Opinion Articles

Transitions without the capacity

“The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design” Friedrich Hayek 25 Feb 2025: the State Minister for Agriculture announced a $3.3m to Beaufort Rivier Abattoir as part of the live export transition. 25 Feb 2025: Beaufort River puts out a press release announcing it was shutting its doors “due to ongoing livestock shortages. The decision follows continued supply constraints that have

Trevor Whittington February 25, 2026

Opinion Articles

What does the rail lease actually require?

This is yet another instalment in my running theme: the State rail debacle. A saga of privatisation, monopoly infrastructure, and governments that appear to have misplaced both the keys and the contract. Twenty-five years after Western Australia leased out its freight rail network, one basic question still has no straight answer: what does the Brookfield/Arc lease actually require? Who is responsible for maintaining and upgrading WA’s freight rail network, and how on earth do we force the

Trevor Whittington February 19, 2026

News Clippings

ABC Country Hour interview with Trevor Whittington re Sheep Industry roadmap

“Well, this is the roadmap that’s been on the road for a long time” That’s how WAFarmers’ CEO Trevor Whittington started his interview with ABC WA Country Hour host Belinda Varischetti today in response to her question about the clarity of the Federal Government’s WA roadmap out of the live sheep trade. The interview took place while Trevor was attending an industry workshop in Perth, where he said more talking was wasting valuable time: “It’s

Darren Brown January 28, 2026

Opinion Articles

Reflex politics crushing WA

Out on a country road, when something jumps out in front of you, the worst thing you can do is panic and yank the wheel. Anyone who has spent time behind the wheel outside the suburbs knows you don’t swerve wildly left or right every time the road throws up a surprise. That’s how you turn a problem into a wreck. Yet that, increasingly, is how the Albanese Government governs. When political pressure mounts, it

Trevor Whittington January 2, 2026

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

Federal Government

Gingin Shire Councillor moves to ban the use of Glyphosate

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