Federal politics

Earlier this week during his Run for the Voice ultra marathoner Pat Farmer ran to Yanchep National Park from Optus Stadium before heading north the next day. It was dark when Mr Farmer arrived at the Yanchep Inn on Wednesday, May 3 but a small group of people were there to greet him including Noongar cultural guide and didgeridoo player Derek Nannup.

Prime Ministers Albanese and Sunak met in London on 5 May 2023 and announced the long-awaited entry into force date of midnight 31 May 2023 for the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UK FTA), following the expected completion of UK domestic processes ... The A-UK FTA, which was agreed in principle in June 2021 and signed on 17 December 2021, will see Australian beef and sheepmeat/goat meat access to the UK liberalised over a transition period.

The Government will act on Treasury’s key recommendation to achieve a fairer return from offshore LNG projects by introducing a cap on the use of deductions from 1 July 2023. Specifically, the change will limit the proportion of Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) assessable income that can be offset by deductions to 90 per cent.

Senator Matthew Canavan and Member for Flynn Colin Boyce MP, have expressed their disappointment in NAB’s decisions to close the Biggenden branch ... "There are 47 community groups and 48 small businesses that are set to be directly impacted by the Biggenden branch closure. I urge NAB to support the community and keep this branch OPEN": Colin Boyce MP, Member for Flynn.

The Commonwealth Bank is closing a branch in an area it has itself labelled one of Australia’s most popular destinations for regional migration, breaking its pledge not to shut any regional branches while a senate inquiry into the impact of bank closures is in progress ... The Commonwealth Bank’s interpretation leaves Australia’s three biggest regional cities – Geelong, Wollongong and Newcastle – as well as the more densely populated regions along the east coast and places such as Bateau Bay, Gosford, Maitland, Murwillumbah, Raymond Terrace, Katoomba, Bacchus Marsh and Mandurah still vulnerable to the loss of their Commonwealth banks this year as they fall in the same category.

The National Farmers’ Federation welcomes the 5 May 2023 announcement that the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement will enter into force on 31 May 2023.  The FTA improves access to an important market for Australian farmers and will allow them to diversify their markets. It will importantly give UK customers the option of sustainable, high quality Australian produce on supermarket shelves to complement their existing home-grown options.

Robert Onfray. As we celebrate World Endangered Species Day on 19 May, I thought it timely this month to look closely at how species are faring in Australia, particularly in reserves authorities have established to protect them ... We don’t hear about this aspect of monitoring in our reserves because the government, bureaucrats and environmental activists don’t want the public to know just how poorly managed our reserves are.

The Australian Government has kicked off a new $1.4 million capacity enhancing project in Indonesia, providing Australian expertise in-country, to assist in the fight to control foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease (LSD) ... Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Mark Schipp said the project would be delivered by the FAO in partnership with the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) operating out of the MOA offices in Jakarta.

Five Barkly schools have been successful in a share of the $32 million grants to upgrade infrastructure and equipment. Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour was in Tennant Creek yesterday and visited Tennant Creek High School which will receive $25,000 to repair and maintain its facilities and refurbish classrooms.

A class action, organised and crowd-funded by Queensland GP Dr Melissa McCann, is taking aim at the Commonwealth government and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), along with a number of senior public servants, alleging negligence, breach of statutory duty and misfeasance in public office. The suit alleges that the respondents approved the vaccines “with no proper or reasonable evidentiary or logical basis to reasonably determine the vaccines to be safe, effective and possessing a positive risk-benefit profile.”

‘Have Your Say’ consultation is now open on a redraft of existing legislation that underpins Australia’s agricultural levy system ... The new legislation aims to provide a simpler, clearer legislative framework so industries can keep benefiting from their investments in research and development, marketing, biosecurity, emergency responses, and residue testing.

Members of the executive of the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia (IAPA) were pleased to welcome Senator Lidia Thorpe onto Barkindji Country, in far west NSW, this week (18/04/2023). Gathering at Mutawindji National Park, one hour from Broken Hill, the IAPA executive yarned with Senator Thorpe about current issues affecting IAPA members, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

Key details about the proposed $12m Yipirinya  boarding facility  remain unclear while the Federal Opposition has further assured its support for the project in a meeting with the school’s board of Aboriginal elders. Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, and Shadow Minister for Education, Senator Sarah Henderson, said the school is “like a family” when they visited the campus.

National Farmers' Federation Chief Executive Officer Tony Mahar said the industry had long called for a purpose-built migration system designed to meet its labour and skills demands, rather than the current mixture of haphazard solutions ... Mr Mahar said there was real concern among industry regarding the review’s recommendation to limit or even scrap the requirement for Working Holiday Makers to work on farm.

As part of the Australia Government  Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program, council has engaged a contractor to undertake the design and construction of pavement rehabilitation works on the  Rolleston Aerodrome Landing Area runway.  The design phase is expected to commence in early June and conclude in mid-June 2023 with the construction phase to commence between July and September 2023.

Reports have surfaced that Victorian Water Minister, Harriet Shing, has halted work on several of the nine Victorian Murray floodplain restoration projects, due to fears the federal government will not reimburse it for the work ... Irrigators now fear that Federal Minister Plibersek will now push on with further buybacks, adding to the current round of buybacks, all bringing with them perverse social, economic and environmental impacts.