A resolution passed at the Australian Workers’ Union’s national conference calls on the Federal Government to step in with a new national licensing and enforcement body after widespread reports of labour exploitation in shearing sheds across the country.
The new regulation body would hold the powers to ensure licensing and registration but also have powers of enforcement.
The AWU was formed by unionised shearers in Ballarat in 1886, and it was shearers who formed the political arm of the labour movement, the Australian Labor Party, in Queensland in 1892.
AWU Victorian branch’s Ross Kenna said shearers of the 1800s would ashamed to see what’s happening in shearing sheds in 2024.
Flood recovery continues
Over the past few years, Murrindindi Shire has experienced six declared natural disaster events, including devastating floods in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Murrindindi Shire Council has so far completed $2.8 million worth of asset repairs, including on 11.2km of council roads. These costs exclude relief and recovery activities, the protection of public and personal assets, and debris and waste removal.
Murrindindi Shire Council Mayor Damien Gallagher said from the October 2022 floods, which damaged $30 million of council assets, to the January 2024 floods, which caused a further $10 million asset damage, recovery across the shire has been laborious and costly.
Council continues to seek funding from state and federal governments to restore community assets.
For more information on flood recovery works, visit https://murrindindi.vic.gov.au/floodrepairworks or get updates straight to your inbox by signing up to the Flood Recovery Newsletter at https://murrindindi.vic.gov.au/recoverynewsletter
State-owned solar farm
A new $370 million state-owned solar farm and battery in regional Victoria is expected to power 51,000 homes and have a 30-year lifespan.
The renewable energy park at Horsham, the second project awarded financial support by the State Energy Commission, will be 100 per cent government-owned.
The site will feature a 119-megawatt solar farm and 100MW two-hour battery, generating enough electricity to the grid to power Bendigo.
The project by Swedish-based developer OX2 was originally just a solar farm but has been expanded to include the big battery following the commission's cash injection.
Work on the solar farm will begin before the end of 2024, with the battery build expected to start in 2025, with 246 jobs to be created during construction.
Call for ag-tech start-ups
As fruit, vegetable and nut growers face challenging economic conditions and a drop in consumption, Hort Innovation says it will activate $60 million of investment into early-stage start-ups to drive positive change.
Through a partnership with Artesian, an alternative and impact investing firm, the new Hort Innovation Venture Fund will back promising start-ups whose concepts and prototypes have the potential to make a tangible impact for industry.
Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said it was important to improve productivity and elevate the profile and accessibility of Australian-grown fruits, vegetables, nuts, nursery products and turf locally, and worldwide.
“The Australian horticulture industry is facing unprecedented challenges — high production costs, labour issues, extreme weather impacts to name a few,” he said.
“On top of that, Australian fruit and vegetable consumption dropped by up to eight per cent to June 2023, compared to the year before.
“By investing in start-ups, we are enabling fresh ideas, never-before-seen technologies, and new ways of thinking to make growing easier, more sustainable and cost-effective, and lift consumption.”
NSW feeding the future
NSW’s agricultural production has lifted to its third highest level in history, according to a new report released by the NSW Government.
Despite challenging seasonal conditions during the first half of the year, NSW’s agricultural sector recorded a gross value of production of just over $20 billion in 2023-24, with the state’s agricultural exports reaching $11 billion in value over the 12 months.
NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said it was pleasing to see the sector was well on its way to achieving its goal of being a 30-billion-dollar industry by 2030, in spite of the challenges it continued to face.
“Dry seasonal conditions inland and livestock prices presented a real challenge over summer for many farmers, but despite all odds our sector remained a force to be reckoned with on the global stage,” Mr Martin said.
“Many farmers in the south have faced dry conditions and frost this year, while those in the north of the state, some experiencing flooding, are on the front line of major biosecurity threats like cattle ticks and fire ants,” Mr Martin said.
