State politics

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP is continuing to talk to stakeholders, in his push to set up residential alternatives to sending kids to gaol ... He has long argued for a mandated, residential option for young offenders - something between being released back into the community and being sent to custody.

For the first time, a contingent of Nepali fire and forest management professionals have visited Victoria to learn from our fire experience. The visitors were hosted in Victoria by the Australian Himalayan Foundation through the Australia Awards Fellowships program.

After a decade of Labor “modernisation,” the federal wage system now comes with a hidden tripwire buried deep in the fine print — and it’s farmers who keep stepping on it. Under the Pastoral Award 2020, a harvester driver on a base machine operators’ rate of $32.90 an hour can suddenly cost you $48.50 once the 152-hour overtime cliff kicks in. That’s not rational economics; it’s central planning with double penalty rates.

While the Victorian Government is moving to ban pet crocodiles, the Finocchiaro CLP Government is backing them - with 63 Territorians already licensed to keep 123 crocs, it's proof our unique Territory lifestyle is alive and thriving. Now, the CLP Government is inviting Territorians to have their say on new safety and welfare guidelines to make owning a pet croc simpler and safer than ever.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food, Lachlan Hunter MP, says the Cook Labor Government has shown extraordinary negligence on biosecurity, sitting on an independent review of the State’s laws for nearly two years before quietly tabling a watered-down response in Parliament with zero public announcement.

Terry Collins. The NSW Government has come in for strong criticism for allowing just three days extra for public comment on its controversial Draft Central Coast Strategic Conservation Plan ... "The Plan proposes 14,000 new residential lots; it outlines how our unique biodiversity will be managed for the next 30 years and it describes how the NSW Government will deliver its housing targets by unlocking new lands for development": Acting Mayor John Mouland.

Many stakeholders have been left shocked by yesterday’s Federal Government announcement to fast track an additional 130 gigalitres of water purchases from farmers in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin, despite evidence that the Basin management needs to move beyond “just adding water”.

Following community consultation held in 2024 on the Castlereagh Country Drought Plans, the Gilgandra and Warrumbungle Shire Councils, supported by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the NSW Government, are pleased to announce the launch of an innovative free event aimed at building resilience, empowering communities and showcasing opportunities.

The state government has no plans to restore 24-hour police station operations in Naracoorte or other Limestone Coast towns, despite growing frustration from regional communities over slow response times and reduced police visibility. Police minister Blair Boyer told The [Naracoorte] News that reopening stations around the clock would “mean someone has to be at the station at all times in case someone attends,” arguing the current model kept officers on the road rather than behind a counter.

The Victorian Government should pilot a recycled drinking water facility as a pathway to boost water security and improve consumer understanding, the state’s independent infrastructure advisor finds. Manufactured water created from recycled wastewater can help meet growing demand for water and offset the impacts of climate change.

The Coalition has attacked the lack of urgency in addressing financial sustainability for Australia’s 537 local governments, as the Albanese Labor government quietly reinstated a sustainability inquiry - something the Coalition has been calling for since early June.

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has welcomed the release of the terms of reference for two inquiries into regional aviation. The first, a Productivity Commission inquiry into the key factors that determine regional airfares. The second, a Senate committee inquiry into the state of Australia’s aviation sector and its ability to deliver reliable and affordable services to rural, regional and remote communities.

I’ve stood on the bridge of the Fisheries portfolio before, watching the charts, reading the soundings, and warning the captain that reefs lay ahead. As a former Chief of Staff to a Fisheries Minister, I recognise the signs when a government vessel starts taking on water and the crew pretend it’s just spray over the bow. WA is again steering toward the same rocks: science shouting from the crow’s nest, lobby groups whispering on the bridge, and politicians tightening the sails to catch votes instead of heeding the compass. Now Captain Jackie Jarvis has the helm. We will see whether she keeps a steady course guided by evidence or follows her predecessor into the shallows of cheap populism and political drift.

Long-suffering readers know my refrain: Western Australia can build stadiums, museums and Metronet tunnels, yet still cannot build a permanent home for its agriculture department. Call it DPIRD or the old Ag Department, or—as I prefer—the Department of People, Inclusion, Re-education and Diversity. Titles change, logos change, ministers change. The reality stays the same.

Unique wetlands in Victoria's Wimmera are getting a helping hand thanks to the local community. Conservation organisation Trust for Nature, supported by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and the Victorian Government, is working with landholders to protect and manage wetlands on their properties.

TasFarmers says the 2025-26 State Budget is “what it is", steady and without surprises, with no new taxes and no change to agricultural policy. TasFarmers says the budget highlights the need for stronger leadership and meaningful reform to safeguard the state’s productive economy.

The Tasmanian Government’s significant investment in health, education, housing, and law and order has been outlined in today’s 2025-26 interim Budget. This is a fiscally responsible budget that will continue to deliver the services that Tasmanians expect and deserve.

Australia's export-oriented crocodile industry depends on public opinion in foreign countries and the actions of legislators in those countries. This is the industry's primary problem. Two secondary problems arise from this. Australia's crocodile industry has too little economic potential, and lobbying regulations in Australia are too imperfect for Australian farmers to quickly follow global trends.

Horsham Rural City Council has welcomed Victorian State Government approval for the establishment of a $300 million food manufacturing plant in Dooen. Farm Frites specialises in frozen potato products.

Victorian Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence has launched public consultation on proposed new legislation, inviting Victorians to share their priorities for the industry, what’s working under current laws and ideas for improvement. 

The Victorian Labor Government is claiming critical minerals will develop jobs and regional growth and boost local economies. Mine Free Glenaladale and the community it represents in East Gippsland disputes this claim by the Government, as there is a high probability existing jobs and industries would be adversely affected by a proposal of a mineral sands mine 25 kilometres west of Bairnsdale.