Nationals urged watchdog to call out discriminatory practices by banks against rural industries

Nationals Senators are calling on the big banks to stop putting their politically charged climate policies ahead of the jobs of hardworking Australians. Leader of the Nationals in the Senate and Senator for Victoria, Bridget McKenzie, along with NSW Nationals Senator Perin Davey, used today’s Senate Estimates to urge the industry’s watchdog to call out…

STOCK AND LAND: Wool industry reminded to beware trading with North Korea

(Watch the senate estimates exchange between Senator McKenzie and AWI CEO Stuart McCullough here.) By Chris McLennan Australia’s wool industry was given a slap on the wrist in Federal Parliament yesterday for inadvertently planning to breach trade sanctions against North Korea. Australian Wool Innovation chief executive officer Stuart McCullough came under tough questioning in a…

ABC RURAL: North Korea highlighted as emerging market by Australian Wool Innovation

(*Watch estimates exchange between Senator McKenzie and AWI CEO Stuart McCullough here.) By national rural reporter Kath Sullivan Australia’s major wool research and marketing body has been forced to back down after identifying North Korea as an emerging market for Australian producers in a strategic document. The taxpayer and farmer-funded Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) listed the rogue…

SHEEP CENTRAL: No WoolQ revenue after $6.3 million spent over five years

(*Watch Senator McKenzie’s exchange during senate estimates with AWI chief operations officer John Roberts here.) By Terry Sim AUSTRALIAN Wool Innovation has spent $6.3 million in growers’ levy funds on the WoolQ Market platform over the past five years but it has failed to generate any revenue, Senate Estimates was told yesterday. Rural and Regional…

Investing in Indi’s smart farmers

Indi to share in $6.48 million Smart Farms Small Grants funding Projects focus on supporting Australian farmers to adopt innovative practices that increase farm productivity, profitability and protection of natural resources management The Liberal and Nationals Government continues to back farmers in north-east Victoria by helping them adopt the next generation of sustainable farming practices…

Putting communities at the heart of the Basin Plan

The Morrison-McCormack Government is delivering on its commitment to focus on off-farm projects to recover environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin. Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, is announcing the Water Efficiency Program (WEP) will close and be replaced by a water saving program that does not impact farmers’ water entitlements. “My…