Opinion Articles

This Minister has learnt nothing from the Live Export debate

“The Cook Government has been a leader in adopting the new poultry standards and guidelines and phasing out battery cages, reflecting community expectations for improved treatment, care and management of all animals. (Jarvis) “The new poultry regulations are designed to be proactive and support better welfare, safety and health outcomes in both commercial and backyard flocks.” Jackie Jarvis 13 December 2024. (Jarvis) Has our State Minister for Agriculture learnt nothing from the live export debate.

Trevor Whittington January 23, 2025

Opinion Articles

The Nats need to cut the Pork

In the pre-refrigeration era of the Deep South, plantation owners would crack open barrels of salted pork to reward their workers—a salty metaphor for doling out scraps to keep the masses just content enough. This image of frantic hands diving into the communal pork barrel gave rise to a term now etched in the annals of political cynicism: pork-barrelling. By the 19th century, this practice had leapt from the plantation to the Parliament, as politicians

Trevor Whittington January 21, 2025

Opinion Articles

Collie Coal has a big future once we get past the climate change madness

“My Government is absolutely committed to delivering a strong future for Collie, delivering major new industries and local jobs as the economy transitions away from coal.” “Opening up industry-land land at Coolangatta is a critical next step for Collie, to make this town as attractive as possible for major projects.” (Premier WA) “This commitment today will help to secure Collie’s future as an industry hub, putting its skilled workforce to best use and setting up

Trevor Whittington January 16, 2025

Opinion Articles

$7.2 Billion for new Kwinana Port – is enough to leave the MUA on the Freo Docks

“Delaying action on Westport is a risk to our economy. Without Westport, the cost of everything will go up, and we will be reliant on road and rail from the eastern states – hurting households, businesses and the economy. (Cook) “A world-class container port in Kwinana is critical for our State to remain a global economic and industrial powerhouse, and for the future prosperity of all Western Australians. (Premier WA). It’s clear that Cook will

Trevor Whittington January 15, 2025

Opinion Articles

Firearms Reform in WA – Has it Missed the Mark

This piece emerged from an extended dialogue with the Minister for Police (WA) regarding the new firearms regulations released just before Christmas. I revised my original opinion article to incorporate the Minister’s direct responses, as they address many of the key concerns raised during the reform process. This article appears in The Farm Weekly 9/1/25. Trevor: Some would claim the Western Australian Government’s attempt to reform the State’s 1973 Firearms Act has been nothing short of a political

Trevor Whittington January 7, 2025

Opinion Articles

Is 2025 the year the millennial boys wake up

As we stare down the barrel of 2025, this year is shaping up to be a reckoning—not just for Australia, but for a world that has endured a decade of progressive politics defined by ‘Cancel Culture’, ‘Me Too’, and the relentless pursuit of ‘Virtue Signalling’. All the while, the global economy has been led toward rack and ruin by its capture by the climate change catastrophists. Yet amidst the chaos, there’s a glimmer of hope:

Trevor Whittington December 20, 2024

Opinion Articles

Labor’s left faces off in Tasmania

Tasmania, the island that gifted the nation Bob Brown and his Greens, now finds itself ensnared in the same ideological traps it helped set. This time, the prey is the state’s billion-dollar salmon industry, a rare beacon of economic prosperity employing over 5,000 people. Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and her green disciples have their sights set on regulating the industry into oblivion. It’s a classic case of ideological zeal trumping common sense, and the

Trevor Whittington December 18, 2024

Opinion Articles

Trump holds the Codes to Farm Machinery ‘Right to Repair’

As a second Trump presidency looms on the horizon, one pressing issue for America’s farmers remains unresolved: the unfetted right to repair their own agricultural machinery. With the American farmers at loggerheads with the big farm machinery manufacturers over who gets the right to access software locks to repair complex tractors and headers, what happens under Trump could impact Australian farmers ability to achieve the holy grail of ‘Right to Repair.’ The modern right-to-repair battle

Trevor Whittington December 17, 2024

Opinion Articles

From Paddock to Plate to Purgatory: Why Jim Chalmers’ Future Fund Should Keep the Sheep

If renewable energy and affordable housing are such lucrative investments, then surely Australia’s sheep industry deserves a slice of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ visionary portfolio? It’s hard to argue with this logic—unless you’re one of those bureaucrats or politicians who’ve spent the last decade convinced there’s no future in live sheep exports. In his latest attempt to channel Australia’s wealth into government-approved projects, Chalmers announced plans to steer the Future Fund toward housing and renewables, claiming

Trevor Whittington December 11, 2024

Opinion Articles

Teenagers will always outsmart Politicians – The Absurdity of the Online Safety Bill

Remember when you were a teenager, it does not matter how long ago it was, we all at some stage were masters of defiance, we outwitted curfews, smoked behind the bike shed and sneaked a beer or two. Yet, Canberra’s rocket scientists of politicians have decided they can outsmart the current generation of youth with the Online Safety Amendment Bill which passed through parliament recently. This bill, which bans social media use for anyone under

Trevor Whittington December 11, 2024