Media Releases

WAFarmers backs mandated pain relief for mulesing as flystrike threat remains front and centre

WAFarmers has welcomed the Minister for Agriculture’s confirmation in Parliament that Western Australia will mandate the use of pain relief for mulesing under the nationally agreed Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for sheep, noting the move is squarely in line with existing WAFarmers policy. WAFarmers Livestock Council supports that effective pain relief should be mandatory for mulesing and has consistently supported continued research into practical alternatives to surgical mulesing. Geoff Pearson, President of the

Darren Brown November 20, 2025

Opinion Articles

How the Net-Zero dream mugged agriculture

There’s a rule in politics as old as the wheatbelt: never sign anything you wouldn’t be willing to enforce yourself. Unfortunately, the Australian agricultural sector didn’t get the memo. A decade ago, farm lobby groups, industry councils, commodity groups and agribusiness roundtables lined up like schoolkids at assembly to clap along to the great net-zero revival meeting. Many signed a pledge, waved the flag, posed for the photo and strutted back to the paddock believing they’d

Trevor Whittington November 20, 2025

Opinion Articles

When Canberra grabbed the Timeclock

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. The story of

Trevor Whittington November 20, 2025

General News

Gingin Shire Councillor moves to ban the use of Glyphosate

Shire of Gingin Councillor Lincoln Stewart recently sought to move a motion with the intent of “phasing out and banning [the use] of glyphosate in the Shire of Gingin.” Cr Stewart’s proposed motion included: “That Council:… 3. Recognizes its duty of care to protect the community, environment, and future generations from foreseeable harm, and to reduce the Shire’s exposure to liability associated with the ongoing use of hazardous chemicals. 4. Resolves to: a. Phase out

Darren Brown November 19, 2025

Research and Reports

Auditor General report finds serious issues in Maintaining Regional Local Roads

Western Australia’s Auditor General has tabled the Maintaining Regional Local Roads report in Parliament which highlighted a number of problematic issues including: The condition of Western Australia’s Local Government (LG) road network is largely unknown because it is neither measured nor consistently reported. This lack of data undermines maintenance planning, prevents accurate assessment of maintenance effectiveness, and obscures the true scale and cost of the maintenance backlog. The inconsistency of asset management across LGs increases

Darren Brown November 13, 2025

Opinion Articles

Can Captain Jarvis Navigate Without a Polling Compass?

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

Trevor Whittington November 13, 2025

News Clippings

Forrest weir challenge: Anthropologist’s sacred site evidence questioned in tribunal

At the WA State Administrative Tribunal, Andrew Forrest and his former wife Nicola are challenging the state government’s refusal of their plan to build a series of weirs along the Ashburton River on their Minderoo Station in the Pilbara. The proposal is opposed by the Thalanyji people and the Buurabalayji Thalanyji Aboriginal Corporation (BTAC), who say the project would harm the spiritual and cultural significance of the river. During cross-examination, counsel for the Forrests, Kenneth

Darren Brown November 12, 2025

WAFarmers-against-lowering-default-speed-limits

Submissions

Submission to the Regulatory Impact Analysis to reduce the open road default speed limit

WAFarmers is against lowering default speed limits outside built-up areas 1. The core problem is not the default limit but driver behaviour and road maintenance While road safety is a shared national priority, the assumption that lower default speed limits will materially reduce fatalities oversimplifies a complex issue. Driver error, fatigue, distraction, alcohol, and inattention are leading causes of rural road crashes — not simply “speed.” Many regional and remote roads are in poor condition

Darren Brown November 10, 2025

Media Releases

Albany Zone moves to support Nationals’ Net Zero policy

Members of Western Australia’s peak farming body has passed a motion to “endorse the Federal National Party’s decision to abandon Australia’s current net-zero by 2050 commitment.” The meeting of the Albany Zone of WAFarmers yesterday formally called for the organisation’s policy to be updated to “reflect recent political, economic, and technological developments surrounding Australia’s emissions reduction commitments.” The motion also “calls on: The WA Liberal Party and the Federal Liberal Party to review and realign

Trevor Whittington November 7, 2025

Opinion Articles

Captain Jarvis will go down in history

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. For decades we have shuffled staff around Perth like sailors swapping hammocks on a leaking frigate, while

Trevor Whittington November 6, 2025