April 2019

Keating promised his tax cuts were L.A.W. law, Gillard promised no carbon tax under her government and Bill Shorten swears that he will not introduce a inheritance tax. But farmers have long memories and political promises are dun der cheap and the cost of new taxes such as a carbon tax or a inheritance tax are oh so cheap politically for a labor government to load onto farmers. One thing we know is that labor

‘State Budget Securing Future for WA Agriculture Effort’ was the title of Minister McTiernan’s pre-budget press drop last week which I read with interest. I’m still not sure what the heading actually means but the money attached to it got my attention. The tap was back on, I thought, with $131.5m of new money earmarked for ag over the next four years. Reading on, after it detailed the failures of the past government, the press

Carbon emissions and targets are back in the news with the election promise by the opposition to ignore the cost to the Australian economy of its policy of a 45% reduction in emissions by 2030 vs the much more manageable 26% target set by the liberals. Labor’s herculean attempt to reduce Australia’s carbon footprint by a total of 226 million tonnes over the next 11 years is 4 times more than what has been achieved

Date of publication: 11 April 2019 In Australia today, around one third of commercial farmers are members of their state farming organisations. Benchmarked against public sector unions recording a 38% membership, and private sector unions which record only around 10%, this is not bad.  But even today with our strong and loyal members, WAFarmers is down to just 1250 members and six staff which means the critical mass to shape ever more complex policy issues

This election budget was fairly predictable for the agriculture sector, not surprisingly most of the farm specific commitments are eastern state centric, which is expected with the drought and flood plus a Federal Election just around the corner and so many marginal seats in regional New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Ignoring the billions in tax cuts that will never get through the senate unscathed, what we really welcome, is the reduction in the company

Date of publication:  23 November 2018 It’s easy to be a free rider, to be a leaner rather than a lifter.  We see it all the time in communities; there are those who step in and front up, putting their time and money into supporting their schools, sporting clubs, and community groups.  And then there are the leaners, those who lean back and enjoy what’s been achieved by others and can often be heard complaining

Date of publication:  9 November 2018 Farmers long ago worked out that the safest topic to talk over the farm fence to friends, neighbours, in fact anyone, is the weather.  Too wet, too dry, too hot, too cold, it’s much better to complain about the season than to get into much more sensitive topics like politics or sex. But sometimes we have to venture into areas that are a little more sensitive. As employers, workmates,

Date of publication: 21 November 2018 Today is National Agriculture Day; a day to stop and consider where your food and fibre comes from, and appreciate the incredibly diverse and innovative industry agriculture is. Agriculture plays a unique role in our society and is a major economic driver and the lifeblood to our rural communities. It is an industry underpinned by innovative individuals who run their businesses in an increasingly complex and challenging environment.  Agriculture

Date of publication: 23 October 2018 The anti-live export campaign in Australian is driven by millions of dollars of international funds to shut down a legitimate trade undertaken by one of the world’s leaders in setting commercial livestock animal welfare standards. The outrage has made it imperative that Australian producers work hard to ensure the Australian public is aware of the reality of what closing the trade would mean. Not only will it impact on