September 2016

WAFarmers has welcomed the formal announcement of a rural firefighting service by the State Government in their response to the Report of the Special Inquiry into the January 2016 Waroona Fire. Premier Colin Barnett this morning announced that the State Government would create a rural firefighting service, as recommended by Euan Ferguson in the report which was released in June. WAFarmers President Tony York said the action was a win for local communities and firefighters.

The Federal Government has bowed to pressure from industry and dropped its proposed 32.5 per cent backpacker tax plan. Treasurer Scott Morrison today announced that working holiday makers would be taxed 19 per cent from 1 January 2017 instead of the originally proposed 32.5 per cent. Further changes to the proposed tax will see the Working Holiday Visa application fee reduced by $50 to $390, an increase in age eligibility from 30 to 35 years,

WAFarmers hosted representatives from Prime Super last week, who spoke to staff about products and services available to WAFarmers staff, members and the wider public. Chief Executive Officer Lachlan Baird and Regional Manager Radek Kotlarczyk joined staff at Head Office, and explained how their organisation’s focus on good, long-term investments and straightforward superannuation solutions could be of benefit to the WAFarmers community. In addition to this and information on their fees, flexible services and investment

The appointment of Mark Lewis as Minister for Agriculture and Food has been welcomed by WAFarmers. Mr Lewis was announced as the new Minister by Premier Colin Barnett this afternoon, following the resignation of former Minister Dean Nalder from the Agriculture and Transport portfolios on the weekend. WAFarmers President Tony York this week called for a dedicated Minister for Agriculture and Food, and welcomed Mr Lewis’ appointment to the role. “We are pleased that industry

WAFarmers has expressed frustration on behalf of the state’s agricultural sector, after Dean Nalder’s resignation from Cabinet and his Agricultural and Transport portfolios on the weekend. WAFarmers President Tony York said the industry deserved better, and that stability in leadership was greatly needed. “We are extremely disappointed and frustrated that we have lost another Minister for Agriculture, the second within less than a year,” Mr York said. “There are many ongoing issues that require the

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently announced an investigation into whether telecommunications companies should be forced to provide domestic mobile roaming services to all Australians. The announcement follows the release of a report from the Australian National Audit Office which determined that the Federal Government lacked appropriate method in the first rollout of the Black Spot Programme and that some areas were funded that already had adequate coverage. The ACCC also advised they

The first report from the Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land has been released, with WAFarmers saying that the findings will help to demystify perceptions of foreign investment of farmland in Australia. WAFarmers Chief Executive Officer Stephen Brown said foreign investment was an important source of capital for Australia and that it was a sensitive issue for many. “Given Australia’s strong relationship with China, there is a common misconception that they hold the highest

COMMENT FROM WAFARMERS PRESIDENT, TONY YORK Minister for Agriculture and Food Dean Nalder and Premier Colin Barnett have recently made some encouraging comments in support of the State Government and public’s commitment to biosecurity funding, and we urge them to continue to work together to find a resolution to these funding concerns. Western Australian agriculture is dependent on its clean and disease-free produce and is both a national and international leader in biosecurity. We have

WAFarmers has once again strongly opposed the introduction of the proposed backpacker tax, following a call for public submissions as part of the multi-departmental Federal Government review. The WAFarmers submission, which focused heavily on backpacker numbers, represented a Western Australian whole-of-industry approach, and was informed by our own consultation and experiences in addition to that from the Australian Hotels Association, Gascoyne Publican, The Job Shop, WA Fishing Industry Council, WA Pomegrowers, Wines WA, 2 Workin