latest insights.

Any Australian who likes to pack their bags for overseas adventures would have thought more than once: wouldn’t it be nice if we were a little closer to some of our more far-flung neighbours. It’s true that the plane trip to some of our more desired destinations is an adventure in itself – before you even consider the expense – but our unique location in the world also presents some unique ...
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There was a story last week about the current delays for people applying for and renewing passports, as international travel starts to wind back up and many of us are busy planning for a future trip abroad. While the current lengthy wait for passports would be incredibly frustrating if your departure date was looming and you still didn’t have the documentation you needed, it is pleasing to see our ...
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Rain has been an ongoing theme of 2022 for vast areas of NSW, and it continues to fall as communities around the state, devastated by a series of catastrophic flood events in the past 18 months, carry on with the task of rebuilding critical community infrastructure, businesses, homes and lives. Our regions have borne the brunt of a series of natural disasters in recent times – drought, ...
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Workforce challenges are plaguing a raft of Australian industries currently, with employers, both small and large, across the country reporting job ads are attracting few applications – or no response at all in many cases. Those businesses that suffered the most under COVID-19 restrictions are now faced with workforce shortages impacting their ability to return to pre-pandemic business ...
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When perceptions on the attractions and benefits of living in rural and regional communities are discussed, rarely are art and culture at the top of the list. But this desire to enjoy arts and cultural pursuits is just as strong in the country as it is in the city – it’s just the opportunities may be fewer and further between. That’s not to say that thriving arts communities can’t be found in ...
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The next Federal election is looming, shaping up to be one of the most intriguing contests in recent times given our nation’s journey in the past two years, and the political machinations that have played out on so many fronts. How is the electorate going to respond to all that’s gone on is anyone’s guess at this point, but what is in no doubt is the desire – because of the uncertainty, anxiety ...
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In October last year the Federal Government released the National Agricultural Innovation Policy Statement. COVID-19 has made it hard for other news to have much of an impact in the past two years, so the statement largely went under the radar, but for agriculture, and the nation’s future economic fortunes, it’s important. The statement provides “direction for improving the Australian agricultural ...
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Australia is world-renowned for some of the best produce in the world and it’s a reputation we should all be proud of and on which our national economy is heavily-reliant. So, a new report released by AgriFutures Australia makes for somewhat sobering reading, outlining the impacts of product fraud, which has a cost of between $2-3 billion each year. An astonishing amount and one which must have us ...
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Federal Parliament has risen for 2021 and it would have to be said it was a less-than-auspicious end to the parliamentary year.  At a time when the nation is in desperate need of courageous, positive and decisive leadership, Australians have been hard pressed to find that in Canberra and our States of late, with headlines unfortunately reflecting the questionable behaviour of some of our ...
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HSC exams are underway for our Class of 2021 and to say they’ve had to do the hard yards in the past two years is an understatement. This cohort has had to endure more than any other group of seniors in recent memory, and whatever their final results they deserve to hold their heads high and know when it comes to resilience, they’ve all scored an A. At this time, too, given all the challenges ...
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There have been many lessons from the past 18 months – many of them learned the hard way - but one of the things we’ve come to understand is a successful outcome heavily relies on having a shared goal, uniting people behind it and moving forward together. Things are more difficult, and success more elusive, if different parts of the one organisation, business, industry, community or even nation, ...
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Great seasonal conditions and an anticipated bumper harvest is putting smiles on the faces of farmers in many parts of the nation, and in NSW and Queensland it’s a welcome continuation of the recovery from years of crippling drought. But in Western Australia, the excitement around another big winter harvest is being tempered by the reality that new farm machinery ordered for the season ...
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One of the enduring images from the pandemic will be of bare supermarket shelves as people turned their feelings of anxiety and frustration towards their pantry, in part no doubt, as a way to regain some control in a time of enormous uncertainty. Of course, there was never a risk of our nation running out of food – the Australian Food and Grocery Council reassured Australians at the height of ...
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At the turn of the last century, agriculture was in its relative infancy, but turn the clock forward more than 120 years and it has emerged as a global giant that today employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars for the world’s economies. When many think of agriculture, they think of farmers, but the range of jobs that now underpin the sector has grown as quickly as the industry ...
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It’s the silent, unseen threat to Australian agriculture that costs farm businesses millions of dollars a year and is indiscriminate in the industries it strikes. Spray drift is unfortunately an ongoing threat to agriculture and one farmer on the receiving end of the devastation can do little to combat. At the same time, the application of pesticides remains vital to many ag sectors to maximise ...
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When this year’s Federal Budget was handed down in May, one of the announcements that attracted attention was the allocation of $200 million over four years for a National Soil Strategy. The Strategy establishes a framework for how our nation will value, manage and improve its soil for the next 20 years, setting out three main goals around prioritising soil health, encouraging innovation and ...
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Regional living is now officially ‘cool’. Of course, this isn’t news to those of us who already call our towns and regional cities home. We’ve always appreciated the benefits of a regional address and wondered why everyone couldn’t see the appeal. But now it seems the secret’s out and our city cousins are making the move in greater numbers than ever. The pandemic has caused many of us to ...
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Mental health services, the push to grow the nation’s agriculture workforce and infrastructure spending are among the wins for rural and regional Australia from Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s third budget. Seftons’ Managing Director Robbie Sefton said delivering a budget during the current pandemic crisis was always going to be a challenging task, but she was happy to see the focus remain ...
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There’s an old joke that goes something like this and the punch line is one that should resonate with all farmers and anyone interested in a changing climate. What happens when you cross an Irishman with a Scotsman? You get someone who likes to drink, but doesn’t want to pay for it. That same odd-couple combo also applies to Australian consumers when it comes to food production; especially ...
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WHEN it comes to implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in Australia, we can’t afford to make any dumb moves; especially resorting to complacency or navel gazing. But if we’re smart and savvy and think strategically, to act on a bold vision, it’ll ensure we optimise future benefits of the AI revolution; especially making Australian farmers and agribusiness more efficient ...
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