Latest news with #Warracknabeal
ABC News
6 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Lamb price record broken three times in 24 hours as flood, drought, exports push market
An Australian lamb price record has been smashed three times in 24 hours in Victoria this week driven by drought, floods and a strong appetite for Aussie lamb overseas. Heavy lambs hit $410 a head at Warracknabeal in the state's north-west on Wednesday. Earlier in the day lambs topped $403 at Horsham's saleyards in western Victoria. Warracknabeal livestock agent Aaron Zwar said the unprecedented lamb prices came after a perfect storm of rain in New South Wales, dry conditions in areas such as Victoria, and winter conditions arriving which would restrict supply. "Ships transporting sheep from Tasmania didn't sail from Sunday to Tuesday because of rough seas leaving mainland processors short," Mr Zwar said. The record price at Horsham was reached despite double the number of sheep and lambs being yarded from last week's sale. National Livestock Reporting Service market reporter Graham Pymer said meat processors were buying with urgency as the sale pushed up values for lamb by about $20–40 a head. At Ballarat on Tuesday the best pen of heavy lambs reached $400 a head, beating a previous record set in Wagga Wagga in 2021. Market information manager at Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Stephen Bignell, said while lamb prices had been trending up the record prices were "pretty exceptional and amazing". Mr Bignell said the prices reflected the difficulty in securing heavy lambs, with dry conditions in Victoria and South Australia and supply dwindling due to the coming winter. "Historically there's supply constraints in winter and the conditions in Victoria and SA are quite poor," he said. "That's impacting the ability to find heavy lambs for those export markets." The unprecedented prices also come at a time of high levels of supply of lambs and sheep to the market. Mr Bignell said about half a million animals were being processed a week. A lot of that is going to feed the insatiable demand of overseas markets like China and the United States. A recent MLA report said despite record production volumes in 2024, retail and saleyard prices had remained steady because most lamb was not going to the domestic market. "Differences in carcase specifications between domestic and international markets mean that much of the additional supply is better suited to export," the MLA market report said. Mark Templeton farms at Tahara Bridge, 10 kilometres south of Coleraine in western Victoria, which is in drought. He tried to keep as many of his sheep as possible and said the strong prices had been a small silver lining in 18 months of tough conditions. "Last year for us was unprecedented. We'd never had it that dry," he said. A large part of that time was spent feeding sheep, with the cost of feeding his ewes tripling from about $20–25 per sheep to about $60 a head. Mr Templeton said he had to make a few drastic phone calls trying to find other sources of feed such as barley straw, which was being sold at extremely high prices. To accommodate he had to scale back on his production. "I think that lambs are going to be a valuable commodity [with high] mutton and beef prices, and with the large slaughter [volume]. "It might take a few years to get back to where we were but high prices are certainly going to help." South Australia and parts of Victoria have been battling drought with the federal government announcing more support today. The Future Drought Fund Communities Program has been extended for another four years, with new funding of $36 million and an extra $800,000 for rural financial counselling services in SA and Victoria. "This is practical, real support," Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said. "These counsellors live in regional communities and understand the conditions and financial stressors people are experiencing."
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Aussie mum claims her job was so disgusting it left her unable to speak for SIX years
An Aussie mum says she lost her voice after being exposed to filthy conditions at her former workplace. The 44-year-old was allegedly sent into urine and faeces-covered homes while employed as a disability support worker for Woodbine, a not-for-profit organisation that supports people with intellectual disabilities based in Warracknabeal in north-west Victoria. In 2019, the fit and healthy mum-of-two, who has asked not to be identified, transported a client who required medical treatment to Warracknabeal Hospital. She had to stay with him for several days as the hospital was unable to provide the necessary support for his needs, reported. During that time, the woman came down with a respiratory illness similar to that of other patients. The woman, who worked for the not-for-profit for two decades, was off sick for three weeks before returning to work in allegedly unsafe conditions. 'Unfortunately [the clients] weren't able to keep their house clean, it would be filthy... urine, faeces, and mum would have to go there quite a bit,' her 21-year-old daughter told the publication. 'Mum didn't want to be rude. Woodbine was aware of the circumstances but there was nothing put in place to protect mum at all.' The disability support worker's respiratory condition is said to have worsened following her return to work. She was later diagnosed with a chest infection and pleurisy, inflammation of the lining of the lungs and chest cavity, which symptoms include a sharp, stabbing chest pain that worsens with breathing, coughing or sneezing. She was hospitalised in March 2020, where she lost her voice completely. Her daughter said her mum's condition 'developed into this vocal cord dysfunction from the recurrent infections'. The mum-of-two never regained her vocal function and today, she can't speak for more than a few minutes at a time, and lives in constant pain. She was left unable to work and moved to the Gold Coast in 2022. Her daughter claimed her mum's life has been impacted severely by the condition and feels let down by her former employer. Once fit and healthy, she requires medication to get through the day and is no longer able to exercise. The financial implications have also been 'significant.' The 44-year-old has received WorkCover payments at 80 per cent of her previous salary for more than five years. However, the mum-of-two now intends to lodge an application for a serious injury certificate. She is being represented by Shine Lawyers senior associate Nehad Elmassry, who described the case as a 'very bizarre and unique situation'. The lawyer alleged Woodbine failed in its duty of care as an employer by not providing the mum with personal protective equipment. Mr Elmassry said the her client had met the threshold to get compensation for losing her voice, but she would 'have to sue the Victorian WorkCover Authority, which steps into shoes of the employer' to get further compensation.
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Disability worker loses voice for six years after being exposed to filthy conditions
A former disability support worker who alleges she was sent into urine and faeces-covered homes by her employer has been left unable to speak for six years. In late 2019, the 44-year-old, who asked not be identified, was working as a support worker for Woodbine, a not-for-profit that assists people with intellectual disabilities based in Warracknabeal in Victoria's wheatbelt, 330km northwest of Melbourne. The disability support worker of two decades took a client to Warracknabeal Hospital for treatment and had to stay with him for several days as it wasn't equipped to properly cater for their needs. A number of other patients there had respiratory illnesses, and she came down with a similar illness as a result of her time there. The mum-of-two spent three weeks off sick, and when she returned she alleges she was put to work in unsafe conditions. 'Unfortunately [the clients] weren't able to keep their house clean, it would be filthy... urine, faeces, and mum would have to go there quite a bit,' her 21-year-old daughter said. 'Mum didn't want to be rude. Woodbine was aware of the circumstances but there was nothing put in place to protect mum at all.' As a result of her exposure to that environment, her respiratory condition worsened and she was diagnosed with a chest infection and pleurisy -- inflammation of the lining of the lungs and chest cavity. Her condition continued to deteriorate before she was eventually hospitalised in March 2020, losing her voice completely. 'She never came back and it developed into this vocal chord dysfunction from the recurrent infections,' her daughter said. '[The doctors said] mycoplasma pneumoniae is really hard to treat.' Six years later, she can't speak for more than a few minutes. She lives in constant pain and has to take heavy muscle relaxants just to keep her vocal chords at peace. She moved to the Gold Coast in 2022, and has been unable to work since her injury. Her daughter said the impact on her mum and their family had been 'devastating'. 'Day-to-day is pretty up and down,' she said. 'Prior to this injury mum was quite a fit and healthy person, mum would do swimming with me, exercise has all come to a halt. She has to be on medication to get through the day. The financial implications have been [significant].' 'It's a very bizarre and unique situation,' said Shine Lawyers senior associate Nehad Elmassry, who is representing the worker. 'She contracts this viral disease -- this is in the pre-Covid days -- then she loses her voice chronically for the rest of her life. There's no surgery, no therapy, no kind of treatment that's going to get her to be able to speak the same way.' Shine alleges Woodbine breached its duty of care by failing to provide her with personal protective equipment. 'There was no risk assessment when they sent her to the hospital,' said Mr Elmassry. 'She complained about the environment the patients were in and they still sent her. She complained the patients were unwell, they told her 'go do your job'. Her condition continued to get worse. No one expects to go to work and lose your voice for the rest of your life. [Being] unable to work, that's the least of your problems. Her daily activities are impacted -- she can't go to the shops, speak to other people, all of the things we take for granted.' She has been receiving WorkCover payments at 80 per cent of her previous salary for more than five years, but now intends to lodge an application for a serious injury certificate with the insurer in the coming months. 'She met the threshold to get compensation for losing her voice, now to get further compensation you have to sue the Victorian WorkCover Authority, which steps into shoes of the employer,' said Mr Elmassry. The claim has not been finalised but is expected to be 'hundreds of thousands for pain and suffering and economic loss'. 'Certainly if she can't work again, the WorkCover insurer would have to compensate her for the economic loss she would have suffered up until the age of 67,' he said. Shine is hopeful the claim will reach settlement without having to go to court. 'If there's a dispute and we can't come to agreement on who's at fault, it could land in court,' said Mr Elmassry. 'Woodbine [are] going to be under the gun. They'll be responding because they'll be asked a lot of questions.' The woman's daughter said her mum felt let down by her employer of more than 20 years. 'They forced her to resign on pretty bad terms, it ended pretty nasty,' she said. 'Mentally it was just so draining. Mum was so passionate and caring for her clients, they were always treated as so much more than a job. They were mum's world, she loved her job. It's just been really tough.' She added that the goal of the claim 'more to be recognised, to be shown that what happened wasn't fair'. 'This has been a really lengthy process and ultimately she just really wants it to come to an end,' she said.
