Latest news with #JulieCollins
The Advertiser
26-05-2025
- Climate
- The Advertiser
With Labor handed another three years, drought must be the political focus
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory. Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994. The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production. But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high. And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses. Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected. A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable. Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks. The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are. And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful? Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed. Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts. But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls. Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers". We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge. Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory. Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994. The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production. But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high. And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses. Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected. A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable. Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks. The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are. And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful? Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed. Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts. But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls. Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers". We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge. Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory. Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994. The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production. But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high. And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses. Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected. A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable. Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks. The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are. And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful? Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed. Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts. But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls. Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers". We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge. Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory. Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994. The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production. But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high. And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses. Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected. A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable. Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks. The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are. And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful? Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed. Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts. But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls. Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers". We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge.
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Federal politics live: Labor projected to win Tasmanian seat of Franklin, taking confirmed seat count to 87
Tasmanian Labor MP Julie Collins is projected to retain the seat of Franklin in Tasmania's south. The agriculture minister held off a strong challenge from independent Peter George, who was campaigning against commercial salmon farming. It came after independent MP Zoe Daniel was defeated in the seat of Goldstein yesterday, becoming the first of the "teal" independents swept to power in 2022 to lose their seat. Meanwhile, Adam Bandt remains in danger in his seat of Melbourne, with Labor's Sarah Witty leading on a two-party-preferred basis and the Greens leader struggling to pick up enough support from Liberal or other minor party preferences to get him on top. Follow along with the day's events on our live blog below. Key Events 4m ago 4 minutes ago Tue 6 May 2025 at 9:10pm 10m ago 10 minutes ago Tue 6 May 2025 at 9:04pm Submit a comment or question Log in to comment Live updates Latest Oldest Key Event 4m ago Tue 6 May 2025 at 9:10pm Liberal senator calls for Coalition to drop its nuclear energy policy J By Joshua Boscaini Liberal senator Maria Kovacic says she wants the Coalition's nuclear energy policy needs to be scrapped. Kovacic has told ABC Radio National Breakfast that Australians delivered a resounding message to the Coalition's policies on Saturday. She says the nuclear policy was at odds with Liberal Party values of free markets and small government. "The notion of the party that is meant to do that, that is the cornerstone of it's values, would then nationalise a major portion of our energy system is completely at odds with who we are and what we stand for," she says. She says Saturday's election result was "devastating" for the Liberal Party who have lost "very good members of parliament". "We have lost shadow cabinet ministers, so the message from the community is very, very clear, and that's why I believe this nuclear policy has to go," she says. React React Key Event 10m ago Tue 6 May 2025 at 9:04pm 🗳️ Labor's Julie Collins retains Franklin, ABC projects C By Casey Briggs The ABC projects that Labor MP Julie Collins has retained the seat of Franklin, in Tasmania's south. The agriculture minister has held off a strong challenge from independentcandidate Peter George who was campaigning against commercial salmon farming. React React 14m ago Tue 6 May 2025 at 9:00pm Good morning 👋 J By Joshua Boscaini Hi everyone! Welcome back to another day of federal politics live. We're just four days post-election and vote counting is continuing for all those seats across the country too close to call. I'm Josh Boscaini at Parliament House in Canberra and I'll be taking you through all the latest post-election developments today. Let's go! React React
Sydney Morning Herald
06-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Labor romped home in Tassie. The PM's salmon move worked
Tasmanian voters have endorsed Labor's shift to protect salmon jobs from environmental challenges, as the government claimed two fresh Tasmanian seats, retained two others and locked the opposition out of lower house seats entirely. But the politics of salmon farming continue to carve a course through the south of the state, with anti-salmon candidate Peter George coming second on preferences to Labor's Fisheries Minister Julie Collins. Salmon farming pens that proliferate along Tasmania's south-east and west coasts are owned by eight companies including foreign-owned giants Huon Aquaculture, Petuna and Tassal. The $1.8 billion industry made national and international headlines when a 'mass mortality' event over summer caused by a bacterial outbreak killed more than a million fish, and led to chunks of salmon carcasses and oil globules washing up on beaches near the pens. After salmon workers were filmed shovelling still-writhing fish from diseased pens, and sealing the lids closed, the RSPCA revoked its certification for Huon Aquaculture salmon. No Tasmanian salmon is now certified as meeting the authority's animal welfare standards. As negative headlines grew, so too did industry concern for the more than 5000 workers it says rely on the industry (estimates vary between 1700 and 5100), and for the wider impacts losing the $1.3 billion industry could cause in the state. In March, the day before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the federal election, Labor and the Opposition joined forces in the Senate to pass amendments to federal environment laws. Those changes put a line under Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek's formal reconsideration of the 2012 expansion of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour – in the electorate of Braddon – at the request of environmental groups.
The Age
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Labor romped home in Tassie. The PM's salmon move worked
Tasmanian voters have endorsed Labor's shift to protect salmon jobs from environmental challenges, as the government claimed two fresh Tasmanian seats, retained two others and locked the opposition out of lower house seats entirely. But the politics of salmon farming continue to carve a course through the south of the state, with anti-salmon candidate Peter George coming second on preferences to Labor's Fisheries Minister Julie Collins. Salmon farming pens that proliferate along Tasmania's south-east and west coasts are owned by eight companies including foreign-owned giants Huon Aquaculture, Petuna and Tassal. The $1.8 billion industry made national and international headlines when a 'mass mortality' event over summer caused by a bacterial outbreak killed more than a million fish, and led to chunks of salmon carcasses and oil globules washing up on beaches near the pens. After salmon workers were filmed shovelling still-writhing fish from diseased pens, and sealing the lids closed, the RSPCA revoked its certification for Huon Aquaculture salmon. No Tasmanian salmon is now certified as meeting the authority's animal welfare standards. As negative headlines grew, so too did industry concern for the more than 5000 workers it says rely on the industry (estimates vary between 1700 and 5100), and for the wider impacts losing the $1.3 billion industry could cause in the state. In March, the day before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the federal election, Labor and the Opposition joined forces in the Senate to pass amendments to federal environment laws. Those changes put a line under Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek's formal reconsideration of the 2012 expansion of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour – in the electorate of Braddon – at the request of environmental groups.
The Guardian
16-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Climate 200 to help bankroll candidates in four Labor seats at federal election
Climate 200 will help bankroll independent candidates in four Labor seats – including one held by a cabinet minister – among 35 campaigns it will back at the federal election. The fundraising vehicle's final list of target electorates confirms it will support former journalist and anti-salmon farming campaigner Peter George in his bid to unseat the agriculture minister, Julie Collins, in Franklin in southern Tasmania. The climate-focused group will also donate to Kate Dezarnaulds in the hyper marginal Labor-held seat of Gilmore on the NSW south coast, and Phil Scott, who is contesting Darwin-based Solomon, held by Labor MP Luke Gosling. The Canberra seat of Bean was previously the sole Labor electorate with a Climate 200-backed candidate. After supporting 23 candidates at the 2022 election, including the six successful teal independents, Climate 200 will broaden out to 35 campaigns at this year's ballot. The group will donate to nine incumbent crossbenchers and 26 aspiring independent MPs, 19 of which are running in Coalition-held seats. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email A further two seats – Moore in WA and Calare in NSW – were Coalition-held before the local MP turned independent. The final batch of target seats shows shadow ministers Michael Sukkar and Michael McCormack will face Climate 200-backed candidates in their seats of Deakin (Jess Ness) and Riverina (Jenny Rolfe) respectively. Anita Kuss' campaign to win Liberal-held Grey in regional SA and Nicolle Arrowsmith's bid for the Gold Coast-based Moncrieff will also receive support from Simon Holmes à Court's group. Roughly half of the seats with Climate 200-backed MPs and candidates are in regional or rural electorates. Guardian Australia last month revealed Climate 200 was outpacing donations compared to this time three years ago, when it eventually raised $13m. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The group launched a new fundraising drive last week after Labor and the Coalition teamed up to overhaul electoral laws to cap political donations and campaign spending. Crossbenchers lashed the deal as a 'stitch-up' designed to disadvantage smaller players. Under caps that apply after the 2025 election, Climate 200 will be able to donate a maximum of $50,000 to each candidate per year, substantially less than the six-figure sums it has tipped into teal campaigns. It will still be able to spend up to $11m campaigning directly. In its latest appeal to donations, the group highlighted the increase in public funding for each vote from $3.35 to $5, which it calculated would hand the major parties an extra $140m combined. During a confrontation with independent Zali Steggall on Friday, the special minister of state, Don Farrell, said the changes would give 'ordinary Australians' a better shot at winning a seat. 'The whole process pushes downward pressure on the cost of elections so ordinary Australians have a chance to be elected, not those candidates that are supported by the billionaires and the millionaires,' he said.
