A decline in the national dairy herd could lead to milk production being reduced to a 20 year low, according to a report released this month by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). ABARES' recent Agricultural Commodities report has forecast the...
A recent ruling by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) could increase access to flexible work conditions for employees, requiring a new approach for all employers engaging workers under a modern award. From the beginning of December 2018, employers are required to make a sufficient attempt to...
While still only in its infancy, Australia's relationship with Chinese wine drinkers has proved to be a very successful venture. Only eight years ago, China represented just 10% of Australian wine exports, and strong recent growth and continuing demand has led forecasters to predict a...
Widespread drought and patches of frost have resulted in a significant reduction to Australia's grain harvest, with this year's national wheat crop now expected to weigh in at 16.6 million tonnes, down by 11% and the smallest since 2008 (13.6 million tonnes). In New South Wales,...
A shortage of skilled and unskilled labour has led to many Northern Territory Station owners calling 2018 the toughest year to find staff. Both family-owned stations and corporate pastoral companies are facing unprecedented staff shortages from entry level roles through to more skilled positions such as...
While the use of casual labour is a common way of managing peak workloads in many agricultural industries, uncertainty around what constitutes 'casual' poses a significant risk to employers. In 2016, more than 2.5 million employees were engaged on a casual work basis, comprising almost 25%...
Every year, millions of innocent avocados are subjected to the worst kind of abuse. Sitting quietly on the supermarket shelf, they are prodded, squeezed and harassed by consumers looking for a ‘perfectly’ ripe avo. This man-handling causes untold physical damage to the beloved fruit, with...
Changes to the Working Holiday Maker visa program will make employing seasonal staff easier for Australian employers but are not the complete solution the industry has been seeking, according to industry lobby groups. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the changes earlier this month but cautioned that...
The Big Dry continues to grip many parts of Australia in drought, despite some areas having received encouraging recent rains. October rains across northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland came mostly from thunderstorms, providing only patchy coverage. "To give one example, Dubbo, which has had a...
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has backflipped on his opinion of the 10c/litre milk levy imposed by Coles and Woolworths, claiming that the initiative had become an ‘empty media stunt’. Only last month, Minister Littleproud applauded Woolworths for instigating the levy on branded milk products, quoted in...