over because the emotional rhetoric does not match up to the facts.This is what happens when animal activists and activist ministers come together and attempt to use the legal system to end a legitimate trade.

Occasionally I come across a speech in parliament by one of our elected representatives that needs to be shared loud and wide.  The following was made by Western Australian Liberal Senator Slade Brockman, President of the Senate, ex farmer, lawyer, PGA staffer and tireless defender of the people who make their income from primary industries. All those who oppose the live export trade should take the time to read what he has to say.

Patrick Goldsmith. Point Turton’s Hugo Taheny has been named as one of 11 ambassadors from across the country for International Day of People with Disability ... An elite athlete with a haul of accolades to his name, including two gold medals at the Virtus Global Games in Vichy, France, earlier this year, Mr Taheny was invited to take on the role by the federal government, alongside lawyers, writers, artists and academics.

Suncorp Group and Natural Hazards Research Australia have released a discussion paper to help drive a national conversation on giving communities at high-risk of being repeatably impacted by extreme weather the opportunity to be relocated out of harm’s way. The discussion paper was developed out of a roundtable held in Canberra...