Federal politics

Sir Angus Houston. Following the 2-day Basin Leadership Summit in Sydney on 16 to 17 April the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has released a report summarising discussions of approximately 100 participants with diverse views on the environmental, cultural, economic, and social outcomes for the Basin. The Summit assembled more than 2,400 years of collective experience in Basin water management to gather diverse perspectives to inform preparations for the 2026 Basin Plan Review.

At the Sustainable Agriculture Summit held in Toowoomba last Thursday, the Federal Government announced details of $63.8 million allocated in the 2024-25 Budget. The funding will go towards supporting the reduction of emissions in the agriculture industry and contribute to the whole-of-economy transition to net zero.

The Narrandera Show Ground Trust Land Manager has applied for substantial capital to manage a five-year redevelopment plan of the showgrounds and its assets. Mr David Farley said this first started with a topographical and services survey, restoration and remediation surveys on building assets, especially the Industrial Hall Dome building.

I had a quiet moment of reflection after watching Bendigo Bank’s new commercial featuring Wakool farmer and butcher extraordinaire Hayley Patterson. The ad campaign titled Bigger for You points the finger at the ‘big four’, citing the Bendigo Bank is “Bigger for the community I care about”. It's a great line ...

Recovery Pods have been deployed to help South Australians still recovering from the River Murray floods. To date, six of the self-contained homes have been deployed to help individuals and families who lost their primary place of residence, with more still available.

The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee released a report which recommends investment in the financial services available in rural and regional Australia to make up for the loss of services from bank closures in recent years. There are 596 Australian towns which once had a major bank branch but now do not have a bank branch at all. In most cases, our major banks left these towns with no plan on how financial services would be provided after a bank closure.

It may have taken 20 years but a Federal Government inquiry has finally made good on a warning that if the 'big four' banks did not improve their treatment of regional Australian customers, they would be stripped of the privilege to self-regulate. Many thought this day would never come but the most surprised must be the banks or they would have never behaved in the ways outlined in detail during a senate committee’s 15-month deep dive into the welfare and economic impacts of regional bank closures.  

Official recognition of banking as an essential service, the end of self-regulation of the banking industry and a pathway forward for the consideration of a new government bank are some of the key recommendations to come from a Senate inquiry into the impact of regional bank closures.

Shaped by the highest volume of feedback since its inception in 2018, the 2023-24 annual GenCost report has been released ... GenCost is a leading economic report by CSIRO ... in collaboration with AEMO on the cost of building future electricity generation, storage and hydrogen production in Australia. The latest report introduces a range of changes in response to stakeholder feedback, most significantly, the inclusion of large-scale nuclear for the first time.

Seven airstrips in Queensland are set to receive funding under Round 10 of the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program ... The seven Queensland projects are sharing in $13.4m in new grants awarded under Round 10 to improve the safety and accessibility of airstrips across remote Australia. This includes the Lockhart River and Injune airstrips ... Kowanyama Airport ... Aurukun Aerodrome ... Woorabinda Airstrip ...

Argentina has long interested me. Just how a country blessed with their natural assets and European colonial history has managed to turn itself from being one of the 10 wealthiest countries in the world prior to the first world war to 65th in the world is a case study of the failings of popularist socialist government policies ... Imagine paying out $50 per tonne tax for the privilege of growing a tonne of wheat and then having to pay tax on any profits you manage to make.   It may sound mad but it's not that far from Albanese's new biosecurity tax on farm gate production.

“This is a monumental milestone for Australians, with this Standard to pave the way for Australians to access and benefit from the most advanced car, SUV and ute technology offered in other countries – which are cheaper to run and better for the environment. At every step of the way, we have listened to the views of Australians on how we can deliver a Standard that works uniquely for our country, which is what we have delivered today”: Catherine King.

The Casino Showground and Racecourse has had a massive makeover and was officially opened on April 20 ... The  new facility  includes a large undercover arena, an outdoor sand arena, turfed areas and covered stables, a new racehorse stable complex to accommodate up to 80 horses, and new car, truck and float parking areas.

GrainGrowers is closely monitoring the impending sale of Incitec Pivot Fertiliser (IPF) to Indonesian government-backed fertiliser company PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT) to ensure growers have access to a consistent supply of critical inputs. GrainGrowers’ Chair Rhys Turton said the sales process had been underway for some time, with members expressing concerns over access to an uninterrupted supply of products.

Representatives from Australia’s peak farming bodies have backed the adoption of the Farm Access Code of Conduct this week, marking a significant step forward in ensuring the respectful treatment of farmers across the nation ... "Farmer groups who met … will play a crucial role in working closely with the Australian Government and infrastructure developers to ensure widespread adoption and adherence to the Code”: Ian Sauer President of TasFarmers.