Fertiliser shock could push Australia “towards the gates of a recession”, farmers warn: TasFarmers
TasFarmers has warned that just as farmers grapple with a fuel supply crisis, alarm is now growing over surging farm fertiliser prices that could push food costs higher and deepen economic pressure ... TasFarmers President, Ian Sauer, said the impact would be felt across the core fertilisers farmers rely on to grow crops.
Adult time, adult crime laws expanded
Member for Condamine and Speaker in the Queensland Parliament, Pat Weir has welcomed the strengthening of the State's Adult Time, Adult Crime legislation. Mr Weir points out that the Queensland Government is expanding its landmark Adult Crime, Adult Time laws to now cover 45 youth crime offences... Since the passing of the Making Queensland Safer Laws, more than 4,000 youth offenders have been charged with over 19,000 Adult Time offences...
Opinion: Diesel and fertiliser – The two essentials powering Western Australia’s economy: Hunter
Right now across regional Western Australia something deeply concerning is unfolding. Farmers are being told their diesel deliveries have stopped. Some have been warned supply may not resume for weeks. Others cannot lock in deliveries at all. In some cases, operations have already ground to a halt simply because there is no fuel to run the machinery. This should alarm every Western Australian.
Shock ‘invasion’ laws rammed through after council meets with Energy Minister
Victorian Minister for Climate Action, Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio MP has rammed through compulsory acquisition powers for transmission line easements just a week after meeting with Gannawarra Shire Council. A shocked Gannawarra Shire Mayor Garner Smith said that despite meeting with the Minister and VicGrid less than a week ago, nothing was mentioned.
Who will it be? Nine-way race for MacKillop
As voters prepare to shape the future of the region for the next four years, a record nine candidates will contest the seat of MacKillop at the state election on March 21 ... The declaration of nominations and the draw for ballot paper positions were held earlier last week, setting the stage for one of the most crowded contests the electorate has seen.
Panic at the bowser
Hugh Schuitemaker. Pressure on fuel supplies has seen a Mallee area service station frequently used by Riverlanders run dry, and is adding to anxiety being felt by farmers and growers according to the region’s State MP. Karoonda’s independent service station was as of yesterday out of fuel, with shortages sparked by panic buying due to the war in the Middle East.
TasFarmers calls for diesel guarantees as fuel surge threatens food security
TasFarmers has warned “without fuel there is no food”, calling on governments to guarantee diesel supplies for agriculture and freight as global tensions push fuel prices sharply higher. Diesel prices in parts of Tasmania have risen from about $1.87 to more than $2.17 per litre in the past week, creating uncertainty for farmers, contractors and freight operators across the state.
Some servos forced to restrict how much fuel drivers can buy with a 25l limit as prices rise
The news tonight ... was filled with words we didn’t want to hear about the price of fuel. Oil prices skyrocket… Prices scoring… Pain at the petrol pump… Markets in a tailspin. Any driver will see this scenario is starting to play out at country petrol bowsers close to home.
World first glulam made from Aussie blue gum a win for Victoria’s Timber Towns: Timber Towns Victoria
The world’s first glue laminated timber made from Australian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus), processed in Warrnambool, Victoria, has been unveiled at Mount Gambier’s new Forestry Centre of Excellence, marking a major breakthrough for plantation forestry and the communities that depend on it.
Long wait for green mine
An estimated 4 per cent of the world's NdPr, a high-performance rare earth crucial for batteries and electric vehicles, is under the ground a mere 135km north of Alice Springs. Yet a final investment decision has still not been made about a mine that was first proposed 23 years ago, but may be this year.
Council advocates for low-cost renewable electricity for residents
Gannawarra Shire Council has held discussions with the Victorian Minister for Climate Action, Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio MP and VicGrid representatives about its concerns regarding the construction of VNI West ... the project involves the construction of a 500-kilovolt double circuit transmission line that will connect the Victorian and New South Wales electricity networks.
Rochester flood barrier training exercise a success
Following the successful completion of last week’s flood barrier installation exercise in Rochester, Campaspe Shire Council is reinforcing the importance of maintaining strong flood preparedness measures to protect critical community assets in the town’s civic precinct. The exercise ... involved the full deployment and pack-down of the AquaFence flood barrier system around the Town Hall, Community House, Council service centre and library.
Water Act Review appointment bad news for regional communities: Cadell
The decision to appoint a former CEO of the Climate Change Authority to oversee the Water Act Review is as perplexing as it is dangerous to the future of Australia’s food security and thousands of regional jobs.
Farmers warn of conservation ‘land grab’: NSW Farmers Association
A controversial proposal from an anti-farming environmental group risks handing control of private land to government under the guise of conservation. NSW Farmers’ Conservation and Resource Management Committee Chair Bronwyn Petrie said the Wentworth Group of Scientists’ “Blueprint for a Healthy Country and Thriving Regions” to farmers was deeply disingenuous.
Flood that cost over $3.7 billion
Four years on from one of the biggest floods in living memory across the Northern Rivers region that was also Australia’s biggest natural disaster, people, homes and businesses are still feeling the impact ... On the four-year anniversary of the floods, Deputy Leader of the Federal Nationals, Member for Page Kevin Hogan slammed what had been done to help Lismore recover and rebuild.
North East Rail passengers set to be locked out of Sunshine transport hub: Cleeland
The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland MP, has raised concerns in State Parliament this week about the redevelopment of Sunshine Station, warning the current design risks locking north-east Victorian passengers out of one of the state’s most important transport interchanges.
Banjima people take Wittenoom to the United Nations Human Rights Council and launch litigation against WA Government
On March 10, Banjima Traditional Owners and the filmmakers behind Walkley Award-winning documentary YURLU | COUNTRY will take part in an official UN Side Event at the Human Rights Council, in Geneva, Switzerland. It comes off the back of Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation launching a $1.5 billion claim against the WA Government, as part of their Clean Up Wittenoom campaign...
Farmers gutted after compulsory acquisition amendment passes: VFF
"The Victorian Farmers Federation is gutted that Parliament has backed laws allowing farmers’ land to be taken for transmission lines before the environmental assessment is even finished": Brett Hosking, VFF President.
The stink about releasing the carp virus
The Carp Herpes Virus (scientifically known as Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 or KHV) is a biological control agent proposed by the Australian government to combat the invasive common carp. Since its introduction in the 1800s, carp have decimated Australia's freshwater ecosystems, with experts estimating they make up 80 to 90 per cent of the fish biomass in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Radiotherapy wins backing from MacKillop candidates
All five candidates contesting the seat of MacKillop have declared support for establishing radiotherapy services in the Limestone Coast, according to written responses provided to the Limestone Coast Radiation Treatment Working Group ahead of this month's state election ... Ahead of the meeting, candidates were invited to provide written responses to a series of questions regarding the provision of radiotherapy services...
Moonta Mines shutdown sparks local outcry – Dis-trust
Michelle Daw. Locals are rallying behind volunteers locked out of the Moonta Mines heritage site, demanding answers over the National Trust of South Australia's shock decision. More than 300 people gathered outside the Sweet Shop — one of the site's most popular attractions — on Friday, February 27, to protest the NTSA's move earlier in the week to disband its Moonta branch committee.
Regional growth without rail is a hollow promise: Siri Gamage
Dr Siri Gamage. We keep hearing about regional growth. We hear about decentralisation, productivity, housing pressures in capital cities and the promise of thriving regional communities. But here is the uncomfortable truth: growth without proper public transport is not a strategy. It is rhetoric.
