Federal politics

Deniliquin farmer Anthony Roelink is continuing his fight to highlight what he believes is poor management of our river systems. He says a failure by authorities to heed the advice of local residents exacerbated the 2022 flood situation along the Murray River.

A motion to hold Australia’s first parliamentary inquiry into regional bank closures in 19 years has passed through the Federal Senate this afternoon. The new inquiry will look at the economic and welfare impacts of branch closures in regional Australia, as well as the process banks are following to close branches and reasons being given.

“This program will provide an injection of funds to improve priority drainage channels, reducing the immediate risks to agricultural assets and surrounding communities in future flood events. The funding will focus on the cleaning and treatment of sediment in drains to assist in the movement of water through these river systems": Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says proposed changes to the Fuel Tax Credits Scheme as flagged by the Grattan Institute would further increase the already sky-high cost of living pressures on consumers and further financially strain farmers ... “It’s essentially a tax on food at the worst possible time and an unnecessary cost farmers can’t burden”: VFF President Emma Germano.

The innovative use of drone technology combined with coding software is helping to improve the accuracy of waterbird monitoring across the Murray–Darling Basin ... "Collecting accurate data about waterbird numbers is vital to building our scientific knowledge and assessing the impacts of the Basin Plan": MDBA’s General Manager of Applied Science, Dr Matthew Coleman.

Private banks are abandoning rural Australians at an alarming rate and are relying on public-owned infrastructure – namely the Australia Post network – to plug the local service deficits left in their wake, Katter’s Australian Party Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has said. Speaking following news that Westpac would close its branches in Cloncurry, Tully and Ingham while NAB would depart Longreach in the coming months, Mr Katter said there was a growing onus on governments to intervene in the growing failure of banks to service the regions.

Australian exporters will see faster export documentation and easier access into Singapore’s markets, as certification between Australia and Singapore moves towards paperless trading ... “Using electronic export certification (eCert) means the relevant information is sent directly to overseas government agencies almost instantly, allowing for quicker clearance times so producers can get their goods to market faster”: A/g Deputy Secretary Nicola Hinder.

Last month marked the first time wild dog baits have been substituted for fox baits in Bounceback, a flagship program working to achieve conservation outcomes in South Australia’s north ... They replaced the fox baits normally used in their central and northern Flinders Ranges aerial baiting programs which covered National Parks and nine surrounding pastoral leases.

Australian Manuka Honey Association (AHMA) is celebrating a sweet win as New Zealand Manuka Honey Appellation Society backs out of an appeal over naming rights before the UK High Court and similar legal action in the EU ... Mr Littleproud welcomed the win over New Zealand producers in Europe and the UK, but said the Labor Government and in particular Agriculture Minister Murray Watt had a role to play in supporting our home grown Manuka Honey farmers over their Trans-Tasman rivals.

The Euston weir and lock 15 will be reinstated ... as high flows in the River Murray continue to recede. The weir was removed in mid-September 2022 to allow floodwaters in the River Murray to pass unobstructed.

It wasn’t a good start for of the Barkly’s economic future when news broke recently about Sun Cable’s entry in voluntary administration. Member for Barkly and Shadow Minister for Mining and Tourism Steve Edgington says the announcement seriously undermines Labor’s promise of a $40 billion economy by 2030.

Mrs McArthur said Labor’s Federal position on nuclear submarines further changes the energy landscape, with the Liberal Party federally adopting nuclear as a potential energy solution ... “If the Victorian Government really thinks it is Australia’s most progressive jurisdiction – then it should be brave enough and big enough to drop the moratorium and get real about the energy solution staring us in the face,” Mrs McArthur said.

Who would have thought that 34 years after the collapse of communism in the USSR and 43 years after the Hawke-Keating government started the process of dismantling Australia’s prices and income regulatory system, that Australia would be back reintroducing a Soviet style price control mechanism that caps gas and coal wholesale prices. Someone has not been reading their economic history. There are no lack of lessons from the past  that point to the unintended consequences of governments intervening in markets in an attempt to address short term political problems.

The Australian Government welcomes the entry of a new airline into the Australian market, with Bonza today being granted its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) following a rigorous assessment process. This is a significant milestone for Australian aviation, marking the first new high-capacity entrant into the Australian market since the launch of Tiger Airways over 15 years ago.

The National Farmers’ Federation says an agreement struck in the US allowing farmers the right to repair their own farm equipment will place Aussie farmers at a disadvantage unless similar steps are taken here. The right to repair allows farmers to take their equipment to a dealer of their choice to fix a problem or repair the machine themselves.

Farmers are frustrated by a stoush between state and federal governments that is holding up the construction of a vital freight link. On Tuesday Transport Minister Catherine King said the federal government would fund the start and end of the Great Western Highway upgrade, but there was “no money for the middle section” – a tunnel proposed by the state government.

In a cruel blow to Australian farmers, the Federal Labor Government has confirmed it has axed the $54 million pilot Soil Monitoring Incentives Program (SMIP) because of flooding ... "Labor’s decision to end the SMIP is disgraceful and it reflects their contempt for our farmers and the $85 billion agriculture industry": Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud.

“There is not one bank still open in our local area. How much cash will the supermarket give me? So far I’ve only asked for $100 each fortnight because there are still transactions to be paid in cash. Now for Christmas and gift giving I need much more because after two operations this year I’m not very mobile so cash will be for gifts.” ... Lack of access to a bank or ATM adds a layer of complexity to this time of year that our politicians just don’t seem to be able to fathom.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is rolling out sophisticated new technology to detect and identify exotic plant viruses and viroids at its Post Entry Quarantine Facility (PEQ) at Mickleham, Victoria. Australia’s Chief Plant Protection Officer Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith said the department was using High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) to improve the efficiency of PEQ testing in imported plants.

The National Farmers’ Federation’s (NFF) Horticulture Council is calling on the Federal Government to ensure its much-heralded solution to the growing workforce crisis works for the whole of the sector. Following Covid-19 disruptions, there was a swift shift towards a greater reliance on the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, but with that came headaches for smaller employers who previously relied mostly on backpackers.